Best of Both Worlds
People always ask me if you can use a PWC for both fishing and surfing and if so, how easy is it to change over from the fishing rig to a rescue sled for surfing? I chatted to the guys at Leisure Boating and we thought it would be a good idea to try and answer this frequently asked question. We have enjoyed some amazing warm and windless days down here in the Cape, accompanied by big, beautifully clean waves and lots of Yellowtail – affording me the perfect opportunity to spend some time on my Yamaha FXHO 1800 Waverunner PWC to ‘conduct some research’ for this article.
I fitted my new Racetech Tubbies and was super excited to see how they would change the performance of the PWC and how much extra stability they would actually add to the PWC while fishing. I am happy to say that I couldn’t notice any difference in performance but I did notice that they gave the PWC a lot more stability, which made a big difference, particularly when I was casting while standing.
We set off from Oceana Power Boat Club and set a course for Robben Island using my new Garmin 521s GPS/ Fishfinder. When we arrived at the island most of the commercial boats were at anchor catching Geelbek but there were beautiful shoals of Yellowtail on the surface feeding on bait fish, so we headed for the closest boiling piece. I have rigged my PWC with rod holders towards the front of the PWC so that I can have quick access to my rod when I stop over a school of gamefish. This allows me to get in that crucial quick first cast before the fish go down.
