XstreemFishing.Com Blog

Boxing day or better yet Fishing day

noreply@blogger.com (Fish Whisperer) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 08:40:00 +0000

'Twas the day after Christmas and in all of the sea, not a ripple was seen, not even a swell. The sky was blue and the tides were right, we had no excuses, it was time for a fish fight.

We loaded the boat with rods and reels, nothing was left but to take hold the wheel.

Off we went like a bat out of hell, the fish were hungry we could tell.

From Boxing day 2011

Ok enough Xmas rhymes, time for some fishing porn.

First thing you will notice is there are no pictures of me. My back is still messed up and I tried to cast a stick bait but the pain was a little to much for this old fisherman. So with that being said, this is the view the Captain sees most of the day.

From Boxing day 2011

Yep, that's it, other people fishing and the sounder/GPS.

In case you are wondering, the round object on the left is a green coconut. (Just one of the many benefits of living in the tropics). It has been husked and put on ice so that the Captain has something refreshing to drink and stays happy even though he can't fish. The yellow water tight Pelican case holds the phones and ID's. The bulging at the top of the image is a life jacket pocket that is held up with a bungee cord, easy access.

Ok now you see what I did all day let's get into some fish.

First up was a very unlucky Barracuda. I say unlucky because here in Fiji we eat them and they taste great. So you know it went to the ice box first aid station.

From Boxing day 2011

The next patient for the first aid station was a lovely Bluefin Trevally.

From Boxing day 2011

Things got a bit quiet after the Bluefin, so off we went to a spot that has almost never let us down. The current was ripping around some bommies and there was a little bit of chop on the surface. Perfect for a GT to be hanging out in the eddies waiting for unsuspecting prey.

Rosie fished like a machine, she was unrelenting in her casts. As she scanned the surface of the water, pinpointing the next cast to a position that should hold fish.

Finally after a good long, hard slog, she was rewarded. The strike was hard and fast. The predator was dark in color and came from nowhere. It crashed the popper with an almighty splash. Once the hooks were set the fight was on. Line melted from the Stella as if there was no drag. Of course the drag was preset to 8kg or 17+lbs. Once the fish was off the bommie it was time to bring it home.

From Boxing day 2011

It was Rosies first Black GT. Short, fat, shaped like a barrel. Tough as nails and refused to smile for the camera. I swear he gave us the fin when we let him go.

Next up was the smaller cousin of grumpy. Yet he still put up a good fight. There was no coming in easy with this one either.

From Boxing day 2011

Now you would think that by now Rosie had had enough. Oh no, not even close. So what does she do? Adds one more to the list and just to be different, this one is small and full of piss and vinegar. It puts up a hell of a fight and even when it was in the boat it still fought and struggled. In fact we almost did not get a photo as the small GT tried to make a flying leap out of Rosie's arms into the water. Alas I was quick with the camera and here is the photo to prove it.

From Boxing day 2011

The hour was getting late and we called it a day. Rosie of course a little worse for wear.

Tight Lines

The mono effect

noreply@blogger.com (Fish Whisperer) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 18:42:00 +0000

These are headlines we, as fishing enthusiasts, do not need to see. You can click on them to read the full articles.

Fishing Lines, Deadly When Discarded, Pose Threat to Birds in City Parks

Park Birds Snagged by Fishing Line and Hooks

Carelessly discarded fishing line and hooks in Prospect Park is posing a threat to birds.

It is sad and disheartening to hear that people still leave fishing line around.

"The problem is not new — or limited to Prospect Park. Birders in other city and state parks report similar cases. The Ocean Conservancy in Washington points out that monofilament fishing line, which is made from an individual fiber of plastic, has been in use since World War II, and as the decades pass, it has accumulated in the water and on land. For a quarter-century, the conservancy has organized coastal cleanups throughout the world on a single day in September. Over that time, 1,340,114 pieces of discarded fishing line have been collected, according to the group.

“Plastics in general are the most persistent forms of marine debris,” said Nicholas Mallos, a conservation biologist with the conservancy. “Once monofilament line becomes loose in the marine environment, it poses a serious threat.”"

Please remember, do not leave fishing line in the water or on the land, dispose of it properly or recycle it. Talk to your tackle store about line recycling.

Line Recycling

Re spool and Recycle
Public response to Berkley's innovative line and spool recycling program has been remarkable. Since 1990, the Berkley Conservation Institute, with the help of anglers everywhere, has recycled more than 9 million miles worth of fishing line. That's enough line to fill two reels for every angler in America.

And it continues to grow! Retailers and marinas have provided their support by displaying over 17,000 recycling collection bins. Magazines and radio stations have provided public service announcements.

Please continue your support. Pick up discarded fishing line and recycle it by dropping it off in a recycling collection bin, or mail it directly to our collection center at:

Berkley Recycling
1900 18th Street
Spirit Lake, Iowa 51360

Recycling Resources:

Florida Monofilament Recovery & Recycling Program

The Monofilament Recovery & Recycling Program (MRRP) is a statewide effort in Florida to educate the public on the problems caused by monofilament line left in the environment, to encourage recycling through a network of line recycling bins and drop-off locations in Florida , and to conduct volunteer monofilament line cleanup events.

Lake Champlain (Vermont)

Montana Monofilament Recovery & Recycling

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

South Carolina Monofilament Recycling

Texas Parks & Wildlife

WildCare (San Francisco Bay Area, California)

The Bermuda Trust

VoliVoli Resort take 2

noreply@blogger.com (Fish Whisperer) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 08:26:00 +0000

My how time flies. I have actually not been out on our boat for almost four weeks.

Since my last post the weather turned to crap. I don't mean a little rain and wind, I mean blowing 25 knots for weeks on end and raining like the end of the world. Now I am usually the first to say, fish don't care if it rains, but this weather has been really nasty. We even have "very rough seas" warning put out by the weather people. So, needless to say not a lot of fishing has been done. On top of that I hurt my back,(more of that later).

We did get the chance to go away for a few days as it was Rosies birthday. I booked three nights at Volivoli Resort. I thought it might be romantic if we could do a bit of popper fishing with heavy gear. You know just the two of us and a skipper.

We stayed at Volivoli back in April, you can read about it here.

The owners are the Darling family and they are quite wonderful.

The staff are friendly and make you feel like family. Especially, Jenny, Sheba, Wise, Sasha, Pola, Ben, Bola, Amit, Lela, the night watchman, Puncture and all a few I can't remember their names.

We decided to take the back road to get there. We did this the first time also, only this time we had our own truck not a rental car.

From Volivoli 2

You can see the rod tube sticking out of the back end of the truck. I think we had more fishing gear than anything else.

Only about 15 km is not paved and even that was not bad. The new road is being built full swill and soon it will be a breeze to get to the top end of the island.

From Volivoli 2

It is a very scenic drive of about 3.5 - 4 hours. You go through some very pretty and clean villages.

From Volivoli 2

The life style and pace are just a little bit slower.

From Volivoli 2

Eventually you come out from the interior of the island and of course you are greeted with the sea.

From Volivoli 2

We arrived at the resort a little late to fish so it was time to relax and enjoy with our friends.

In this picture is Rosie and Jenny with a tanoa filled with kava.

From Volivoli 2

Nick's wife and child were in New Zealand so jugs kept him company.

From Volivoli 2

This image is me giving instructions to some of there resort guests on how to mix the kava.

From Volivoli 2

The next day we had to wait for the boats to return as the resort was full of scuba divers. We had a leisurely morning and snapped a few pictures for you all.

From Volivoli 2

The weather was less than stellar.

From Volivoli 2

When the boats finally returned and we got to go out, the weather had turned for the worst. Never mind, we are going fishing. Our captain was new to GT popping, but he new where to take us and I could direct the rest. We had a hell of a session. We landed six fish and raised another six in 1 1/2 hours.

From Volivoli 2

Rosie, first on the board.

From Volivoli 2

As you can see the weather was not very cooperative.

From Volivoli 2

This video shows how tough the these fish are. I am using 80lb braid with 120lb twisted leaders and 12kg of drag. By the end os this session I had pinched my sciatic nerve in my lower back. Although I fished the second day also I have paid a heavy price, as I am still laid up with a bad back.

Our second day out fishing proved to be harder than the first. We woke up early on to be greeted by cyclone type conditions.

From Volivoli 2

By noon Rosie and I decided to head to the bar as the weather was not letting up. Well we all know what happens when you go to the bar at noon, you start drinking. And drink we did until after 3:00 pm, when Nick said, "Look the weather is letting up, let's go fish".

So we did. Only this time it was rougher than before. To be honest, it was too rough for fishing in the boat we were in, but we had a few drinks in us and we wanted to fish.

After pounding our way out to the reefs we managed to land a few fish.

From Volivoli 2

We could not stay out very long as it was just too rough, but we did not get skunked.

The next morning we were leaving and of course the weather turned beautiful.

From Volivoli 2

We had a nice easy drive back to Pacific Harbour with lots of great scenery.

Here is a sugar cane train.

From Volivoli 2

I can't wait to get up to VoliVoli Resort again. The fishing is great and if I can get there with the weather good I know it will be epic.

That's all until my back gets better. I am still not 100%.

Tight Lines

Wholesale slaughter of baby swords

noreply@blogger.com (Fish Whisperer) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 07:52:00 +0000

I found this video on another blog that I follow called, All Things Fish. You can check it out by clicking here.

Rather disturbing if I say so my self.

Back on the water again

noreply@blogger.com (Fish Whisperer) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 18:48:00 +0000

It's been too long since I posted any fishing pictures from our boat. As you know my Suzuki 200 hp 4 stroke shit itself back in June. Of course that left me with no motor and a huge fight with my Suzuki dealer. I lost of course.

Funny how once they have your money, they just don't care anymore.

Anyways, enough whining. So I suck it up and go to the Yamaha dealer and plunk down a suitcase full of money for a new 225 hp 4 stroke.

Before the motor is installed I decided, since the boat is out of the water why not give her a once over. New bottom paint, new radio's, fix the leaky steering hydraulics, install the new gauges and so forth.

So, alas after much time in the boat garage she is launched with little fanfare, but she has a new and bigger motor on her butt and she looks good.

Of course first up on the menu is a fishing trip. Spur of the moment, out of the blue, the best kind. I tell Rosie and call up a couple of friends and away we go.

Nothing to fancy as we are still breaking in the new motor. Just some jigging on a nearby reef.

The day is nothing less than spectacular. A bit windy but still a cracker.

We head out and within 10 minutes we are at the first drop zone.

It does not take long before we are onto fish.

From First trip with the new Yamaha

I was using a small Williamson Vortex jig with an assist hook.

Paul nailed this little mackerel with a Lucanus jig.

From First trip with the new Yamaha

Lucanus strikes again!

From First trip with the new Yamaha

Now it is Brendan's turn with the Lucanus jigs.

From First trip with the new Yamaha

Here is a shot of the mighty fishermen.

From First trip with the new Yamaha

Brendan, happy as pie with a light jigging rod in his hand.

From First trip with the new Yamaha

And the Lucanus strikes again.

From First trip with the new Yamaha

Even the small Barracuda's got in on the Lucanus action.

From First trip with the new Yamaha

The wind really picked up in the afternoon. Luckily we had a sea anchor to slow our drift and we could keep on fishing.

From First trip with the new Yamaha

Even the sweet lips were in on the Lucanus action.

From First trip with the new Yamaha

Sti, unfortunately did not catch anything on this trip, but he did strike a few poses for the camera.

From First trip with the new Yamaha

Brendan and I recapping the adventures of the day while Paul takes us home.

From First trip with the new Yamaha

We had a great day out and the motor purred like a kitten.

I can't wait to get out again.

Tight Lines

Big Boy's Toys

noreply@blogger.com (Fish Whisperer) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 15:40:00 +0000

Just finished our first commercial.

Virgin no more

noreply@blogger.com (Fish Whisperer) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 09:04:00 +0000

A good friend of ours named Loren, who you met in an earlier post, Great day with a mixed bag, asked if we would like to help him pick his new boat up from Suva. This pick-up would involve some fishing as well as getting the boat back to his dock. Who can pass that up?

We set the plan for an early morning departure. It is a 45 minute drive to the boat so we all pile into a taxi before dawn and head out.

There is a chill in the air but as the sun breaks the horizon our bone warm up.

From ChiChi delivery

By the time we reach the boat it has been prepped and is ready to go. Just a few last minute pointers for Loren from the builders and we are ready to go.

From ChiChi delivery

Loren's boat is a 24ft version of my boat. Very stable and comfortable to ride in if we were to run into any bad weather. That was not to be. It was mill pond flat and a real pleasure to be out on it.

From ChiChi delivery

As we left Suva Harbour there is always a plethora of sights to see everything from sunken ships to mega yachts.

From ChiChi delivery

Not forgetting to mention the Supa Blu.

From ChiChi delivery

If you have ever entered of left a large busy harbour with completely inadequate markings, then you will relate to theis image. Myself and Loren trying to find our way out of the harbour.

From ChiChi delivery

We are almost out and here is a shot of the weapons for the day.

From ChiChi delivery

Here is an awesome sailing vessel we passed on our way out.

From ChiChi delivery

Once clear of the harbour we made a bee line to some reefs that looked really fishy on the charts. I insisted that Loren take a few casts while I get to drive his boat.

With the drift set and the water looking fishy Loren and Rosie proceeded to cast poppers towards the reef. It did not take long before we all saw the strike. Loren's popper was violently taken by a good size fish. After a good fight and a couple of guesses as to what the fish was, we finally see that it is a nice Spanish Mackerel (Walu).

This was not only the first fish on the boat, but it was also Loren's first Spanish Mackerel all on the maiden voyage.

From ChiChi delivery

We fished on for a while but nothing else was biting. The weather started to look a little iffy so we decided to head home. The ride was smooth and comfortable and Loren was happy.

Here's a shot of the boat's new home.

From ChiChi delivery

Tight lines

There is a change a coming

noreply@blogger.com (Fish Whisperer) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 05:37:00 +0000

I will be back in the water on September 23rd.

I cant wait. More updates soon.

Tight lines

A very sad tale of a dead Suzuki motor

noreply@blogger.com (Fish Whisperer) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 09:13:00 +0000

I have a very sad tale to tell. A tale of immeasurable heartbreak and one that continues to this day. My Suzuki 200 hp 4 stroke has salt water in one of the cylinders. Now this is something you can deal with if your motor has 3000 hours on it, but my motor has 450 hours and is still like new.

Here is the story in a nut shell

The problem arose on a recent fishing trip. I was about 15 miles from Pacific Harbour when I noticed the engine was idling rough. When I tried to accelerate the engine would hesitate and then accelerate, but only up to 3000 rpm. When I would bring the throttle back to the neutral position the engine would cut out. I then turned and headed for home as it was getting late and I wanted to get back before dark. I managed to make it back but the engine would only do 3000 rpm for the entire trip. I arrived at my dock just after dark and proceeded to flush the motor and clean it.

The next day I pulled the spark plugs and found the starboard side number 2 cylinder plug was fouled.

I then purchased new plugs from Niranjans (Suzuki dealer) and installed them. I was hoping this would solve the problem. I took the boat for a test run and it did the same thing, idle rough, hesitate, and not go over 3000 rpm. I returned to the dock and pulled the starboard number 2 plug. It had water on it and when I tasted it, it was salty.

This sad tale happened over six weeks ago. Since that time the one and only Suzuki dealership in Fiji, Niranjans, has done absolutely nothing. They have my motor, but have not even taken a look at it. Now they have stopped taking my calls and when I do get through to someone they tell me they will get to it the next day.

Needless to say their smoke and mirrors is not working with me. I know they do not want to warranty my motor, which is shit. Now I am left to my own means of seeking and extracting any sort of satisfaction from them.

So I start here with my blog. This has affected my ability to fish, which does not make for a very happy or calm Fish Whisperer. Nor does it give me any wonderful tales of fishing to share with you all.

Now I ask you all, if you know of someone high up in the Suzuki company that could be of assistance, please send them my tales of woe or send me their email/contact. Maybe, just maybe there might be a silver lining to this.

In the mean time I truly might go mad if I do not get to fish soon.

Tight lines

Callan

My Johnson outboard

noreply@blogger.com (Fish Whisperer) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 19:33:00 +0000

I post this for you all to have a good laugh. I might have to change back to Johnson.

Tight lines

Everything days

noreply@blogger.com (Fish Whisperer) — Mon, 02 May 2011 08:19:00 +0000

I really wanted to eat fish. Maybe that sounds a little harsh, but it was true. I wanted to eat fish.

So what does any self respecting angler do? Go fishing of course. After all, buying fish is out of the question. Although I must say that with the current price of fuel, $2.50 per liter, it is probably cheaper to buy fish than take the boat out and catch fish.

Never mind, it's only money and besides I love fishing.

With the boat loaded we head out around 7:30 am.

Included onboard is Brendan, videographer and jigging mad.

John, business partner and always ready for a fish.

Rosie, partner in everything and always ready to show us how to fish.

And of course myself.

A little chop but otherwise a magnificent morning.

We come out of the river mouth like a race horse out of the gate.

A short trip across the channel and within 30 minutes our lines are in the water.

Rapala Lucanus jigs, River2Sea Octo jigs, Soft plastics, and a 3.5 ounce metal jig were the lure of the day.

Brendan's first fish on the boat was sent back to the deep as bait by Rosie. It took about 30 seconds before the bait was smashed. Whatever it was it had teeth and was really fast. It was probably a Spanish mackerel, but we never saw it before it cut three layers of 50lb leader. Note to self, bring steel leaders when fishing live bait.

Next up was an awesome surprise, I was using a little knife jig on a 30lb set-up, when out of nowhere, SLAM! I am hooked up and this thing is tearing off like a bat out of hell. After a good fight and a trip around the boat I manage to bring a nice GT onboard.

From John, Brendan, Rosie and Callan

Not long afterwards Brendan hooks up to a Rainbow Runner.

From John, Brendan, Rosie and Callan

A few more mixed species are caught within the hour nothing really picture worthy.

Then things slow down for a while and of course that means it is time to have some fun.

From John, Brendan, Rosie and Callan

Damn, why am I not catching any fish? The hooks are sharp.

From John, Brendan, Rosie and Callan

Now it is Johns turn to put one on deck. A nice little grouper.

From John, Brendan, Rosie and Callan

I then proceeded to land a Blue trevally on a knife jig.

From John, Brendan, Rosie and Callan

John now has the hang of this soft plastic jigging thing as is evident by his smile.

From John, Brendan, Rosie and Callan

I am only going to briefly touch on the subject of Brendan breaking his brand new jigging rod. I think the image of him pouting says it all.

From John, Brendan, Rosie and Callan

This was definitely one of those everything days. We caught 22 fish with maybe 10 or 12 species. We had sun, rain, wind and everything in between. Including a rainbow.

From John, Brendan, Rosie and Callan

We ended the day with fish in the ice chest and smiles on our faces.

From John, Brendan, Rosie and Callan

Until next time.

Tight lines

VoliVoli

noreply@blogger.com (Fish Whisperer) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 19:27:00 +0000

It has been forever since my last post, my apologies. Unfortunately I get caught up in work and when my one day off comes around I don't want to do anything. Enough whining and feeling sorry for myself.

My mother came for a visit and we had planned to take a mini vacation with her. We booked a few days at a resort called VoliVoli. It is located on the other side of the island near a town called Rakiraki. It is about a four hour drive from us. One way is a sealed road and the main artery for that side of the island. The other way is the road less traveled and not yet completed. I guess we shall follow the road less traveled.

From volivoli trip

Unfortunately it had rained earlier, which made it a bit slippery.

From volivoli trip

The scenery was beautiful.

From volivoli trip

Lots of really lovely villages and scary bridges.

From volivoli trip

Boys skipping school

From volivoli trip

The road less traveled.

From volivoli trip

Future fisherman

From volivoli trip

Watching the cows eat.

From volivoli trip

Finally the dry side of the island and the sugar cane fields

From volivoli trip

Sugar cane

From volivoli trip

More sugar cane

From volivoli trip

We are getting close now, I see the sign.

From volivoli trip

The sea, the sea

From volivoli trip

We are almost there.

From volivoli trip

Finally VoliVoli

From volivoli trip

We arrive there in the afternoon and are met in the parking lot by Nick, one of the owners of the resort and our fishing guru guide. We unpack and have a look around. The layout is beautiful and our rooms are number one. After a few drink we make our plan to go fishing the next morning.

Up at the crack of dawn and all ready to go. A bit windy but nothing we cannot handle.

This first day is going to prove to be a learning experience. After a bit of casting the bite finally starts. Rosie lands the first fish of course, but it did not come in easy.

As we would learn, these fishing grounds are littered with hazards. Bommies, small sunken reefs and very smart fish were the recipe for our demise.

From volivoli trip

We proceeded to hook and lose several fish along with a few lures. Now that may seem ok for many, but for us, well we do not usually lose lures, especially on 50lb braid.

This day would prove very trying for us. We lost four fish and three lures.

Nick Darling, one of the owners of the resort and our guide for this trip, with a nice GT.

From volivoli trip

A well deserved beer after the ass whipping we got.

From volivoli trip

A new day and the weather is a bit iffy but spirits are high.

From volivoli trip

We have a new game plan. Today it is 80lb all the way with tight drags and heavy tackle. A repeat we will not have.

From volivoli trip

Rosie again starts the day out with a nice Red Bass.

From volivoli trip

Followed by a good GT. Amazing that for the size of the fish they pull really hard and fight really dirty.

From volivoli trip

Yours truly waiting for my turn.

From volivoli trip

A scad mackerel. Good for bait.

From volivoli trip

After a grueling five hours of nonstop casting I finally hook up to a GT. Not the biggest but well worth it.

From volivoli trip

Now the bite has turned on and almost every bommie is holding bait and GT's.

Rosie with a nice one.

From volivoli trip

I have upped the ante with this one.

From volivoli trip

A few more were caught and unfortunately the sun was setting and we had a ways to travel back to the resort. We have finally worked out the formula and it is looking good for our third day of fishing.

From volivoli trip

We wake to a beauty of a day.

From volivoli trip

View from our villa.

From volivoli trip

Surveying the area.

From volivoli trip

Unfortunately our third day fishing would not eventuate. An emergency came up and we had to leave on a moments notice. I would like to thank Nick and his family who own and operate VoliVoli Beach Resort. They have done a wonderful job of creating a unique and friendly place to visit. The food was great and the their company was most enjoyable.

We have to get back there and finish what we started and plans are already underway to do just that.

Tight Lines

VoliVoli Beach Resort

http://www.volivoli.com/

Volivoli Road
P.O. Box 417
Rakiraki
Fiji Islands

Email: info@volivoli.com
Resort: +679 669 4511
Fax: +679 669 4611

US contacts

Andy and Lynn Siebert
Scubaworld Sacramento Inc.
5114 Madison Avenue
Sacramento CA 95841

Email: dive@volivoliresort.com
Phone: 916/955-2038
Skype: lynn.siebert
Fax: 916/338-0277

Better late than never for Nick's second trip

noreply@blogger.com (Fish Whisperer) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 18:56:00 +0000

Ok, so I am a little late on this post. Ok, a lot late, but hey, I've been busy. Yeah that's it, busy. Doing what I'm not sure but it sounds good. Actually sometimes there just isn't enough hours in the day and sometimes I am just plain lazy/tired by the time I get home. Oh yeah and my mother came over to Fiji and we took a little fishing vacation, but that's the next post.

So any ways here we go, our last trip out with our good friend Nick from Marine Graphics Ink.

It was a beauty of a day, a little breeze and a little swell. We headed out to some new reefs that we sighted many moons ago. These particular reefs looked extremely fishy but if there is any wind or a big swell fishing them would be next to impossible as they are wide open to the SouthEast, the general direction of both win and swell.

We head out with visions of grandeur and bait breath.

It does not take long before the first fish is in the boat.

A Red Bass for Nick and excitement starts to build for a cracker day fishing.

From fishing with Nick 2 2011

Not to long to wait and Rosie brings one in also.

From fishing with Nick 2 2011

Now with everyone all excited and fired up you know what the inevitable is, the fish shut down.

All quiet.

Not even a look.

Soon the rhythm of casting takes over and it is time to put in the hard yards. I am not sure how long we went with out a bite but it was a while. As both warriors were starting to feel the weight of the big lures and the strain of keeping ones balance on a rocking boat.

Finally Nick gets another Red Bass to the boat.

From fishing with Nick 2 2011

Has the spell been broken?

Not just yet. It takes a bit more work and then Nick land a small Emperor.

From fishing with Nick 2 2011

At this point there is still excitement and high anticipation for our target fish.

Remember, these little fish are nice and all, but what we are after is in another class altogether. We are hunting Giant Trevally, pound for pound they are arguably the hardest fighting fish in the sea. And we have yet to catch one.

Back to casting.

Soon a little Bluefin Trevally is at hand.

From fishing with Nick 2 2011

Now at this point Nick has been using the same popper the whole time. It is a red and white Williamson Jet 07. And I might add he has gotten a little cocky with this particular color as it has been working quite well for him.

That is until he casts it onto the reef and it gets stuck.

Bye Bye popper.

Now he has to change poppers and readjust his popping style, as each popper works differently. Does this slow him down? Noooooooo he then goes on to hook a nice GT right on a group of bommies. The fight is on and as I move the boat into position Nick puts the hurt on the fish. This one is a better fish and it is fighting for it's life.

That is the beauty of GT's, they never give up until they hit the surface. They fight with every once of their strength. Alas freedom would only come once it's picture was taken with Nick.

From fishing with Nick 2 2011

We fished on after this, but it was a case of lock jaw and nothing else was landed.

I still think these are fishy grounds but need to work them a bit more.

Tight lines

$2.30 per liter and rising

noreply@blogger.com (Fish Whisperer) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 07:35:00 +0000

A good friend of mine, Nick Hannan of Marine Graphics Ink, is visiting from Melbourne, Australia. I have introduced him before. He is the one who helped create my logo and was featured on this site with his speed drawing videos.

We just had to go for a fish. After all, isn't that what life is about?

This day it would be Rosie, Nick, Brendan and myself. It was a beauty of a day, flat seas and no wind.

From Brendan and Nick Feb 2011

I have decided to do my part for the environment and conserve fuel. So when we head out we troll instead of running full speed to the reefs. Ok, actually I am just trying to ease the pain on my pocket book. Fuel here in Fiji is around $2.30 a liter and rising, so every little bit helps.

Anyways, we start trolling and everyones spirits are high. About 15 minutes out two of the rods go off. Now with our spirits high and all a bit of pandemonium breaks out. I don't think anyone was ready for a fish.

Luckily all on board are seasoned anglers and soon have the other lines cleared and two small Yellowfin Tuna are soon on deck.

From Brendan and Nick Feb 2011

Now everyone is tuned into fishing. We resume trolling and within minutes we have another strike. This one is a much better fish. It is taking line and Nick is on the rod. The fish finally slows down and Nick starts to gain back a bit. Then another run and...........gone! Bit right through the steel leader. Damn! Maybe a Wahoo or Spanish Mackerel.

That was it for the trolling. Time to popper fish.

To say we had a bit of gear on board would be an understatement. I think we each had three complete setups.

From Brendan and Nick Feb 2011

Nick and Rosie immediately get into casting big poppers trying to raise a GT. Brendan on the other hand decides to do a bit of jigging using a Lucanus jig by Shimano.

Now this kind of jigging is done by dropping the jig to the bottom and winding up a crank or two. That's it, just let the boat move up and down and the drift does the rest. It can be very deadly on grouper and cod.

At last, Brendan is hooked up and as he starts pumping his catch to the surface we all wait in anticipation.

Wow it's the fishes house!

From Brendan and Nick Feb 2011

As the popping session continues it seems there is a bit of lock jaw going on. Not only that but we barely raise a fish.

We cover a huge amount of ground until finally Rosie hooks a Bluefin trevally.

From Brendan and Nick Feb 2011

All goes quiet again as Rosie and Nick get into a rhythm of casting and popping to cover ground. Still, it seems as if the fish have gone on vacation. This continues for the next couple of hours until our two casting machines are pretty much done.

It is a big job casting 50lb gear all day.

Opportunity presented itself for yours truly to step up to the front of the boat and sling a few lures. Rosie and Nick were having a rest and Brendan was still jigging when I had Rosie take the wheel.

Now fishing is a fickle sport. Were as two people can throw the exact same bait to the same spot and one will catch and the other will get frustrated. Guess where this analogy is going.

I make a few casts and as it happens, I immediately get a nice strike and hook-up a GT. After a short fight I boat a nice GT and return to the wheel. Of course all of that happened with a lot of curses and prodding for catching a fish so quickly.

From Brendan and Nick Feb 2011

Well it turned out to be a good day once again. After all it beats work hands down.

Until next time. Tight lines

My Sunday church

noreply@blogger.com (Fish Whisperer) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 06:41:00 +0000

I have always said the center console of my boat is my pulpit.

Tight lines

Great day with a mixed bag

noreply@blogger.com (Fish Whisperer) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 07:47:00 +0000

We went fishing with our good friends Loren and Dollye. We had a beauty of a day, just a light breeze and clear sky. We started off the day with a bit of heavy tackle popping. The fish were there but they did not want to bite. It is a strange thing when the fish swim right up to the poppers and seem to play with them without actually biting.

After what seems like forever, Loren finally hooks up to a nice GT. Only problem is he has switched to 30lb gear and now he is in for the fight of his life. This big fish had him all over the place and just when Loren thought he was up on the fish, the fish reminded him who was boss. Loren persevered and eventually boated the GT.

From Jan 3rd 2011

Next up was Rosie. She is using 50lb gear but this brute of a GT is foul hooked and uses not only the current but the depth to try and put the hurt on her. Ahhh, but alas Rosie prevails and soon we have color next to the boat.

From Jan 3rd 2011

After much casting with little more to show Loren, hooks up to a nice Emperor and brings it in for a photo shoot.

From Jan 3rd 2011

Now during all of this Dollye is casting and popping for all she is worth. It is not to be on this particular day. Not for lack of trying or lack of spirit.

Here is a shot of Dollye in action while everyone else is relaxing.

From Jan 3rd 2011

We finished the day with a little bit of jigging. Not a lot happening there either but Rosie did land a nice grouper on a Lucanus style jig.

From Jan 3rd 2011

Here is the video of Loren and Rosie catching their GTs.

Until next time remember,

Fishing is not a sport it is a way of life.

Tight lines

The brutal bommies

noreply@blogger.com (Fish Whisperer) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 08:38:00 +0000

We went fishing with our friends Yuki, Jose and Maki. The weather was good, but the bite was not really hot.

Yuki had expressed a desire to fish among some bommies. For those who do not know what a bommie is. A bommie is a shallow piece of reef with some being close together and some far apart.

Below you can see small reef structures just below the surface, these are bommies. The splash is a popper doing what poppers do, POP!

From Yuki, Jose and Maki

When casting to GTs among bommies you have to change the style of fighting. You have in effect, given the fish and advantage. There are sharp edges everywhere, just waiting to cut your braided line. The fight, once hooked up to a GT, will be brutal at best. You have to keep the GT from getting you around a bommie and that will not be easy. Pound for pound they are one of the hardest fighting fish in the world.

If Yuki wants to fish the bommies, then why not? After all it is really addicting even if it is a bit costly in terms of lost gear.

Yuki and Jose surveying a good spot to cast to.

From Yuki, Jose and Maki

Looking out over a school of bait with birds that has just moved off of a bommie. Very fishy but no luck to be had here.

From Yuki, Jose and Maki

Yuki popping amongst the bommies.

From Yuki, Jose and Maki

Yuki with a really nice coral trout. Just goes to show what you can catch on a bommie.

From Yuki, Jose and Maki

Here is a quick video of Yuki catching the coral trout and then Yuki being taught a lesson about bommies by a GT.

Yuki did go on to redeem himself, but I feel that the agony of defeat never left him.

Bommies are the realm of heavy tackle and high drags, big hooks and tough leaders.

A nice bluefin trevally.

From Yuki, Jose and Maki

And finally a GT, not the behemoth that smoked him but a nice one.

From Yuki, Jose and Maki

Mr. Maki who has fished before but never for Giant Trevally was ready to go.

Rosie gave him a few instructions before showing him how to cast. On her first demo cast, she fires out a monster cast towards a bommie and as she pulls up the slack and gives the lure a pop, it gets smashed. She sets the hook before handing Mr. Maki the rod.

He puts up a good fight and soon enough we have a nice Job fish in the boat.

From Yuki, Jose and Maki

Mr. Maki then follows this up with a nice bluefin.

From Yuki, Jose and Maki

Then he proceeds to land another Job fish.

From Yuki, Jose and Maki

Unfortunately for Jose it was not to be.

We had a great day out and Yuki got to pop amongst the bommies.

Tight lines

Soft plastics with a bit of popper thrown in

noreply@blogger.com (Fish Whisperer) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 19:40:00 +0000

Some times one just needs to try new things in order to break out of a mold.

Rosie and I have been popper fishing for quite awhile now. As you know we love it and do alright in the fish category. The problem is, a lot of the better eating fish are found a little deeper in the water column. Therefore one must try a new style of fishing to get down were the tasty fish live.

So the plan is set to do a bit of deep water soft plastic jigging. Now I have read heaps, watched loads of videos and talked to everyone I know who does this type of fishing. I did not want to fail at this.

We head out of the break water to a flat sea with high hopes and new ideas.

From Soft plastic jigging

The first few spots and drifts produce nothing. We do however encounter a pod of spinner dolphins mucking around. Unfortunately for you all we are we too engrossed in fishing to shoot any photos of them.

We then move to an area that has a lot of small reefs in the 20 to 30mt range.

Jackpot!

Right away we find the fish and I work out the technique for catching them.

From Soft plastic jigging

A close up of this beautiful fish.

From Soft plastic jigging

Now that I have figured this out the fish start to come in with every drop of the jig.

From Soft plastic jigging

Now Charlie is getting in on the action.

From Soft plastic jigging

And then Rosie hooks up.

From Soft plastic jigging

Now young cousin Marky has figured it out and he starts to catch fish.

From Soft plastic jigging

We continue to catch these cods and trouts for awhile. Then Rosie gets bored with all this jigging and she starts popping.

Tossing around her popper on 30lb gear while surrounded by coral reefs that just beg to break you off.

Of course she is going to hook up. And it is going to be a big fish that takes every trick we know to extract it from the depths.

From Soft plastic jigging

Once we have settled down after Rosies GT the wind starts to really kick. It is getting rough but we fish on.

Of course Rosie is still throwing a popper with her 30lb gear and wouldn't you know it she hooks up to a really big fish this time.

I jump behind the wheel and the chase/fight is on. At first she thought it was foul hooked by the way the fish was fighting, but it turns out it was just a big GT. After a prolonged battle due to fish size and weather conditions we finally boat a big, fat and pregnant GT. We move quickly to minimize out of water time and snap a few pictures. Then with great fanfare she swims away strong.

From Soft plastic jigging

It has now become so rough that we are having trouble standing in the boat without hanging on. That is the sure sign to head for home.

Ice chest full of great eating fish and Rosie with sore arms.

A success by any measure.

Tight lines

Making up for lost time with Brendan and Al

noreply@blogger.com (Fish Whisperer) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 05:01:00 +0000

It has been too long since we had a good fish. So the best cure for that is to go fishing, and a fishing we went.

My good friend Brendan and his cousin Al, visiting from Hawaii, joined Rosie and myself for a bit of light tackle in shore fishing. Our target species for the day was, Bluefin trevally and Emperors. We were fishing with 15lb to 30lb line.

Let the fun begin.

First on the board was Brendan with a nice 5.5kg Bluefin.

From Brendan Al Rosie Callan

Then it was my turn. I am usually behind the wheel, but I try to steal a few casts here and there.

So, opportunity presented itself and I cast out with my 30lb gear, on the third pop, my lure gets smashed. At first the fish does not realize it has been hooked or doesn't care. It just keeps on swimming casually away.

Then I set the hooks and hold on, as what appears to be a good size GT, turns on the afterburners and tears off too an unseen, razor sharp, refuge.

The fight was exhilarating while it lasted, which was about 30 seconds.

That which connected me to the fish, parted.

The ever familiar sound of braid breaking, CRACK!

Damn, fish 1 Callan 0.

I sulk back to my place behind the wheel, humbled by a fish. Not just any fish, but a Giant Trevally. Pound for pound one of the hardest fighting fish in all the world.

Time for Al to get on the board. He is using a light 15lb set up.

When he hooks up, even to the small ones, it is a sight to see. Especially with a Brassy Trevally. They pull very hard for their size.

From Brendan Al Rosie Callan

Right about now I see another chance for me to get a quick cast in. I fire off a cast with a rather expensive lure. As I make my first pop my lure if hammered. I see the slab side of a Red Bass as it takes my lure and finds an unseen, razor sharp, refuge.

That which connected me to the fish, parted.

The ever familiar sound of braid breaking, CRACK!

Damn, fish 2 Callan 0.

I sulk back to my place behind the wheel, humbled by a fish. Granted, the Red Bass is no slouch. You get exactly 1.3 seconds to turn it towards the boat, if no? Then the ever familiar sound of braid breaking, CRACK!

So we now get back to the people that can actually boat fish.

That would be Al.

Here he is with a beauty of a Bluefin Trevally.

From Brendan Al Rosie Callan

Well now I am feeling a bit out of sorts. With two denied fish and all.

I see another chance, only this time my 30lb is not rigged so I grab my 15lb set up and fire a little stick bait on top of the reef.

I know, what the hell am I thinking, I have been smashed twice already on 30lb, why go to 15lb?

I cannot explain it, but it worked. I finally boat a small Brassy Trevally.

From Brendan Al Rosie Callan

Now Rosie has been a bit quiet up to this point. She has yet to get on the board.

Rest assured that is not going to last.

She manages to boat a nice Bluefin.

From Brendan Al Rosie Callan

Followed by another.

From Brendan Al Rosie Callan

And of course, two in a row was not quite enough to remind us who is boss. She goes and catches Black Tip reef shark.

Now that in and of itself is a good feat, but then Rosie informs me that she wants her popper back.

New ball game.

Namely teeth, and a lot of them, and they are really sharp.

After a great comedy of errors, we manage to extract her popper, leaving the shark without any fishing bling.

From Brendan Al Rosie Callan

All the while Al is quietly boating fish after fish.

From Brendan Al Rosie Callan

This one is a Big Eye Trevally.

From Brendan Al Rosie Callan

A view of our fishing grounds.

From Brendan Al Rosie Callan

And of course, as if to rub in the fact that I was smoked by a Red Bass, Rosie goes and catches a cracker of a specimen.

From Brendan Al Rosie Callan

A great time was had by all.

We enjoyed Al and his stories immensely.

My next post will be a brand new targeted species as well as a personal best for Rosie.

Until then,

Tight lines

Twisted Leaders Fishing Club Competition

noreply@blogger.com (Fish Whisperer) — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 08:21:00 +0000

Our newly formed fishing club just had its first fishing comp.

We had 57 entries and a total of 37 fish caught.

The rules were simple, no boats, nets, explosives or poisons allowed.

I put together this video collage with the best fish tale at the end.

Enjoy

Global Wetting

noreply@blogger.com (Fish Whisperer) — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 19:42:00 +0000

Oh the weather. Mother nature has a way of letting us know who is boss. She has been giving us the one, two punch combo for a couple of weeks now. If it is not raining it is blowing and when it stops blowing it starts raining. Ahhhhhhh......... global wetting.

Needless to say I have not been out much. I do not mind a little wind or rain but there comes a point when enough is enough.

Take for instance our last session out with Richard and his brother in-law Perry.

The plan was for us to fish on Thursday. A little heavy tackle a little light tackle, catch a few fish, have a good time.

I am up at 5am and head down to the water to see the conditions. Looks ok, but a little rough in the channel. I call Richard at around 6am and he says we go for it.

We load up the boat and head out.

It does not take long for the weather to head south on us and before we know it, everyone is wet from the rain. Credit must be given to Richard and Perry as they persevered in the wet and continued to fish.

From fishing with Richard

Richard in action with the reef barely visible in the background.

From fishing with Richard

Perry showing the proper way to cast in a tropical down pour. Notice you can not see the reef.

We were soon chased inside the reef as it got too rough and the wind was howling. Once inside we switched to lighter tackle and calmer waters. It was still tough going and in the end only one fish was brought to the boat.

From fishing with Richard

A small Bluefin Trevally.

We gave it our best shoot and stayed out until our underwear were wet. At that point I had to call it quits and Richard and Perry had to head of to the airport.

Our trip home was interesting. Zero visibility, driving rain and rough seas. Thank Garmin for GPS.

From fishing with Richard

Tight lines and dry skivvies

To film or not to film? That is the question.

noreply@blogger.com (Fish Whisperer) — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 08:49:00 +0000

We set out with the intention of filming some how to videos. How to tie a bimini, how to cast big poppers etc. Unfortunately our camera man brought his new fishing pole and wanted to give it a try. And who am I to say no you can not fish?

As we left the river mouth it looked to be a cracker of a day.

From Inshore with Brendan

But as usual that was just a teaser. Within 5 minutes the wind was blowing 20 knots and the chop had picked up. We headed to a sheltered bay to do a bit of filming. Brendan (the videographer) grabbed his new 15 lb rod and reel and proceeded to cast a small popper to the shallow reefs surrounding us.

Before I could tie a bimini twist he was on, and it was a good fish.

From Inshore with Brendan

The Trevally had him doing circles around the boat. I knew at that very instant that he would not be filming on this day. After a good fight by both angler and fish, the angler was victorious. A nice 4kg trevally.

From Inshore with Brendan

So it was to be, that Brendan was now sporting a grin that would not soon go away.

We then moved out to a bit deeper reef system which of course means a bit larger fish. Time to switch to the 30 lb gear. Of course just to make his point clear that he had no intentions on filming, Brendan went on to catch a very nice 6 kg Bluefin Trevally.

From Inshore with Brendan

Now this next picture of the same fish, only a close up, is for a reason. It is the last time Brendan's popper was ever seen.

From Inshore with Brendan

Very soon after a giant cod or Red bass engulfed the popper, split ring, and swivel in one smooth, explosive move. It bit right though the twisted double leader. Of course Brendan was devistated. I felt his pain for exactly one second, then I realized he would be buying another from my shop. I know, I'm a little bit evil.

Next up was Rosie with a nice Bluefin.

From Inshore with Brendan

Followed by another Trevally.

From Inshore with Brendan

Look closely at Rosie's popper because it is no more. Taken in the same unceremonious way as Brendan's. A big rampaging something that was unstoppable.

After all the fish these two were catching it made me hungry.

Corned beef and crackers, a clasic Fijian lunch.

From Inshore with Brendan

After lunch it was the captains turn to catch a fish, no matter how small.

From Inshore with Brendan

On our way home we tucked into a small sheltered bay again and Brendan proceeded to catch a few small Trevally's and a baby Goatfish.

From Inshore with Brendan

After that we pounded our way into the wind and chop to make it home before dark.

We had a great day despite no filming.

Oh and Brendan has decided he wants to go out again this Sunday, to fish.

Tight lines

Ika Tavu or Fish cooked on an open fire

noreply@blogger.com (Fish Whisperer) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 19:22:00 +0000

,There is a swell in Fiji. And I mean a big swell. Apparently there was a huge storm in New Zealand and it sent a giant swell to us. When I say giant I mean 4+ meters measured on the backside. That makes the face up to 8 meters. That's big. It also means we are not fishing out on the reefs, way too dangerous.

So we head down to a protected river mouth with a truck load of people, gear and the dog, for a Sunday on the beach.

We get to the beach at the bottom of the tide so we can fish the incoming. 15lb gear is on tap for the day and the first to jump on a hook is a Beltfish (Largehead Hairtail).

From Ika tavu

We have never caught one of these, so this creepy looking sea creature got us all excited. Luckily there was a fellow hanging around that new what it was and wanted it for his dinner.

We fished with such intensity that no fish had a chance if it even wanted to swim by.

From Ika tavu

A good friend Erik, showed up on his scooter and decided to stick around. We had an extra pole so he took it and proceeded to catch a nice Trevally.

From Ika tavu

We had plans for any fish we caught for today. Those plans involved a beach fire and a not so happy ending for the fish.

From Ika tavu

Preparing the feast.

From Ika tavu

I can taste it already.

From Ika tavu

Almost done.

From Ika tavu

It is amazing what you find inside the bellies of fish. This one had the stomache of the trevally bloated and misshapen.

From Ika tavu

Ahhhhhh Ika Tavu (fish cooked on the fire) with lemon and chillie.

From Ika tavu

Lou with one of the many catches of the day.

From Ika tavu

Tight lines

"Blowing dog's off chain's" or "Making the best of a windy situation"

noreply@blogger.com (Fish Whisperer) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 18:46:00 +0000

The weather, what can you say? It is what it is and I should be glad I am not cold. That being said, it has been blowing for a week and a half, non stop. My friend Brendan likes to say, "blowing dogs off chains", very appropriate.

We decided to skip work and go for a fish, after all, we own the business and it has been so long since we fished I needed to see if I still knew how.

We headed out at 7:00 on the nose. The water was rather calm and as I throttled up, I was thinking, this is gonna be good.

I wanted to try some new spots and since it was so calm I figured why not.

We headed East, got out side the reef and was met by a ferocious swell and a wind that was picking up. After about 5 minutes of running into this I decided to stop the boat and see just how rough it was. After all popper fishing involves standing while casting and retrieving.

It became very obvious that that was not going to happen out here. The boat was being tossed around like it was in a washing machine.

A quick change of plans and we headed back West to some familiar grounds that are fishable in wind and swell.

We finally arrived to the new spot and wasted no time in wetting our lines. Unfortunately there was no one there to bite.

We fished until the low tide then made the decision to move. Another 20 minute ride and we are at the new location. The tide is moving again and then the bite comes on.

First up is Loren, he catches his first GT on his new rod and reel.

From Loren Rosie Callan Sept 15th 2010

Rosie moves in to leader and land the fish.

From Loren Rosie Callan Sept 15th 2010

This is one happy camper.

From Loren Rosie Callan Sept 15th 2010

Next up, Rosie lands a Red Bass. Too bad they are poisoned.

From Loren Rosie Callan Sept 15th 2010

By now it is getting really rough outside of the reef so we decide to make a move inside and switch to lighter tackle, 30lb.

From Loren Rosie Callan Sept 15th 2010

First up is Loren again and he catches a whopper of a fish, a Leather Jacket.

From Loren Rosie Callan Sept 15th 2010

We manage to catch a few Bluefin Trevally's, the take home and eat size. Then Rosie hooks onto a large Red Bass that tries to pull her rod into the water. After a good fight she is smiling and the Bass is photographed and released.

From Loren Rosie Callan Sept 15th 2010

This is then followed by Loren getting smoked on some 8lb tackle. But it gave us all a good laugh.

Then in the worst possible location, with wind, tide and current all working in opposite directions, Rosie hooks up to a GT on her 30lb. Normally we would be fishing for GT's with 50-80lb tackle but not this time. A hell of a fight ensues and after nearly 8 minutes the fish is boated and Rosie is smiling again if not a little worse for wear.

From Loren Rosie Callan Sept 15th 2010

Here is a short video of the fight.

That finished us off for the day. Until next time.

Tight lines

"Who caught who" or "Pay back is hell"

noreply@blogger.com (Fish Whisperer) — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 18:52:00 +0000

I normally do not forward emails, but this one is a cracker. The names have been deleted to protect the innocent and guilty.

You may be forgiven for thinking that any man would look proud after catching a large barracuda as he poses with the fish and his 14 year-old daughter at the marina afterwards.

From barracuda bite

Then you may wonder why his daughter looks less than thrilled.

From barracuda bite

14 year old was sitting in a boat while her father fished. Suddenly she saw a silver flash in the air. The barracuda had thrown the hook and grabbed her arm.

Father managed to kill the fish with a knife in the head.

But she needed 51 stitches.

And he felt the need to pose for photos before taking her to hospital!

From barracuda bite

Tight lines