"We have the biggest yellowfin tuna in the world!! If you're a true angler and you're in Cape Town, you can't miss this!" - Barry, charter and tuna fishing fanatic."
Is it true that tuna fishing is a passion for Captonians?
If Cape Town is well-known for one particular type of fishing, it's definitely for yellowfin tuna fishing!
"In Cape Town, you can also fish for yellowtail and snoek. But for South Africans, it's the tuna that separates the true enthusiasts. It's the Champions League of predators' fishing."
Here, the tuna reach record sizes, and 60 kg fish are a common occurrence, with several tuna exceeding 100 kg each year. This is because the water is much colder than in tropical regions, and the tuna need to eat much larger quantities of food, resulting in much larger fish.
In Cape Town, tuna fishing is still exceptional. However, it is quite different from what you might experience in tropical locations where you can catch around a dozen smaller fish in a day. Here, a day with four fish is considered a very good day. But the fish you catch are in a completely different league.
"Reeling in a tuna here means at least pulling up a 40 kg specimen. For the seasoned anglers, that's average. But for me, it was the toughest 100 meters I've had to handle. I was exhausted!"
If you had a charter to recommend to me ?
I've "experienced" two of them: Peter McFarlane in Simon's Town and Barry in Hout Bay.
Peter really knows the Cape Point spot well. We did skipjack and tuna fishing with him. He's a friendly but somewhat rugged Afrikaner, a true sailor.
But I highly recommend going out to sea with Barry.
He knows the sea like the back of his hand, participates in tuna fishing competitions, and will help you catch fish even on challenging days! Having lived in Cape Town for two years, I regularly went out with him, and we've never had a "no-catch" day.
He is based in Hout Bay and fishes with a superb, perfectly equipped boat for this type of fishing. (However, it's advisable to have some prior fishing experience because Barry is a true enthusiast for whom fishing can quickly elevate adrenaline, and he would swiftly make you understand any mistakes you might make.)
"Barry is a true enthusiast. As soon as the tuna is hooked, it's pure excitement. He lives the battle as if it were his own. There's no way to let go ! "
When would you recommend me to go tuna fishing ?
In reality, there isn't one specific time over another, although perhaps it's slightly better in the fall (February to May) when you'll find larger fish because they're feeding heavily to prepare for the winter.
However, during the summer, you'll have a better chance of catching other species, such as albacore tuna and even mahi-mahi.
How will we fish? Using spinning gear?
As for the equipment, everything is provided by the charter. In Barry's case (but for the vast majority of charters), you'll be using Shimano reels, extremely powerful with a monstrous gear ratio! You'll be fishing in two different ways: trolling and bait fishing.
"You'll start with trolling. The waiting can be long. But when you come across a school, things happen very, very fast. Be prepared, it hits hard!"
For trolling, the skipper will set up 4 lines, each at different distances from the boat and at different depths. Fishing will most likely start this way, with a continuous 1-hour journey to reach a warm offshore current where the tuna hide (so far offshore that you can't see the land anymore!). It's a distinct current with temperatures ranging from 23 to 24°C, compared to 18/19°C near the coast without the current.
The second technique involves joining other charter boats that have spotted tuna and attracting them by tossing half sardines into the water. It's essentially a form of chumming without anchoring and without the chum bag that dispenses the scent.
The setup is super simple: a hook with a nice half-sardine similar to the ones fishermen toss overboard, no weight, just drifting, and if the tuna are there, the strike is almost immediate!
If I fish rarely, should I go for tuna or skipjack (South African bonito) ?
In my opinion, if you're an experienced angler, it's a must-do in Cape Town. However, if you fish rarely, I would recommend going for skipjack (Link). It's less intense and more enjoyable for a very beautiful fish.
But it's true that tuna fishing is truly a unique experience, with extraordinary fish that you won't find anywhere else. Moreover, Barry is one of the best yellowfin tuna fishermen in South Africa, offering unbeatable quality-to-catch ratio (it's not his profession; he's the boss of one of South Africa's biggest surf brands, and you're paying the expenses).
Warning: it's a very intense fishing experience against some truly massive fish, and it requires good physical fitness (an average fight lasts 30 to 45 minutes for an average weight of 50 kg).
Good to know / Where are the fishing spots ?
Out at sea!
Seriously, go through a charter. It's impossible to go on your own.
My two favorites:
Barry Stringer (Hout Bay) http://www.houtbaycharters.co.za/
et Peter McFarlane (Simons'town ). https://abundancefishing.co.za/trip/our-skipper/
Also to visit near Cape Point
Cape Point, of course, via Simon's Town or Kommetjie.
Hout Bay and the beautiful road to Noordhoek via Chapman's Peak (it's a toll road but a must-visit).
Muizenberg and its colorful beach huts (and incidentally, the only place to swim because the water in Muizenberg is around 20 degrees Celsius. In Cape Town, it's chilly even in summer).
Constantia and its wine farms. My father loved the tastings (100 rands) at Groote Constantia. For 400 rands (20 euros), you can supposedly buy the bottle of wine that Napoleon drank on St. Helena!
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