Natal Snoek or Queen Mackerel

I love fishing for Snoek, you can see when they are around. I remember a time before I had a fishingski, my mate Paul had a white water kayak, it was called a banana. Well by us it was, called a banana because it was yellow and shaped like a banana. Anyway it had the splash cover and was lots of fun in the surf. Ideal for a beginner to learn how to Eskimo roll. I was staying in Umhlanga at the time and my mate had left his boat with me. I was checking out the sea with the binoculars  as I often do and I could see there was some action on the surface of the water. I decided to paddle out and catch what ever was out there. I got the white water kayak, grabbed my 2 piece rod with a coffee grinder on it and a spoon. Off I went to the beach, not a far walk. I stowed the rod inside the kayak and put the splash cover on and was soon paddling out to sea. When I go out there I could see that something was chasing some sprats, I did think that it might be snoek. So out with the rod and cast away, click over the bail and reel in like a mad man. I find that fish love a fast retrieve so that the spoon is bouncing out the water. I could see the snoek chasing the lure then BAM I was on, but a fish also went for the swivel and I was off. I was gutted, I did not have any tackle with me. So back to the beach, I leave the boat on the beach and run up to the flat to grab another few spoons, also while I was there grabbed a bag to put the fish into. They would be right by my legs and a bite from them would not be good. Back to the beach and paddle back out to sea and again right in the action. This time I get it right and hook and land a Natal Snoek ( Queen Mackerel ). I just love it when you can see the lure and the fish chasing it, it gets the adrenaline going. I have to use a coffee grinder for that kind of stuff, if I don't I generally end up with bunches and snapped line and tears because I just get so carried away I forget how to use a reel. I ended up with 2 snoek that day and a great experience.
When I got my fishingski (kayak) I would often go to blue lagoon in Durban and fish for snoek, I would troll halco's and cast spoons. I would be paddeling along and suddenly you would see one jump ahead. That is when I would get my flick stick out and do some casting, it is amazing but soon afterwards it would find that spoon and chase after it and get caught. Snoek are fun, the other thing I find is if you go early before the boats get to the spots you will find them. This is exactly what happened to me with the snoek in the picture. I went out at Umhlanga before sunrise. Just south of the light house there are some rocks, and as I trolled over them I hooked into this beaut of a Snoek, what a fight. I thought it was a couta but it was just a big snoek. I had seen some action as I got out beyond back-line and tried to spoon but a guy on another kayak managed to catch that one.
I must make a plan to go and do some snoek fishing again soon.