PHOTO: Four tuna for Sportswave

Tardin, a former charter fishing skipper, found himself embroiled in a tuna feast.

I will let him tell you the rest of the story.

"So, after work commitments forced Andre and I to pull out of the Durban Ski Boat Festival, I was still determined to head out for some fish on the Saturday afternoon on my Stealth Kayak. I also had my new Lowrance HDI 4 rigged to detect any fish below. I must say that I have fished on big boats most of my life with some serious units, but this little fish-finder and GPS combo sure was impressive.

As I got down to Umhlanga beach around 1.30pm, I could see about 12 boats sitting out there at one of my favourite spots. I figured fishing would be tough, as lots of boats means lots of pressure on the fish. This usually makes the fishing go quiet as the fish become skittish. I paddled my way out there and sat in the midst the whole fleet, while asking a few guys if they had had any luck. They seemed far from happy, as most had blanked the whole day.

I decided then to change my usual KZN tactics a bit and use some little tricks I learnt targeting yellowfin tuna in the Western Cape for numerous years. My baits were out and it wasn't long before I had my first pull - much to the dismay of the teams on the ski boats. I opened my account with a nice bonito, probably one of the bigger ones I have seen. That success was soon followed by a familiar sound - the distinct pull of a yellowfin tuna. On recent trips the local sharks ended up stealing my catch and so I gave the fish some slack and let it run off the reef. The tactic worked and I was not taxed this time around and managed to land a 20kg yellowfin tuna. If you have never seen one up close, it is awesome too see that big gold bar doing its circles as you wind it in.

(Alain Tardin enjoys fishing from his kayak)

After releasing him safely, I decided to hang out on the outskirts of the boats and relax a bit and work on my tan. However, it wasn't long before I went tight again with another yellowfin tuna at the other end of the line. In total I managed to hook and safely release 4 yellowfin in the space of about 2 hours.

It truly was an awesome day paddling and catching off my kayak. Andre Bloem and I hope to head out on a double kayak this week in pursuit of more fish and practice ahead of the Quattro King of the Sea competition later this month - We hope to share some great footage with you...

Till then - TIGHT LINES!"

(Photo: Alain Tardin)

Follow Alain on Twitter @AlainTardin