Wild Blue Fishing Charters Vanuatu. Skippers Diary

Epic Adventure: There Back

noreply@blogger.com (Wild Blue Fishing Charters) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:22:00 +0000

Cpt. Carl Muir from Epi Adventures out of Tiarua, N.Z http://www.epicadventures.co.nz/
arrived in Port Vila with 4 of his client to fish from Epi earlier in the month. Air Vanuatu put a small spanner in the work by off loading the boys specialized jigging rods before the plane left Auckland. They were to arrive a few days later however we were to leave at 5.00am the morning after they arrived. After some cobbling together we had enough gear to get the job done.

The trip turned out to be on the slow side however we turned up some fish each day. On the way up to Epi we picked up some good sized mahi-mahi, “Bill catching a couple of rippers” and ran into a school of yellow fin and at one stage had 5 on to catch 4. Toward the end of the first day a sail volunteered itself for a tag.The various seamounds around Epi failed to turn on the usual dogtooth action despite lots of jigging and towing baits on the downrigger.
Bushy dig manage a couple of very respectable G.T., one on a jig and one on bait. Euan caught a very health 61kg yellow fin to the west of the DeChaulliac Seamound to make his day. Even though we had to work hard for the fish each day everyone nailed a personal best. The only marlin we saw was one swimming into the gear and out again on the way home.

For any Kiwi anglers that might be interested in fishing up here in Vanuatu for a week however find it difficult to get a group together contact Carl via the attached web site above. He organizes a great trip and Carl himself is a great character and a lot of laughs.

Cpt: Pete Phillipps

http://www.nautilus.com.vu/fishing.htm

Tusker Game Fishing Classic

noreply@blogger.com (Wild Blue Fishing Charters) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:20:00 +0000

The Port Vila Game Fishing Club hosted the annual Tusker Game Fish Classic. This event was run in perfect conditions over two days. Day one started with nine boats departing from Iririki Island in a shotgun start. Fish over the 2 days was consistent with marlin being raised and tagged each day. Nevergiveup was the eventual winner with a great performance on Sunday, tagging 2 blue’s on 15kg and a Vanuatu woman’s record mahi the day before.

Nakita chartered by kiwi angler John Robinson came in second with some impressive fish captured on light line. A yellow fin and mahi-mahi on 4kg ready pushed him along on the point score with the mahi-mahi ending up the highest points scoring fish for the comp.

Makaira a new vessel to Port Vila took out third with a blue caught on each day however their marlin on Sunday couldn’t be revived at the side on the boat and cost them in the point tally.

The event ended with a prize giving at the Anchor Inn with a great meal and lots of the sponsors Tusker Beer flowing. Thanks to Tusker Breweries and all the sponsors.

The rest of the month has been magic with smooth condition and steady fishing. Wahoo have been scarce however mahi-mahi have been about in good sizes and the yellow fin turning up randomly with boats seeing them from 15kg to 60. Shogun had a good trip up around Epi a few weeks ago and was running into multiple hook ups and one fin at 61kg.

Blue marlin have been on the trim side with a lot around the 100kg mark which has been great for the light tackle anglers.

A few of us have been venturing south to Erromango Seamounts while the conditions have been favorable and getting great results. One angler that had a blinder down there was N.Z fisherman Kevin Griffiths fish on Shogun from his wheel chair getting a work out on yellow fin, having 2 marlin jump on then off and then tagging the third.

Don’t forget there are only a couple of places left on the Fishing News Vanuatu trip in April next year. For further details contact Grant Dixon.

Until next month, keep smiling.

Cpt Pete Phillipps
http://www.nautilus.com.vu/fishing.htm

Kev Grifiths was back to slay them.

noreply@blogger.com (Wild Blue Fishing Charters) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:51:00 +0000

Kiwi angler Kev Griffith's came back to Vanuatu for his third trip, now his second on Shogun and had a ripper. He caught a heap of personal bests being mahi-mahi, wahoo and G.T. He also had a great day on the Erromango Seamounts with a box of yellow fin, two marlin jumping on then of and then tagging the third.
He was accompanied by Kiwi custom rod builder Paul Radaly.
To learm more about this amazing bloke go to http://www.kemcare.co.nz/ Scroll down his page and check out his artwork.
Wild Blue Fishing Charters
http://www.nautilus.com.vu/fishing.htm

Fishing News Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Wild Blue Fishing Charters) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 08:02:00 +0000

Fishing News Trip Sep 2008
Day one saw the boat get away at 4.45am for a nice leisurely trip heading north to Epi in ideal conditions. Shogun run to Tuki-Tuk Fad to try and get the jump on the rest of the team however it was dead on arrival. Nevergiveup started fishing from Devils Point with V-Factor following up the rear. By weigh point 366 Shogun had a marlin in the gear only to pull off a heap of string then fall off. Some hour or so later Nevergiveup had a triple strike of Short Bill Spearfish to tag one. Well up the Marlin Highway a wahoo decided to become sashimi that evening and jumped on the Pursuit Jelly bean lure on shogun. On resetting the gear another marlin came in and had a pull on the short corner and popped it out of the clip then came back and had another pull on the same lure then hit it again and made a blistering run only to drop off again. (bugger). V-Factor was traveling just in front of Shogun and from or position I could see the boys go to battle stations. 85 kg yellow fin and they followed that up with another at about 70kg. Shogun picked up another wahoo and had a mahi-mahi rip off into the yonder and fell off. On arrival at Lamen bay on Epi Island we found Nevergiveup had already arrived and had picked up a mahi-mahi late in the day. A few cold beers and a great evening meal all ended a great first day.
Day two started with a couple of wahoo strikes first up as we left Lamen Bay and headed toward DeChauliac Bank. V-factor stuck the first blow with a couple of mahi-mahi early in the day. Nevergiveup turned east and headed up toward Lapevi Volcano and picked up a wahoo and mahi-mahi early before lunch and were then forced back to Lamen Bay with a mechanical problem. The boys from Nevergiveup ended up have a great day out with local skipper Douglas on his fishing boat and had a close encounter with a couple of G.Ts and then hooked up on a nice floating log. These guys had to take the sense of humor award as they got through the day unfazed. Shogun ended up with a couple mahi-mahi and 2 wahoo dropped and a mystery bit that pulled off 400m of string in moments and then fell of due to a broken hook. The V-Factor crew with Fishing News Assistant Editor Mark Kittredge aboard decided to break out the jigs on the DeChauliac Bank and they hammered it hard for hours however the doggies were not playing ball. Mark boated only a small one.
Day three we awoke to see a 4th boat in the harbor. Horizon had been driven up through the night to replace Nevergiveup which had developed a recurring fuel problem from some dirty fuel picked up out of drums up on a previous trip. After the boys changed some gear from one boat to the other the headed out of the harbor and east toward Lapevi Volcano and were keen to catch up on some lost ground in the fishing stakes and catch up they did. First up they nail a good wahoo and went on to tag a nice 60 odd Kg sail fish and then managed 4 x mahi-mahi, a blue fined travalley on a jig and another couple of wahoo to round out a pretty good day. V-Factor went west to the Maskelyne Islands. They had a slow day with some fish in the gear, one being a marlin and caught a wahoo, They got into some popper casting and hooked a couple of reef fish then a G.T jumped onto a popper and sped off only to break off caused by a reel failure with a drag seizure from a borrowed rod and reel. Shogun had a similar day to V-Factor with no less than 8 fish in the gear but no hookup until lunch time when a wahoo jumped onto a 15 kg rig.
Day four saw conditions unfavorable for venturing very far from Lamen Bay. We all chose to stay in close with jigging for doggies and trolling minnows and swimmers in and around the reef close to Lamen Island. There was a few fish caught on each boat but a little slow overall.
Day five was return to Port Vila with a nice early start. Shogun chose to stay for an extra hour to drift some bonito around the end of Lamen Island to have a last ditched try on turning up a good sized dogtooth tuna however luck didn’t go our way so we headed off after the rest of the fleet.
Once we were out of the lee of the island of Epi conditions were pretty rough with a good 3 to 4 meter sea on the beam. Shogun took first blood with as mahi-mahi jumping on then Horizon with a wahoo and a little later they tagged a small marlin. V-Factor picked up a treble of mahi-mahi a little closer to home.
The day was rounded out with a dinner at Moorings Hotel and some great stories exchanged and plenty of threats from anglers to come again.
For anyone wanting to join the May trip next year please contact us as soon as possible as there is only a couple of spots left.

Their Third Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Wild Blue Fishing Charters) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 07:55:00 +0000

New Zealanders Peter Wise, Mike Rolo, Geoff Ward and new team member Dave Carville made their third trip to Vanuatu on the 11th on May. In previous years the boys have stayed in our accommodation at Nautilus and fished out of Port Vila each day with great results.
This year they decided to do the Epi Island live ashore option at Lamen Bay and had a great time. Day one was slightly slower than expected however there was still plenty of sashimi and fish for the B.B.Q with the random wahoo and mahi-mahi action. Day two Mike nails a dogtooth at De Chauliac Bank that made his day. Dave was a bit disappointed when a blue marlin dropped off later in the afternoon.
Day three started in a much better tone with a double hook–up on sails within 10 minutes of lines in the water. Dave’s was on first and then falling off to add insult to injury from the previous day. Geoff managed to get his alongside the boat for a nice tag shot however the fish was finally boated as it was not in fit enough condition to be released due to an injury. The rest of the day saw a flurry of wahoo activity around Lapevi Volcano and Palma Island. The day was rounder out with some doggy fishing on the end of Lamen Island where Pete captured himself a nice green job fish that made its way to the dinner table that night.
Unfinished post
Wild Blue Fishing Charters. Port Vila Vanuatu

The Fruit boys came and picked some.

noreply@blogger.com (Wild Blue Fishing Charters) — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 08:13:00 +0000

The C.E.O of FRUIT REAL ESTATE Craig Bellgrove made his third fishing trip to Vanuatu on the 23rd of August accompanied by his son Geoffrey and buddy Neil. Last year Craig brought a group in to do the Epi adventure and the boys had a blast. This year they chose the Kakoola option and even though the fishing was a bit spasmodic fun was had by all. We ended up with a pretty good array of fish. Everyone achieved a personal best however I have still failed in my quest to put Craig into a dogtooth tuna that will nearly pull him out of the boat. He is coming again next year so we can have another shot.

35.5 Kg Doggy

noreply@blogger.com (Wild Blue Fishing Charters) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 03:19:00 +0000

We have completed a great back to back trip with spearfishing guru Kane Grundy from Extreme Freedom http://www.extremefreedom.co.nz . Kane has been bringing groups of divers to these parts for a few years now. On last years trip Kane said he wanted to do something different with his next trip so we pulled a package together for him. The first week was based out of Kakoola Island Resort which is a great little retreat to the northern end of Efate(Port Vila)This gave us access to some areas which haven’t been dived by Kane’s groups. Each day was spent heading in different directions such as Scotts Rock (Now named Jurassic Park due to the amount of shark activity and the difficulty the divers have in landing fish before they get munched), Monument Rock the Mosso Fad and lots of untried areas. The boys got some great results with dogtooth being landed most days along with wahoo, mahi-mahi yellow fin and marlin sightings. On the last dive of the last day of week one Kane pulled off a Vanuatu record dogtooth at 35.5kg captured at Tuki-Tuk Point.
The second week turned up similar action with the team this time based at Tranquility Island Resort situated in the picturesque Havana Harbor.
The boys are already planning next year’s trip.
http://www.fishing.htm
mailto:Fishing@vanuatu.com.vu

Sail's at the Channel Markers

noreply@blogger.com (Wild Blue Fishing Charters) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 07:43:00 +0000

Mid month we experienced stronger than normal winds for this time of the year however the fishing has been good. Sail fish have been on the bite consistently close in and providing great action. Regular Shogun angler Paul Mason out of California arrived with his son and grandson for three days of fishing. Grandson Gordon had a sail tagged first up at the channel markers, about 4 min from the dock.

His farther Barry achieved a second at Devils Point a further 20 min out. A great start to the day.
The annual 3-Species Comp was run on the 20th with 5 boats participating and local angler Adrian competing in his kayak who ventured out in Havannah Harbor - this is probably a first for any comp here. I can’t understand why not more people kayak fish in Vanuatu. Unfortunately fishing was very lean, at least on the northern side of Efate. 3 boats weighed in fish however non reached the 1/3 line class weight.
Nevertheless Frieda scored a Women's Doggy record on 10kg - well done Frieda.

Good luck at the weigh in’s
Peter Phillipps
Fishing @vanuatu.com.vu

Yellow fin on 3kg

noreply@blogger.com (Wild Blue Fishing Charters) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:43:00 +0000

Mirror glass conditions saw Steve Walls, Glen Senior and Richard Lemon were the first group of anglers to try out the new accommodation and fishing package we are now running out of Kakula Island to the north of Port Vila. The accommodation is first class in the recently opened resort and the fishing matches. In three days the boys managed to tag a marlin, a couple of sails and various other species and got into some ultra light tackle yellow fin action. Trying to pull up yellow fin on 3kg is a hoot. For more info on this and other packages go to the main page of our web site.

This was followed by a week of rough weather for a group of South African spearo’s now residing in Australia, New Zealand and the U.K.

We still managed to get the boys into some great diving with them having a couple of marlin swimming around them at the F.A.D. they managed some good captures of wahoo,yellow fin and mahi-mahi

Fishing@vanuatu.com.vu

Jurassic Park

noreply@blogger.com (Wild Blue Fishing Charters) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 01:43:00 +0000

Kiwi spearfishing ace Darren Sheilds has been back in town with a team of intrepid divers looking for the big yellow fin and dogtooth tuna. They opted to try Wild Blue Charters live away trip that utilizes the Kakoola Island Resort to the north of Port Vila.

The first few days saw the boys diving the F.A.D’s which proved to be slower than usual with only a few mahi-mahi and wahoo to be seen. Later in the week they spent a couple of days diving Scotts Rock which is located north east of Vila. Darren made mention after the trip that is probably one of the most amazing places he has ever dived, a bit like Jurassic Park. Lots of dogtooth tuna however the boys had difficulty getting fish to the boat due the large amount of sharks.

Were are running trips out of Kakula Island Resort, Tranquility Island Resort and of course or famous Epi trips.

Have a look at our web site for more details or contact me on fishing@vanautu.com.vu

Capt. Peter Phillipps

http://www.nautilus.com.vu/fishing.htm

The Volcano was on Fire.

noreply@blogger.com (Wild Blue Fishing Charters) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:54:00 +0000

We had a memorable trip up to Epi A couple of weeks ago. It was straight after the Marlin Classic where we didn't go so well as we just didn't raise enough fish. We cleaned the boat after the Classic, loaded up with food, water and beer and we were away with the Paul Sharp group consisting of Paul, Kelvin (I be back), David and Steve.
First up we nailed wahoo at the f.a.d then about and hour and a half later a marlin jumps on then later in the afternoon another one volunteers for a tag. Not a bad day, where were they in the days before. The next day saw us off to De Chaulliac Bank for some great yellow fin action another marlin strike, another good day. Day 3 we headed out to Lopevi Volcano with Paul ordering a sail fish as we got under way. On arrival we turned up a yellow fin then a triple of fin.
No more than 100 meters further on a double strike of sails with both finally dropping off. Conditions were a bit scruffy so we ducked in behind the volcano for lunch then off around it again. This time the action was even hotter, we were hard pressed to get the gear back in the water after each hookup before we got nailed again. The wahoo action was thick and fast and most around the 20 to 25kg mark. As one of the wahoo we had a second strike, this time the sail stayed on and received a tag to the delight of Kelvin(I'll be back) It was an awsome days fishing and a delight to give the fish to the local villagers that evening back at Lamen Bay.
Check our web site for info on these fishing adventures as well as others.
Capt. Pete Phillipps
http://www.nautilus.com.vu/fishing.htm

The Vanuatu Marlin Classic

noreply@blogger.com (Wild Blue Fishing Charters) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:50:00 +0000

The Vanuatu Marlin Classic

The Vanuatu Marlin Classic has been run and won. With eighteen local and overseas teams fishing this year the action was a little slow with 20 marlin being raised and 5 marlin being tagged over the seven days. This comp is tag and release only and point are awarded for the most marlin tagged on the lightest tackle which ranges from 60kg down to 15kg. The first fish tagged was on Ultimate Lady putting them in the lead on day one. There was a lot of strikes with no hookups experienced by many teams and a lot of bust offs as a lot of teams were opting to fish 15kg to maximize their point as most teams were only getting one strike a day. Some great yellow fin were popping up occasionally with some in the 70kg range and some wahoo and mahi-mahi changing the pace of each day. One of the bigger marlin tagged during the comp was a 250kg fish on 24kg. This was caught by Demon Jigs, Steve Badman fishing team B on Ultimate Lady. The eventual winners were local anglers fishing on In Deep who were the first team to tag a marlin on 15kg.
Cpt Pete Phillipps
http://www.nautilus.com.vu/fishing.htm

Fishing News Trip a Success.

noreply@blogger.com (Wild Blue Fishing Charters) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 07:46:00 +0000

The Fishing News 30th anniversary reader’s trip to Vanuatu was a great success.
Twelve readers from New Zealand flew into to Vanuatu on Saturday the 6th accompanied by Grant Dixon for what was to be a 5 day fishing trip to Epi Island. Due to high northerly winds and big sea’s it was decided to abandon the Monday morning departure and leave in very favorable conditions on Tuesday. Due to the previous weeks heavy rain there was plenty of logs and debris floating in the water to make the mahi- mahi and wahoo fishing quite good on the trip to Epi. There was several marlin strikes however no hookups. The group was based out of Sunset Paradise Bungalows hosted by Chief Tasso situated in the picturesque Lamen Bay on the north west area of Epi Island. Nevergiveup, V-Factor and Shogun each day took groups of 4 angles jigging the seamounds, casting poppers and trolling some of the most amazing areas Vanuatu has to offer. This was rounded off each day with a beach B.B.Q and a couple of cool drinks and story telling in the evenings. By the time everyone returned to Port Vila’s Moorings Hotel for the Friday night dinner there was some great stories of marlin tagged, marlin lost, people getting smoked on 37kg by dogtooth tuna and many other battle tales. It was a credit to the anglers also on how well the time unfolded as the facilities in Epi are basic and the trip had to be shortened by a day however everyone had a blast and there was plenty of talk about return trips and I’ll get him next time stories.
A special thanks to Air Vanuatu, Brian Death at Mooring’s Hotel, Chief Tasso at Sunset Paradise Bungalows, Leanne Collett from Wild Blue Fishing Charters and especially Fishing News’s own Grant Dixon for pulling all this together.
Good Luck at the Weigh In.
Cpt Peter Phillipps
http://www.fishing.com.vu

A Happy Customer: Mark's testimonial

noreply@blogger.com (Wild Blue Fishing Charters) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 07:19:00 +0000

Thanks Mark for your kind words:

Hi Pete,
I’m writing this brief letter to you because I feel the need to express my thanks and appreciation after my six days fishing with you on your boat Shogun.
It’s been eight months since I first planned and booked this trip and I would like to tell you that you’re the greatest angler/captain I’ve had the pleasure of fishing with.
You’re detailed knowledge of the local area, as well as your all round experience, meant we were able to always find fish and, more importantly catch. On the very first morning, there was only about 20 mins between leaving the dock and catching our first tuna!! In fact, your ability to always find fish was amazing. I’ve fished extensively in the world – and you’re number on without a shadow of a doubt.

Your boat is extremely comfortable and clean. Sitting with you on the bridge was brilliant. Seeing you use all the new technology meant Clare and I were in very capable hands.
I know Clare really appreciated having a perfectly clean, flushing toilet on the boat.
Not only was the fishing great, the boat clean and comfortable, the tackle and bait was absolutely first class but also the food and drink would put many hotels to shame. There’s nothing like fresh fruit and vegetables served with that delicious tuna pasta salad to keep you going through the action packed day. And the cold drinks from your fridge were second to none.
I would also like to say that eating cooked fish for my midday meal that was swimming about in the ocean only 20 mins before was awesome. I will never eat tinned fish again.
Once again, thanks Pete – you can guarantee I will be back, I only want to fish with the best and you are the best.

See you again soon.
Mark and Clare. England

Calm Seas and North Westerly’s.

noreply@blogger.com (Wild Blue Fishing Charters) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 22:55:00 +0000

In spite of a long period of overcast weather and north westerly wind from 10 to 15 kts, and about a degree too high water temp for this time of the year the fishing has been still good. It has required some extra effort from skippers to find fish.
We are still seeing marlin, one a day rather than the usual two or three. Yellow fin are still popping up 15 to 60kg and mahi-mahi are around the F.A.D’s.
The Port Vila Game Fishing Club hosted Easter 6kg Tournament form Havana Harbor on Easter Saturday and Sunday. A small field of five boats entered this year with most choosing to fish off Nguna Island. Some of the more outstanding captures were Fred Timminck’s 15kg Doggy on 4kg, Michelle Timminck’s 13 .6 wahoo on 6kh backed up by a 17.4 kg wahoo on 6 the following day.
The top boat went to Reel Capture with Half Cut second and Nevergiveup third.
Six new Vanuatu records were claimed for the 2 days.

Shogun has been out and about on live–away trips with the return of Richard and Bonnie Lorenzin from Sydney on now their 4th fishing trip through the islands. We spent 3 days fishing out of Epi where it was just a little slow however Bonnie managed to claim a Vanuatu tuna record and tag a nice sail fish. By the end of the trip Bonnie starting to put pressure on Richard to do 5 days live aboard next year and a few less in the resort

Kiwi’s Garry Townley and Justin Stokes flew in from Indonesia where they are currently working for another week of fishing action. With trips to Erromango sea mounts and Nguna Island they managed a full array of species. Justin managed a Vanuatu record with a 33kg G.T on 37kg tackle which was one of the high lights of his trip.
Garry has been fishing with me for about 5 years now and still hasn’t been able to land a good dogtooth tuna and this trip was no exception with continually getting broken off on the reefs by unstoppable fish. These boys have booked another couple of trips for the year so I’m sure he will be successful. Garry brought his son's out for a couple of days fishing and Sean caught more fish than anyone else on the boat and Alex nailed a couple of junior records for mahi - mahi on light and ultra light tackle.

I am just about to start a 6 day trip with a couple that have just flown in from the U.K so until next time, good luck at the weigh in
Regards Capt Pete Phillipps

Puss In Boats and Champagne

noreply@blogger.com (Wild Blue Fishing Charters) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 01:14:00 +0000

February has provided us with some incredibly calm weather and perfect sea conditions. We have been experiencing monsoonal rains for a few hours each day along with unusual northerly winds due to a stationary low hanging off the coast of Australia. This has caused a lot of debris and logs to be floating off the coast providing us with some great drifting fads if you had good fortune to come across them.
The wahoo are back in force with skirt destroying vengeance to the delight of tackle shop owners here in Port Vila.
Yellowfin have been randomly appearing in very good size up to 70kg and mahi-mahi are also on the chew.
The marlin fishing has been very good most days with 1 to 3 being seen or caught on most boats doing a full day charter.
The Port Vila Game Fishing Club held its annual PUSS IN BOATS ladies comp on the 24th. With 27 anglers competing on 7 boats in perfect conditions it shaped up to be a great showdown. The only down side to it all was it turned out to be probably the slowest days fishing for the month with only 4 barracuda and some O.S skip jack tune being caught. The winner was Crissy Nickel fishing on Topless. Robyn Masuino fishing on Shogun and Lara Neil fishing on V-Factor were also in the points at the weigh in where the champagne was flowing.
We are back in full flight on Shogun with all our 3 to 7 day trips now picking up after the Xmas, new-year lull. We just completed a 3 day charter for a couple of Aussie anglers Pete and Colin who headed home with big smiles after getting amongst a heap of wahoo, 30kg yellowfin and 5 blue marlin shots. They were staying in a resort in town and heading out each day and back in for dinner each night. For those of you that have never been here, it is 20min from the dock to the fishing grounds so you can stay in town or stay on and island or a boat. We have it all here.
For those coming up on the Fishing News Readers trip in April there is not too many more sleeps to go and for anyone interested in coming on the Sep / Oct trip please contact Grant Dixon at Fishing News New Zealand. grant.dixon@fishnz.co.nz soon as there is only a couple of spots left.
Until next time, good luck at the weigh in.
Capt Pete Phillipps
http://www.nautilus.com.vu/fishing.htm

In spite of a couple of cyclones we are still catching fish

noreply@blogger.com (Wild Blue Fishing Charters) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 09:01:00 +0000

Well here we go again. The first month of 2008 has drawn to a close. The fishing in Vanuatu has been overall very good in spite of being on cyclone alert twice in as many weeks. Fortunately they have all gone by Port Vila with no damage, just wind and some scruffy seas. The charter fleet has been on cyclone moorings for quite a few days however in between blows we have been getting out and amongst some pretty good fishing. The F.A.D’s have been a turning up small yellow fin which have been making great live bait with few of us being catch marlin from these offerings. The marlin have been averaging around 100kg with a few exceptions.
The crew on In-Deep turned up a nice blue 6 miles west of Devil’s F.A.D on the 1000m line or the side of the Marlin Hwy. The fish took 3 hours to subdue on 80kg and weighed in at 250.06kg for a very excited angler on his first game fishing trip.
V-Factor and Shogun have already started doing battle for the year with a group from Australia chartering both boats for a live-away fish off. We were based out of a resident’s house on the picturesque Havana Harbor to spend the days fishing up and around Nunga and Mataso Island’s and down the highway to the F.A.D’s. The V-Factor team was the eventual winners with a hot couple of hours at the end of the last day.
We have been going well on Shogun for January with another 4 light tackle records. Three of these were claimed in one day by N.Z angler Sarah Holden on the Erromango sea mounds. Sarah was accompanied by the very experienced Murray Harman and his son Jason. Each angler achieved at least 3 personal bests for the two days of fishing and Murray managed to tag his first blue at est.130kg at the end of day two. Well done guys.
If anyone need any information on fishing in Vanuatu please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Good Luck at the Weigh In’s
Capt Pete Phillipps
www.nautilus.com.vu/fishing

49.6kg Doggie 17/12/07

noreply@blogger.com (Wild Blue Fishing Charters) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 23:05:00 +0000

A mate of mine Maurice rang (referrer 6 Records and 10 personal bests 10/12/07)) me on Saturday morning a mentioned his son had some mates in town and that they wouldn’t mind going for a fish on Sunday. After a scan of the weather websites it was decided to make an early morning run to Erromango Sea Mounds some 40nm south to try our luck.
We had lines in the water by 7.15am and heading for bird activity. The tackle set up was 5 X37kg rigs and a couple of 15kg rods with feather lures to catch some fresh bait.
Within minutes both the 15’s were screaming to everyone’s delight. Deckhand Tom went about clearing the gear as two of our anglers started dealing to the hookups.
In no time we had a 4kg yellowfin by the boat and a happy angler that had caught his first game fish in Vanuatu. It was becoming obvious that our other fish was sizably larger as we were still loosing line at a fairly steady rate. After some reversing and maneuvering we were starting to make some headway. Approximately 15min later our second fish was on the surface which tuned out to be a very impressive 49.6kg dogtooth tuna. On official weighing the fish was claimed as a new Vanuatu record. Well done Nick who’s only previous fishing experience was catching flat head in Port Phillip Bay in Melbourne.

The action remained consistent for the rest of the morning with some great tuna fishing and a nice mahi-mahi surrendering itself for our B.B.Q to be held when we got back to port. Another notable catch was a skipjack tuna record on ultra light tackle for Robyn Musuino. Robyn is on fire at the moment claiming seven Vanuatu records in 2 weeks, all on light and ultra light tackle.
It was decided to fish most of the way back to port as the sea conditions and weather were spectacular. At about the halfway mark the ratchet on the shotgun rig started crying for help with a good 100kg+ blue marlin jumping wildly out the back however managed to drop off after pulling about 300m of line off the tiagra wide.
Ten min latter we had another two marlin bites I but no hookup. Some days they just don’t stick.
The B.B.Q and cold beer was spectacular.
www.nautilus.com.vu/fishing

Work Hard and Be Good To Your Mother and you might Catch One 15/12/07

noreply@blogger.com (Wild Blue Fishing Charters) — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 01:51:00 +0000

If you work hard in this game you are usually rewarded. Bill & Jenni Davies contacted us some time back and said they were coming to Vanuatu for a holiday and wanted to spend a couple of days fishing. On arrival Leanne my partner made contact with Bill and Jenni to organise the fishing days, lunch requirements and pick up times.
Day one after discussing with Bill what he would like to achieve during the on board safety and tackle briefing we decided to head out to the F.A.D off Devils Point. Bill & Jenni had emphasized that it had been a long term goal of Bill’s to catch a marlin and at least have a pull on a few big fish.
After an hour of lure towing, jigging and baiting we only managed to turn up a small yellow fin and a couple of skippies. From there we headed north to Tuki Tuk F.A.D and onto Blue Hat & 366.
To add insult to injury we tried a couple of baits on the downrigger as we went past Hat Island to have one bitten by a shark and the second not touched. I was monitoring the V.H.F radio during day and heard that Impact had 4 marlin bites and tagged one back at Devils F.A.D so I decided to head back that way. On arrival at the F.A.D there were schools of yellow fin and skipjack tuna everywhere. We were way over head home time however I kept looking however no marlin, just a couple more tuna.
On arrival back at the dock I suggested to Bill and Jenni that we wait a couple of days to see if the fish come back as I wasn’t keen to go and repeat our slow day.
Still not convinced I could turn up a marlin for Bill straight out from Port Vila I decided on an early start and a 40nm trip south to Erromango Sea Mounds. We left the dock at 5am and deployed the lures 5nm short of the mounds at 7am. By 7.20 we were hooked up on a nice blue marlin with Bill in the chair living his dream. The fish put on a great aerial display for all on board with some amazing photo opportunities to be had as well.
Forty minutes later the fish was tagged and released and some high 5’s all round. I never grow tired of my job seeing the joy on someone’s face when they have just caught the fish of their life.

From there we proceeded onto the sea mounds proper where I could see plenty of working birds in random flocks.
Our next hook up was a small wahoo which was a first for Jenni. From there it was onto a couple of yellow fin. Having recently noticing a couple of vacant Vanuatu women’s records for yellow fin it was decided to deploy 4,6,8 and 10kg tackle and turn Jenni into a legend.
In no time we were hooked up on 8kg with Jenni on the rod. She was shortly after hooked up on another skipjack tuna for another record.
Just as we got everything reset and off after the birds again the 10kg outfit started screaming like a tortured banshee. Twenty meters out behind the boat our second marlin was jumping all over the place. This was shot lived as we ended up with too much line out and broke the fish off.

After all the excitement it was time to turn the bow for home to round out a pretty good days fishing.
When I dropped Bill and Jenni back at the resort they were staying at they said something about wanting to do it all again next year.
I’m looking forward to seeing them again, I do have the best job in the world.
www.nautilus.com.vu/fishing

6 Records and 10 personal bests 10/12/07

noreply@blogger.com (Wild Blue Fishing Charters) — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 01:14:00 +0000

We’ve just completed our last live-ashore trip to Epi Island for the year and had a great time. The Musuino family who are expat Aussie’s living in Port Vila charter Shogun once a year for a family holiday and this year we went to Epi for a quick 3 day trip.
Day one proved very slow on the way north with a marlin bite early in the day however it didn’t stick. The cool beers watching the sun go down at Lamen Bay that evening was a consolation to a slow start.
Day 2 started out with a troll around Lapevi Volcano in dead flat perfect conditions looking for wahoo and dogtooth tuna. Just out to the east dolphins, pilot whales and a fast moving school of yellow fin was spotted. The yellow fin were a little elusive and hard to keep up with and only one was captured to get us on the board for the day. A few more skipjack tuna were caught and put in the bait bin.
The next stop was the top of Lapevi sea mound that comes up to 38m from 500 and from past experience we know this spot had great potential to turn on some tackle destroying fishing with big doggies, G.T’s and sharks making mince meat of jigs and baits on heavy tackle. Deck hand Tom had stitched up a couple of nice fresh skippy baits on arrival and one was dropped over the side by Maurice and drifted into the depths. Within moments the ratchet was screaming and Maurice calling he was on as he put the drag lever up to strike. A short time later the hard fighting doggy was along side the boat. This fish was later weighed at 43KG.

The action continued hard and fast with a couple of G.T’s in succession being caught, photographed and released for another day and Robyn successfully boating a nice doggy to take out a Vanuatu record. We began getting sharked so it was time to move on.
Within a mile east of the sea mound we ran across a F.A.D (Fish Aggregating Device) floating in about 350m of water. This structure was absolutely loaded with rainbow runners so it was decided to put away the 37kg tackle and get out the 4,6,8 and 10kg tackle and clean up a bag of unclaimed ladies records. Robin managed 6 records for the weekend. Well done Robyn.

Day three started with a 6am departure for the trip home. I normally steam 10nm south to hit deep water before setting the gear and has usually worked a treat and this day was no exception. Fifteen minutes after the lures were deployed the ratchet on the short corner was screaming and the sight of a blue marlin thrashing about 50 meters out the back with a pink and blue Zuker lure hanging from its mouth had everyone’s attention. Seventeen year old Sam Musuino, a regular Vanuatu angler hadn’t caught a marlin so he was on rod duty. Sam had the fish by the boat in 50 minutes on 37kg stand up where it was tagged. As the deck crew was unhooking the fish it was discovered it had sustained and eye injury so the call was to put it in the boat. A sad finish to a great battle.

Once again the trip along the marlin highway home proved slower than usual with only a mahi-mahi bite close to Tuki-tuk F.A.D.
All in all the trip was successful with some great fishing action, perfect conditions, 6 Vanuatu records and 10 personal bests.
www.nautilu.com.vu/fishing

30/11/07 November Comp

noreply@blogger.com (Wild Blue Fishing Charters) — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 23:36:00 +0000

2007 Port Vila Game Fishing Club Tusker Game Fish Classic.

Action started early Saturday morning with the 13 boats that had entered putting lines in the water at 7am. Lucky Jack was the first cab off the rank with a blue marlin tagged on 24kg at 8.13am and had a further 3 strikes. Hinaura was on the board by tagging another blue on 24kg at 12.45
Charles Wheeler skippering Nevergiveup found a marlin on top of Blue Hat for his gun lady angler Gail McPhee who was fishing on15kg line. Russ Housby, the deck hand was clearing the gear when they had a second bite and another solid hook up. With the cockpit already a buzz of action Russ had to fight his fish off the bow with a thong or jandle as a gimble. This fish was also tagged but the big disappointment was that Russ was not a resisted angler.
Reel Capture tagged another blue later in the day and returned at the end of day one with 2 X mahi-mahi to weigh in.
Day two proved hard going with another 7 marlin strikes amongst the fleet however no fish tagged.
For the weekend there were 24 strikes with 5 tagged and 4 qualifying as tagged. The biggest marlin seen for the 2 days was estimated to be around 100kg

Shogun was a non starter for this comp as we were preparing for the arrival of Bruce Martin and Carl Angus in another world record attempt capturing a blue marlin on 3kg line class. The fishing for this week turned out slow with only two marlin raised and one on for the six days. On day three a little bit of luck went our way with a sail fish swimming into the teaser spread and was captured a short time later to take out a new Vanuatu record for 3kg. At the weigh in the fish tipped the scales at 35.8kg.

The fish have been back on the bite for the rest of November with V-Factor and most of the fleet returning home with good catches and marlin tag flags flying. Shogun had a good final week with a 3 marlin day followed by four Vanuatu light tackle records for a group of Aussie anglers.

Pete Phillipps
www.nautilus.com.vu/fishing

18/10/07 Readers Report

noreply@blogger.com (Wild Blue Fishing Charters) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 07:31:00 +0000

Vanuatu Action

Within 8 hours from lying in bed most kiwi anglers are able to be fishing in world class blue marlin, striped marlin, wahoo, dogtooth tuna, broadbill and bluefin tuna fisheries (to name a few). Anglers from around the world come to the South Pacific to experience what many of us take for granted.

I recently had the opportunity to fly three hours to Vanuatu to experience this world class fishery. Arriving in Port Vila I was greeted by charter skipper, long time friend, and deviant scally-wag Pete Phillipps from Wild Blue Fishing Charters. The drive from the airport is an extremely arduous affair across the whole of Port Vila and lasts at least seven minutes - luckily Pete knows a great place to clear the dust from the throat… and so began a week of incredible fishing, extremely bad jokes, Pete’s special drinks and the usual tirade of humour and he said something about my grandmothers ability to wind faster than me.

We departed the dock at a leisurely 8:30 am on Nautilus’s 34ft Blackwatch, Shogun and had the lures in the water not long after 9:00am. The best marlin grounds are straight out the front of the harbour as the depth quickly drops to well over 400m within miles of shore. While live-aboards are an option, for marlin fishing it is just as easy to step off the boat after a hard days fishing into the welcoming arms of the Waterfront Bar and Grill.

As we trolled out to one of the FADs (fish aggregating devices) we talked to another game boat V-Factor and heard they’d already seen two marlin and tagged one. Pete hates to be out-fished so the pressure was on. We were quickly snapped out of our trolling daze as the rigger popped…nothing ….nothing .... marlin behind the long corner, reel screaming as it turns out and hits the rigger again… nothing. Pete nails the Blackwatch and swings it around - smoke pours out the back as I stare at him from the deck wondering what the hell he is doing. As we swing back around the lures are all flying out of the water then he backs off a little and bang the shotgun is screaming and the gear is getting cleared…silence again as the fish falls off. We go back round again but no luck. As I climb back on the flybridge to assume my position I ask Pete about the speed technique. He grins and says “it works”.

The day continued and we decided to try for a mahi mahi for dinner so drifted strip baits on 6kg line around the FAD. I saw two men in grey coming but was too slow to shout…SHARK… bastard a double hook up on 6kg. All hell broke loose as the two fish screamed out line in opposite directions. We slowly backed up trying to decide which fish we were going to go for. I was on one rod and Ken our deckie and skipper himself was on the other. After about ten minutes my 37kg trace parted and we were down to one fish. Pete calls out for me to come and drive for him…oh yes there is a God. For those of you who have not had the experience of driving a 34ft Blackwatch on a gamefish it is awesome fun.

Ken started to get line as he wound under the shower of abuse he was receiving. After about thirty minutes of chasing the line around the ocean we saw colour and started to get close. Now the fun began as the 34ft hot rod roared around the ocean as we tried to get a shot. Three close calls then the fish s tagged, the leader is grabbed and the fish breaks off. At around 65kg the shark was a great battle on 6kg and awesome fun behind the controls.

After our unsuccessful dinner gathering attempt we put the marlin gear back out and started off. Within thirty minutes I see a marlin up in the gear then disappears again. Hold onto your hats the Blackwatch surges as Pete does his signature speed technique, as I stand on the deck still unconvinced the boat eases and the long rigger ratchet screams as the marlin comes crashing through the gear and monsters the lure. Within ten seconds all the gear is cleared, I am locked into the stand up gear and we are in for a hell of a show.

The marlin went airborne out the back of the shotgun a couple of times and we chased it backwards. I had forgotten how much this hurts as we backed down on the fish. As we got close the fish erupted from the surface about thirty meters behind the boat and porpoises about seven times then down. Next minute he is crashing out of the water and tail walking along his side as we continue to chase. As we get close again he is up again this time surging forward and nose diving back into the water. As he settles again we are all over him like a fat boy on a smartie. Ken makes the call that he is taking the shot and next moment the tag is in, the leader gets wrapped and the fish goes berserk. The hook pulls and a very lively 80 kilo blue marlin swims away. Pete comes down from the fly bridge with a huge grin on his face and says “welcome back”. It was great to be back – awesome teamwork resulted in a tag and released marlin in under 8 minutes on the first day out.

Just as we were setting up V-Factor calls up and they have tagged another blue. We decide to troll for home and make it a big day the next day. It was great to see first hand that Vanuatu still has an amazing blue marlin fishery. On average the game boats targeting marlin are seeing two marlin a day and tagging one. Obviously this is made up of some quiet days as well as days where six to eight marlin are being sighted. While I was there another game boat saw seven in one day. On this trip we had two days where we saw none despite catching a heap of wahoo and yellowfin. The marlins vary in size from 60-70kg to the average of around 160– 70kg with some monsters being seen and tagged. The most amazing thing is that the best marlin fishing starts within six miles of where the game boats are tied up. As the boats leave the harbour entrance the depth falls to over 350m almost instantly and quickly drops to well over 800m The marlin are around all year with the best time of year supposed to be November to May. Luckily no-one has told the marlin this as the fishing can be awesome anytime of the year.

A Sneaky trip to the Sea Mounts

It is weather dependent but when it fires this trip will burn your forearms and ruin you for game fishing for the rest of your life.

Despite being surrounded by very productive fishing grounds Port Vila often has a shortage of fish for the markets. The charter boats can purchase licences to allow them to sell fish commercially. Pete, from Wild Blue Fishing Charters had had a number of calls over the last week from restaurants asking for fish. As the weather was great he suggested we make a trip south to the Erromango sea mounts which start 40 nautical miles from Port Vila.

The fishing at the sea mounts can be awesome when it is on. I have been pack attacked by wahoo big enough to ride. Every lure in the water has been taken then the other wahoo hit the swivels or even the place where the line is moving through the water. At other times it can be very quiet and the day is very long. Needless to say I was excited at the prospect of a day of action.

We left Vila at 4am with coffees in hand and the effects of Pete’s special drinks at the front of my skull. Two and a half hours later the throttles are eased back and the lures are in the water. While this was sport fishing the pressure was on to catch a heap of fish for the restaurants. Twenty minutes trolling and the hint of doubt starts to set in – where are the fish? Ten minutes later the rigger pops and the ratchet goes off, I grab the rod and get the fish quickly to the boat – a great looking 6kg yellowfin tuna. Lures are set and we start to see birds patrolling the area. The riggers go again and we have a double on and Ken and I quickly deal to two nice yellowfin. The next hour slowly rolled over with a couple more fish being caught.

As the morning seeps by a torpedo shape launches itself four feet behind the long corner and lands on the lure – wahoooooooo… next second every ratchet is screaming as we are pack attacked by these speedsters. Two deckies and myself are all fighting fish and we still have two more fish on in the rod holders. One quickly drops off and I try and switch between keeping pressure on my fish and winding the rod in the holder. Ken’ fish is in first so he manages to leader it, gaff it and get it onboard by himself. He then grabs the other rod and we are all in business. Wahoo on 15 and 24kg game gear usually have two to three blistering runs then can be wound into the boat. These guys on light gear are unbelievable. We often fight them on 6kg and this involves a lot of chasing in the boat to avoid getting spooled or popped off by water pressure.

We all managed to get our fish in and then the day really got going. For two hours we were not able to get all the gear in the water and set up before we were hooked up again. After a year of not game fishing a few muscles began to feel the pressure.
The fish tended to come in waves throughout the day. When wahoo are on the bite it can be spectacular. We had numerous fish attack the lures from above and many skirts shredded by their razor sharp teeth. The most spectacular sight was a 17kg wahoo erupt from the wake and launch itself to the height of the flybridge and land on the lure on the short corner. I had time to yell out Wahoo and Pete from the fly bridge to turn around and see the wahoo at eye height on its way down.

At 2pm another frenzy started as fish after fish were hooking up. If you are slightly squeamish this is not the trip for you. At times the deck is awash with blood and fish as we try to clean and gut the fish in between hook ups and get them in the ice slurry ready to be served over the next couple of days at the local restaurants. By 3 by pm we had worked our way to the northern most point of the seamounts and it was time to head home. It is always hard to leave the fishing when the bite is on but we had over 400kgs of onboard and a long way home. The end tally was 17 wahoo, 16 yellowfin, three mahmahi, three rainbow runners, a very disinterested marlin up in the gear, two exhausted deckies one knackered kiwi and an aussie skipper ready to do it all again the next day. To put this in perspective this was a spectacular day. It is often too rough to make the trip to the seamounts and occasionally they don’t fire…but this day they did.

It was great to see that the Vanuatu fishery is still spectacular. Like everywhere there are quiet days but the odds are stacked for some amazing fish. If marlin fishing is your passion then Vanuatu can feed this addiction. For light tackle the mahi-imahi, wahoo and yellowfin can make your reels scream or you can go head to head with marlin. The locals are awesomely friendly and the restaurants are great. There are a number of top rate charter operators in Vila with great boats, a heap of experience and the finest gear.
www.nautilus.com.vu/fishing

18/10/07 Five marlin in a day with 3 tagged

noreply@blogger.com (Wild Blue Fishing Charters) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 07:05:00 +0000

It’s been great again,
I finished September with another trip to Epi with North Queenslanders Doug Cowan, Anthony Richardson, Anthony Florence and Matt Whittering. We left bright and early on Sunday morning for a leisurely troll north up the marlin highway. Within a couple of hours we had our first marlin attached to the shotgun. This fish was dealt to, tagged and released in about 10 minutes. This action was followed up by another 4 marlin bites for a total of 3 tagged for the day and a nice 19.5 kg Mahi-mahi in the fish bin for dinner. The next day we back up with another 2 marlin bites 5 miles out from Lamen bay however we had a day of the dropsy’ with both fish not sticking and further adding insult we dropped a mahi-mahi and a wahoo. The next day was spent casting poppers at the base of Lapevi volcano which is still very active and spectacular. Conditions were less than favourable so we tucked into the lee of a couple of islands and found a wahoo for dinner. On our last fishing day before heading home we headed to De Chauliac Bank for some trolling a jigging. The day started slowly until 11.30 then all hell broke lose. We managed some good dogtooth tuna action, shark, wahoo and managed to get smoked just as many times as we caught fish, all on jigs. The trip home proved to be quite slow as far as fishing action however a lot of laughs were had reflecting on the previous days activities. Great stories come out of these trips with a lot of the action taking place on the veranda of the Lamen Bay guest house that we stay at ion the evenings.
We then completed a few day charters before I started a 5 day charter with the most amazing angler I have had the pleasure to skipper for. Kevin Griffiths become a quadriplegic after a swimming accident at the age of 13 however this has not slowed Kevin in life at all being a very talented artist and designer.

He is also a fanatical game fisherman spending time fishing with his mates in N.Z and travelling abroad chasing big marlin and other pelagic’s. Kev was accompanied by fish rod manufacturer and friend Paul (Radz) Radaly from Auckland and their partners. Kev was fishing 37kg using Command X.9SP fully electric and programmable reels. Day one we started with 5 x lines in the water with 2 being conventional tackle. As it would be the first marlin attached itself to a conventional rig on the shotgun. After an hour and a half Radz finally subdued a very stubborn 180 to190 blue on stand up which was cleanly tagged and released. To increase our chances on achieving Kevin’s goal we only ran the electric reels from there on. For the next 2 days we were getting a marlin bite in the afternoons with the next 2 falling off. Day 4 we went dogtooth and wahoo fishing in the morning of the island of Nguna where Kev managed a good size coral trout on the downrigger. We headed out wide in the afternoon looking for a blue and it all came together at about 2.30pm with a blue hitting the shotgun and missing then eating the long rigger. Kevin battled the fish for an hour and a half before we were able to get a tag shot and finally being released at the back of the boat in great condition.The fish was estimated to be around the 215kh mark. It had been an awesome spectacle with fish going aerial on numerous occasions. Both Radz and Kevin’s marlin were caught within half a mile of each other at a spot local skipper’s call 366 out on the marlin highway and were both caught on a Top Gun medium plunger with pearl white skirts. If you would like to know a little more about Kev and his amazing art work click here. www.kemcare.co.nz/
Congratulations Kev
Until next time good luck at the weigh in.
Regards Capt Pete Phillipps
www.nautilus.com.vu/fishing

23/9/07 It has been another fantastic couple of week fishing here in Vanuatu.

noreply@blogger.com (Wild Blue Fishing Charters) — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 01:45:00 +0000

It has been another fantastic couple of week fishing here in Vanuatu.

The Port Vila Game Fishing Club hosted the annual “Doing a Doggy in the Dark”. This is tournament aimed at targeting dogtooth tuna and fishing commences late afternoon into the night. The winner was Johnny Ware the full time deck hand on V-Factor with a 45.4kg doggy. Johnny and skipper Andrew Hibgame have now won this tournament for the last 2 years so well done guys.

Gary Townley and his mates Justin and Hayden made their 6th annual trip to fish with yours truly on Shogun and took the Epi Trip option. Despite overcast weather and a couple of slightly rough days we got amongst some amazing fishing. The boys got cleaned up on quite a few dogtooth tuna that weren’t stoppable on light tackle however once the heavier gear was deployed we caught some good doggies and G.T’s on the sea mound that dot the areas amongst the picturesque island system. On return back to Port Vila 5 days later there were flags from the top of the outrigger to the bottom. The only species not caught was a sail fish, black and striped marlin. On departing the boat they proceeded to my booking office and booked 2 trips for next year.

John Duncan also returned with his mates Mark and Mike for their annual trip with us. These guys would have to receive the hard luck award; in 4 days fishing we had 6 marlin bits and only one capture. The fish were not feeding aggressively and were either not hooking up or falling of after 10 to 15 min. To further add insult we had a sail fall off after 10 minutes on the rod. The boys saw some good wahoo action.
On one of Johns lay days I took out a charter for John Robinson and his friends. It was a special occasion beings Johns birthday so the boys were pumped. During the boat brief before leaving the dock I asked John what he would like to catch and his reply was that he was keen to catch a sail fish. Within 10 minutes of lures in the water just off Pango Point 20min from the dock we had a 40kg sail hooked up and tagged in a further 12 minutes. Well done John and happy birthday.

We head into the next week with a mini tournament with 3 boats for a group out of Australia then I’m off to Epi again.
Until next time “Good Luck at the Weigh In”

www.nautilus.com.vu/fishing

How to catch a 515Kg Marlin

noreply@blogger.com (Wild Blue Fishing Charters) — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 11:35:00 +0000

VANUATU FISHING REPORT. - (22 August 2007)

The hot news about the place at the moment and I’m sure it is old news to some of you is that a grander has captured and weighed in the waters of Vanuatu.

Late last month world famous saltwater fly fishing guide Dean Butler teamed with legendary deck hand Russ Housby arrived in Port Vila on a 15M Pleysier called Blue Dog to set up operations to fish the waters of Vanuatu. After several days of clean up and preparation they left on an 18 day trip with the owner and world record holding marlin fly fisherman Tom Evans.

We all knew these guys would prove to be a force to recon with on light tackle and salt water fly fishing as some of their previous conquests have been achieved in these waters.

On day 3 of the trip fishing just off the south west corner of Malekula, Russ noticed movement in behind the lumo sprocket teaser and called to Dean who had just completed rigging a yellow fin with a Roddy Hays 9.0 hook attached to a 500lb leader. The fish ate on its second bite swallowing the bait well.

As the fish peeled off it jumped once and the team realized they had a monster hooked up. Amazingly in all his world record capture’s Tom had never used a game chair or chair rod. Once Tom had the rod and himself settled in the chair he turned up the heat with 60lb of drag on the Tiagra130. The fish was subdued and gaffed in 30min. The next task was getting it aboard in the rough conditions and ultimately required a block and tackle to get the fish in with its bill in the saloon and tail against the transom. The monster fish was weighed ashore at South West Bay and weighed in at 1142lb or 515kg. The fish was eventually distributed amongst the local villages and enjoyed by all.

Speaking of world records New Zealand’s during early August gun angler Carl Angus and Bay of Islands skipper Bruce Martin aided by deck hand Terry Graham teamed with yours truly to fish from Shogun our 34ft Blackwatch for 8 days this month chasing a blue marlin on 3kg tackle.
The fishing was just a bit slower than expected and sloppy conditions on a couple of days slightly restricted our fishing area. The outcome of it all was 6 fish raised with 2 solid hookups. The closest was a 160kg est. blue fought for 45min and so close to the boat on a number of occasions. It was discovering that it had become partly tail-wrapped in one of its numerous jumps making it impossible to wire the fish. Close but no cigar!
www.nautilus.com.vu/fishing