Kenya

“Great Moments”

East Africa coast, particularly before Kenya, was and is always a good address for a good fishing. Many German-speaking sea anglers – we too – gained their first (positive) experiences. After a stress flight with engine damage and an halfday-stop we arrived finite on the black continent, Mombasa Airport. How does it continue now – no fetching service is to be seen? A shrub taxi (from the 60ties) is still free, no windows, defective shock absorbers and to Malindi is not enough fuel. The driver does not dare away from the car, therefore the passenger has to get active; armed with a spare can I organize gasoline. At 11.00 o’clock at noon we are finally in the hotel. Suit-cases unpack, equipment install – the boats are waiting; Half charter: The first drill – a beautiful dorado, afterwards impact is on impact: 2 Wahoos, Bonitos and 5 sail fish, no a bad beginning.

2. Day: 2 Dorados, 1 Wahoo, 4 smaller Yellowfins, Bonitos and 12 sail fish – the whole stress and annoyance are forgotten!

3. Day: At 8.00 o’clock we come into a swarm of bonitos. We catch plentifully Bonitos. In the middle of the drill, a small black marlin attacks my Bonito. The fish organizes giant pageants. At the thin line (20 lb) I have hardly a chance; after a half hour then I get the second winner (my line was broken). To the evening we catch 1 Dorado and 3 sail fish.

4. Day: 1 Giant Trevally, 5 Yellowfintuna, 2 Dorados and 10 sail fish – nearly perfect.

5. Day: Although we drag with large Lures on Marlin, we catch 2 sail fish, 1 Wahoo and 1 Barracuda. And then the High Light: a large Giant Trevally takes the 4 kg of Yellow Fin at the Downrigger. After a fantastic fight, the fish lies before us – lb it brings 104 on the balance!

 

The result of 4 exits:

Barracuda 1
Yellowfintuna 9
Dorados 3 
Sail 32 
Giant Trevally 2 Together: 54 
Wahoo 4
Hooked Billfish: 33
3 Sail every exit: 7,1

Parting from Malindi – which calls Pemba Channel! Arrived in the club I get welcome by Peter and Sandra with a delicious dinner and “Tuskers”. I hear the Pemba Stories; hopefully some new ones are added in the next days.

1. Day: 2 Wahoos, 1 Skip Jack Tuna and a striped Marlin after short fight lost.

2. Day: 1 Dorado, 1 Kingfish and Bonitos, otherwise nothing. Where are the Marlin and sail fish swarms?
3. Day: With the boat there are problems, maintenance is necessary. I have to fish from a Dinghy contently. Nevertheless, with a Rapala I catch a Kingfish of 34 lb, at the spin rod (12 lb) a gigantic twisting. Later I find out that it is up to the today’s day a Kenya record! 
4. Day: Only Bonitos large Sch …
5. Day: 2 Wahoos, Bonitos – why I am only away from Malindi?
6. Day: Last day – last luck!
7,30 o’clock, a large sail fish takes a Kombilure (small Ilander + Ballyhoo) – after 15 min. out-slit.
8,15 o’clock, a black Marlin of approx.. 350 lb takes the lure. I fight hard; after one hour out slit. Apparently I have the epidemic; I am to be thrown briefly before it the fishing rod over board.
9.30 o´clock, a striped marlin hooks on. I can release him after a short time. 
10,15 o’clock, the next fish in the same weight class
11,00 o’clock, now the next one..
11,30 o’clock, a large Wahoo around 50 lb;
12,00 o’clock, still another one
13,30 o’clock, a sail fish lost, after a short fight
14,00 o’clock, a Blue Marlin? Unfortunate, it is “only” a large Stripie around 170 lb!
15.00, we approach to a bird swarm; Tuna and Dorados rob there, the water is “cooking”. The second round, suddenly all roles run – a sixerstrike! There are Striped Marline and all remains hanging. Large chaos, we all fight (2 Mate, the captain and I). The boat drives on leaderless with small speed. The Marlins jumps wildly in disorder; none of us knows which is “his” fish.

2 steps out after 10 minutes, the Lures drops, 2 other fish takes the lures and it is again sixerstrike. Who ever could catch Striped Marlins, understands which that means; the fish are more in the air than in the water, between them super+fast Sprints. The total insanity, pictures which are always in an angler brain. We are lucky, fight-down and terminate the fishing rod day. If I would have known at that time that the Kenya record was at this time for about six per day and boat – one hour more; with large probability we would have broken the record. In the evening we celebrate, the young men tell me of the gigantic possibilities in the proximity of the Sea Mountains. A two-day-trip is necessary for it, with large chances on Bigeyetuna, Broadbill, blue and black Marlin, shark and naturally Striped Marlin and sail fish. Unfortunately the time is not sufficient; I have to go back to Germany.
 

Result of 6 exits Pemba Channel:

Wahoo 5 Kingfish 2
Skip Jack 1 Together: 22
Striped Marlin 7 Hooked Billfish: 17
Wahoo 4 Sail on exit: 1,2
Dorado 3

Result after 10,5 exits, Malindi and Pemba Channel together:

Caught Billfish + hooked Billfish together: 32 + 7 = 39 together: 33 + 17 = 50 per exit = 3.7 pro exit = 4,7.