Summer Kadavu Fishing Update

The GT fishing recently has been pretty modest by our standards. We have been having to work harder than normal with La Nina weather patterns still affecting the ocean current directions along the outer barrier reef.  First off, some pics from Mark from the US who was kind enough to let me post a few pics from his trip.

 Dogtooth Tuna on a Jig

 

Coral Trout on a Stickbait

 Always fun the Red Bass

Mangrove Jack !

Not really any Kadavu Monsters in the mix but a very nice variety of species on both Poppers and Jigs. Offshore South of Kadavu there a lots of schooling skipjack tuna and along the reef, yellowfin to 100lbs but the really big cow yellowfin should move into Kadavu waters in the next few weeks.
They are coming in from the North so currently they are being seen between Kadavu and Beqa Lagoon. This 73kg fish below was caught yesterday aboard NoahRay (Freedive Fiji Charters) fishing off Beqa.

Nice Yellowfin guys !

Other recent news, Stephanie Choate, daughter of Tim Choate ( One of the founders of  The Billfish Foundation ) knocked off the Fiji Womens W-08 kg Narrowbarred Mackerel Record with this fish:

It made wonderful Kokoda for all the guests !

Grander Black

News from my good friend Bill Boyce :

My good friend John Richardson of Belleville, TX owns the mother ship MAMA LIDO and the "trick" historic 43' custom Merritt sport fisher the PICAFLOR. On July 11th he caught a huge black marlin in Panama's Perlas Islands. Not known as a major marlin destination.. After this catch..It may well need to be one...!!!

John fishes with a complete set of my Boyce Custom Rods and he gives them a year round work out... Nice to know a fatty black marlin was subdued so quickly on one of my 50 lb. "shortie chair" rods. I designed them to be fished from a chair OR fished stand-up when the shortie AFTCO uni-butt is affixed..

Congradualtions to John and the expert crew on the PICAFLOR for this astounding catch...!!! I look forward to getting down there on his recent invite to sample some of that fine fishing myself on board the PICAFLOR.

Hope you are all enjoying your day in the office... LOL

Lenght- 152 inches (mouth to tailfork)- alongside boat measurement

Girth-92 inches (alongside boat estimate)

Calculated wt-1150# (+/- 50#)

Line- 50#, Suffix

Lure- Joe Yee Evil

Rod- Boyce Custom Rods, 50 lb. "shortie chair" special

Fighting time- 40 minutes

Witnesses- Travis Russell, Richard Smith

Captain- Adolfo Grajales

Mates- Ligorrio Sanapi, Aristotal Cordoba

Angler-John E Richardson

Boat-Picaflor, 43 Merritt

Location- San Jose Canyon, Perlas Islands, Panama

Current World Record on 50# line- 1124#

Fish released in excellent condition-07/11/10

Billfish Foundation Tag Number 477407

Whether or not it would have been a World Record will never be known but iether way, what a magnificent Black Marlin !

Take Marlin off the Menu

The International Game Fish Association has recently partnered with The Billfish Foundation and the National Coalition for Marine Conservation on a proactive campaign to ban the importation and sale of billfish (marlin, sailfish and spearfish) in the United States.

Titled “Take Marlin off the Menu,” the campaign is educating people about what billfish are, their role in the ecosystem, and their imperiled state from commercial over-fishing.

“Through education and political advocacy our ultimate goal is to end the commercial harvest, sale and importation of marlin, sailfish and spearfish in the United States,” said IGFA Conservation Director Jason Schratwieser.

Why is this a problem?

“Billfish stocks are in poor shape globally. As top predators, these fish are naturally less abundant than the species they prey on, yet commercial over-fishing has caused precipitous declines in their abundance,” reported Schratwieser. “In 2007, the IGFA commissioned a report to find out which countries were harvesting, exporting and importing the most billfish.

“What we found shocked us,” he stated. “The United States has the dubious distinction of being the world’s largest importer of billfish. What’s worse is that this entire industry results in few jobs and little revenue. In fact the total US billfish harvest and trade is only 0.07% of the total income of all commercial fishing in the US.”
Need another reason to stop eating billfish?

“They can contain harmful levels of mercury,” Schratwieser said.

“The United States Environmental Protection Agency health guidelines for fish consumption indicate that any fish with a mercury level greater than 1.5 parts per million (ppm) should not be consumed in any amount. Marlin, especially large specimens, have been found to have mercury levels as high as 15 ppm, and a recent study reported an average mercury level of 4.08 ppm for blue marlin sampled in Australian waters. Some fish are just more prone to accumulating mercury. King mackerel and sharks are also culprits,” added Schratwieser.

“The US billfish trade just doesn’t make sense.”

To join the three organizations in the fight to ban billfish importation and sale, visit the “Take Marlin off the Menu” web site at http://www.takemarlinoffthemenu.org/home to get more information on the campaign and to find out how you can help.

Take Marlin off the Menu

The International Game Fish Association has recently partnered with The Billfish Foundation and the National Coalition for Marine Conservation on a proactive campaign to ban the importation and sale of billfish (marlin, sailfish and spearfish) in the United States.
Titled “Take Marlin off the Menu,” the campaign is educating people about what billfish are, their role in the ecosystem, and their imperiled state from commercial over-fishing.
“Through education and political advocacy our ultimate goal is to end the commercial harvest, sale and importation of marlin, sailfish and spearfish in the United States,” said IGFA Conservation Director Jason Schratwieser.
Why is this a problem?
“Billfish stocks are in poor shape globally. As top predators, these fish are naturally less abundant than the species they prey on, yet commercial over-fishing has caused precipitous declines in their abundance,” reported Schratwieser. “In 2007, the IGFA commissioned a report to find out which countries were harvesting, exporting and importing the most billfish.
“What we found shocked us,” he stated. “The United States has the dubious distinction of being the world’s largest importer of billfish. What’s worse is that this entire industry results in few jobs and little revenue. In fact the total US billfish harvest and trade is only 0.07% of the total income of all commercial fishing in the US.”
Need another reason to stop eating billfish?
“They can contain harmful levels of mercury,” Schratwieser said.
“The United States Environmental Protection Agency health guidelines for fish consumption indicate that any fish with a mercury level greater than 1.5 parts per million (ppm) should not be consumed in any amount. Marlin, especially large specimens, have been found to have mercury levels as high as 15 ppm, and a recent study reported an average mercury level of 4.08 ppm for blue marlin sampled in Australian waters. Some fish are just more prone to accumulating mercury. King mackerel and sharks are also culprits,” added Schratwieser.
“The US billfish trade just doesn’t make sense.”
To join the three organizations in the fight to ban billfish importation and sale, visit the “Take Marlin off the Menu” web site at http://www.takemarlinoffthemenu.org/home to get more information on the campaign and to find out how you can help.