In the long slow life of a great Rhodesian Teak (Baikiaea plurijuga) it had served as a shaded vantage point to a pride of lions, eager on subduing buffalo. Later its great branches gave a leopard a reclusive hideaway while rhino and elephant rubbed their rough thick hides against its enormous trunk. With the advent of the early explorers, the tree was cut and used as railway sleepers, providing the life-blood of an early African economy. The voracious appetite of industry knew no bounds and soon the majestic trees were decimated. Time moves on and the once trusty sleepers lay unclaimed in the hot dry African Savannah, almost forgotten. But in the heart of the lowly sleeper beat the proud, unrelenting heart of Africa.
With loving care the heart of the sleeper was awakened in the gentle hands of a craftsman called Andrew. He carefully constructs unique spearguns which awaken the Mythical Hunter's Spirit and embodies the courage of the African hunter. Each gun is uniquely patterned and crafted to suit the individuals' preferences. They are extremely robust and designed to give the spearfisher a significant advantage, whether pursuing dermersals on a reef or lying out in the deep blue in search of giant pelagics. A unique almost magical property of the wood is its impervious nature, giving it a rare gift of withstanding the effect of decay and the ravages of saltwater. The guns are priced favourably when compared to standard Euro-type guns and are significantly more affordable than comparable wooden guns.
I have been asked to put a 1.3m Euro-style gun through its paces. At this stage it is remarkable how resilient the gun is proving. It is quiet but above all uncannily accurate. I am sure I will have a lot more to say about this gun in the future.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
18 May 2009
Eventually there was a break in the weather. Friday looked like it would be a good day out but several telephone calls seemed to suggest that conditions were still poor. We should have gone to look in any case because their were some good fish at the North Island. I got reports of both Wahoo and Spanish being landed.
On Saturday we elected to do some fishing. Loaded the dive gear just in case we found good water. We trolled around The Wash and chatted to one of the local Fishos who told us the viz at the pinnacles was 25m. Lines up and we charged off to have a look. Conditions were very good. Clear water, perhaps not as warm as it has been, but still good. I jumped in with Duan who was freediving for the first time ever. A quick scan of the area and I saw what looked like a Spanish down deep. I sucked in a full lungful of air and headed down. At approx 15m a school of nice Yellowtail Kingfish approached and the fish I had been pursuing seemed to have disappeared. I selected a good specimen and put a spear through it. My gun was one of the wooden guns my brother put together and it shoots like a demon. The spear went exactly where I was aiming.
Back on the boat we were treated to a sight of absolute chaos and bedlam as large pelagics screamed into a school of Mack Tuna that had been feeding on the surface only moments before. We dropped some lures back hoping to pick up one of these monsters. After quickly picking up 3 Mack Tuna and seeing repeated attacks on the school, the decision was made to burley aggressively to attract these attackers. Michael and Duan jumped over to find Rainbow Runners, Mack Tuna and Yellowfin feeding on the burley. Unfortunately the Yellowfin just did not give anyone a shot. The secret here is not to track the fish in the water with your gun but aim at a piece of chum, shooting when the fish comes into view.
Michael and I ended with a drift along the E side of NW Rocks. A big Amberjack played hide-and-seek with me amongst a school of Kingfish and I eventually gave up, not wanting to clobber another King. Michael unloaded his gun and was just about to climb into the boat when several Spanish drifted into range. He quickly loaded but as he singled out a fish, it seemed to drift out of range. It was an extremely frustrated diver that clambered back into the boat.
Predictions are for more Southerly fronts. Looks like the break will be short-lived.
On Saturday we elected to do some fishing. Loaded the dive gear just in case we found good water. We trolled around The Wash and chatted to one of the local Fishos who told us the viz at the pinnacles was 25m. Lines up and we charged off to have a look. Conditions were very good. Clear water, perhaps not as warm as it has been, but still good. I jumped in with Duan who was freediving for the first time ever. A quick scan of the area and I saw what looked like a Spanish down deep. I sucked in a full lungful of air and headed down. At approx 15m a school of nice Yellowtail Kingfish approached and the fish I had been pursuing seemed to have disappeared. I selected a good specimen and put a spear through it. My gun was one of the wooden guns my brother put together and it shoots like a demon. The spear went exactly where I was aiming.
Back on the boat we were treated to a sight of absolute chaos and bedlam as large pelagics screamed into a school of Mack Tuna that had been feeding on the surface only moments before. We dropped some lures back hoping to pick up one of these monsters. After quickly picking up 3 Mack Tuna and seeing repeated attacks on the school, the decision was made to burley aggressively to attract these attackers. Michael and Duan jumped over to find Rainbow Runners, Mack Tuna and Yellowfin feeding on the burley. Unfortunately the Yellowfin just did not give anyone a shot. The secret here is not to track the fish in the water with your gun but aim at a piece of chum, shooting when the fish comes into view.
Michael and I ended with a drift along the E side of NW Rocks. A big Amberjack played hide-and-seek with me amongst a school of Kingfish and I eventually gave up, not wanting to clobber another King. Michael unloaded his gun and was just about to climb into the boat when several Spanish drifted into range. He quickly loaded but as he singled out a fish, it seemed to drift out of range. It was an extremely frustrated diver that clambered back into the boat.
Predictions are for more Southerly fronts. Looks like the break will be short-lived.
Monday, May 11, 2009
12 May 2009
I just cannot believe how poor conditions have been here lately. Even the real die-hards are doing home maintenance! The line fishermen, both commercial and recreational, are getting poor results too. Everything seemed to be on track at the start of this season but it sure looks like the wheels have come off. Apparently out wide of the continental shelf, there is warm blue water which is giving up the odd Blue or Striped Marlin. I will be arranging my teaser gear and looking at heading out to try my luck at landing one of these behemoths.
John Featherstone and Tim MacDonald have recently returned from an adventurous trip to Exmouth. They went out on a commercial boat to an area that receives little if any fishing pressure. The fish they landed were very respectable. John tells me he took a Spanish of 34kg out of a school that had other fish which made his seem tiny by comparison. The Australian record for Spanish apparently comes from this area and I look forward to hearing more about the possibility of a trip out to this area. In the meantime I will be day-dreaming about the possibility of going to Bassas da India with my brother-in-law. Bassas, as it is lovingly called, is an extinct volcano in the Mozambique Channel. It is only visible at low-tide. It is in an extremely remote area and can only be reached by boat. Several sailing charters are offering this as a destination from Mozambique, with the promise of legendary Dog-tooth Tuna and Giant Trevally. I will have to be patient and see how events progress.
John Featherstone and Tim MacDonald have recently returned from an adventurous trip to Exmouth. They went out on a commercial boat to an area that receives little if any fishing pressure. The fish they landed were very respectable. John tells me he took a Spanish of 34kg out of a school that had other fish which made his seem tiny by comparison. The Australian record for Spanish apparently comes from this area and I look forward to hearing more about the possibility of a trip out to this area. In the meantime I will be day-dreaming about the possibility of going to Bassas da India with my brother-in-law. Bassas, as it is lovingly called, is an extinct volcano in the Mozambique Channel. It is only visible at low-tide. It is in an extremely remote area and can only be reached by boat. Several sailing charters are offering this as a destination from Mozambique, with the promise of legendary Dog-tooth Tuna and Giant Trevally. I will have to be patient and see how events progress.
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