A Whale of a time!

The Sperm Whale...

Today's charter was one to remember... Skipper, Alan told the guest that he hadn't seen a Sperm Whale in about 5 years. "We were on our way out to a well known fishing/bird watching area roughly 23/24 miles to the south west of Cape Point called "The Canyon" when an adult Sperm Whale decided to show itself right next to our boat" - He quickly put the vessel into neutral and watched as this magnificent animal put on a show for the guests.

Our guide, Cliffie Dorse, and the guests managed to get some really amazing pictures of this Sperm Whale hyperventilating before embarking on a 45 minute dive into the depth of these pelagic sea grounds. 

Sperm Whale Facts:

• Sperm Whale's significant name is: Physeter macrocephalus.
• Long grey/black skin, block shaped head that can take up to 1/3 of the whales body.
• Can reach up to 16-20 meters in length. 
• Can weigh up to 41,000kgs.
• Largest heads, largest brains and loudest recorded sound of any animal on earth.
• Their diet consists of mainly squid, fish, octopus, rays and megamouth sharks.

A photo, our guide (Cliff Dores) took of a Sperm Whale on our Pelagic Charter!

Pelagic Bird Watchers to the rescue!

A recreational fishing vessel in distress...

After a successful Pelagic Bird Watching day trip off Cape Point, South Africa we were on our way back to Simonstown, passing through a well known fishing area called "Buffels Bay" when one of our guests from Cape Town Pelagics noticed a flare that had been set off about a mile to the left of us, followed by a second flare which was clearly directed towards us. Our skipper quickly turned our boat around and headed in the direction of the signal flare - As we got closer it was clear that the boat with two male occupants waving us down were in distress and in need of assistance! The skipper of the distress vessel made it clear that their single engine would not start and that they had not been carrying a radio to call for help - We had just traveled through 8 miles (14 km's) in thick fog and the wind was rapidly increasing. They were drifting quickly and needed to be towed to Buffels Bay slip way. 

Fortunately, we were in the right place at the right time and were happy to assist! We decided to make this post not to ridicule anyone , but rather as a reminder of the importance of safety at sea, especially in our Cape waters! The maritime safety law is there for a reason and we cant emphasis enough how important it is to abide by these rules and regulations!    

We wish everyone a happy festive season and keep safe out there! :)

Assisting a recreational fishing vessel in False Bay, South Africa!

Lets talk about...

Snoek fishing charters off Cape Point!

Cape Boat Charters offers action packed Inshore fishing charters off Cape Point - One of the fish species which we target is the "Cape Snoek"!

False Bay, Cape Point is home to a variety of game-fish including the "Cape Snoek" or its latin name "Thyrsites Atun". Also referred to as snake mackerel, these long, thin, silver fish can reach lengths of up to 2 meters and weigh in close to 5-6 kg's. Up until 6 or 7 years ago, Cape Snoek was known to the local fisherman of Cape Town as a winter fish, because they would only catch Snoek in all the month without an "r" in it - This being May, June, July and August!

Snoek feed mainly on sardine, mantis shrimps and anchovy, which gives this fish a unique flavor which the locals praise! The traditional South African way to prepare Snoek is on what we call a "braai" otherwise known and a barbeque around the rest of the world - An apricot jam dressing is known to go down well with Snoek!

Snoek is found in waters from Port Elizabeth to the north of Angola, but mostly between Cape Agulhas (the most southern tip of Africa) and the Cunene River. They are an important traditional catch for the line fishers of South Africa, but are also caught in the masses by the trawl fisheries using trawl nets, as they do with hake. It is favored by the local communities as it forms a big part of their diet.

Feel free to comment, share or email us with regards to any questions or inquiries!

We would love to hear from you! :)

Inshore Fishing Charter - Cape Snoek fishing

Cape Point Fishing Charter!

Yellowtail fishing off Cape Point

Today, our group of guests from the U.K joined us for a day of deep sea fishing off Cape Point, South Africa! We ran a Half-Day Inshore Fishing Charter to the famous fishing waters off Cape Point (for our group of 6) in search of some game-fish! There were plenty commercial fishing boats off Buffels Bay trying for Cape Snoek, but we were determined to try for some Yellowtail fish first - It was a wise decision indeed! When we arrived at the tip of Cape Point there weren't any other fishing boats around, but the water temperature was 16 degrees Celsius and there was plenty of bird life so we quickly got our lines in the water! 

Not even 15 minutes had past and we already had our first strike on the back-lines! One of our guests, who we had already prepped on how to operate the rod and reel, quickly jumped up first to grab the screaming reel! He landed the first 5 kg Yellowtail and shortly after our next guest was battling a fish of his own! Before you knew it, we had 6 Yellowtail fish and the guests were happy to start heading back to Simonstown with their catch for supper - Well done to our team today on their catch, it was great having you guys! :)

Feel free to leave comments, tag friends, share or email us with any questions or inquiries - We would love to hear from you! :)  

Yellowtail fishing off Cape Point!

Lets talk about...

Yellowfin tuna fishing!

The mighty Yellowfin tuna are found in the warmer pelagic waters of tropical and subtropical oceans around the world! Its metallic dark blue back and yellow/silver looking belly make for an incredible looking tuna fish. These tuna fish can reach up to 130 kg's in size and are extremely fast and can reach speeds of up to 40 mph. During the warmer water months of October to June Cape Boat Charters starts to run Offshore Fishing Charters to target the bigger fish species off Cape Town, South Africa. These species include the famous Yellowfin tuna, Longfin tuna (Albacore), Skip jack tuna, Big eye tuna and Dorado (Mahi-mahi). For 9 months of the year these full day fishing charters will take you into the deeper oceanic waters off Cape Point in search of these monsters! 

Nutrient rich water is found at a place known to the local fisherman as the "Canyon" as a result of the mixing of two large ocean currents namely the Benguela current and the Agulhas current. This are is close to the continental shelf and is home to the larger tuna fish species!

Feel free to comment, share or message us if you have any questions or information and we will happily get back to you straight away! :)

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Yellowfin tuna fish (Thunnus Albacares)

Game Fishing Off Cape Point!

Yellowtail Fishing!

We headed off for a Half-Day Fishing Charter towards Cape Point from Simonstown at 6:00 am this morning in search of Yellowtail, Katonkel and possibly Cape Snoek! There were a couple of commercial boats on anchor sitting off Buffels Bay trying for some Snoek, but we didn't see anything coming up so decided to push on towards the point. When we arrived our guests took some photos of Cape Point and the South Western Tip of Africa, Cape of Good Hope as we were setting our lines for a days fishing. 

We had 15 degree water temperature and plenty of birds working in our area. We started off catching 1 or 2 Katonkel, but shortly after the birds seemed to disperse so we upped our lines and made our way to a well known reef called "Rocky Bank" about 3 or 4 miles south/south west of Cape Point. When we arrived there, there weren't a lot of birds working like earlier but the boats were all huddled up close to each other so we knew that something must have happened. We stuck it out and slowly the fish started to bite! 

First the one rod would go off (rapala) and then another rod (feather) and before we knew it we were having triple hook-ups! Each of our guests took turns pulling fish until we had a nice amount for then to take home. We had almost no wind the entire morning and zero swell. It was a pleasant Inshore Fishing Trip for all involved! :) 

Pelagic Bird Watching on-board "Destiny"

Yesterday, we headed off Cape Point, heading for the well known "Canyon" area in search of Pelagic Sea Birds! Unfortunately we weren't able to find any trawlers or long-liners (which usually have thousands of Pelagic Sea Birds following) so we decided to use an alternative method known as "chumming" to attract these birds. Chumming is the practice of luring various animals, usually fish, but also birds, by throwing "chum" into the water. Chum is bait which consists of fish parts, bone and blood, which attract fish or birds, owing to their acute sense of smell. We managed to lure a fair number of birds which included; Pintado Petrels, White Chinned Petrels, Sooty Shearwaters, Southern Giant Petrel, Northern Giant Petrel, Wilsons Storm Petrel, Subantarctic Skua and the Black-Browed Albatross, which is featured in the picture below.

Our guests managed to get some really amazing pictures of these magnificent sea birds and we soon after started making our way back to Simonstown, but our day wasn't quite over yet - About 8 miles from Cape Point we came across a pod of Orca Whales, which were busy feeding and putting on a show! This is a huge playing factor on why the Great White Shark season in False Bay, Seal Island has been so slow lately. The Orca Whales, also known as "Killer Whales" have been targeting Great White Sharks along our coastlines and killing them for their livers, which is known to be the most nutritional part of the animal!

It was a great trip for everyone involved! :)  

Photo: Jeffery Slater

Our Tuna Season is around the corner!

We are eagerly anticipating this years Tuna Season in the deeper oceanic waters off Cape Point, South Africa! During the months of October to June we run Deep Sea Fishing Charters specifically targeting the larger fish species such as Yellowfin Tuna, Big-Eye Tuna, Longfin Tuna and Skipjack - As a result of the mixing of two large ocean currents (Benguela and Agulhas currents), as well as the prevailing winds, nutrient rich water is found at a place know to locals as the “Canyon” – this area is found close to the continental shelf and it is here that we target the large Yellowfin tuna. These sought after fish reach sizes in excess of 100kgs and make for an unforgettable experience for any fisherman, beginners and experienced alike! One can expect to take anything from 1 to 4 hours to land these incredibly strong fish. Cape Boat Charters have just the right equipment needed to land these fish - “Black magic” harnesses are used to fight the bigger fish, which can take several hours to land. These tuna can be caught trolling with lures, or by using bait in the warmer blue oceanic water found in the area. Longfin tuna are also caught in the same area and range in size from 10 to 30kgs. they too, also put up a fantastic fight.