Namibia Beach Anglers Heaven
My name is Steve McGuire and I have recently returned from my second trip to Namibia. The purpose of my trip was to catch a larger shark that on my previous trip.
Last visit the largest Bronze Whaler shark that I caught weighed in at 90kgs. This time I determined to improve on my previous best. The shark fishing season is from October to April summer in Namibia.
This visit I used a different guide, Terrance Clark captain of the Namibian Surf Fishing Team.
Everyday I caught sharks, the guide was magic, not only did I match or beat my previous best but I caught twelve Bronzies of 90kgs or larger. My biggest shark was 120kgs with a length of 2.09 metres. I also had one of 115kgs and two of 110kgs.
The fishing in Namibia is vastly different to my usual East Anglian beaches in almost every respect. The tackle used was a 14 foot Purglass one piece rod rated at 15kg to 25kg coupled with a large modified Daiwa multiplier holding 500 metres of 0.65 18kg mono mounted in the low position. The terminal gear consisted of 2 x 9/0 hooks attached to 500mm of 50kg nylon covered wire trace along with a rotten bottom and sinker.
The bait used for catching Bronzies is in order of preference is gills and liver of Sand shark, Hound shark, Spotted shark followed by mackerel heads.
The first task every morning was to catch the bait for the days fishing.
We set off in the 4 x 4 from the hotel and drove to the first location to try and catch the small sharks that we needed . We never spent more that 30 minutes in any location if it did not produce. No restrictions on driving along the beaches in Namibia and as the rods are carried fully made up in holders on the bumper of the vehicle moving on was not a problem.
The bait used to catch the small sharks was fresh mullet heads, mounted on a single 9/0 hook, usually obtained from local commercial fishermen. Although I did observe anglers using a throw net to catch their own bait.
Once we had caught our small sharks, we never took more than two, we moved on to fish for the Bronzies.
Arriving at the area selected by the guide the small sharks were staked into the surf as chum.
The rods, only one per angler allowed, were baited and cast out into the gulleys. This is no mean feat as the reels were the largest multipliers I have seen on any beach. Even with the cross bar cut away the spool was so large it was extremely difficult to grip with a thumb plus the fact that the bait must have weighed close on a pound. The additional hazard of wading out waist deep and then casting between the breakers made it even more challenging. However the guide will cast for you if you wish.
Once the bait is in the water the rod is held in a butt pad until a pick up occurs.
When the bait is picked up the rod tip is pulled forcibly towards the sea. You strike as hard as you can then it happens. The next scenario is best described by tying your line to a 4 x 4 and getting them to drive off flat out. If your clutch is not set correctly you could end up watersking behind the shark.
The fight starts in ernest with the first run, on 2 occasions I was totally spooled, nothing I did made any difference it just headed south and kept going.
If you can turn the shark you then face the prospect of battling for one hour plus to land the shark.
The normal course of events is for the shark to see saw back and forth parallel to the beach as you slowly gain line and he gets closer to the shore. However as soon as the shark gets into shallower water he heads off back to the deep and the fight continues all over again. By the time he has had three or four runs you begin to wish you had never hooked him. Then you see his fin breaking the surface, adrenalin takes over and you feel he is yours. Wrong , out of forty four sharks hooked I only landed twenty two, which I understand was above average success rate. The last fifteen minutes are crucial the shallow water means more chance of the line fraying on the reefs and rocks. The shark gets very agitated in the shallow water and the breakers knock him all over the place. There are also added difficulties if the bait is hanging outside the sharks jaws as other sharks follow him in trying to steal the bait, easy for them to bite through the line. The shark also tries to stay in the gulleys that run parallel to the beach. The only way for the shark to be beached is for the guide to gaff him just below the dorsal fin. No easy task, my guide carries scars from brushes with the sharks skin whilst gaffing. I even tried gaffing one shark for my guide, only a small one, but it proved to be extremely difficult for me. Then there is the added challenge of other sharks swimming in the water that you are standing in. They may not be big enough to eat all of you but in a feeding frenzy you could get a serious bite.
I could have fished for Kobb and Stenbrass but the sharks were my passion. I did see many Stenbrass and Kobb caught most of them in excess of 12kgs.
Catfish are very common and have to be handled very carefully spikes everywhere.
I also was made an honary member of the Walvis Bay Angling club, where they have their own clubhouse and bar as well as social events, useful if you catch a record fish.
I fish the odd beach match in the UK but again Namibia showed me something different. I was invited to watch Namibia take on South Africa. For a start all the anglers wear wet suits but that makes sense when you see then wade / swim out to rocks and sand banks to fish. Then difficult to believe, they wade / swim back to shore once they have hooked the fish. No fibre washers in their reels. The matches are all rovers with anglers roaring up and down the beach in 4 x 4s under the direction of the team manager. The weight in is continuous using a tripod and sling mounted on the back of a 4 x 4 so that the fish, mainly sharks, can be returned as soon as possible. They anglers fish in pairs to concentrate the scent of their baits as chum is not allowed in matches.
Both the matches and the team membership is decided on a points basis. Matches usually last four hours finishing at 2pm and followed by a barbeque.
What else did Namibia have to offer well I met John Wilson on the beaches on several occasions, amazing considering he only lives forty miles down the road from me and we had never met before.
Namibia is totally safe no problems no hassle. Premium German larger at 60p a pint steak and chips £4, a bottle of excellent South African wine £2 in the restaurants. Car hire is expensive and local driving dangerous. Clothing very cheap. In fact it is very difficult to spend more than £10 per day. Guides provide lunch and drinks and even the best hotel in the country only charges £60 per night B&B.
But for me shark fishing from the beach is the best fishing I have ever had. So much so that I have joined the company who supplied my guide, Mola Mola . We have a web site molamola.co.uk which gives greater detail on whats on offer in Namibia and more shark pictures.