MEMORABLE FISHING EXCURSION – GUEST POST
Date published: 15/04/2024
After last visiting Hemingway’s resort Watamu Kenya 20 years ago, and having enjoyed the great fishing the resort is well known for I decided to plan to take out my 11 year old son for a few days fishing, he has never done any fishing in the ocean before!
We arrived at the hotel and we were very excited, the welcome was great we checked in our apartments and were very spacious completely changed from how it was before. First evening on the Bar terrace we could watch all boats come in the evening with different flags hang up. February and March it is the best fishing time here
We arrived at the hotel and we were very excited, the welcome was great we checked in our apartments and were very spacious completely changed from how it was before. First evening on the Bar terrace we could watch all boats come in the evening with different flags hang up. February and March it is the best fishing time here!
The 1st day was a bit slow but at the end we came back with a Blue estimated 110lbs which I released with Mark catching a Dorado of 13lbs. The next two days we had good marlin strikes but we all lost them returning home with a few Dorados which we happily had for dinner. Before returning back to the hotel I had thought we should try at least one night fishing as I had never fished for Broadbill swordfish and therefore we had to arrange for an extra charter.
Friday 1st March 2024 we set off around 1330hrs hours for our broadbill fishing trip and we headed to the Vipingo mountains. We arrived here just before sunset and we had gotten no strikes on the way.
The day had gone and the night was falling our skipper and crew were ready and took lines in and we were now waiting for action. The first strike came in about 730pm and there it was a broad bill, I took it up obviously too big for Mark and it gave me a good fight and released it in about 30 minutes, it was about 220lbs. Went dead then another strike came in before 11pm and was another broadbill this time it looked relatively smaller than the first one but was very powerful too and gave us a nice play on a 50lb line but took it up and it was about 170lbs. The moon had started rising up, it was shining and it went quiet rest of the night.
Morning came and we started off with a wahoo then had a good strike, it was a sailfish which Mark happily took up and released in 15 minutes. It was a sail approx. 65lbs.
The sun was up and we started heading home and allover a sudden we got a splash on the lures and there you go it was a Blue on the flat line. Sat on the fighting chair quickly and took the rod did not give it any chance and landed it so quickly in about 20 minutes, a 220lb fish at it was just time up to come home. As we geared back to the hotel what an amazing night we had had with a nice grand slam!
