Inhaca
Insanity... And the realm of Hells Gates By
Rob Scott - Tourette Fishing CC Fishing Inhaca
Island ruins your fishing. Once you have wet
your line there, nothing else can ever compare.
The mere mention of the name Hells Gates however,
evokes feelings of hesitation, fear, and excitement.
Mental images of a watery graveyard are quickly
conjured up. One is quick to dismiss any notions
of being able to venture out in such a place,
on nothing less than a fiberglass ski. Hells
Gates is a 300m wide channel of water that separates
Inhaca Island from the main land peninsular.
The name is derived from the huge volumes of
water that push and pull through the gates with
the ebb and flow of each tide. Consider all
the water in the Maputo bay squeezing through
such a minimal gap; the result is extreme currents,
which, at times can cause standing waves. It
is this very same current that always brings
us back to this destination. Through numerous
trips and extensive experimentation, we can
confidently argue Hells Gates to be one of the
premier fishing ski destinations available to
South African ski fisherman. With the right
approach the shear number of fish is absolutely
mind-boggling. An average day off Hells Gates
consists of sight fishing around shoals of couta,
and landing and releasing anything up to 10
fish per ski. On exceptional days, when the
silver bullets are a little hungrier, we have
had days of 15 plus fish per ski. Although the
large majority of the fish caught are couta,
there are plenty of other species to keep things
exciting. Some highlights are outsized queen
fish, GTs, golden kingies and good sized kaakap.
There is one simple reason for the massive amounts
of game fish congregating around the gates.
The Maputo bay has a huge volume of water. On
every incoming tide, this water is primed with
nutrients, prawns and baitfish. As the tide
approaches full, as by some sub aquatic grapevine,
every couta and his dog arrive at Hells Gates.
The out going tide causes a literally flushing
of the food mother load into the Indian Ocean.
The result is, in sport fishing terms, chaos.
As the name would suggest, Hells Gates is not
for the faint hearted. Appropriate respect is
due for the extreme currents in the gates. First
timers, even the most experienced ski fisherman,
visiting Hells Gates, must take special heed
of the locations name. The treacherous currents
need reverence and above all proper planning.
The planning process starts well before even
departing for the destination. Tides are studied,
and a basic trip plan is born. On tour, by observing
the sea state and weather conditions, the basic
plans are finely tuned everyday. Special consideration
is due to the likely event of someone hooking
into one of the beast GT's that inhabit this
area. The combined force of the Hells Gate morning
express and a Caranx Ignobilus certainly does
make the Indian Ocean seem a lot larger. For
our clients, a thorough pre fishing session
briefing is essential. Here the planned route,
fishing techniques, and strategy for the morning
are all discussed in length. A properly planned
session is a more successful one! There are
a couple of aspects that we have found invaluable
when fishing the waters off "The Gates". Firstly,
communication is absolutely vital. Our skis
are stocked with Oregon Scientific TP380 2-way
radios. This addition to our skis tackle box's
was one made out of a safety consideration,
but has since proven absolutely critical for
increasing the strike rate of a fishing session.
The concept is basic. Once a ski goes away with
a fish, he radios the other skis. Any skis in
close enough range, quickly get onto the shoal,
which almost always results in multiply screaming
reels. Another approach that has worked, with
outstanding results, is to fish with one rod.
Once it has been established what the couta
are feeding on, there is no point in fishing
with more, as the pace of the fishing only results
in burn offs, messy double hook ups and tangles.
A better approach is to have the second rod,
rigged as a spinning stick. Thus, as soon as
a fish is boated, one can sight cast a small
spoon or onde onde to the many couta that follow
the hooked fish to the surface. Pulling baits
becomes boring when you get the taste for watching
fish smash a fast retrieved onde on the surface.
One thing that certainly is a luxury, but is
highly recommended is to have a back up boat.
We initially started using a back up boat off
Inhaca, after having to cut off long fighting
kingies, but now if logistics allow, we never
leave on tour without one. Having a back up
boat bolsters the confidence of new comers to
the sport, and allows them to have a more relaxed
and enjoyable experience. It also offers a host
of further benefits. Firstly, BAIT. Everyone
knows how effective live bait is, but it is
often a scarce luxury on a ski. This due to
the large distances one has to travel to catch
livies, as well as having the obstacle of keeping
them 'kicking' on the ski. Live wells, on the
back up boat, are fully stocked early in the
morning, after having used the fish finder and
GPS to locate shoals of bait fish out deep.
Thus, in conjunction with the 2-way radios,
fresh livies can be continually delivered to
the individual skis. Having the facility to
keep live bait, alive (as well as keeping dead
bait, frozen) can make the difference between
an average mornings fishing and a world class
one. An added bonus of the boat is that it can
be used to take pre release photos of fish,
as well as to film and capture the exhilaration
of true fishing ski ecstasy. A cooler box, stocked
with drinks, ice and snacks certainly does bring
a smile to everyone's face when the Mozambique
sun is scorching down. Hells Gate offers numerous
activities apart from the world class angling.
A destination feature welcomed by many non angling
family members and friends. Rods and reels are
readily exchanged for masks and fins when exploring
some of the shallow reefs outside of Hells Gates.
The Santa Maria marine reserve is only a short
paddle from the main land peninsular. The reserve
has some of the best snorkeling on the entire
coastline, with a 15 to 20m vertical wall, crystal
clear water and not a wave in sight. The fish
density is immense. I can only dream of the
paradise if our entire coastline was offered
the same respect. Inhaca Island truly is a gem,
where there really are still plenty of fish
in the sea. Thus far it has used by fly fisherman
and ski boaters, at a low and reasonably sustainable
level. Occasionally one bumps into the prehistoric
breed of "catch and freeze" anglers. Sport angling
has no place for such fisherman. The Mozambique
authorities are fast becoming aware of the value
of their sport fishing resources, and knuckling
down on these close-minded-short-sited pillages
of our seas. The greedy nature of a small group
of fishing ski anglers has, sadly, already forced
authorities to ban launching of skis along certain
stretches of our north coast. Let us not push
the authorities across our borders in the same
direction! It is the responsibility of the entire
fishing ski fraternity to clean up this image.
Sustainable and environmentally friendly fishing
practices need to be embraced by all. Hells
Gate is a heaven on earth for many anglers;
it is our duty to keep it that way. Rob and
the Tourette Fishing team run guided fishing
ski and fly fishing safaris to Inhaca Island
each year between November and May. For more
details visit www.tourettefishing.com or contact
keith@tourettefishing.com or Tel: 084 622 2272
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Farquhar, not your average fare 
