MALAYSIAN SAILS

After an hour’s run over a smooth ocean, a flotilla of boats came into view. As we drew closer we could see hundreds of birds hovering and swooping into baitfish, with several sails cutting the surface. Two boats were already hooked up when we arrived, with a couple of lively sailfish turning the water to foam as they twisted and arched their slender bodies above the water.

The three of us wasted little time in rigging up a live bait, and we cast out to where we could see some birds swooping and following baitfish. It wasn’t long before several sails cut the water surface some fifty metres back, and eventually they drew closer to our boat. The expectation was excruciating.

Then in an instant there were two sailfish right at the back of the boat. My livie was the first to get eaten, followed by Phil’s. It was absolute mayhem as our two fish started jumping and dancing next to each other before bolting towards the horizon. Half an hour into fishing and we were tight to a double hook-up on