Volume 1 September 2007

Welcome to Extreme Africa, and this, our first newsletter. The response to the site since it has gone live has been unbelievable and we, the Extreme Team, thank you all for your comments and words of encouragement. We are still busy adding to the site and ironing out the odd bug so please bare with us and visit us regularly so as not to miss anything.

Especially exciting is the Extreme Africa range of top class fishing clothing which you will soon be able to view and purchase over the website.

On the fishing front, the end of the ‘off season’ is in sight, and even though we have had some really good fishing action through the colder months we are all looking forward to the warmer weather and the awesome fishing which it brings.

We have already secured top class bait for the coming season and can’t wait to put our clients into some of the huge bronze whalers which should start arriving in False Bay within the next 6 weeks.
Once again we thank you for your support and look forward to hearing from you.

See you on the beach,
The Extreme Africa Team

LATEST NEWS:

At the recent Western Province prizegiving our guides achieved some brilliant results.

Charl was the Overall Champion Angler for the second year running and was selected for the Western Province A side.

Robbie finished just behind Charl in second place and was chosen as the convenor of selectors for Western Province. He was also captain for his team, Two Oceans, who walked away with the trophies for the winning B team, winning A team, and the Overall Club Champions.

Greg finished in seventh place and was selected for the Western Province A side. He was selected as beach manager for the Western Province Ladies side for the second year running and was awarded a Western Province record for his Bronze Whaler of 227.1kg landed in April this year.

LATEST TRIP:

Recently SASAA (South African Surf Angling Association) has decided to recognise separate ladies shore angling records. So with these records up for grabs Tish Yelland, Chairlady of Womans Angling in South Africa arranged a trip with Greg on the 8th of August.

Because of the prevailing conditions it was decided to head up the West Coast to Ganzekraal, where we would fish a deepwater ledge called Kabeljoubank. The target species were to be Soupfin Sharks (Tope) and Seven Gill Cowsharks.

On arrival we were joined by a few other club anglers. The perfect conditions raised our expectations and soon we all had baits in the water.

First cast and Tish was into a small cow which she played brilliantly off the tricky rock ledge before it was landed without too much fuss. Although it was only a small cow of around 13 kilos it filled a blank space in the books and Tish had her record.

After this the cows really started biting well and soon everyone had fish. The action continued throughout the day with some nice cows being landed and many more lost due to the hooks pulling out of their soft mouths. The best fish of the day went to Malcolm Paul with a cow of 71kg.

Tish perservered throughout the day determined to get a better fish. On literally her last cast she got the pull and hooked what was definitely a better cow. Once again she played the fish expertly. This fish measured 124cm precaudal length with a weight of 24.26kg.

At the end of the day we had tagged and released ten cowsharks up to 71kilos and lost count of how many were hooked. It is this sort of action that just keeps you coming back for more.
 

For lots more pictures from this trip check out our gallery!

TIP OF THE MONTH:

With summer just around the corner be sure to take the correct measures to avoid sunburn. Besides the permanent skin damage caused, excessive sunburn will definitely put a damper on a fishing trip.

By wearing a wide brimmed hat you can keep the sun off your face. Always wear a water resistant high SPF sunblock on your face, lips and any other exposed skin.

It is a good idea to wear a long sleeve breathable shirt with a collar.

Volume 2 October 2007

Greetings from the extreme team and welcome to this, our second newsletter. As we sit here, the first proper South Easter of the season is howling outside. This is the wind we have all been waiting for and if it blows for a few more days we are positive that reports will start filtering in of the first big Bronze Whalers being hooked in False Bay.

Volume 3 November 2007

Welcome to our third newsletter. For all of those who did not receive the last newsletter we apologise. We were again plagued by gremlins but hope we have them all sorted out now. It is however on our website if you would like to view it.

We are now into full summer season mode. The fishing around the coast has been good with False Bay being full of cob. Most of these have been undersize or just legal size, but it is good to see large numbers of juvenile fish. The Bronzies and other large sharks seem to be a little late this year with only isolated reports of large fish being hooked and lost. Our guides pulled it off again with Charl landing the first ‘decent’ bronzy of the season with a fish of 50 odd kilos and a Raggie in the 65kilo range on the same day. The small bronzies are plentiful in the bay and the larger fish can’t be far behind.

The clinics we held this past month were well received and seem to be gaining in popularity. Keep an eye on the website for news on upcoming clinics.
We are also getting pretty booked up for early next year so if you would like to organise a safari during this very productive time please email us about available dates.

The 2nd Western Province league was fished on the West Coast on the 27th of November and some good score cards were handed in. There were a good number of smoothounds landed at ‘The Spit’ in Langebaan with some guys having up to six fish each. Varkenvlei was disappointing in the morning as the water was slightly too cold, but as the tide pushed in the afternoon, bringing in warmer water, some very large blue rays were taken with some of these fish being in the 25-28kilo bracket. There were also a number of thorntails caught but the cows were conspicuous by their absence with only 4 or 5 coming out the whole day. All told it was a very long day fishing from 6am to 6pm with some guys going through a whole tank of fuel chasing fish.

Volume 4 December 2007 WELCOME:
Welcome to our 4th Newsletter that reaches you just as our fishing season really starts coming into its own. It started a little later than expected but there have already been some outstanding fish landed. The biggest so far being a bronzy of 187kg’s by Gunther Bothe beating his previous personal best by 140 kilos!! There have been many hard luck stories so far this season and plenty of guys have felt the deep burn with nothing to show except a dented ego. Over and above the big fish that have made an appearance on the beaches there have also been some really good smoothounds taken off the reefs. There have also been a lot of cob in False Bay and Thys Kemp landed a nice one of 22kg’s during the league held on the 24th of No-vember.With the holiday season just around the corner we wish everyone a merry xmas, happy new years,tight lines and huge fish!! Also to all those travel-ling over the festive season, drive safe and take it easy on the roads….the fish will wait for you!!
We look forward to reporting to you once again in the new year…… See you on the beach, The Extreme Team
Greg and Dean with some nice smoothounds on the reefs...
Latest News:
Well earlier in the month Greg had the opportunity to go out into ‘the deep’ in search of yellowfin tuna. It was a rough ride out in huge seas and windy conditions. After nearly turning back 10 miles off cape point they pushed on and eventually got out to the grounds 3 hours later (normally a 2 hour trip)!!! All the bumps and bruises were worthwhile though as Greg managed to get a good yellowfin of around 65 kilos. The extreme team also did well in the 3rd WCSAA league fished in November with the boys really showing their stuff by coming 1st, 2nd, and 3rd on the day. Charl getting 5 fish for 101.7kg’s, Robbie with 3 fish for 77.2kg’s and Greg 3 fish for 65.6kg’s. The overall standings are Charl and Robbie 1st and 2nd overall and Greg is lying in 5th place. Charl is one of the guys who have already landed monster bronzies this season. He got a new personal best with a fish of 174 kilos….on the same day he also landed a fish of 70kg’s and some other smaller specimens.
Charl’s bronzies of 174kg’s and 70kg’s
Latest Trip:
Jacobus Du Toit came to Gordon’s Bay for a week from outside of Pretoria looking to catch a tuna. Unfortunately the weather was against him and there was no way of him getting out to sea. With his week coming to an end and the fish fever growing he contacted us and we organised a last minute trip to Betty’s Bay in the hopes of salvaging his trip. The weather was not the best but it was fishable and within 5 minutes of the first bait hitting the water he was on, landing a beautifully marked male spotted gully shark of 152cm weighing 18.2 kg’s, his biggest fish up to that point!! A short while later and he was again ‘vas’ this time a really good female spotted gully coming in at 168cm and 25,6kg’s, setting a new personal best. But he was not done yet and added a 164cm, 20.8kg smoothound to his tally. Well done Jacobus 3 fish, 2 species for 64.6 kilos is a great way to finish off a week spent waiting to fish………….
Tip of the Month:
If you want to taste fresh fish over the December holidays then go light as far as tackle is concerned. For those inlanders heading for the coast, do not leave your bass rods etc behind. With light tackle, small hooks, and ball sinkers you are sure to have a field day with all sorts of gully species. A few fat blacktail on the coals or in the oven will be just the thing to persuade the wife to let you spend even more time on the rocks. Just remember bag and size limits. Its also a great way to spend time with the kids while the wife tans on the beach…… have a great holiday. Tight Lines….
Click here to download the Decembers Newsletter

Volume 5 February 2008

WELCOME:

As this, our 5th newsletter reaches you we are in the second half of our season. With about 6 weeks left those who want to get in on the action should not hesitate to contact us. What a season it has been. The bronzies have been wild and not many personal bests were left standing after the action over the last 3 months. The Extreme Africa team have done justice to their claims of putting their clients into the best water and have achieved a 100% success rate of both putting their clients into fish and also helping every client achieve a new PB in regards to rock and surf caught fish. We are now busy taking booking for the winter season in the Transkei so be sure to get hold of us with regards to your personalised trip before all the dates are booked up.

See you on the beach,
The Extreme Team

Latest News:

Once again the Extreme Team guides are showing their true colours by producing the goods in their provincial league competitions. Two Oceans led by Robbie Janse have swept all other clubs aside with their clinical competitive angling. The league fished on the 19/01/08 will long be remembered as one of, if not the best league ever held in False Bay. Two oceans absolutely dominated the day and finished with 2698 points for the day – 2.7 tons! Their nearest rivals only coming up with 622 points. Both Charl and Greg ended in the top 10 for the day with Charl getting 5 bronzies for 250 points and Greg landing a Raggie of 170kilos and a bronzie of about 60kilos for 224 points on the day.

The next league fished at Struisbaai on 09/02/08 also went Two Oceans way with both Robbie and Greg ending in the top 10 for the day Robbie with a bag of Spotted Gullies for 95 points and Greg with a Raggie of 95kilos and 7 sandies for 109 points. All three guides are now lying in the top 10 for the year with Charl sitting in first place with 468.1, Greg in second with 439.8 and Robbie in sixth place with 347.9 points.

Extreme Africa hosted another successful clinic at the beginning of February. With the topic and venue to be fished being the Strand reefs there was sure to be the odd war wound and a small amount of bloodshed. After the theory session held at the ESA Pro Store in Somerset West the 20 odd anglers were split into two groups and taken out onto the reefs. Although not fireworks some nice fish were hooked and some even landed. It was really great to see guys exposed to a new dimension in angling and even those who were very hesitant to start with got into the swing of thing, did a bit of swimming, and vowed to be back to try it again. Thanks to all those who supported us and keep an eye out for info regarding our next clinic.

Latest Trip:

We have had too many great trips to single out one specific outing but have had some very memorable incidents and inspirational clients.
Top of the list must be Steve Bates from the UK. What an inspirational angler who despite having Parkinson’s, which affects his left side, and finding difficulty in handling the 14ft rods and heavy reels still managed to land 3 bronzies in one day up to 90kilos. On the same day I had a bronzie of 102kilos buzzed on 3 separate occasions by white sharks and in the end we had a bronzie of over 100kilos eaten by a white not more than 15m from the beach……..what a day and what an angler.

A repeat client, Jacobus Du Toit broke his PB of a 25 kilo spotted gully set with us last year and set a new PB with a bronzie of 62.7kilos. Next time I’m sure he will get triple figures!!

Thanks again to all the people who we fished with for the great memories and hope to see you all again soon

Tip of the Month:

With the price of bait going through the roof and the up and down availability of decent bonnies, targeting large non-eds has become an expensive business.
There are a few tricks we have found to get the most out of the bait you have.The first is utilising your bonnie to maximum effect and if used in this way we have got up to 6 baits out of a 45cm bonnie. Out of a 3 kilo skipjack tuna we have caught 7 bronzies.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that a big fish will not eat a small bait like a cutlet. Not only will this soft bait increase the hook-up ratio, but it also goes out a lot faster and reaches the stopper ring with more ease. The trick is to put the hook through the skin at the top in this way no cotton is needed.

Till next time,
Tight Lines

Click here to download February Newsletter