Outrageous but true stories...

[Jasper]

A similar thing happened to me a few years back.

I used to own an 18’ Capecraft – named Matuka … fitted with two 60hp Mariners – which unfortunately I had to get rid of.

One early morning in Spring we towed her to Hout Bay to go look for some tunny off the Point. It was VERY foggy – but after repeated calls to the weather people, and long debate (over a few Captain Morgans to reduce the chill) three boats decided to go for it – we had been informed that it was clear about 15 miles out!!! … YEAH RIGHT!!!

In those days there were no GPS devices and I did not have an RDF – only short wave radio. To cut a very long story short, we trolled around for a few hours .. only catching one poor Bonnie. All the time the visibility was getting worse ending up at about 20 metres!! I headed back on my reverse bearing, but the trouble was I didn’t know where I was to start with!!

After about three hours I began to realize we may be in a tad of trouble …. So headed due East, assuming Africa was somewhere in that direction. At this point we were also running very low on fuel … so I was relieved when we were picked up on a breaker!! I then headed out to sea again for about a mile and anchored. We contacted NSRI and let them know that we were totally lost!! The first time I began to get a bit concerned was when NSRI told us to fire off one of the (expensive) flares …. And they saw NOTHING at all …

EVENTUALLY (at about 2am) NSRI put a vehicle onto the beach at Blouberg …. And we picked up the low frequency engine noise. We managed to triangulate this with a faint foghorn sound (from Robben Island) …. And let them know. The Navy had also joined the search with two of their inshore cats … and one found us finally at 3am!! And towed us out to sea where Rescue 1 rendezvoused and towed us back to CT Harbour.

The WORST part of the whole thing was running out of smokes at about midnight!!!


NSRI is still the ONE charity I support!!

[KevinC]

Hehehehe

I have similar story from my spearfishing days...

We were in Paindane in Mozam for a fishing and spearfishing holiday about 7 years ago.

About halfway through the holiday a couple from Nelspruit arrived with a nice looking Cat. The chap (I forget his name) came over and we started chatting. It turned out that he had built the cat up himself and had never actually been to sea- nevermind in the boat! He was concerned with launching it etc and so we agreed to help him take it out on its first maiden voyage.

Just before launch one of his twin 60hp engines would not start. He informed us that it was a little fussy and that it would definitely start- and in any event the other outboard started first time and was purring perfectly.

The launch at Paindane is quite easy so we decided to launch on the single motor. After we had passed the backline we started the second engine up and cruised around a little.

The agreement was that we would dive the reef and he would follow us on the drift (with another mate of ours on the boat to help him).

To cut a long story short we started the drift and all was going well until I shot a seapike and indicated to him to come in and fetch it. When I looked around I noticed that the boat was not in the general area and seemed to be quite close to the reef itself. I noticed that my other mate was already on the boat and the engine covers were off!

I realised that something was wrong and managed to swim towards the boat. When I got there I realised that the boat was about to enter the backline and the engines were both not running! The skipper's (lol) eyes were the size of saucers and I could see that trouble was brewing. When the boat was hit by the first slightly crested swell I knew we could not worry about the engines anymore and told my mates to put on their fins and jump overboard.

Thankfully we were able to kick the boat just past the backline and by then the current had drifted us past the reef. Had the weather been any rougher then the boat would have been on the reef- no two ways about it.

We managed to get both engines going eventually and then decided to call it a day.

Of course our skipper had to beach the boat and I should have realised that he had never done this before- so in front of a packed beach bar our skipper raced the boat in- and in the process overtook the wave that we were meant to beach on. The boat rocketed over the wave and nailed itself hard onto the beach, promptly turned side on and then got nailed by the wave- much to the amusement of the whole bar!

Our street cred went out of the door and we never forgave the oke for the rest of the trip- but at least we got to drink Laurentinas and 2M for the rest of our stay on his account!

[Pierre]

Great stories. Good read, let's hear some more

[shector]

Hey Guys
I also have a frog story to tell. Recently, while fishing a smallstream I wouldn't like to mention, I noticed something really peculiar. Arriving at a pool as low as my ankle, my upstream wading was suprisingly halted by the presence of a small trout sitting in the tail end of the pool. It couldn't have been bigger than 6 inches. Trying to stay as still as possible without being noticed, I slowly moved into casting position. And it was right then when I saw this display of events that truely amazed me. This little trout, oblivious to my existence, was acting really strange, swaying unnaturally from side to side. Upon closer inspection, I saw this little trout swimming around with a platanna, approximately half it size, in its mouth. I stood there, possibly for 30 minutes, just watching the trout continuously wanting to swallow this creature half its length. By the look of things the little trout had already swallowed the whole of the frog's right hind leg and was busy trying to swallow the rest of it, when the frog suddenly broke free. Frantically, the frog started swimming, but as quickly as it broke free, the little trout swallowed its leg again. After, a second battle lasting only a couple of minutes, the trout gave up on eating the frog and let it free. It probably realised it was unable to swallow it as it was to big and let it go.

Peculiar!

[FishWhisperer]

Hey Guys
I also have a frog story to tell. Recently, while fishing a smallstream I wouldn't like to mention, I noticed something really peculiar. Arriving at a pool as low as my ankle, my upstream wading was suprisingly halted by the presence of a small trout sitting in the tail end of the pool. It couldn't have been bigger than 6 inches. Trying to stay as still as possible without being noticed, I slowly moved into casting position. And it was right then when I saw this display of events that truely amazed me. This little trout, oblivious to my existence, was acting really strange, swaying unnaturally from side to side. Upon closer inspection, I saw this little trout swimming around with a platanna, approximately half it size, in its mouth. I stood there, possibly for 30 minutes, just watching the trout continuously wanting to swallow this creature half its length. By the look of things the little trout had already swallowed the whole of the frog's right hind leg and was busy trying to swallow the rest of it, when the frog suddenly broke free. Frantically, the frog started swimming, but as quickly as it broke free, the little trout swallowed its leg again. After, a second battle lasting only a couple of minutes, the trout gave up on eating the frog and let it free. It probably realised it was unable to swallow it as it was to big and let it go.

Peculiar!

That would have been my que to tie on a smaller frog pattern and have a gooi!!

[gkieser]

but how many of us actually do put on a small frog pattern? Even after seeing it for myself I have not tried one...

[Scythe]

Not quite beyond belief, but was pretty amazing to see, definately one of those "You had to be there" moments.

YellowFever and I was drifting the Vaal this last winter and in this one deep pool we're both standing on the pontoons of the inflatables we were in and casting around looking for fish.

So as we stand there I see a flash and get all excited nearly falling off my boat trying to turn around and see if it was something I should be casting to.

Balance regained, up comes Mister Muddy of easily close to 3.5kgs, possibly 4kgs, dead as a doornail, entrails all swollen up like balls and coming out of it's cloacka, smelling pretty darn disgusting.

Now having caught muddies of up to 3.6Kgs myself, I can easily say this was one of the biggest Muddies I had _ever_ seen, try to visualise a silver/grey rugby ball with a flat head, funny mouth and a tail and you will have some idea of what I was seeing.

Even YellowFever who was drifting 20m or so away could smell it almost instantaneously even though it was still submerged. Upon slightly closer inspection I found it had scuff marks on the sides of it's body and it's scales were mostly missing.

Now desperately wishing the current, wind or kind act from the allmighty would wash me away from the honking odour, I resumed my fishing. The next moment I _hear_ this massive swirl, I didn't see it first, I flippen _heard_ it.

As I swivel around I see the biggest barbel I had ever seen with my own eyes open it's mouth and take the muddy ENTIRELY sideways into it's mouth, with only the tailfin protruding slightly on the one side. He grasped it, turned back downwards and dissapeard with what obviously entailed a moerse meal for him.

Yum yum Imagine fishing the rapids and one of those blighters reckon your ankle resembles a chew toy.

[pieterkriel]

I have seen some pretty big barbels in the Vaal, best way is not to think about it, and hope he never does either

[Scythe]

Haha, yes indeed.

First time a Barbel bumped into my leg while I was fishing a glide in between two rapids ... I was very much a Vaal newbie back then ... can you say "walk on water" ?

[pieterkriel]

Haha, yes indeed.

First time a Barbel bumped into my leg while I was fishing a glide in between two rapids ... I was very much a Vaal newbie back then ... can you say "walk on water" ?

well, yes, I remember getting one hell of a startle the first time one of these swam into me so hard that I almost fell over