Kenya fish descriptions and Statistical records

Fishing in the Pemba Channel is year-round, there is no "closed season" as such.

We typically talk about two main fishing seasons, the BILLFISH SEASON and the TUNA SEASON.

You can obtain a list of Kenya fishing records here.

 

Sea Adventures Statistics 2011

CLIMATE

The East African climate is governed by the two monsoon season, the "kusi" or South-East Monsoon and the "kaskazi" or North-East Monsoon separated by two doldrums periods. The "kusi" begins anytime from mid to end March and may continue until mid to end October. The "kaskazi" starts mid-November to early December and may run as late mid-March. The periods of October - November and March - April are characterized by very calm, hot conditions. The "kaskazi" is at its strongest in January often with rough seas, and typically the "kusi" is at its strongest in June.

The main rainy season is in April - May with the "short rains" in October - November.

BILLFISH SEASON

There are no less than SIX species of billfish in the Pemba Channel including all three species of marlin - black, blue and striped - as well as the sailfish, broadbill swordfish and the rare shortbill spearfish. The Pemba Channel is especially well known for striped marlin that migrate through the channel every year in large numbers. However the other species are also present in reasonable numbers such that you never know what might take your bait next.

The striped marlin season is dictated by the Northeast Monsoon and incredibly as soon as the wind switches in to the northeast the marlin are there and equally at the end of the season they can disappear just as quickly. Sea Adventures determines the start of the billfish season as 1st December as far as their price structures but in actuality the marlin may arrive from mid-November. There may also be a mini run during October. The sailfish is not quite so restricted by the monsoons and may be present in good numbers throughout October. The blue and black marlins tend to follow their favourite food of skipjack tuna, yellowfin tuna or frigate mackerel meaning that whenever there is plenty of food one can safely expect the predators to be present also.

A question that I am asked many times over is, "Which is the best week, the true peak of the billfish season?" In reality it is impossible to predict which week will be the hottest for the season, it may be sometime in December this year and February next. I've added a graph to illustrate this below with catch rates plotted against weeks starting from November 15th up to March 13th. You will see that right from early December to March the billfish catches are very constant. Some weeks may be influenced by fishermen choosing not to fish those weeks just before Christmas or after New Year. The last week November, early December can be very good for marlin with the start of the monsoon and the marlins arriving fresh and hungry. The best marlin week that we recorded was for week 11 (Jan 24 - 30) in that outstanding season of 1998/99 with 37 marlin. The next best was 26 in week 8 (Jan 3-9) 2003/04, the week when Kamara II had 18 marlin in 6 days.

GRAND SLAMS

A grand slam in fishing is when you catch three different species of billfish in a single 24-hr fishing trip. These become reasonably common off the Kenya Coast but add another billfish type to make a Super Slam and you are joining a very exclusive club. Then with five of the six species of billfish in a 24-hr period and you have what is called, a "Fantasy Slam". It is so called because it was thought that it would remain just that, a fantasy in fisherman's minds but three have been recorded off Kenya in recent years. That is what makes Kenya fishing so special, the possibility that you can catch a grand slam, a super slam or even a fantasy slam. This is one of the few destinations in the world where this is possible.

TUNA SEASON

Annually the large adult yellowfin tuna migrate along the East African Coast and become channelled through the Pemba Channel. The largest yellowfin tuna taken from Shimoni was 193-lb. September - October are typically considered the peak tuna months in the Pemba Channel but it is interesting to note that the commercial offshore long liners have recorded their best catches during May and June off East Africa. The schools of yellowfin tuna are followed by some very big blue and black marlin as well as mako shark, striped marlin, sailfish, wahoo, dorado (dolphin fish, mahi mahi, lampuga, coryphaen…) and other game fishes. The biggest black marlin taken in the Pemba Channel, an 800-lb beauty was caught at the beginning of September on a lure. The largest blue marlin of 724˝ lb was taken in mid-September and many other huge marlin have been seen, caught or lost mid-July to end October. Big eye tunas have been caught on the sea mountain during September and October but not nearer to the mainland.

SWORDFISH SEASON

Although these may occur year round October, November and March are ideal months to fish since the seas are typically calmer and hence considerably more comfortable. Fishing is at night only either drifting with fresh baits or trolling with artificial lures. These days lures are the preferred method allowing one to cover a much larger area and strike rates are generally much higher. Strike rates have been reported as high as 17 in a single night's fishing. Over the last 10 years Sea Adventures have recorded a success rate of 0.79 swordfish per night fished, which equates to around 4 every 5 nights fished. The best success has been in March. DURING THE 2010 - 2011 FISHING SEASON ALL THIS CHANGED WITH A NUMBER OF SWORDFISH CAUGHT IN DAYLIGHT. PAT HAS GOT HIS BROADBILL ALL SET UP AND READY AND ON 8TH MARCH 2011 HIS CLIENT LANDED ONE OF 155.1 KG. IT HAS BEEN REPEATED BY A NUMBER OF BOATS OFF THE KENYA COAST. (read the incredible story about that first swordfish in daylight)

JIGGING and POPPING

These are two relatively new techniques that enable you to fish different areas. Deep jigging with heavy lead jigs has proved very effective for big yellowfin tuna, giant trevally and dog-tooth tuna as well as other species previously unheard of in sportfishing catches such as the amberjack. Like jigging popping has also proved very effective for tuna and GT's but circumstances must be right for this technique to work. The fish ideally need to be schooling on or near the surface so that they are able to see the popper. These techniques are very much hands-on and believe me, very hard work! With deep jigging we do it in 70-100m or more water and it also requires the boat to be stationary. If the sea is rough or there is a strong wind jigging is very difficult because you cannot maintain the vertical drop that is a necessity.

The Species found in the Pemba Channel

	Overall billfish catch in the year
Fish species	Description
The Billfishes
Black marlin, Makaira indica	This species grows to well over 1,000-lb, the world record on rod-and-line being 1,560-lb caught in Peru in 1953. The biggest confirmed black marlin was a whopping 2,500-lb taken by a long liner in the Pacific Ocean. Huge fish have been seen off Kenya and some big fish caught close to the grand, but a 400-lb marlin is a big fish. Black marlin may be found much closer to shore than the other species following the schools of small tunas. Many are caught on lures but live baiting is generally the best way to catch the big ones. With their small dorsal fins and rigid pectoral fins they are a tough adversary seldom making the high speed runs of the blue or the aerobatics of the stripey. They seldom follow a bait preferring to hit with very much a hit and run tactic.
Blue marlin, Makaira indica	This is the ultimate, the most awe inspiring fish in the sea. Unlike the black the blue does everything at high speed and puts everything in to the fight right from the word go. And again unlike the black artificials are the most effective method for this fish. When a blue marlin takes your lure you will never forget it, the sheer speed and power is unbelievable. Would you believe it, but after nearly 30 years of skippering I am still able to recall the entire fights of almost every big blue marlin that I have been involved in? If the tackle is not up to scratch and the crew on the ball you will be spooled in seconds. August – October has always been a favourite time for the big blues but also January to March are good times.
Striped marlin, Tetrapturus audax	This is the smallest of the three marlins and the most common in the Pemba Channel as well as being the most beautiful, the way it “lights up” on attack. There are bacteria along the lateral line and on the stripes that feed on adrenaline so that as soon as the fish becomes excited the electric blue “landing lights” come on and the dorsal fin comes erect. When they are really agitated they appear to “shiver” with excitement and I can never get tired of seeing this incredible fish. Actually when I get a crash strike from a stripey I feel almost cheated because I have been deprived of my fix; Wow! You gotta believe it! Bring Polaroid glasses and see for yourself, I promise you will be hooked! As soon as the NE wind blows the stripes are there, often in packs, particularly early in the season. There is also sometimes a mini run of stripes in late October.
Sailfish, Istiophorus platypterus	They are not as strong as marlin but very beautiful especially when they dance on the end of your line. Sails are usually much harder to hook than marlin, which is why many crews prefer to hook them for you. But remember if you haven’t hooked it yourself you cannot really claim to have caught it. We will do whatever is necessary to help you learn the tricks of the trade to hook your own sails. Often found in packs and frequently close to shore. Comes in earlier than the marlin around October and remains until March but may be caught at almost any time of the year. When we fish the North Kenya area sailfish are usually the major target species often with huge numbers of them in October and November. Our record set off Kui in the far north was 20 sailfish in one day’s fishing and we missed many more; it was non-stop action all day
Broadbill swordfish, Xiphias gladius – t	This is an incredibly strong fighter specially adapted for hunting in the depths of the ocean but coming to the surface at night. If you are ever fortunate enough to see one basking on the surface in daylight you will note the incredible purple colour that seems to light up in much the same way that a stripey does. This species may be around year round, we have caught them from October to March with March being the most productive month with a success rate of 3 swordfish every 2 nights fished and an overall success rate of 4 broadbill every 5 nights. NOW USING NEW TECHNIQUES YOU CAN FISH FOR THEM IN THE DAYTIME.
Shortbill spearfish, Tetrapturus angustirostris	This is a rare billfish that not many skippers have been lucky enough to catch. I've been very lucky in that both Kamara and Kamara II have caught a few but Pat after having fished 48 years, longer than anyone else on this coast caught his first one in late November 2010. We have caught them in February, June, August and November. They have soft mouths so perhaps a few more have been lost after pulling the hooks.
Major Sharks
Mako shark, Isurus oxyrinchus	This is a beautiful fish, and very definitely a game fish, very fast and on occasions acrobatic. When they do jump they do so much higher than a marlin and very seldom do you see them before they strike. Sometimes they can take more than one bait or lure before you can realise that it’s the same fish. They often take artificial lures usually with an explosive strike. The tuna season is the best time although many of the biggest ones have been during the billfish season.
Tiger shark, Galeocerdo cuvier	This is the largest of our sharks that may be seen tailing during the Billfish Season. Numbers have certainly decreased drastically since the 1980’s and the average size also appears to be less. They are very powerful but the fight may be akin to “pulling the plug out of the ocean”. All sharks are released!
Hammerhead sharks, Sphyrna spp.	These strange looking animals may be seen at any time of the year but perhaps more frequent during the billfish season. As with tigers numbers have decreased especially of the largest species, the greater hammerhead (Sphyrna mokorran) which like the tiger has probably fallen foul of the Far East long liners in the Indian Ocean. Most hammerheads seen now are the scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini).
Others
Barracuda, Sphyraena spp.	There are a number of different species of barracuda found locally including the greater barracuda that has been caught to 26-kg which stood as the Ladies World Record on 24-kg line for a time. They are good fighters and although mostly caught on the edge of reefs and drop-offs are also found offshore.
Dorado, Coryphaena hippurus	A very beautiful fish that may be found throughout the tropical oceans. They are very fast growing and short-lived providing great sport especially on light tackle. The biggest numbers, but not necessarily the biggest fish usually occur February to April.
Kingfish or narrow-barred mackerel, Scomberomorus commerson	This fish is usually found along the reef edges and drop offs and may grow as big as 20-30 kg. Probably more prolific during the SE-monsoon period.
Wahoo, Acanthocybium solandri	Built like a torpedo the wahoo may be caught along reef edges, drop offs and even out in the deep water especially if there is a pod of bait fish near by. Off the Kenya Coast they grow to more than 45-kg but a 20-kg fish can be considered a good fish.
Giant trevally, Caranx ignobilis	These fishes, also known as ignobilis kingfish in South Africa are wonderful fighters. Usually found associated with coral reefs but may also be seen associated with schools of frigate mackerel or sardines. Trolling with rapala type lures, fresh baits as well as jigging and popping are good methods depending on the circumstances. They grow to over 50-kg and for a while we held the World Record on 15-kg line for a fish of 44.2-kg caught off Pemba Island.
Other trevallies	There are so many different species that are often very difficult to differentiate between. Some of these are only present soon after the rains but there are some species around most of the year.
Tunas
Yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares	A very tough fighter, arguably the toughest weight for weight. The fight is typified by long fast runs with back breaking resilience. May to October the best time for the big fish, but large numbers of smaller yellowfin may be present in November, December, February or March.
Bigeye tuna, Thunnus obesus	This species is only found offshore around the sea mountain especially in September and October. Bear in mind that we need to go to the mountain with a minimum of two boats for safety reasons.
Dog-tooth tuna, Gymnosarda unicolor	This is actually not a true tuna but a bonito that has no scales and colouring like mother of pearl. We have caught big ones off Pemba Island and off Mafia Island but a couple of smaller specimens near Shimoni.