Gone Fishin'

For Christmas this year, E and I decided that we should forgo the more traditional gifts in favor of experiences that we wouldn’t be able to do once we left Kenya. E had the idea of going deep sea fishing, as it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do, and the Kenyan coast has the best in Africa, and some of the best in the world. Somehow, she convinced me that this was also a gift for her, as she would so enjoy seeing me catch the fish. I’m not sure about the logic there, but I am sure that I have an awesome wife.

We reserved a day with the Pemba Channel Fishing Club, an outfit south of Diani that was started in the good ol’ days of colonialism, and is currently owned by British Kenyans. We invited along our friend Chris and his 13 year-old son Gavin as a little Christmas gift to them, since it didn’t cost any more to have four on the boat rather than two.

We were picked up bright and early at 5 am on Jan 2nd, and then drove an hour south to Shimoni, where we were met by Steve, a Kenyan Brit who had been working with the company for 30 years. We enjoyed some fresh fruit and coffee as we waited for the crew to get the boat ready. In the open-air bar / sitting area were mounted marlin and many faded photos of fisherman and their massive catches. Though the odds were low, I couldn’t help but hope to add another photo to the wall.

We slowly motored out to deeper water and the crew put let out about seven lines at different distances from the boat. Some of the lines were aimed at smaller fish that could be used as bait, and others were for the prize: Marlin. Coming in, I knew that marlin were not caught very frequently, but these waters were as good as any for a shot.

We sat back and enjoyed a few drinks as the land slowly disappeared from view. About two hours in, something hit one of the lures, and Ali, one of the crew, grabbed a rod to see what was going on. Nothing was on the end, so he jerked it back and fourth a few times to try and coax the fish back to the lure, but to no avail. We spoke later and he said that it was a sailfish strike. The way sailfish and marlin hunt is to swipe at baitfish with their bills to stun them, and then circle back around for an easy meal. This sailfish stunned our lure, but then I guess decided that it wasn’t as tasty as it looked originally, so he moved on. Oh well, there are other fish in the sea.

However, for a while, it was looking like maybe there weren’t other fish in the sea. Fishing was quiet for the next two hours or so. At this point, I had to comfort E, as she was getting upset and saying that this was “the worst Christmas present ever” if I didn’t catch any fish. I assured here that I was having a great time anyways, but wanted deep down to catch something as well! Fortunately, not long after, one of the lures was taken and the fight was on!



After a few minute struggle with several spectacular leaps, I subdued a 12ish lb dorado (alternatively called dolphin or mahi-mahi). It was beautiful, and put up a great fight. Dorado are known for their amazing colors when freshly caught, and within minutes of dying, turn a dull gray. We’re on the board!

Our trip was six hours, so after nearly six hours had passed, it seemed like this was going to be the one and only fish. The crew started reeling in the lines, but another of the lines went tight. The crew kept saying that it wasn’t a fish, but I encouraged Gavin to take the rod and start reeling. The fight was a little weird, and it was more like deadweight, but soon enough, the fish was boatside and was brought in; we later figured out that he was fighting strangely because he was hooked through his eye. He was a nice 15 lb tuna! We then made out way back to the dock happy that we had a few fish for the dinner table.



We fed sixteen people that night with the fish, and still had enough for a few meals afterwards. The fish was delicious; the mahi-mahi just panfried with salt and pepper, and the tuna seared rare. We may not have gotten our marlin, but we had an awesome day out on the water with friends, several delicious meals, and a great start to the new year.