Linda & Chris Gardener from England had done two safaris previously to Pemba Island with Pat on Broadbill and were now returning to Kenya to see a different part of the coastline. They enjoy the live aboard options, which is not just about the fishing but also about relaxation in beautiful, tranquil anchorages, sleeping on the boat with the gentle rocking and lapping of the waves on the hull as well as cooking and eating your own fish straight from the ocean. (more…)

Usually as soon as the wind swings around in to the north the marlin are there, and that is exactly what happened during the first fortnight of November. Whilst Kamara II was up in Lamu few days were fished in the Channel but White Otter did have some luck.

Whilst out on 3rd White Otter saw a lot of sailfish finning off Funzi but were unable to get any on to the lines. However, they did release a nice GT caught jigging and caught a 30-lb longtail tuna. This is a big one for this species, which have only been caught locally a few times in the past. Last year there were more than is normal off Malindi but quite a bit smaller than this.

On 10th November a striped marlin was tagged and a lot of sails were seen in the Funzi area. The following day they lost 3 striped marlin, a sailfish and another fish that took out a lot of line before it came off that might have been another marlin.

There is little doubt that had more days been fished more marlin would have been caught in the channel this season. This has been the story since August when striped marlin have been found consistently. Perhaps it is a bit unusual that there be so many striped marlin coming through so early in the season but may be it is a result of the warmer water generated by the El Niňo. Mind you we have always noted a mini run in late October.

There are still boats free this month and in December, which is often one of the best marlin months.

At the start of November I took Kamara II back north for the start of another safari to the incredibly beautiful Lamu Archipelago. Linda and Chris Gardener from England were due to fly in to Lamu on the 3rd so in order to restrict fuel consumption on the dead leg up I decided to fish slowly up on one engine overnight. The weather forecast was a lot better for this trip than the last one although heavy rain was predicted for the 1st two days but thereafter should clear. Malindi and north had been pounded by very heavy rain for a fortnight and the road between Malindi and Lamu had been cut when a bridge was washed away. This had lead to serious shortages of food stuffs and fuel, the latter affecting other charter boats that often work the area. Fortunately with Kamara II we don’t have that worry as we carry 2,800 litres when full enough to fish a fortnight comfortably. (more…)