Tiny fishing village in Ghana

Hi All,

"In the wings his pangs of remorse Oh life, of the child that becomes a man, ever by the sea."

Yesterday we went on a trip into the bush and ended up in a remote coastal village, Akwidaa 1 1/2 hrs south of Takoradi . The place we stayed was simple . They had a generator for electricity for a few hrs. in the evening , and mosquito nets for our beds.

I went fishing local style. It was incredible to see the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the men from this village. It was a real experience . Picture wading through water to get into a "pi rogue" canoe . You set out w/ your smiling and trusty guides you met 4 seconds ago and realize no English spoken.... Its OK you can fish w/ anyone. As we head out of the protected little lagoon you realize most of village folk are heading to the banks and the small foot bridge to see the white man in the forward part of the canoe. I was smiling and tipping my hat, couldn't be happier . I had to laugh these guys took us out in a dug out tree w/ a 20 yr old 8 hp Yamaha through what I can honestly compare to the "CHATHAM BAR" a truly hairball rip!!! The yelling from the three started in earnest ...Faster! Slower! , (I would think ..) . We took the second wave 60% into the canoe meaning I was now 100% drenched head to toe. The bailing started w/ no great urgency , the man used an old construction helmet. I scrambled to the bow where the buoy had been flung overboard. I noticed our anchor then, it was a heavy crankshaft from a truck tied to a dicey line. At this point I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have passed a USCG inspection.. . more on this later gotta go

2nd part

We made it past the rip . The ocean was still big 10-12ft swells, it's a trip in a canoe. The wind was up around 15mph so it was also a bit rough in head sea. The men I was with had no rods and were honesty interested in how mine worked. It surprized them I could cast it 50 yds from the boat or cast it at all for that matter... I showed him my little pack of lures I brought, he selected a shiny castmaster w/ a single hook. This produced nada. I kept saying I'll use what you use. He made me one of the rigs they were using, it was a simple hook w/ pieces of clothesline pulled apart and attached to look like the sardines the king fish were feeding on. It was actually a darn good looking salywater fly in the water. I hooked up 5 times lost two but was very happy. They all caught twice that # . Their technique was very simple no rod just mono line w/ the hook tied direct they would send it out and wrap it around their big toe . When the fish hit they knew it and grabbed the line and pulled in the fish.

That was the way it was and still is in Ghana. It was an experience I will treasure as I fish aboard my well equipped vessel. The classic saying comes to mind here ... "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day... teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime"

We weigh anchor tonight for Cape Town SA . It should take about 7 days

Keep you posted

jd

jd