The synergy of the situation could not have been more perfect if it had been choreographed from day one. Almost 20 years ago to the day, I fished Mambrui Ledge off Malindi, Kenya, aboard Snowgoose with Capt. Rob Hellier, and that day’s events still remain indelibly etched in my memory. It was the day that I caught my first billfish — a sailfish, or suli-suli, to the Swahili-speaking crew.Two decades later, once again, Hellier stood at the helm, and we were fishing aboard his current boat, Un-Reel, a 33-foot Blackfin. We had worked our spread of strip baits off Mambrui for an hour when suddenly an aggressive sail appeared, slashing at the baited lure fished off the starboard rigger. The clip snapped open, the bait was briefly dropped back into the eager fish’s gaping maw, and she was hooked. After a brief fight, the fish was tagged, ...![Marlin]()
