Lynn Salvidge and her husband bruce spent a couple of days in June aboard Bite Me having some fun with the wahoo and Lynn honed her big fish fighting skills taking a W-10kg line class Fiji National Record Pacific Sailfish.
With that record under her belt and the record hunters bug firmly caught she recently decided to have a go at a fish that heavy tackle record hunters dream of landing. The Pacific Bluefin tuna (thunnus orientalis), a fishery recently discovered on the Hokitika Trench off the West side of New Zealands South Island.
Fishing for these monsters is not for the feint hearted. There are only a handful of game boats able to reach these waters. They have to cross dangerous bars outside harbours, make at least a 40 mile run offshore and he weather conditions are nearly always attrocious. Once out on the grounds, game boats find and closely follow one of the huge Hoki factory trwalers that the bluefin follow to scavenge on scraps thrown overboard.
Lyn's trip was no exception. With snow on the grounds, freezing 40-45 knot winds and 3-4 meter swells, the crew fought awful weather and skipper Lance fished within yards of a huge Russian trawler. After 27 hours of hard fishing and whilst the other anglers snoozed below decks, Lyn hooked up in the dark using a whole Hoki bait and began a 63 minute fight with a monster bluefin on 60kg tackle.
Back on the dock the fish weighed in at 223kg and should earn Lyn a New Zealand and World Record.
Awsome fish Lyn - Rather you than me though. Think i'll stick to my nice warm Fiji waters.....
7 Sept 2008
Pacific Bluefin Tuna World Record
20 Aug 2008
USA v Australia Ultra-Light Tackle Shootout
Each year we discuss at length, plan and meticulously prepare tackle, rods, reels and tactics to target the run of big wahoo packs that gather along Kadavu island's Great Astrolabe barrier reef and each year the powers above select a suitably sized spanner and chuck it in the works.
This year's spanner was a straight run of 30 knot winds that began the day Tim arrived and eased the day Tim left.
If we didn't have to wait another year before trying again it would almost be funny.Fortunately this year we were joined by world renown biologist, photographer, writer and TV show presenter and producer Bill Boyce and his partner in crime Diana Woods. (See some of Bill's hugely entertaining gamefishing TV shows for free at IGFA Angler's Digest www.IgfaAnglersDigest.com).
I have to say that having such knowledgeable fishermen together in the same cockpit was more than just instructional, it was down right entertaining as West Coast USA took on East coast Australia and the ensuing realms of fishing stories that drifted up to the bridge could have filled a novel. A very funny novel, all be it with an '18 - not for sale to minors' certification !
We looked hard for the wahoo but could only find the occasional juvenile fish of about 10lbs sheltering from the rough weather. With the big wahoo packs stubbornly staying on the unfishable wild side of the barrier reef, we turned our attention to the yellowfin and sailfish.
By day two she had taken the W-04 Kawakawa and yellowfin tuna Fiji National Records. On day 4 she set the womens 4kg wahoo record and finally, on our last day together she displayed all her new found ultra-light tackle skills by taking the W-04 Giant Trevally Fiji National record. Anyone familiar with GTs will appreciate the skill envolved in taking one of these fish on 4kg (8lb) line class.
One day we were joined by Mike Thomas, angler from California and member of the Tuna Club of Avalon for the light tackle fun. He proceeded to smash the existing M-04 Barracuda Fiji record which was previously held by....er, Tim actually. Ooops !As to the sails, we found quite a good bite. Bill had a sail hooked up for over an hour and we were getting close to the leader when the hook pulled. Tim fought a lively sail to the transom several times after some hard backing down in nasty chop that sent spray clear over the bridge. (yes I got very wet) We could have tagged several times but the record beckoned.
Just as Bill went in for yet another possible gaff shot the circle hook pulled. We had doubles and tripples but the most entertaining moments were when Tim hooked up to a dancing sail, Bill cranked in a minnow at full drag to clear it and just before it reached the transom, another sail raced in, gobbled the lure and sped away. 'Crack' went the line. The look on his face was just priceless, not to mention the ensuing colourful Californian West Coast string of verbal observations. It was a whole lot of fun. I can't wait to do it again.
See some of Bill's awesome underwater photographs at www.boyceimage.com
15 Apr 2008
Yellowfin Season full on!
A yellowfin tuna caught aboard Bite Me at Matava, Kadavu. Capt Adrian Watts & Deckhand Glen Gardner.
9 Feb 2008
The Summer Yellowfin run is in full swing
On a recent half day 'Bite Me' charter Joe was clearing a couple of 15kg outfits when one unexpectedly put up some rather robust resistance. After the guest's fish was gaffed, Joe set about coaxing a nice yellowfin tuna out of the depths and onto the resorts dinner menu.
Next day, our PADI Instructor Simon Parry was treated to a go at the yellowfin out in front of the resort. His only previous fishing experience was sitting on a canal bank as a kid catching old boots. He soon got the hang of it after a bit of instruction from the crew and he was pretty damn pleased with the result. 
Actually he is still bragging about it to anybody who will listen....
23 Dec 2007
Any Excuse to catch Fish !
Bite Me recently made her twice annual trip to Suva Harbour for her Fiji Islands Maritime Safety Authority (FIMSA) inspection which of course she passed with flying colours.
On the return trip, skipper Adrian had the pleasure of the company of fellow Resort Director Stuart Gow working the deck and along for the ride, Maurene, owner of Waisalima Beach Resort and her daughter Coral.
No opportunity to fish being passed over, we soon had a couple of rods out and Adrian made a few minor detours past favoured fishing grounds.
First surprise was a nice wahoo on a temperature break off Solo atoll which Stuart handled with a deft touch. Though a newbie at this fishing lark, he oversees the Resort Gamefishing Blog and clearly had been reading up on his homework.
Next up was Maurene and she was duly connected with a nice yellowfin tuna. After a good 30 minutes of hard fighting, it was clear that this yellowfin was no little munchkin and Coral stepped up to the rod to relieve Maurene's tiring arms. Another half hour later and after several searing deep runs, Stuart sank the gaff home and the ladies were delighted when a beautiful 50+lb yellowfin hit the deck.
Dinner at the resort that evening was Yellowfin sashimi starter with seared wahoo cutlets in tomato and chilli sauce. Nice.
25 Aug 2007
Oh Nuts!..Yellowfin.....Run Away..Run Away...
I recently had the pleasure of that renown angler, author and editor of BlueWater magazine, Tim Simpson fishing aboard Bite Me. Its becoming an annual event when Tim and I get together every July, throw caution to the wind and fish 4kilo (8lb) line class in Kadavu island's tropical waters.
Most people think we are nuts to even contemplate fishing such light tackle in waters that are filled with marlin, big sailfish, wahoo, mackerel and dogtooth tuna but I have to say, as far as fishing goes, its the most fun you can have without a tub of Haagen Daz ice cream and a lady I know called Mandy.
The challenge is simple. You meticulously spool and prepare your gear, measure your doubles and leaders to comply with IGFA regulations, set your strike drags at 1.3kg (3lbs), troll a limited spread of small lures with specially selected hooks and wait to see what jumps on.
Then all hell breaks loose.
If its a wahoo or mackerel, the fight is relatively normal.
If its a sailfish, you clear the deck and then go charging backwards like a maniac to try to get to the fish whilst it still leaps around on the surface.
If it a yellowfin, the skipper puts the kettle on, makes you a cup of tea and hands it to you so you have something to cry into for the next 4 hours of the fight.
And the yellowfin were everywhere....
Its the only time of the year where I will actually drive AWAY from a baitball on the surface being smashed by diving birds and feeding tuna. Our target fish were wahoo and Pacific sailfish so spending hours on a stubborn yellowfin was not at the top of the agenda. Its a strange feeling, for as a charterboat captain, I spend half my life staring at the horizon hunting for birds and to have to steer a zig zag course to actually avoid baitballs....well, its just not right !
I was not entirely successful. The yellowfin were so prolific that we did end uphooking a number of fish and my respect for these beautiful speeding bullets just continues to grow. On 4 kilo line class they are probably one of the most difficult fish in the ocean to best. On strike, they immediately plummet down as far as they can go and once down there, extend their pectoral wings, nose into the current and sit there like an immovable truck. With only three pounds of strike drag and 400 yards of 8lb line out, a half decent sized yellowfin has a better chance of winning than you do.... But that's the whole point of sport fishing....
The Creed created by the Tuna Club of Avalon states "The underlying spirit of angling is that the skill of the angler is pitted against the instinct and strength of the fish and the latter is entitled to an even chance for his life"
We ended up having an absolute ball with the small schooling yellowfin and Tim even took the M-04kg Fiji National Record with a fish weighing 14.6kg (32lbs). A most respectable weight for a yellowfin tuna on ultra light tackle. The fight time of 50 tense minutes reflects the strength of these fish and Tim's skills in working the drag beyond safe limits to win the fight.
I think I might be turning into a confirmed light tackle nut. Now, if I can just figure out how to deal with the 4 hours of heart stopping boat manoevering and tense stand-off waiting, watching line steadily peeling off the spool before the line goes 'ping' and the angler turns and says 'I've lost him"......
Its a roller coaster ride that makes grown men cry.
I'm hooked.
13 Jul 2007
Tricks Of The Trade - Yellowfin Tuna
Most of the lures we run here in Fiji are highly active lures. Marlin, sailfish, wahoo and mackerels all seem to prefer a noisy erratic lure with a strong bubble trail. Yellowfin are different. They will completely ignore a spread of active lures and hit the one lure that is just sitting quietly.
When we are out trolling lures for blue marlin on heavy tackle and one of the rigger lures is sitting quietly rather than smoking a bubble trail, I sometimes leave it alone. More often than not, it gets jumped by a big Yellowfin.
Bait Balls
It’s better to drop your lures further back, drive around the ball and then when your lures are on one side and the boat on the other, straighten up so your lures pass right through the area.
Getting a Strike
If the tuna are there on the sounder or on the surface but not striking your lures, put a tiny bullet, pink or black red or blue/pink out in the middle of the spread. Often the tuna are so focused on tiny baitfish that they ignore the larger lures. This little guy will draw a strike and then the rest of the shoal, thinking they are missing out on a meal, will follow the first fish into the spread and hit your other lures. If you can get just one to strike, you will immediately get multiple other hook-ups. You will be surprised at the size of fish that hit little bullets but don’t be tempted to rig them on heavy leader.
Sacrifice a little bullet and get the fish biting in your spread.
Fighting a Yellowfin
Don’t be shy about using butt pads, harnesses or even getting into the fighting chair. Yellowfin have an extraordinary power to weight ratio and unless you are sitting pretty in a harness or chair, you will quickly become tired. You will grip the rod and reel handle too tightly, your fore-arms will cramp up and you will start using bad posture. It’s all bad news for your back.
Patience. Don’t ramp up the drag and try to haul a Yellowfin out of the depths using brute force early in the fight. In my experience, chances are you will pull the hook or break something.
Landing a Yellowfin
When a Yellowfin starts to get tired, it turns on its side and begins to fight in a circular pattern. It is too tired to keep its head down against your drag setting so it keels over and swims round in circles. If you are skippering the boat, now is the time to earn your keep. A circling Yellowfin coming straight up under the boat will drag the angler’s line across the props & rudders and ‘ping’ – there goes your sashimi.
We drive away from tired Yellowfin in order to keep the fish behind and away from the hull. We put the angler in one corner and try to keep the fish circling off that corner as we work it in to the boat. It is also much easier for an angler to fight a fish that is some distance away from the boat rather than straight down.
A Few Tips from the Deck
Always try to gaff a tuna just behind the head – never towards the tail. If you do accidentally gaff a tuna in the tail, get the gaff out immediately because the tuna will take off and you will not be able to hang on. You will look pretty dumb as your gaff steams off away from the boat. We use a flying gaff for any fish over about 90lbs (don’t forget to tie off the end of the gaff rope to a good solid cleat!)
We bleed our Yellowfin by inserting a knife behind and under the gill plate and slicing the tuna’s heart. Some anglers nick the tail and then insert a blade behind the pectoral fins. I have seen several knife blades and tips sheered clean off doing this. If the tuna kicks when the knife blade is inserted, it will snap any type of fine blade filleting knife.
Costly and dangerous for whoever has to fillet the fish later.
Penn - Senator 9/0
7 Jul 2007
Welcome to casualangler.com
Sent: Sunday, July 08, 2007 1:49 PMSubject: RE: Welcome to "casualangler.com" - http://casualangler.com/phpBB3Adrian,I am doing a bit of redesign and will have you back up by tomorrow morning or sooner. I hope you like the new look and feel I have been working on.How has the fishing been in the islands?John KesslerCasualangler.com-----Original Message-----
From: Adrian at Matava.com [mailto:Adrian@Matava.com]
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To: webmaster@casualangler.com
Subject: Re: Welcome to "casualangler.com" - http://casualangler.com/phpBB3I looke at the website and couldn't find anything ?----- Original Message -----Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2007 2:37 AMSubject: RE: Welcome to "casualangler.com" - http://casualangler.com/phpBB3Adrian,I added you site to my featured sponsors. Take a look and see if you are OK with what I did www.casualangler.comJohn KesslerCasualangler.com
14 Jun 2007
Pacific Blue Marlin – Lures that work here in Fiji
When trolling lures for Blue marlin aboard ‘Bite Me’, we run a standard spread of four lures off bent butt chair rods and use Penn International 80STWs. We run a long and short corner from the transom rod holders and a long and short rigger from the chair. Sometimes we run a teaser such as a spreader bar or a Pakula Witchdoctor.
We never run a shotgun. We always aim to tag & release all billfish and use Billfish Foundation tags.
We generally use lures that imitate or approximate to the baitfish in the area such as skipjack & Yellowfin tuna, mahi mahi or flying fish.
Although We use wire rigs a lot because of wahoo, we don’t double the wire inside the skirt to make a stiff rig. We just use a single wire to the hook allowing some flexibility and swing. Lures are tooth-picked or hooks set with the point or points upwards. Two hook rigs have the hooks offset at about 45 degrees.
Our recommendations are for normal general fishing on a reasonably calm day in bright or slightly overcast weather when targeting fish of any size. This is what works for us. Its not necessarily what will work for you !
SHORT CORNER
We tend to use this position more as a teaser or to tempt a monster fish with a monster lure.
1. MBT custom made monster – Silver over yellow – 2 x 12/0 wire shackle rig
2. Pakula Smokin Jo – Blue Silver/ Green Gold – 2 x 12/0 wire shackle rig
3. Marlin Magic Mirror Big Dog – Purple – 2 x 12/0 wire shackle rig
LONG CORNER
1. Hollowpoint Goblin – silver/green/gold – 1 x 12/0 wire rig
2. Pakula Rat – Black/Red – 2 x 12/0 wire shackle rig
3. John Lau Good Head – Blue yellow / Redyellow – 2 x 12/0 wire shackle rig
4. Top Gun Ball bearing Nightmare – Clear Purple tint in water / Black Gold – 1 x 12/0 wire shackle rig
SHORT RIGGER
1. Joe Yee Apollo – Evil – 2 x 11/0 wire shackle rig
2. Black Bart Hot Breakfast – Blue white / pink white (yellow stripe) – 1 x 11/0 wire rig
3. John Lau Talibung – Black/Red – 2 x 11/0 wire shackle rig
4. MBT Tulip – Blue white / White – 2 x 11/0 wire shackle rig
LONG RIGGER
1. Hollowpoint Cabo Killa – Purple – 1 x 10/0 wire rig
2. Mould craft Wide Range – Purple – 1 x 12/0 Wire rig
3. Pakula Sprocket – Lumo – 2 x 10/0 wire shackle rig (this lure picks up a lot of wahoo)
4. Wellseys Hypahead Large Talai – Black/Gold – 2 x 11/0 wire shackle rig
Where we get our lures :
Lure Manufacturer Links :
- Pakula lures
- Hollowpoint Lures
- Marlin Magic Lures
- Wellsys Lures
- MBT Lures
- John Lau Lures – Contact John at jaslau@yahoo.com
- Black Bart Lures
If you want to know what the top Australian skippers use, check out the lead article in the Feb / Mar issue of BlueWater magazine.
2 May 2007
Tips On Fiji Blue Water Offshore Pattern (The offshore ‘I don’t care spread’)
The 
Offshore, we run 15kg (30lb) Penn International 30Ts on Penn Millennium rods with a 9ft double connected to a short leader. In the winter time, (May – September) most lures are rigged on a wire trace because of the wahoo packs that congregate along the barrier reef. The sample spread below should give you an idea of how we fish the outer barrier reef slopes and offshore blue water for anything and everything found out there.
Sample “I don’t care” spread from our Offshore DeepV big game boat ‘Bite Me’
SHORT CORNER
1. Halco Laser Pro 190 Crazy Deep – Silver (mullet), Target – Mackerel, Barracuda Tuna, GTs
2. Wellsys Talai (Medium) – Purple, Target – Wahoo, Sailfish
LONG CORNER
1. Lurestreet Raptor or Classic – Green / Gold or Red / White, Target – Wahoo, Mackerel, Barracuda, Tuna
2. Halco Laser Pro 190 minnow – Redhead, Target – Wahoo, Mackerel, Barracuda, Tuna
SHORT RIGGER
1. Wellsys Turbojet - Blue Silver / Green Gold (Evil), Target – Wahoo, Mackerel, Sailfish, Mahi mahi
LONG RIGGER
1. Lurestreet Yahoowahoo – Lumo Green or Blue/White, Target – Wahoo, Sailfish, Mahi mahi
SHOTGUN
1. Wellsys Micro Bullet – Red black / Pink, Target – Tuna
2. Pakula Sprocket – Lumo Green, Target – Wahoo, Sailfish
Species Variety:
Mackerel – Narrow Barred (Spanish) Mackerel, Shark Mackerel, Double lined Mackerel
Tuna – Yellowfin Tuna, Skipjack Tuna, Mackerel Tuna (Kawakawa), Bigeye Tuna, Albacore.
Barracuda – Great Barracuda, Chevron Barracuda, Bigeye Barracuda
Where we get our Offshore lures :
26 Apr 2007
Tips On Yellowfin Tuna & Lures that work here in Fiji
The
They are voracious predators that specialise in balling up baitfish m(see photo bottom right), then smashing into the tightly packed ball from below, often leaping clean into the air, such is the speed of their attack. Yellowfin maintain a higher body temperature than the surrounding ocean giving them the ability to display sustained high speed bursts and dogged determined hard fighting abilities.
They have a relatively high percentage of dark meat as opposed to white meat which basically means they fight hard and can go on fighting hard for extended periods. Their dorsal and pectoral fins fold into slots on their body making them perfectly streamlined for high speed. Their dorsal & anal finlets are specifically designed for high speed stability and drag reduction. When you hook up to a Yellowfin you know you have a battle on your hands.
Yellowfin fight the way they feed. They smash a lure on the surface, put their head down and barrel off as deep as they can. They never fight on or close to the surface. (If one does, it’s about to be nailed by a shark)
Once you (or they choose to) stop that deep run, the battle of wills commences. The tuna will use all its power to keep its head pointing downwards and you have to get its head pointing upwards. I am sure the modern reel manufacturers had tuna in mind when they first produced a two speed reel with a low gear ration for hauling stubborn fish out of the depths.
We always fish using equipment that complies with the IGFA Rules. When out trolling for marlin or yellowfin using heavy tackle, we use a 9 foot double connected to a 19ft wind on main leader to the snap swivel. The lure is rigged on a 6 – 9 foot terminal leader, depending on the lure size. Terminal leaders range from 200lb Ande for tuna bullets to 500lb Moimoi Marlin Ultra Hard for the big marlin lures. Most of the tuna lures are rigged on 130 – 200lb leader. Try to go as light as you can. Yellowfin have excellent eye sight and will shy away from a heavy leader.
SHORT CORNER
1. Halco Laser Pro 190 minnow – Redhead
2. Lurestreet Raptor or Classic Minnow - Redhead
LONG CORNER
1. Yu-Zuri Bonita – Blue white or green white mackerel stripe with red nose or all red.
2. River2Sea Killer VIB – Any colour in range but redhead works best.
SHORT RIGGER
1. Wellsys Bullet Head #4 (Large) – Blue silver / Green gold (Evil).
2. Marlin Magic Kona bullet – Black/Red.
LONG RIGGER
1. Pakula Uzi – Yellow/green/ or Orange.
2. Joe Yee medium bullet– Blue white / Pink yellow
3. Hollowpoint Cabo Killa – Purple (Make sure it’s not running aggressively, just swimming quietly).
SHOTGUN
1. Wellsys Bullet Head #4 (Large) - Silver/pink.
2. Pakula Uzi – Orange/yellow or Black/red (wasp).
Where we get our Tuna lures :
24 Apr 2007
Tips On Fiji Inshore / Reef Pattern (The ‘I don’t care spread’)
The
Its general fishing (Otherwise known as “I don’t care what I catch just as long as its big and tasty”) so we aim to cover all our bases and catch a variety of different species.
We run 15kg (30lb) Shimano TLD25 outfits on Excalibur roller tip rods with a 9ft double connected to a short leader. All minnows are rigged on a short single strand wire trace. The sample spread below should give you an idea of how we fish the inner lagoons and fringing reefs for anything and everything found there.
SHORT CORNER
1. Halco Sorcerer – Silver (mullet) , Target – Mackerel, Grouper, Red Bass
2. Halco Laser Pro 190 Crazy Deep – Silver (mullet)
LONG CORNER
1. Lurestreet Raptor – Green / Gold or Red / White, Target – Mackerel, Barracuda, Long Tom
SHORT RIGGER
1. Wellsys Micro Bullet – Red black / Pink, Target – Tuna, all Trevally
LONG RIGGER
1. Pakula Uzi –
2. Abu Toby Spoon or other metal slug- Silver, Target - Queenfish
SHOTGUN
1. Halco Laser Pro 160 minnow – Redhead, Target – Mackerel, Tuna, all Trevally
3. Pakula Phantom – Blue Silver / Green Gold (Evil), Target – Sailfish.
3. Halco Roosta Popper – Redhead, Target – Large Great Barracuda & GTs
Species Variety:
Mackerel – Narrow Barred (Spanish) Mackerel, Shark Mackerel, Double lined Mackerel
Tuna – Yellowfin Tuna, Skipjack Tuna, Mackerel Tuna (Kawakawa), Bigeye Tuna, Albacore.
Trevally – Giant Trevally, Bluefin Trevally, Bigeye Trevally, Brassy Trevally, Golden Trevally
Barracuda – Great Barracuda, Chevron Barracuda, Bigeye Barracuda
Grouper – Coral Trout, Lyretail Grouper, Peacock Grouper, Rock Cod
Where we get our Inshore lures :
17 Apr 2007
What Went Pear Shaped # 3
Trolling Lures for Pacific Blue Marlin
12.15pm Kadavu Trench
Trolling a 4kg Skipjack tuna skip bait rigged with a 14/0 Owner Super Mutu Circle hook. The hook was rigged to sit 4 inches ahead of the tuna’s nose and connected with waxed rigging thread. 9 feet of 400lb Ande leader, 19ft of wind on leader to a Melton bent butt & Penn International STW 80.
A nice blue marlin sidles up alongside the bait and engulfs it leaving a large hole in the wake and a big flash of silver flank as she turns. Skipper yells “big marlin” and angler comes charging out of the saloon to drop the bait back and allow the blue to swallow.
After 15 seconds the skipper calls for the drag to be eased up. Road loads up and the fish is hooked. The blue doesn’t jump at all. She peels off line but at a steady pace and sounds out and down to about 100m. One hour and fifteen minutes later we bully her up behind the boat.
A couple of head thrashes and she comes in quietly. Upside down quietly. Now we are all worried. We ease her alongside the boat, pop the Billfish Foundation tag in and find that we can’t see the hook.
She’s gut hooked and the damage is obvious. We cut the leader inside the mouth and start towing her behind the boat. A disposable gaff with the tip stoppered with a cork is used to hold her upright. Sadly she does not recover.
She weighs in at 420lbs and is donated to two local village schools to feed the kids.
What went right ?
We went to the right place.
We used the right technique to raise and hook up a blue on a circle hook.
We used a fairly heavy drag setting to bring the fish to the boat sooner rather than later.
We tried to revive the fish for some considerable time, even though the signs were bad.
What went wrong
The Owner Super Mutu hook is a KIRBED circle hook. The rig used was not one of ours. It must have been left on the boat by a previous angler and in the busy period of bait catching, my deckie grabbed the first ready rig in the box and quickly rigged up a skipjack to get a bait out there fast.
I didn’t check the rig.
“In my humble opinion”
Never use a kirbed circle hook for marlin fishing. It will gut hook just as well as a J hook and to make matters worse, you just dropped it back ensuring you gut hook. You will almost certainly kill the marlin.
Check everything twice before you set a line. Even if you are in a hurry. It just might save you from a bad day.
8 Apr 2007
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.
18 Mar 2007
What Went Pear Shaped # 2: Trolling for Pacific Blue Marlin
Trolling for Pacific Blue Marlin
12.00 Noon on the Kadavu Seamount
Trolling a 7kg Yellowfin tuna skipbait rigged with a 16/0 Duratin Cirle hook. The hook was rigged to sit 4 inches ahead of the tuna’s nose and connected with waxed rigging thread. 9 feet of 400lb Ande leader, 19ft of wind on leader to a Melton bent butt & Penn International 80 STW.
A small blue marlin of about 100kg comes up behind the bait and quietly tries to eat it. The angler backs the drag off even more (it was set light already) and allows the bait to drop back controlling the spool with slight drag pressure to avoid over-spooling (bird’s nesting the line). The blue gobbles the bait and turns. Skipper calls for the angler to slowly bring up the drag. Some line pressure then the bait pops back up on the surface. No hook-up. Marlin comes back for attempt # 2. Same procedure but this time we give the marlin a good 10 seconds to swallow the bait. No hook-up.
Marlin comes back for attempt #3. This time the angler pumps the rod after raising the drag and the skipper gooses the throttles. No hook up. By now the bait is a good 100 yards behind the boat and the skipper can’t see what is going on below the surface.
Marlin comes back for attempt # 4. (This guy has to be very hungry or very stubborn). This time we drop back, all go inside, have breakfast, take a nap, wake up, make coffee, come back out and push up the drag. Marlin spits bait and finally gives up.
So do we.
What went right ?
- We went to the right place.
- We used the right technique to raise a blue.
- We theoretically used the right technique to hook him up on a circle hook
- Pumping the rod and goosing the throttles really wasn’t going to help when using a circle hook but hey, conventional wisdom wasn’t working. Try something.
What went wrong
- After 2 drop backs we should have wound the bait back much closer so we could better see what was going on.
- The bait was too big for the size of marlin we raised. We should have had a second rig ready to go with smaller bait, perhaps a stand-up 50lb outfit with a garfish pitch bait. We should have teased the little blue up and switched him onto the lighter tackle.
“In my humble opinion”
Just because you rig for a monster and go after a monster, it doesn’t mean the first fish you raise will be a monster. We missed a nice little blue because we were ‘thinking big’. Shame.
Be prepared for something other than what you hope for or expect.
