Game on for Gunners
Going out as often as he can in his 2005 model Riviera, Gunners, which he has owned for the past two years, Ismail has been fortunate to enjoy a great deal of success in the fishing stakes. However, the 90 kg Yellowfin tuna he caught 40 miles off Cape Point, South Africa, this month was nothing short of a dream come true – and his personal best for this particular pelagic species. Ismail and a group of friends – Chris Gerber, Mario Oberholzer and Wean Welgemoed – had set off at 6H00 from Gordon’s Bay and arrived at Cape Point in good time, courtesy of the 33 Open Flybridge’s twin Volvo 310 HP diesels. It was a fruitful day, landing several big tuna, one after the other. In fact, just before the 90 kg monster was hooked, the excited team aboard Gunners had landed four other Yellowfin, including one topping 65 kg.
Yellowfin tuna are renowned for their speed and strength when fought on a rod and reel. Indeed, many anglers believe that large Yellowfin are, pound for pound, the fastest and strongest of all big game tunas. And once you’re on, there’s a very real chance of following through with another as they often travel in schools with similarly sized companions. Ismail’s big Yellowfin was hooked at the end of what was a busy day on the rods, and was finally lifted into the cockpit after 100 minutes of muscle-aching, adrenalin-pumping work.
