365 days of fishing

On to double digits.

Left the boat at home and travelled to cape point with Wilma and the merc, makes a change after my rattletrap of a fishmobile smelly golf. The wind wasn't too strong, blowing from the north, the sky was blue with a few clouds when we left lakeside, but mottled with clouds and a cold brisk breeze when we arrived at the point. The sea wasn't as big on the false bay side as predicted, definately kayakable, but oh well was after Galjoen in the cold rough Atlantic.

Stopped at Rooikrantz on the way to the galjone spots, as we were walking towards the cliff remembered back 27 years ago to a hot summers day when my dad, Dave Thiem, took me there to show me where people caught Yellowtail from the cliffs. One of the few places wheree it was possible to catch them from the shore. Remember wearing shorts and no shoes as i often do now. I remember the red earth, contrasting to the sand that is everywhere else, and giant black ants, that made the return journey a hopping painful one.

The red earth was there, didn't see any ants, maybe they were hibernating for winter. Didn't remember the incredible view that just stretched on forever, or the vertiginous drops that called to me to lean a litlle forward. Hectic climb down to remarkable ledges over deep black blue water, so deep and the cliffs so sheer that there were no waves, today at least, just the constant bak and forward surge of volumes of water. Just stopped to look as was still on the Galjoen mission and the water did not look turbulant aand foamy as apparently it should for Galjoen.

It was beyond turbulant on the Atlantic side, forthing and foaming, giant waves surging far up the rocky coast. Spume gathering in pockets blowing like a shipload of detergent had just been wrecked.  Tried several places, likely looking washing machine gulleys with Redbait and white mussel and some prawn tails. Two noticeable bites are all i have to report in the way of fish.

It was extereme fishing, the surges were tremendous, limiting the Casting spots to places where one would normally have a picnic. My home made grapnels didn't stand a chance and were washed around almost like there weren't there. Stuck many time losing four sinkers eventually.  The wind was quite icy and my jacket was drying at home, like i don't know that the weather in Cape Town is permanently premenstrual. Quit at four, after 3 hours solid effort with a short break for tuna mayonaisse sandwiches, wierd eating canned tuna when i have fresh fish fillets in the fridge.

Low tide was was at 7:42 pm, still after two hours of the tide going out the waves still crashed and carried al the way up to the high water mark, still wonder if the fish can feed in these conditions, If they can my respect for their swimming ability is huge. Just looking at the hollow giant barrels of water before they closed out with cacaphonic thunder made my hands sweat, just thinking abouot being in the water made me hold my breath and wait to bob up.

Well tommorrow is day 11, i have the boy, and are going to find the trekkers to see what they pull in.