Yellowfin Fever

Fever is having a temperature above the normal range due to an increase in the body’s temperature set point of between 37.5 and 38.3 degrees Celsius - or is it? We made it to the Cape Vidal gate in time only to be stopped at a road block at Mission Rocks. No traffic officials however manned the road block, and no one was demanding to see our driver’s licenses - the two elephants blocking the road were more interested in the succulent trees on the side of the road! After 30 minutes, they ghosted into the bush and we could proceed to pitch our campsite in the dark. The weather prediction for Saturday promised no wind and a calm sea and, as usual, Windfinder got it spot on. Shortly before sunrise I launched on a smooth, glassy sea. Shoals of live bait and migrating humpbacked whales awaited me. I set out to catch live bait but was distracted by humpbacked whales breaching close by. Who knows why they breach? Is it to show off, communicate, rid themselves of parasites or scare kayak fishermen? If it is because of the last-mentioned reason, they sure as hell succeeded! Soon I was pulling live Maasbanker behind my kayak, searching bigger fish to fry. After a long while I noticed a bend in my rod; no reel scream, just a bend. It could only be the Taxman coming to claim his share but how can you be sure before actually seeing what is hooked at the end of the line? I set out fighting the strong fish that stayed close to the bottom. When I eventually managed to lift it and bring it closer, I noticed a large round shape in the water below me – a stingray. Without further bother or injury to man or beast, I cut the line and gave the ray it’s freedom. It was getting late and my arms and back started to ache from the exertion of paddling and fighting a large fish. It was time to head back to shore. It was then that a reel screamed! I set the hooks and started pulling the reluctant fish to the kayak. Perhaps I overdid the pulling but suddenly the line went slack as the hook popped. Disaster! I suspect that it was a shark but another kayak fisherman in the vicinity assured me that it was a Yellowfin Tuna. He saw Tuna jumping behind my kayak just before my bait was taken. I was shaking but it was not from a normal fever, unless an adrenaline rush, excitement and disappointment are symptoms of fever! Next morning, I launched at the same time, but the weather conditions had changed for the worse. An uncomfortable easterly wind was blowing from the sea to the land and chilled me to the bone. The wind also threatened to push me into the surf, so I had to constantly paddle over the bumpy wind waves to deeper water to stay out of the drink. Soon my muscles were burning with the effort. I headed for the same spot where I lost the tuna on the previous day and before long a reel screamed. I handled the fish with more care and after a hard fight a 6kg Yellowfin Tuna was in my hatch. I am still astonished at the endurance and fight in such a small fish. No doubt, Tuna are the prized fighters of the sea! A short while later there was another reel scream and a second tuna joined the first in my hatch. I was determined to catch a third and pushed on against the uncomfortable wind. Rain clouds blew in from the sea and a cold mist sent shivers through my body. A third fish eluded me, and I needed to head back for breakfast and a hot shower. Back on the beach we wanted to take photographs of the catch. It was still raining and the water evaporating from my body made me shiver and my teeth clatter uncontrollably. I got the camera and flash out and selected all the right settings for my wife to take a photo. We were in a rush as we were getting soaked through and the camera gear was getting wet. My wife pressed the button but there was no ‘snap’. Tempers flared, and the photo was not to be. The camera gave an error message and we were forced to give up taking photos. When I later considered what went wrong, I realized that it was Yellowfin fever! Back at home we made pan-seared tuna. The camera started working again and I could take this photo before we munched it all. This Genet visited our campsite on the hunt for succulent titbits.