HEMINGWAYS RESORT KENIA  nov 2005.    

By Andre Huys


I and my fishingmate Gilber Lampens planned a trip to Kenya with our ladies.
The plan: 4 days biggame fishing and a 4 days safari.Gilbert knew via “secret information” that the best lodge is the Hemingways Resort at Watamu, and that their best boat the “ B S Nest” is with capt. Ali Harazzi.
So we reserved that boat several months before.

The first day we got a restday after our 10 hours flight. The resort is cosy and relax and the food is good.
That day we saw the boats coming in with a lot of red flags ( Sailfish) and 4 yellow flags (shark). Those were tigersharks, one of them 358Kg....In the evening there was the prizesetting from a competition of 8 boats during 8 days. Result was 354 sailfish and 1 black marlin.
So we are very hopefull for our start.

Day 1: 04 11 2005.

07H00: start
08H25: lines out
08H45: wahoo landed
Raining
11H20:Mahi mahi landed
Sunny
11H35: sail 70Lbs landed-tagged and released.
12H30: sail 60Lbs landed-tagged and released
13H25: strike big sail – fight and lost
14H25: 4 double strike yellow fin 4 YF landed – 3X20Lbs and 1X 40Lbs
15H15: lines in
16H30:anchor.

Day 2: 05 11 2005

That day we do not go for sailfish but trolled for giant trevally most with rapalas.

07H00: start
07H30: lines out
07H45: big wahoo landed
08H30: sancocho
08H45: wahoo landed
10H20: strike on downrigger – missed
10H50: strike on downrigger – missed
12H10: bonito landed
12H45: sancocho on topline
15H00: tuna-strike   missed
15H15: strike  lost
15H30: Port engine heating up.....
15H50: strike – to lat: lost
16H00: lines in
16H30: anchor.



Day 3:  07 11 05

The dream from Gilbert is to catch a big Giant Trevally and mine is to catch a shark.
So we make a deal and we will go half day for sharkfishing and a half day for trolling
for Giant Trevally ( Karambesi).

06H45: start
07H20: lines out
07H25: wahoo landed
09H15: triple strike: 2 wahoos landed and 1 mahi mahi
09H35: strike missed
09H50: wahoo landed
10H30: strike on 30lbs line with baitstrip
             25 min fight – Bronze Whalershark 50Kg landed tagged and released.
             New belgian record by Andre
11H20: big bull mahi landed
12H15: Silvertip Shark 80 Kg landed- tagged- and released.
             Bait was ½ wahoo from 60cm on 130Lbs line
             New Belgian record by Andre
13H50: mahi landed
14H40: Bonito landed that we use for live bait
14H50: Giant Trevally landed 35Kg – tagged and released
15H20: Giant trevally landed 30Kg – tagged and released
15H35: Garfish landed
15H40: lines in
16H15: anchor
 

Day 4:   08 11 05

Today we go for sails – YF – mahi and tuna.

06H40: start
07H45: lines out
08H20: Mahi landed
08H45: Sail landen – tagged and released
09H00: striked missed
10H15:sail landed – tagged and released
10H20: sail landed tagged and released
12H35: mahi landed
13H45: triple strike: 2 YF landed and 1 YF missed ( broken)
14H15: dubbel strike – 2 wahoo landed
14H50: YF landed
15H30: lines in
16H15: anchor

Total:

Strikes: 45

YF: 7
Sail: 5
Mahi: 6
Wahoo: 10
Bonito: 2
Bronze Whalershark: 1
Silvertipshark: 1
Giant Trevally: 2
Garfish: 1
 

Conclusion:

- Good resort with good food and good service
- Fishingground extra
- Boat extra
- -Capt and crew very very good. Belongs to the top I ever fished with...
- Tackle: high quality
- NOW SOMETHING ABOUT TAGGING: By tagging we learn a lot about immigration  from the fish etc. But: that information comes also in the hands from the longlines.... And believe me, they use that information.
Should it not be better to keep some thing secret about immigration???
I am thinking to release without tagging in the future...
 

PS/ After the fishing we got a very nice and interesting safari.
For information about that contact Gray Cullen: graycullenAThotmail.com.

Andre Huys
Sportdirector Belgian Biggame Fishing Federation