Fish On: Two Oceans Tuna Derby in Hout Bay
More chance to catch monster tuna, win a new boat and loads of prizes. Here’s the latest on this year’s Two Oceans Tuna Derby in Hout Bay
Update: October 2019
Last year, the Two Oceans Tuna Derby in Hout Bay was extended by almost a week when the first three days were pretty much blowouts. But in 2019, the conditions are looking good, and already there have been a few reports of 100kg + catches around the Cape Town area, so everyone is amped for the Tuna Derby in Hout Bay.
Here’s what to expect.
TUNA DERBY
A grand prize of a brand-new boat with trailer. Loads of tuna activity in the region. And every reason to get excited for the Two Oceans Tuna Derby in Hout Bay from 1 November.
There’s a been a lot of really good tuna activity in the water this year. And Cape Town’s other big tuna comp delivered a few monster fish that surprised even the pros – just a week or so before. So there’s every reason to believe this year’s Hout Bay tuna competition will deliver big ones.
BIG PRIZES
There are over R450k’s worth of prizes up for grabs this year. The grand prize is a brand-new ski-boat, and loads of smaller cash prizes for big catches, angler and boat performance. There’s even a biggest tuna Calcutta, for those who want to wager an extra R1000 on their catches.
LARGE FISHING GROUNDS
You’re allowed to fish anywhere around Cape Town. You can even depart from any harbour between Cape Town and Gordon’s Bay. As long as you come and weigh in your fish at the Atlantic Boat Club at the Hout Bay harbour.
The comp runs 1–10 November and fishing starts around 5am and lines-up is around 3pm (2pm on Saturday 10 November). And, if you’ve hooked on at the last minute, you get 1 hour extra fighting time to still qualify for the day.
TWO OCEANS TUNA DERBY FISH RULES
This is a tuna-only competition. And four species are expected in the area. The minimum weight for yellowfin, bigeye and bluefin tuna is 20kg. For longfin tuna, it’s 10kg. But, we’re expecting them to be a lot bigger than that.
One man who will be fishing the Two Oceans Tuna Derby is Marius Coetzee, who recently captained the national Protea squad to the FIPS-M World Champs. He was incidentally the 2017 winner of Cape Town’s other big tuna comp, the Rumbly Bay Tuna Derby. “I won that one with a 68kg tuna in 2017. And in 2018, the winner hooked a massive 94kg yellowfin, so we’re hoping the fish are big this time around,” Marius says.
That said, you’re fishing with a max line of 37kg and each boat is only allowed to weigh in two yellowfin, bigeye or bluefin tuna per day. And you’re only allowed one longfin. Plus: you’re encouraged to catch and release – there are some special prizes for releases.
TWO OCEANS TUNA DERBY
This is an open competition. It’s hosted by the Atlantic Boat Club in Hout Bay, 1–10 November 2019. And the entry fee is R1750 per angler.
Juniors (U16) are also very welcome. They pay only R500 to fish. But note: They are not eligible for the grand prize draw.
TWO OCEANS TUNA DERBY HOUT BAY
Hosts: Atlantic Boat Club | Hout Bay
Dates: 1–10 November 2019 (possible extension until 16 November 2019)
Contact: tunaderby@atlanticboatclub.co.za | +27 (0)21 790 2930
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Also head down to Struisbaai to discover the Two Oceans Marlin Tournament and Port Elizabeth for the Noordhoek Fish Derby.
See all the fishing competitions in March and fishing competitions in April as well as the complete list of all big fishing competitions in South Africa.
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