I Fish; Therefore, I Am

I Fish; Therefore, I Am: And Other Observations by Patrick F. McManus This book is a compilation of three other McManus books: "A Fine and Pleasant Misery," "Never Sniff a Gift Fish," and "They Shoot Canoes, Don't They?" It is not the same volume as the two-cassette release by the same name.

The cassette edition by this name is a compilation of only a few Pat stories. Dedicated McManus readers may already have the three volumes contained in this book. It is, however, a great gift, and nice for those who haven't yet purchased the earlier books that make it up.

Blue Marlin Basic Lure Spread in Fiji

OK, so we know that if you tow just about anything around behind a game fishing boat in the South Pacific, eventually, a blue marlin is going to take a look and have a go.

That being said, most of us don’t have the time nor the inclination to spend a week trolling a pineapple wrapped in tinfoil just to see what happens.

Guests going fishing aboard Bite Me rely on the crew to assess the conditions, select the best areas, find the bait and troll the lures most likely to raise a blue.

Over the years we have tried and tested a wide variety of lures and have established a fairly productive spread which forms the basis of any blue marlin hunt.

We usually start off with the basics and then tweak this to match the prevailing conditions or swap one or more lures to cover all our bases, i.e. run lures that simulate the baitfish we believe the marlin are hunting.

Okay, for example you are out trolling on the Kadavu trench and you come across a school of skipjack tuna feeding on the surface.

We would immediately check to make sure we had at least one lure out that imitates a wounded skipjack.

It’s a big empty ocean. Any marlin in the area is going to be focused on the skipjack and will probably ignore everything else.

Match the hatch’ as the freshwater fly fishermen are fond of saying. Its just as appropriate to hunting marlin as when casting flies to a brown trout.

The following is a sample of our basic starting blue marlin lure spread from left to right):

• Black Bart Hot breakfast
• Joe Yee Apollo (Evil skirt)
• John Lau Talibung
• Top Gun Ball-bearing Nightmare
• Pakula Rat
• Hollowpoint Cabo Killa

I have laid them out in roughly the usual positions.

The smaller lures on either side usually work best and are most productive when run from the outriggers.
The larger lures in the centre are usually run from the corners, closer in to the transom.

• Black Bart Hot breakfast - Sliced face jetted lure - Short rigger - Long slender bubble trail
• Joe Yee Apollo in 'Evil' - Sliced face lure - Short rigger - Probably one of the best blue marlin lures in existance. Immitates a skipjack tuna
• John Lau Talibung - Sliced faced lure - Short rigger or Long Corner - A good all-rounder and the black head & pearl insert draws repeat strikes
• Top Gun Ball-bearing Nightmare - Sliced faced head that rotates to maintain the ideal head angle - Short Corner - All weather - First grander in Vanuatu
• Pakula Rat - Pusher style with concave head - All positions, generally Short or Long Corner - An aggressive lure with large diving bubble trail
• Hollowpoint Cabo Killa - Sliced face lure - Long Rigger - Medium bubble trail, good immitation of a skipjack tuna

This spread works well for us in Fiji and has accounted for numerous blues. We do of course have a large selection of other lures aboard our gamefishing vessels but you have to start somewhere. We vary colours a little throughout the year according to the baitfish present and are happy to take 'lure requests' from angling guests but as a starting point the above spread will have you off on the right track.

If you are thinking or trying out a couple of new lures in your spread, I can safely say that any of the above lures would be well worth a run.

Lure manufacturers:
Pakula lures

MBT Lures

Hollowpoint Lures
John Lau Lures – Contact John at jaslau@yahoo.com
Marlin Magic Lures
Black Bart Lures – www.blackbartlures.com
Wellseys Lures – www.wellsystackle.com

If you want to know what the top Australian skippers use, check out the lead article in the Feb / Mar 2007 issue of BlueWater magazine at www.bluewatermag.com.au

Offshore Fishing Report – March 2007

For the waters around Kadavu Island- Fiji Islands

Charter Operator – Matava Resort Gamefishing

Boat Names – Bite Me (Offshore)

Average Water Temp – 28.5

Average Sea State – Calm / mild chop

Average Winds – 5-10kts

Water Clarity – Excellent

We have had a hot bite from the blue marlin over Feb / March with most of the fish following the schools of skipjack tuna around the Kadavu seamount and up the Kadavu trench. The largest blue caught (was sadly gut hooked by a circle hook) weighed in at a respectable 420lbs with a couple of much bigger fish lost on lures. The average size as been about 200lbs.

Normally the water temp goes up to 29/30 by Jan / Feb and this kills a lot of the action but this year it rose to 28.5 and there it has stubbornly stayed which I think is why the blues are still here in numbers.

This lower than average water temp happed last year as well and it lead to a spectacular sailfish season from May – September. We found packs of sails on every attempt.

The Yellowfin are around with lots of fish in the 20 – 40lb range close in to the barrier reef and some nice cow Yellowfin around 100lbs farther out on the trench.

Mahi mahi are a bit thin on the South side of the island but round the North side there are quite a few juveniles chasing the flying fish a couple of miles offshore.