It was a chilly and rainy day in Struisbaai today and the boats certainly were not able to go out for a last attempt to catch a marin! But this meant that all were rested and ready for the Prize-Giving function,
All set up for the prize-givingThe TOMT Banner for 2024
First, the Tournament Director, Grant van der Westhuyzen, gave a vote of thanks to all who were involved in the smooth running of this competition. Mention was made of all the catering staff and bar ladies, the scoring committee, the weather committee, Andrew on radio, and of course all our amazing sponsors.
Then a few special awards were made.
Oom Diekie le Roux was thanked for being the Calcutta Weigh Master and Trevor Brinch (Spotter One) for radio communicationsEarl and Helen Fenwick received a case of Springfield Life from Stone for photography and blogging
Then the results of the Calcutta were announced and a 19.1kg Dorado was the heaviest fish caught
Well done for winning the pot, Juan Needham from Team Maverick with Tournament Director, Grant.Cheering for Maverick!
Special awards were presented to boats who have entered TOMT for many years in a row. Vleis Visagie’s Multi, Nuts Rupert’s Grace, Dudley Rosslee’s Dory, Mike Broderick’s Bad Co, and Iaan Viljoen’s Kinda’ Magic have all entered 10 years in a row. Rikus de Beer’s Marco Polo, Andrew van Zyl’s Gwaza, and Gawie Bruwer’s Indogo have entered 15 years in a row. Some of these anglers were not present but the ones who were are pictured below with the tournament director, Grant van der Westhuyzen.
It is not often that we see ladies participating in TOMT and this year we had three lovely girls among the crew. I have already mentioned Tammy from My Way but our other two are from the new entrant, Loslappie. We hope to see you back here, next year ladies.
Ada de Wit and Monica Botha of LoslappieThe other lady angler, Tammy von Wildenrath with her partner Aaron
Finally, the winners of the tournament were announced. Well done to all the crew of these boats. Catching a marlin requires team involvement and the glory goes to you all. Once again here are the links to the anglers’ stories.
Third place to Multi – Darius Steyn, Andre Pawson, Roelof Visagie, Dawie Theron, Ivaan de Jager, Henk AckermanSecond place to Maverick Ronald Penninkhof, JP Groenewald, Juan Needham, Jaen van der Berg Sea Cat. First Place! Simon Hipkin, Smiley Bhungu, Ben Johnson, Chris Steyn
Nobody went home empty handed and each team received a bag of some awesome prizes which they collected at the end of the proceedings.
During the evening there was also another auction for club funds and a beautiful leather travelling bag and a scooter went for a song – or perhaps more than they would ordinarily have paid? But it was all for a very good cause!
Thus ends The Eighteenth Two Oceans Marlin Tournament. We hope to see you all again in 2025.
Thank you to Andrew for his story on how he caught his marlin with the help of Team Multi
We prepared well for this competition and decided to target a striped marlin. Although we did the “Livey” thing, having seen how successful that was for John Graeme last year, we still had no success.
It was almost lines-up, we were in the zone where our skipper had caught marlin before so we changed the size of the lures and looked for a stripey. Luckily the timing was right and the first fish of the day was in my slot on the boat. I was on and quickly realised that if this was a stripey, it would complete the “Slam” for me. Black, blue and a stripey. What a relief when the call came that it was indeed my target fish, Needless to say, I had all the advice from an experienced crew with the normal amount of adjectives!
The fight was tough but worthwhile. We landed the marlin within the extra time. I have to thank my skipper and crew for the privilege. There is really no better feeling for me to land a trophy fish like this. Maybe winning the World Cup, again!
Multi returning in triumph
It is always a privilege to be part of this tournament!!
Thanks to Jaen van den Berg who with the help of the Maverick Team sponsored by Airmar caught a Marlin on Monday 12 February 2024. He tells his story in Afrikaans below which is the loose English translation.
Maandag gedurende hierdie kompetisie het een van my grootste drome gerealiseer -‘n gestreepte marlyn.
Al die lyne was in die water gereed vir aksie terwyl ons besig was om te braai en ek die marlyn in die spread raaksien. Alles is net so gelos en die groot adrenalienloop my beet pak … die marlyn is aan die longrigger!
Die dek word vinnig opgeruim en alles is reg en uit die pad uit terwyl ek die marlyn onder beheer probeer kry.
Die geveg is aanen ek het ongeveer 45min gestoei en getrek met baie raad, bystand en groot opgewondenheid van die crew. Eindelik is die marlyn langs die boot getrek die hoeke verwyder, die marlyn getag en release.
Baie dankie aan die crew JP Groenewald, Ron Penninkoff en Juan Needham wat gehelp het om my bucketlist korter te maak.
Maverick wapper met trots die marlynvlag
English translation
On Monday, the first fishing day of this competition, my biggest dream came true. I caught a striped marlin!
All lines were in and ready for action while we were busy making a braai and I saw the marlin in the spread. We left everything as the adrenalin kicked in. The marlin was on the longrigger.
The deck was quickly rearranged and everything was sorted out while I tried to get the marlin under control.
The fight continued for forty-five minutes with plenty of advice and support coming from the other crew members. The excitement was extreme.
Finally, the marlin was brought next to the boat and the hook was removed. We also tagged him
Thank you to the crew, JP Groenwald, Ron Penninkoff and Juan Needham who helped me to shorten my Bucket List.
The weather and sea conditions were perfect and the anglers had high expectations of getting their coveted marlin. But it was not to be and all had to be satisfied with catching fish for the Calcutta. I just took a few photos of the boats in the harbour as they came back from sea.
Click on the first photograph to see the slide show.
As it was Valentine’s Day today the staff were dressed in red and a few hearts were decorating the clubhouse. The fishermen were treated to the most delicious fish soup and swordfish for mains. Because it was Valentine’s Day dessert was red velvet cupcakes.
I made Earl wear a red shirt. Dahlene looking gorgeious in red
Those who committed misdemeanors had to take snuff and down a strafdop which gave everybody a good laugh and the guys (and one girl) were great sports about it all.
Naughty Jared from Kinda Magic stole a flag from outside the clubhouse! But he brought it back.
I’m not sure what Grant did but he head to sniff the snuff!
Hannis of Mojo overslept and made his crew late!
Poor Jacques from Mojo was accused by his crew of being a terrible skipper. Sorry Jacques – these guys just don’t appreciate you!
Apparently, Nick from My Way forgot how to fish? I’m not sure what that was all about!
Andrew on Gwaza was reprimanded for his inadequate radio. Perhaps it’s time to visit Suidpunt Marine to order a new one?
Nic from My Way had a lucky escape – he was not present to receive his punishment so Tammy (a girl angler!) took it on the chin for him! How’s that for supporting your teammates!
For some reason, the whole of Team Maverick was made to sniff and down a dop. It was something to do with them all being full of it or talking nonsense?
Apologies if I have the actual crimes wrong – it’s not easy keeping up with the comments while taking photos and keeping pace with what’s going on.
Then there was the presentation of prizes for the daily Calcutta.
Name and Boat
Weight of Fish
Andrew Pawson (Multi)
9.8kg Yellowtail
Eugene Terblanche (Indigo)
7.62kg Yellowtial
Ivaan de Jager (Multi)
7.62kg Yellowtail
Gawie Bruwer (Indigo)
6.46 Yellowtail
Henk Ackerman (Multi)
5.2kg Yellowtail
Serge Wessels (indigo)
5.1kg Yellowtail
Ben Johnson (Sea Cat)
3.6kg Yellowtail
Simon Lowe (My Way)
3.08kg Yellowtail
The weather for the next few days does not look promising so the boats may not be able to go out again. But the fun will continue at the evening functions. Below is a slide show of everybody enjoying the camaraderie.
Aaron and Tammy from My Way.- the latter is one of only two ladies fishing in the tournament
Sea and weather conditions were perfect this morning and the boats started launching well before six o’clock. It was a slow start but two ‘Dorado Marlin’ were called in before ten o’clock. We also had a beautiful rendition of “My Way” over the airwaves from Uncle Ted, Of course, Simon, the skipper of the boat, My Way was most flattered and invited Uncle Ted to join his crew!
Team Catitude – Nic, Mike (skipper), Ted (Singer), Frenchie
At 11:25 the first excitement hit the airwaves. Bad Co had a marlin on but unfortunately did not manage to bring him in.
Lots of Dorado and Macco Shark were called but it was only at 15:31 when Sea Cat hooked a black marlin and successfully released it at 16:07. Its estimated weight was 150 kg. Simon Hipkin, the angler will write a short report which will be published on this blog shortly.
Sea Cat’s Marlin – Screenshot from the videoSea Cat returning to port The Marlin Flag flies proudly
At 15:51 a striped marlin was hooked by Multi and released at 18:21. Its estimated weight was 120 pounds. The angler in the chair was Andre Pawson who will do a report for this blog shortly.
Multi’s Marlin – Screenshot from the video
A triumphant return to portProudly flying the Marlin Flag
The anglers were treated to the most delicious steak kebabs, chips and salad at the evening dinner. Afterwards, the exhausted anglers left for an early night and there were no presentations made for the Calcutta. Photos, etc will be posted in the next blog,
Very windy weather and rough seas prevented the boats from fishing on Day One of TOMT so there is not much to report about today’s activities. Dinner, was, of course, served at the club and this evening it was yellowtail and Cape salmon braaied to perfection.
A huge thank you Julian and Mark – Braai Masters Supreme!A great spread for the hungry crew
After enjoying a lovely evening together most of the anglers opted for an early night as it would be a fishing day on the morrow!
Monday 24 February 2024
The competition was called on and lines in was at 06h00. At that time the south easterly wind was around 12 to 15 knots. The sea was choppy but flattening.
The first sighting of a marlin was from Multi. The fish almost jumped onto the boat! That must have been both scary and exciting! What a great start to the day.
To add interest to the competition there is a Calcutta taking place. The boats can opt to join in by paying an entrance fee. Each angler may weigh one fish per day and a winner will be announced each evening. The overall winner at the end of the competition wins the pot.
At 14:17 a call came in from Maverick, a new boat in this tournament. Jaen van den Berg was vas with a striped marlin. He fought it till 15:01 before safely releasing it. It was Jean’s first marlin. Veels Geluk Jaen!
Jaen will write an account of Maverick’s effort to land their marlin and it will be posted on this blog shortly. All photos will be posted then.
Once again wonderful food was served for dinner at Suidpunt Diepsee Hengelklub this evening. On the menu was a delicious Osso Buco and the anglers, after a tough day at sea, ate heartily.
Here is a slide show of some of the participating boats as they came in this afternoon. I missed getting photographs of those who returned before lines-up but I will post them in a future blog.
Andrew from Marlin Control presented the prizes to today’s winners of the Calcutta and also metered out ‘straf dops’ and snuff to those who committed misdemeanors!
Maverick had already caught and released a marlin and then hooked another very big fish which they thought might be a second marlin but it was an enormous dorado!
Team Maverick with their beautiful winning ‘Dorado Marlin”Juan receives the Calcutta prize for MaverickEmile from Team Dory received the Second PrizeTeam Mojo was ill-prepared for the day causing confusion on the boat so skipper Jacque had to sniff snuff and down a straf dop for not controlling his crew!
Day Four of the tournament proved to be the most exciting of all. Here are the exciting stories from Chris Hepburn Brown, John Leppan, and Willem Skein all crew members of John Graeme , Werner Kotze of Indigo and Hannes Smuts of Bayswater.
First Fish of the Fourth DaybyChris Hepworth Brown(John Graeme)
Wednesday the 15 February was a day I will never forget. We got onto a bumpy sea early and we were all well aware of what we had to do. At the 12-mile bank, the colour of the sea was a deep gunmetal and the temperature was close to 23 degrees C.
After catching some Bonita which we put out as live bait the action started. Just after 8 am out the first line went. It was my turn on the rod and I settled in with a big black marlin. Being my first marlin, this was a daunting fight ahead. The fish jumped early in the fight and then went deep. After 30 min we brought the fish to the side and managed to measure and successfully release
This was probably one of the best experiences I have had. Catching this magnificent fish and then successfully releasing was a moment of extreme joy. I thank our skipper Chris Goatly and the crew for making this possible. Long live the marlin.
A Day I will never forget/ ‘n Dag ek sal nooit vergeet nie – Werner Kotze (Indigo)
Thank you Werner for your very exciting story and for writing in both English and Afrikaans. Ons waardeer dit baie.
Ek kry n uitnodinging vroeër die jaar van Eugene om met hom op die boot Indigo wat deur die legendariese Gawie Bruwer besit en geskip word te kan gaan deelneem aan die TOMT. Die 4e dag se besluit was gemaak, nadat Serge Wessel ons eerste gestreepte Marlyn die vorige dag suskesvol gevang het om weer ver te ry op soek na n suksesstorie.
Radio calls came in of several Marlin being fought and even successfully released from the complete opposite direction from where we found ourselves. Although our water looks great and we lost hours to reach our GPS coordinates, it feels like the Marlin gods have turned yet again against us, could it be true…absolutely not!
Ek draai na Eugene en vra vir hom ; “Het jy dit ook nou gesien?”
Terwyl ons na die “spread” kyk sien ons hoe n Stripey die starboard outrigger slaan en vas is ons. Met die knip van n oog slaan daar nog n Stripey die portside outrigger en dit verander in ‘n malhuis op die boot. Ongelukkig verloor ons altwee visse, maar ons weet ons besluit om ver te hardloop was reg. Vinnig is al die stokke sommer weer in die water en ons bespreek wat moontlik verkeerd kon loop, bad luck is die gevoel en fokus skuif na die mooi water en so paar verdwaalde voëls. Elke persoon op sy pos in afwagting op die volgende strike.
And so it happened – sitting on a beanbag next to the portside outrigger (aka the ugly one) a similar sound to a .22 gunshot broke the silence. The tagline’s elastic band broke off, a Penn International starts screaming insanely and a black Marlin starts jumping and dancing off the stern of Indigo. Teamwork is the key! Clear the rods, clear the deck, get in the chair, and start filming! Twelve years of trying and even losing marlin, I could only think of one thing, ‘DON’T F… THIS ONE UP! ‘
With precision skippering and excellent crew members, we managed to release a beautiful black Marlin that lives to fight another day. The fight and release lasted about 40 minutes, and with Lourens Odendal filming everything, I will always remember 15 February 2023 as a day full of excitement, adrenaline, and conquering my nemesis. Thanks, team Indigo!!!
Third Fish of the Fourth Day by John Leppan(John Graeme)
Having boated the first fish on the 4th day our skipper nominated me to be next in the chair. After locating the bonnies we set about catching two fresh baits and getting them rigged. All the while we were listening to the radio as Indigo had just hooked their second fish. Our job at hand was clear, we needed that third fish!
Fifteen minutes after setting our baits the ratchet on the starboard reel brought us all back into focus. No sooner had it started than it abruptly stopped. As the realisation of this lost opportunity sank in, silence befell the crew. Fortunately, this didn’t last as a portside rig exploded into life and brought us all back to our senses.
Turning off the ratchet to calm the situation we allowed the fish to peel off line whilst I got into the harness. Still not knowing what we were dealing with I tightened up the drag and on cue, a beautiful black marlin surfaced 200 metres off the stern and walked in search of freedom. Having set the hook I then got as comfortable as possible and tried to concentrate on the job at hand.
The John Graeme crew have always been generous with their advice. Knowing that we needed to boat this fish to get back pole position we all set about our jobs working hand in hand with our very able and calm skipper Chris. We tried to subdue a fish that was having none of it. Spending more time in the air than in the water this majestic beast tried every trick in the book to throw the hook. At times I had brief thoughts about being the guy who lost the fish. During this epic battle, and knowing the fleet was listening closely, we finally got hands on the leader and brought the fish alongside. As we were getting ready to bill and measure, the line parted, allowing the fish to swim away strongly back to freedom.
The celebration ensued with high fives all around and with man hugs that could be disturbing in different circumstances!
I would just like to thank the crew and especially our skipper, Chris for his kindness and generosity.
My First Malin by Willem Skein(John Graeme)
As was our usual custom we were taking hourly turns to be on rod duty.
All three of my crewmates had caught their first marlins ever in this tournament. The last two were caught a mere four hours before it was my turn. And the pressure was on to try to catch my first marlin and complete an unthinkable hat trick of three blackies in a day for John Graeme.
As we set out from the harbour earlier that morning for what was to be the last day of fishing, I told Hepburn-Brown confidently that we were going to catch 3 fish today.
At that time we were neck to neck with Indigo, and the competition could still go either way. Everyone on board could sense the tension of the possibility of getting pipped at the post, as had happened to John Graeme two years ago.
The two earlier fish took line around 8h00 and 10h00 respectively.
Shortly after noon I quickly brushed thoughts of doubting my own prediction out of my mind.
At 12h25, my heart rate instantaneously skyrocketed to the urgent sound of my reel’s screaming ratchet.
Excited shouts of, “Come on Doc, your fish is on,” urged me into action.
The fish stripped 200 m of line in no time, entertaining us with several impressive acrobatic aerials.
Thankfully I saw it was not such a heavyweight as my crewmates had to deal with. And by this time our skipper had advanced to the next level of marlin skippering, making me look even better on the rod.
Twenty minutes later a beautiful black was craftily ushered to the side of the boat.
I felt a kind of humble gratitude towards this beautiful fish when I stroked it before it was eloquently released to go and reign the oceans again.
Then the relieving and joyous thought that this fish gave us a likely unsurpassable lead started to descend on all of us.
What a privilege it was to have been part of this incredible crew and to continue the legacy of love for the ocean and fishing.
An Amazing Team with a love for fishing and the ocean
Last Fish of the Fourth Day by Hannes Smuts(Bayswater)
On Wednesday 15th February 2023 at 14:45 we had the first strike on the boat. Piet called it in and we got extra time. I was the angler on the rod. The fish jumped out of the water at least six times which was the most beautiful site ever! I had it on the line for one hour and forty-five minutes. This was the strongest fish I ever had on a line and probably the biggest! I had the fish right next to the boat and Kokkie was on the leader and according to him, this was at least a 300 kg fish.
Weather prevented the anglers from going out on Thursday and Friday but the previous four days were hugely successful and in total eight marlins were caught, measured, and released. To celebrate the winners a closing function and prize-giving was held at Suitpunt Deep Sea Angling Club on Friday night.
On the menu tonight – braaied chickenA delicious plateful
The prizes are thanks to the amazing sponsors without whom this competition would not be possible.
Thank you to the following for their generous sponsorship,
The generous sponsors this year were:
Blenco
Bon Courage Wines
Buffelsfontein/Halewood
Central Forklif
Chas Everitt
Claudia Weyers/Magds’s Leather
Four Cousins
FPM Supplies
Garmin SA
Glenwood Wines
Greenwish
Heinrich Tips
Henk Aggenbach
Husqvarna
Jacita Bait & Tackle
Jebo Connect
Rawson Properties
Lourens Odendal
Matthee Fire & Tackle
Mercury
Ocean Runner Marine
Peninsula Beverage
Pulsator Lures
Ray Marine Avion
Robertson Toyota
Seaport Supplies
Ski-Boat Magazine
South African Breweries
Springfield Wines
Struisbaai Caltex
Suidpunt Marine
Tuckers Tackle
Koos Pretorious
ENSAFRICA
First PrizeSecond and Third PrizeFourth Prize
Every participating boat received a prize.
Club President, Dudley Rosslee saying a few words
Throughout the tournament Spotter One and Marlin Control dedicate their time to ensure safety at sea. Not only do they keep the boats updated on the latest hookups but they inform on the weather, take orders for meals and announce when lines in and lines up. They also keep up cheerful banter over the airwaves keeping the spirits of the anglers up and encouraging them to go for the big one.
Trevor Brinch (Spotter One) and Andrew Perrins (Marlin Control) were presented with gifts for manning the radios throughout the tournament – This year’s organiser, Grant van der Westhuyzen on the right
My small part is to take photographs, write daily reports and nag the anglers to send in their stories. It’s something I look forward to every year. (I must just mention here that although I write about many interesting topics on my blog, I receive the most attention during TOMT week!)
Thank you Grant – I do it for the wine!Waiting to hear the results
In fourth position this year was Bayswater who caught the last marlin of the tournament.
Michael de Kock and Piet Wessels (Skipper) of Bayswater with Garmin Agent Chris Gilllet and Tournament Organiser Grant van der Westhuyzen
Our third-place winners were the marvelous men from Mojo.
Jacque van Niekerk (Skipper) Gareth Beaumont, Chris Gillet, Anthony Tait, Hannes Schreuder, Grant van der Westhuyzen
In second place the amazing anglers from Indigo
Chris Gillet, Werner Kotze, Eugene Terblache, Serge Wessels, Gawie Bruwer (Skipper) Lourens Odendal, Grant van der WesthuyzenChris Gillet, Chris Hepburn Brown, Wilem Steyn, Wayne Cooke, John Leppan, Hylton Goatley, Chris Goatley, Garth van der WesthuyzenTeam John Graeme happy and proud of their achievement
Congratulations to all the winners and we hope to see all the teams back again next year.
Two anglers have sent in reports of their exciting experiences catching marlin in this year’s Marlin Tournament. Thank you Serge Wessels from Indigo and Grant’s tells how Jacque got his first stripey
Serge’s Story
I was on the boat, Indigo, skippered by Gawie Bruwer. Being a novice to Marlin fishing, I did not realize what a team activity it was, and what experience was required by the other crew. Without the skipper keeping the fish correctly positioned in relation to the boat, the crew member pulling in the leader and grabbing the bill, the member removing the hook and importantly the camera person confirming the catch, there would be a very slim chance of successfully catching and releasing such a magnificent fish. I was fortunate to catch a striped marlin and be part of the crew to catch a black marlin thus, being able to witness the glorious colours of both excited fish as they lit up close to the boat. The black Marlin gave us a fantastic aerial display, making for memorable moments.
Stripey caught by Serge of Indigo
Jacque’s Fifth species of Marlin – Story by Grant van der Westhuizen
From zero to complete pandemonium can best describe the sensation of raising a marlin and enticing it to strike in the 2023 Two Oceans Marlin Tournament. The hours of preparation, maintenance, planning, research, and monies that go into catching one of these beautiful creatures of the deep and extremely vast oceans all become worth it when you finally see the silhouette of one of these majestic beasts in the spread.
The skipper and crew of Mojo had managed to raise a couple of Striped Marlin on day one and two of the tournament and to the frustration of all aboard the fish just wouldn’t commit to what we had to offer. The fish on these days seemed well-fed, lethargic and hesitant to strike. After careful deliberation, we decided to stick to our guns and fish the same area as we did the previous day, after all, we had seen the fish.
Now let me paint the scene for a more than typical day in the 2023 TOMT. Generally, the day starts out full of optimism and as the day grinds on without any result or worse, disappointing results the mood can change, and combined with a little sun, wind, salt, and doubt it can become a mental marathon.
At the start of day three, we reached our fishing grounds and started setting the spread running two teasers short (starboard and port) with a flasher in between with two short Konners, two long and the Japan running way back. The usual tweaking to get the Konner’s running at their optimum and the continual adjusting to keep them running at their optimum in the ever-changing conditions is a responsibility bestowed on Mojo’s fishing master (Gareth Beaumont) and myself.
It had been pre-arranged that be it a Striped marlin skipper Jacques “Mojo” van Niekerk would be on the rod after all the man has a Pacific Blue, Atlantic Blue a Black and a White marlin under his belt and it would only be befitting to give him the opportunity to catch his fifth specie of marlin here in his local waters.
We had been trolling for a half an hour when one of the competing boats literally five hundred meters away from us went tight on a Marlin. As in the nature and the spirit of the 2023 TOMT we were happy for them, but it was disheartening to say the least. Not long after the vessel Indigo and skipper Gawie Bruwer and crew had successfully caught and released a healthy-sized Striped Marlin. The pressure was on.
We kept grinding away and at 12h00 under the watchful eyes of Beaumont and me we spotted the dorsal fin and shoulders of a Marlin protruding from the beautiful purple blue colour of the ocean behind the Long. As per usual the adrenalin shot threw my veins just in time to see the fish disappear and just before the disappointment could set in the fish was back. The anticipation of a screaming rachet was short-lived as the fish disappeared again and before all hopes were crushed the fish was back behind the same Konner for a third time. Surely this was the moment but to everyone’s despair the fish vanished again just to reappear, and this is when the fish decided to commit. Within milliseconds the unmistakable screaming of a Marlin reels ratchet blasted the silence.
Enter the well-oiled crew of Mojo kicking into action to man their designated stations for the day. Skipper Jacques van Niekerk stayed behind the wheel as fishing master Beaumont very carefully and patiently set the hook. As the fish took of Beaumont moved to the wheel and Hannes Schreuder leader man and vocals, Anthony Tait cameraman and I scurried to bring in the lines, clear the deck and to get the skipper in the fighting chair. This was it the moment we had all been waiting for. The skipper was a couple of minutes into the fight when this beautiful Striped Marlin breached and showed herself in all her majestic glory. From here it is hard to say how long the fight lasted but after what always feels like an eternity the fish was leadered by Hannes Schreuder and after a quick measurement and tag with the hook removed the fish was released to fight another day. High fives and congratulations all around and the Konners were back in the mix.
What an absolute privilege to see the speed, strength and agility of these animals. See you in the 2024 TOMT.
First Stripey for Mojo!
Watch this space for the final results and Prize Giving as well as more stories from the anglers.
Thank you to Wayne Cooke of John Graeme for his story of how he bagged his first marlin and the first one of TOMT 2023
It is Day One and we are lines in for my 5th Two Oceans Marlin Tournament Struisbaai. I must admit I do not have high expectations as I have yet to catch a Marlin or even be part of our team catching one. As normal the Bonnies are set and ready for action. As has happened over the years the boat gets quiet as the day starts to drift on.
After a while, I’m told that it’s my turn for the next hour to watch the rods. Around mid-day, one reel starts to slowly give line and there is something eating my Bonnie. The next minute our other rod also goes stiff and starts giving line.
“SHARK,” one of the crew calls as surely it’s not possible to hook two Marlins especially as I have never even seen one live.
Hylton Goatley takes charge of one rod and I take the other. I promise myself that I am going to give whatever is on the other end time to swallow the bait, and I give free line for about 2 minutes.
At the same time, Hylton goes tight on the drag and a big black marlin jumps clean out of the water. There is now total chaos on the John Graeme. Some run for the black magic and others just run from sheer excitement.
I then decide to tighten up the drag on my reel, still not believing what is happening. I am happily looking out the back of John Graeme expecting whatever was on my line to show itself as not too much line is being taken. Well, if I bother to look ninety degrees to my left, I will see a massive Marlin jumping and going crazy.
All attention is now on me as I hear skipper, Chris Goatley, radioing that we have not hooked the first Marlin but are still hooked up on the second. I have never had so much attention from the crew before. I am offered water and asked if I am feeling okay. The doctor on board is even happy to inject me if I require a boost at any stage.
I am pumped with excitement as I realise that it is up to me to catch this one for the team. This fact is mentioned to me more than once by my team mates!
“Don’t F **k it up, Cookie,” I hear one of them warn.
Well, with great skill from our skipper Chris Goatley and 55 minutes of hard fighting, my first Marlin shows itself next to the John Graeme and with all the skill of the crew and lots of shouting the fish is measured and released to fight another day.
It is a day I will always remember but most importantly the pleasure it gives us all to see it swim away is just magical.
John Graeme proudly flies the “Caught a Marlin” flag.
The John Graeme is on the scoreboard, but little do we know there is much more to come……..
Adventuring into Retirement 