RIVIERA 33'S TUNA EXPEDITION OFF THE CANYONS

Always ready to jump at the opportunity to go fishing, Boating World’s Greg Alice was first in the queue to join a Tuna expedition on an awesome Riviera Sports Fisher, with one of his Riviera clients recently.

Reports of good catches off The Canyons spurred the party of five into action and the race was on to get out there as soon as possible. Waiting for the weekend was just too far away and Riviera 33 owner Ismail, Chris, Mario, Sherwin and Greg left Gordon’s Bay at first light on a clear Wednesday morning.

All eyes were peeled as they edged closer to the 40-mile offshore mark off, scanning the horizon for signs of tell-tale bird life. Throwing out a couple of Rapala Lures soon had the reels screaming  in a double-up and Greg and Sherwin lost no time in landing two small longfin Tuna.

Arriving at their destination it was clear that around 20 other boats had also taken advantage of the beautiful day and the area was full of excited anglers trying their luck.  Undeterred, the Riviera crew focused on chumming and with three baits in the calm blue waters it was not long before they got a pickup.

Being Sherwin’s first time Tuna fishing, it was decided that he should take control of the first rod. Strapping on a bucket the enthusiastic “teachers” talked him through fighting a fish. After a 15 minute battle with nerves, excitement, muscle fatigue and tears of pain and laughter, they decided to reward him with a Black Magic harness to help him out. Just seven minutes later he was absolutely delighted to land a respectable Tuna of around 50kg. Well done Sherwin!

After the fish was safely boated they continued chumming and got their baits back into the water. It didn’t take long before the Shimano Tiagra 50 started screaming off again. It was Greg’s turn next and he caught another one of around the same size and he was no less thrilled with this, his personal best. 

Ismail then showed them all how it’s done and fishing like the pro he is, hooked and landed his Tuna within 10 minutes. There’s no doubt that many hours spent enjoying his favorite pastime on his Sport Fisher have paid off and loads of catches under his belt bear testimony to the fact.

Mario was up next and also experienced in landing big tuna took the next one, followed by skipper Chris. In all a total of nine big Yellow Fins were successfully landed despite some pestering Blue Sharks following the chum line which stole a couple of baits.

In between the frenzy of activity, the party took time out to enjoy the food and refreshments necessary to keep energy levels at a premium. After this awesome day’s fishing, the exhilarated group made their way back to the marina at Gordons Bay.

As always, the luxurious but fishing-practical Riviera 33 (LOA 37') Sport Fish is the perfect craft for a long day on the water. Loads of power, comfort and fuel capacity allows easy travel for longer distances offshore.

Riviera is also known for their IPS (Inboard Performance System) with joystick precision control – ideal for painless docking. IPS has been recorded to be up to 30% more fuel efficient, no diesel fumes, engines are pushed further aft allowing more space in the cabins and a quiet and comfortable ride.