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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