World-record yellowfin tuna disqualified – because a deckhand touched his fishing rod as he fought the mighty fish.

Robert Pedigo hooked the 427.9-pound fish on Thursday April 12th and fought it for 30minutes before bringing it aboard the “Journeyman.” But everyone on board agreed that Danny Osuna, a local captain working that day as a deckhand, blew the record by touching Pedigo’s rod during the battle between man and fish off the coast of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The IGFA rules say an angler can’t have any help pulling in a fish if he or she wants to make history.

“I do this for a living and we’re really hardcore fishermen,” Osuna told FoxNews.com. “We have caught a lot of fish in the high 300s, but this is the first time we’ve caught something this BIG.”

Osuna admitted touching Pedigo’s fishing rod, disqualifying the catch from consideration by the International Game Fish Association. But he said Pedigo, who could not be reached for comment, isn’t too broken up about the technicality.

“We’re fine with that,” Osuna said. “Actually, we never even thought the fish would be that big.”

Osuna said everyone who was in on the fishing trip got a big meal out of the monstrous catch before the rest was given away.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/04/18/427-pound-yellowfin-tuna-catch-not-eligible-for-world-record/#ixzz1tSH0OB2R

Taking place this week in one of my favourite fishing destinations the Penn Challenge Charity Tournament. A record entry of over 20 teams from Hollandand Belgium are taking  part. They are fishing over four days fishing the waters off Malindi and Watamu Kenya. Fishing is hot there at the moment so everyone is hoping for a bumper tournament.

Proceeds from the tournament are given to a local orphanage.

Here are a few pictures to get your fishing buds watering……

As the competition takes place I will post updates and fish pictures…

Find the birds...find the fish

Loading up for Safari

We arrived after a savage 2 hour drive along the jungle roads that were either full of pot holes, un-graded, or flooded! We seemed to miss out on all the rain though, and arrived at Dave’s Camp on the edge of Tsavo East, by around 3pm.

We were greeted by a couple of trackers that Steve knew, and one of them told us there had been a recent lion kill; and did we want to take a look? Lead on; was our joint response! We drove through the bush for about 15 minutes and soon caught up with the lioness and her 2 cubs. What a sight  – they were taking shade in a bush, and she had dragged the remains of her kill into the shade too, in an attempt to keep it cool. It was a male Warthog, which she must have worked very hard to kill, in order to sustain both herself and her young. We took a few shots and some video, and after about 20 minutes decided it was time to back off and leave her alone, as both cubs trotted off to safety very quickly after we arrived.

Daktari eat your heart out!

We had a bite to eat back at the wonderful Lodge on the banks of the Galano River, and then headed off for our evening game drive. It was brilliant, perched up on the special roof seats of our Land Rover 110, giving us the best view of the game and the ability to take photographs, and record video easily. I spent quite a lot of time driving our group around the reserve, and had some great laughs off-roading, while trying my best not to unseat anyone on the roof! Most of the time, anyway.

Among many other animals, we spotted Orynx, Buffalo, Gazelle, Water Buck, Dik Dik, Warthog, Giraffe, Hippos and various monkeys, plus a few crocodile. We were not expecting to see any Elephants as the region was unseasonably wet, allowing ample water and grazing well away from the river valley.

We drove up the Lely Hills for a sun-downer, and were thrilled with the 360 panoramic views we got at the summit. The photos do not do the breathtaking views any justice, as they can not indicate the sheer scale of the landscape. We cracked open a bottle of wine  and toasted the day away on top of those beautiful hills, while watching out for tiny black scorpions in the rocks that we were walking over, oh, and Black Mambas too! Despite the imminent danger we were all facing, we were having a fabulous time with the very raw Africa.

Sundowner Time!

It wasn’t long before it was fully dark though, and we made our way down the track back towards the camp, taking care not to go off course, or let in any one of the Tetse flies that were now swarming the vehicle and its lights. Those things can make you very ill very quickly, so we were all very careful not to invite them into the truck on the way back to the camp!

When we arrived back at base, we were well ready for a shower, as we were all covered in the red dust of the bush. So half an hour later we met up in the main lodge and enjoyed a great roast lamb meal cooked by the trackers, followed by pineapple fritters and Kenyan coffee.

Unknown to myself and Heather, Steve had a surprise for us, as apparently, he had asked one of the trackers to try to snag a crocodile from the river, using a rotten chicken that he had brought with him. The guide came up to the dining room, and told Steve that he had tempted one out of the river with the chicken tied to a piece of rope, but that the croc was so big, he was afraid it might eat him!

Baiting up for a Croc

I said to Steve that we had to take a look at this !!!

I tell you how things turned out for us and the big croc next time

Until then, be lucky…..

Stew and Heather

After we had spent a few more days on the beach, recovering from our white knuckle safari, we had a half day booked with Steve to try to get Heather her first GT or Sailfish, so she was to stay in the seat until she had caught one or the other! Heather was struggling to stir from slumber when the alarm went off at 5 am, due in the main to her reluctance to part with a bottle of Rum, from which she was fuelling the most sinister Rum Punches in creation. I was far more sensible and very conscious of the fact that the wind was getting up at last, and not only was there a better chance of a marlin, but also we were going to get chucked around a bit more than usual! As we slipped our moorings about half an hour later, it was indeed a bit choppy, but to her credit, she fished like a demon, for at least twenty minutes before she was lounging on the huge soft cushioned seats on board Tega; concerned more with catching some more sleep, than catching more fish!

Heather ready to pounce on the rods!

We trolled around up and down Sail Alley, but despite improving conditions, we neither saw, raised or hooked a single Sail; and so by mid-morning we were heading off to a GT spot about 15 miles out, in order to try to get one of these brutes to Heather’s rods. We were slow trolling over a reef mark, with Sebile Magic Swimmers and some spurious solid bodied lures that belonged to Steve, the skipper, that he placed the utmost faith in for the GTs in particular. No GTs were forthcoming, but Heather had plenty of fun with Skipjack Tuna, Yellow Fin and Kawa Kawa from 3-5 kgs. Another skipper had radioed in a marlin sighting from this mark earlier in the day, so with an abundance of both live and dead tuna, we decided to slip out a couple of rigs on the 80lb class gear, one baited with a live Kawa Kawa and the other with a Skippy deadbait.

Rigging for GTs

Heather had very graciously insisted that if a Marlin took either bait, then the rods were mine; and as Steve skillfully maneuvered the boat over and around the mark, the tension mounted, with the livebait getting very frisky. I slipped on the butt pad, and readied myself for my first Marlin strike, and soon after the left hand rod buckled over as an unseen monster hit the 8lb livebait, and the reel exploded into life with line melting off the spool.

Quick as a flash, I was on the rod, waiting for the fish to stop running so as I could set the hooks. It took about 120 yards of line I guess before it stopped, and as I made contact and set the hooks, I was frantically searching the surface in front of me for signs of a Marlin breaking the surface. If it was a Marlin, it was not interested in leaping, and after 10 minutes, I was convinced it was a shark that had taken our bait, rather than any Marlin.

80lb class tussle

Whatever it was, the fish was not small, and was putting a pretty good bend in the 80lb class outfit, and I was looking forward to a strong fight. The fish kept diving deep on long blistering runs, but with vigorous pumping and winding, I was able to bring the fish back up, before it dived again. This tug of war went on for about another 10 minutes, before I began to suspect that it was probably not a shark either, as it was diving too much, and was either a huge Amberjack or another big GT! I got colour soon after, and as I peered over the gunwhale, I saw what I can only describe as a giant mirror flashing about 30 feet below the surface. It was indeed what I call a “Double G & T”, a huge GT that was easily over 50kg!!! My heart was racing, my arms and other parts were twitching, as I knew that this was a massive fish, and of a very rare size, a true leviathan in the world of GT fishing! I shouted across to Steve and the crew that I had seen the fish, and that we simply had to put it in the boat now! With that Steve retorted that it was only lightly hooked and to take it very steady. I got the fish up another 15 feet sowe could clearly see it on video, and I could see that the leader was only 12-15 feet from the tip ring. I was nearly there. Next thing I see the fish flash and turn, putting on the power again, and out pops the hook !!………

The one that got away - so close!!

GT...power....mangled hooks on a lure....

It was all caught on video, and every time I watch it, I weep like a girl… It would have obliterated my previous PB caught on that trip of 43kg (approx 95lbs), but after a few drinks it really came home that that is what fishing is all about – there is always tomorrow to catch that elusive fish Just how strong is the GT! We had one more half day’s fishing for the holiday to go, and after losing that GGT, I was more determined than ever to ensure that Heather would catch her first very elusive Sailfish. It was going to be her day !

Find out how she got on soon Until then, be a bit luckier than me that trip!!

Stew and Heather

Hemingways et al…..Pure Fishing Sales Director Stewart Downing is currently on a fishing holiday in Kenya…over the next couple of weeks I will be posting Stewart’s blogs on both the fishing and his tourist travels…..

After a great reception from the Turtle Bay Beach Club staff we caught a well earned shower and headed up to the Top Bar at the hotel to meet up with our skipper Steve George and his lovely wife Jeanette for the low down on the fishing off Watamu over a drink or two and a pizza. 

In short, the fishing is very patchy with only the odd Striped or Black Marlin coming out as yet. It is still early season for billfish and next week it should start to pick up. Even the GTs and AJs are hard to find right now for some reason, though everyone is confident that a big wind will really help – and everyone is praying for that to happen sooner rather than later now! 

We spent most of the day with Steve and Jeanette getting Tega prepped for a day’s trolling tomorrow as Steve was keen for Jeanette to catch another big marlin, having caught a fish of 650lbs in April this year! Alas, we have just heard that Steve is under the weather unfortunately now, with either man flu or a touch of malaria! Let’s hope its not the latter So tomorrow is off, and we will see how he is in the morning,


We popped along the beach to Hemingways for lunch, and this place can only be described as a big game fishing Nirvana with big fish replicas plastered all over the walls and that famous weigh gantry where the likes of Ernest Hemingway used to hang their trophies at the end of a successful day’s billfishing. Everything is tagged and released now thankfully in order to help preserve stocks of these magnificent creatures. 

I guess we will just have to make do with chilling around the pool and sipping cool drinks all day now. Never mind, I think we will cope !


Fingers crossed for Weds though!


Will keep you posted


Be lucky!


Stew and Heather

Let’s face it most of us are ‘tackle tarts’ at heart. Some of us collect lures perhaps not for their fish catching properties but because we like the colour, some of us collect floats, some of us hoard more flies than we will ever be able to cast at a rising fish…..some of us do all of the above and more….but probably the ultimate statement are personalised reels. Penn have just launched their new custom option programme for the International range. Customisation is already really popular in the world of sportfishing……

Here you will find some very nice examples of what some have already had done to theirs…I hope that you enjoy – these were completed by http://www.reelcolors.com/

Pink highlights, custom handle………Penn International 50

Matched set of purple Internationals

Production line….love the blue and gold Interntionals

International 50VSX with matching butts……now we are talking…..real tackle tarts!

Wow…..I think this is one colour too far

Nicely engraved though…..

More toys for the boys…….Wonder if my wife will notice the overdraft on our bank balance?

Check out the Penn options listed by Mike Thrussel in one of his blogs. http://www.eu.purefishing.com/blog/blog-mikethrussell/index.php?entry=3240

PENN’S CATCH

CATCH LOCATION: VILANKULOS, MOZAMBIQUE

I regularly follow the Penn War Fishing Stories page on Facebook and below is one that caught my imagination as a big game angler. What is amazing is the size of fish and the tackle used to hook and play the fish…….

THE STORY

These pictures are of a marlin that I was dumb enough to cast at. Myself and 2 clients from a group of 8 from Jigstar Africa were on the smaller boat fishing around a floating piece of bamboo when a huge marlin smashed a fish not 10 meters from the boat. It was lit-up and I shouted Marlin!. I cast a 7-8 Gt Monster rigged with a PENN Torque 7 spinning reel loaded with about 300 meters of 130 lb ‘Jerry Brown’ and a Barbie Pink Starwalker Stickbait with Shogun in-line hooks.

Big mistake! It was on it like a flash making for the most spectacular surface strike ever. It cleared the water 3 times with the last jump about 7 meters from the boat coming towards us. I cannot write here what I thought to myself. The head was enormous with Albarn, the skipper shouting it was a minimum of 400kg (about 800lbs). We saw it short-strike with the lure in it’s body and the line bill-wrapped.

We chased the fish immediately and it jumped twice more for the camera.

I held on for 40 minutes at max drag when all 3 of us climbed on the rod. I have never experienced pain like that. After 3.5 hours and about 15km from land the 200lb leader parted. We had Dave Martin, a 6 time Springbok sailfish angler in our group and he said that he would conservatively put that fish at no less than 700lb. Later that afternoon another monster marlin jumped in front of the boat and I recall shouting "No casting!!" immediately.

The Torque really performed with the drag set at well over the stated maximum drag of 40 pounds, we came out of the fight with no structural or mechanical damage.

All the best

Bertus

You can follow the Penn War Stories at: http://www.facebook.com/pennfishing?sk=app_214463195260560