The Tale of four “Tails” and two records

When Tommy Kruger and Valie Pretorious left Cape Town at 4am they were looking for a fight where no inch is given or taken and no mercy shown. They were heading for Arniston to fish for Cape Yellowtail or “Tail” as it is locally known. “Tail” is one of the toughest and dirtiest fighting fish on the planet. It is a strong, hard fighting fish that will, as soon as it is hooked, head for the rocks to reef the line and free itself. The hookups are aggressive and powerful and the fish strip a lot of line from the reel before it can be turned. To hold on for dear life and keep it away from the rocks is the only way to land one. The notorius Arniston surf was flat when Tommy and Valie launched at 06:20. Cape Yellowtail is a common seasonal fish that occur all along the West and East Coast of South Africa. It keeps in the cooler Cape waters but extends its range once a year during the annual Sardine Run when it is found all the way to the Tugela River Mouth in KwaZulu-Natal. Years of fishing experience have taught Tommy that “Tail” congregate around Arniston in March and April of each year. In nearly 40 years of spearfishing, he has seen one big one of over 20kg but it escaped his arrow. He has caught and shot many in the four to five kilogram range but a big one has eluded him. The sea was flat and Tommy and Valie had an easy launch through Arniston’s usually notorious surf. They were each pulling a Helco 120DD lure for “Tails” and a small Rapala for Bonito. Valie was working around the reef in 7-19 metres of water close to the waves that break over the reef when his Helco was taken. He fought the fish for 20 minutes before the fish managed to reef him – and it was gone! Fired up, Valie attached another lure and started trolling again. He had lost sight of Tommy who was fishing further up along Saxon Reef. Valie did not have long to wait. His reel screamed again and this time he managed to keep the fish away from the rocks. Twenty minutes later he boated his personal best “Tail” of 11kg – a new North Coast Kayak club record. Valie Pretorius boated a Cape Yellowtail of 11kg and lost another when his line was reefed. Meanwhile Tommy noticed bird action and headed that way. His rod with a Helco on came to life and he set out to fight a strong fish. Suddenly a fish took the smaller Rapala attached to his other rod that was floating on the surface of the water behind him.... and he had two fish on at the same time! Disaster struck when the second fish burned off the line of the first. Tommy then set out fighting the second fish. The hooks on the small Rapala, meant for catching Bonnies, could not take the strain and soon opened up and the fish escaped. Tommy caught 3 Cape Yellowtail in a row trolling Halco 120DD lures. Tommy Kruger improved the record of the Western Cape Kayak Angling Club for Cape Yellowtail from 14kg to 22,16kg with this huge fish caugt at Arniston. All was not lost as Tommy could still see the birds working and large fish surfacing between them. He tied another pink-striped 120DD Halco onto the end of his line and determinedly headed for a fight. The water was only 6m deep so he set the lure to swim just 5 metres behind his kayak and tightened the drag of his Penn 500 reel to its maximum. As he paddled through the shoal, the reel started screaming. He threw down his paddle, grabbed the rod and pressed both his thumbs on the reel to keep the fish away from the rocks. Twenty minutes later he was still hanging on and started to think that his lure was stuck to the bottom. Then, slowly, the fish began to rise… When it first broke the surface Tommy thought it to be a shark, but then he saw the large yellow tail of a “Tail” and he realized that it is an exceptional fish. The fish made three more dives before it reluctantly came to the gaff. Tommy loaded a 22,1kg “Tail” into his hatch, earning him a personal best and improving the Western Cape Kayak Angling Club record from 14kg to 22,16kg. Tommy could still see the birds working and fish surfacing between them. He tied another Halco to the end of his line and trolled through the shoal. The lure was taken by a strong fish but not as strong as the previous one. After another brutal fight Tommy boated a “Tail” of 14kg. A third one of 12kg soon followed. Tommy could barely fit the last fish into his hatch and had to leave its tail sticking out. The fish was still there, but with a full hatch Tommy had to leave them be. With a last longing look over his shoulder he headed for the beach. Tommy’s stomach was bruised and battered by the butt of the rod, his arms were burning and he was weary from a 25km paddle. Thus ended the “Tale of four “Tails” and two records… until the next time when “Tails” and Kayak fishermen meet…