2009 Epic Adventure to Vanuatu - THE REPORT!
Jigging for Dogtooth Tuna and Popping for GT's in the sportfishing mecca of Vanuatu!!
Every year we escape New Zealand's winter and head to the sunny shores of Vanuatu for a weeks fishing. Over the previous six months I had talked enthusiastically to the group travelling over about what an awesome place Vanuatu is, and this trip definitely lived up to it - awesome fishing, great food, lovely locals, and an experience no one will forget! Here's a few photos and a bit of a diary from the trip. If you are keen to join us on our next Epic Adventure to Vanuatu then get in touch!!
SUNNY SHORES!!
We all met up in Vila on Saturday 25 August. Tony, Sabrina, Mike and myself flew over from Auckland, meeting up with Jules who flew in from Sydney. Tony fishes with us in Tairua regularly and owns YeeHaa fishing tackle in Auckland, and I could have sworn the plane had a slight lean to one side from all the jigs, popper, rods and reels which were packed for the trip! Pete from Nautilus, our skipper picked us up and filled us in on some of the great fishing they had had of late.
We had a day and a half to chill out before we boarded Pete's Blackwatch 34ft sportfisher for the fishing adventure, so we made the most of it, and I teed up a ride on a local bus and took the guys to one of my favourite spots close to town, Hideaway Island.
This place is just awesome with the sea lapping at your feet, a marine reserve teeming with fish to snorkel with and awesome food. It was just awesome to throw off the shirt and feel the sand between the toes after NZ's winter!!
We tucked into a few curries, enjoyed a few drinks and swum in the luscious water....mmmmm awesome!!!
The team shot! Jules, Mike, Tony, and Sabrina
That night we headed out to a favourite haunt of mine, the Waterfront. We knew we had plenty of fish meals ahead of us, so we made the most of some of Vanuatu's prime beef (the cattle get to roam around eating cocounts, mangos and pawpaw, so you can imagine what they taste like!), with ribs, steak, and of course Tony had to tuck into some local crayfish!! Before we hit the hay, we did a check of all our gear and rigged a few things for the carnage that lay ahead!
Sunday I sorted some transport up to Havvanah harbour, one of the hidden jewels just north of Port Vila where we got a local in a Banana Boat to take us to Pauls Rock, the most amazing spot you will find for snorkelling or diving on the coast of Efate. We saw turtles, GT"s and a huge groper, and a few casts on the way back to shore, Tony hooked and lost two big GT's. By this time everyone was fizzing about what lay ahead. That night we dined at L'Houstalet, a favourite French restaurant and once again this food was superb!
Our vessel for the trip was supposed to be Shogun, which we use every year, but a niggly port engine the week prior meant Capt. Pete chose to move all his gear on to sister ship V Factor, which he took over and skippered for the duration of the trip. The move was seamless and with pretty much an identical boat to work with we were off as planned on Monday morning bright and early. Johnny Moore V Factors owner and decky Sammy from Shogun (who has probably seen more big game fish than most other deckys in the world in his long run of decky jobs in Vanuatu) made up the crew. A hell of a lot of planning goes into these trips by Pete and Leanne as they suss out lunches, breakfast and dinner and all the other supplies required for 5 days in some very remote parts of Vanuatu
EARLY MARLIN!!
We set the lures, the first day was pretty much a trolling day up the Marlin Highway towards Undine Bay and our first stop for the trip, Kakula Island. 45 minutes in, we approached the TukuTuku FAD, and Sabrina had just gone on to her time in the chair when something popped the long corner out of the clip. Everyones heads shot back into the lure pattern looking for a fish, and then the Lumo Sprocket on the long rigger on the port side was smashed out of the rigger and line started pouring from the Shimano 50W. After peeling off 100m of line, all of the sudden a BIG Blue Marlin appeared on the starboard side, three waves from the stern and charging the boat!!! It was awesome to see this fish up so close, it was deep and a solid fish, and animal of a marlin thrashing around everywhere, but I was quietly gutted with myself as I stood there gobsmacked without a camera in my hand as several awesome photo opportunities went amiss. Pete gunned the boat, the fish cleared out the back and all the gear was cleared and we settled into what we thought would be a long fight, with 800m of line out the back. Plenty of backing up followed and Sabrina did an awesome job on the rod and ree. This is Vanuatu's true colours - at times the place is just teeming with marlin and the amount of guys I have seen hook a fish within minutes of leaving port would make the seasoned marlin fishermen sick!!
Tony giving Sabrina a few tips!!
Into granny gear as the fish goes deep!!!
The blue marlin plugged down deep and just as we thought we were getting some headway the hooks pulled! Bugger. Oh well, we had seen this awesome beast up close and so early in the trip. The lures were set again and we passed Hat Island and Lelepa Island. All of a sudden as we motored along both Pete and myself noticed a strange movement in the boat, as if something had fouled on the propellors, we both looked at each other strangely, and Sammy the decky piped up that is was probably an earthquake, sure enough, texts started coming in on their phones that every one back in town had felt a large earthquake, - we couldn't quite believe that we had felt it twenty miles out to sea! It pretty much buggered up the surface action for the rest of the trip (but as you'll see didn't harm the GT and doggie action in the slightest!!)
HEAVY METAL TIME!!
As we neared the Moso FAD, Pete told us to rig up our jigging gear (we had taken about a dozen sets over with us) as there were probably mahimahi around the FAD. It didn't take many drops of the heavy metal before Jules hooked a nice 'dollie' which put on an awesome display of aerial antics!!!
You can't quite beat the colours of these fish - an we had some very nice eating in the bin for dinner!!
Later that afternoon we pulled into Undine Bay and just off Nguna Island we had another jigging session that produced plenty of solid hook ups, some screaming reels and smoking reels - but one bust off after another!!!! Most of the culprits were wahoo, but several had all the signs of being dogtooth tuna, including one doggie which we estimated at 20kg which we got boatside when it bit through the kevlar. Pete pointed V Factor towards Kakula Island and we landed on what only can be described as utter paradise. A long stretching white sand beach with shallow clear water all around it, and palm tree lining the island. The lodge is a hidden jewel rarely visited and we dine like cheifs on mahimahi sashimi, crumbed veal, seared mahimahi and wasabi potato mash.
We headed off early the next morning with plenty of jigging ahead and a long trip to Epi Island, this hot looks back out Undine Bay towards Nguna Island.
We pointed our nose east out the back of Emae Island and towards a seamount 20 miles east. It was slightly reminiscent of our daily run out to the Alderman Pins...except this seamount was coming out of 1000m!!
GREEN AND GOLD MAGIC
We arrived at the seamount and Pete commented on the lack of birdlife, but that didn't stop something pouncing on the lures. It had all the hallmarks of a yellowfin tuna, and Pete kept the boat going at full speed to provoke another strike.....TWO ON!!!!......and he kept going with two reels now emptying at a rate of knots....THREE ON!!!!
Tony had taken over a few Mouldcraft lures to give to Pete, and the Black and Green and hooked the first fish - what awesome colours!!!!
Jules fish of around 20kg
And Mike nabs his first fish of the trip
With a treble of yellowfin between 15kg and 20kg you know you're going to be eating pretty well tonight!!
We had another jigging session which went something like Dogtooth 12 - Team Epic 0.
One of the fish looked like it was under control on the Stella at full drag only to hit the after burners and smash the reef after peeling off 40m of line at full drag. Time to take stock. It would be fair to say we learnt a lot from that session and while we had had plenty of advice before the trip that kevlar cord assist hooks are OK for doggies, we started to agree with Pete that wire is the only way to go!!!
It was time to point the nose towards Epi Islands, our home for the next three nights. We passed some insane territory on the way up, including Cooks Reef, which is deserving of a day spent popping on its own (NEXT TRIP!!) and we salivated about what was in store at Epi.
DAY OF THE GIANTS!!!!!!!
After a night in Lamen Bay dining on yellowfin sashimi and some treats cooked up by the local village, we headed toward the Maskelyne Islands. Popping for GT's was the name of the game today!!
We started at the 'Eastern Channel' and worked our way a long a very long reef system which lies in front of the islands. Pete had a good system sorted with three guys rotating in the cockpit as we worked along the reef. Here Tony casts his pride and joy brought especially for the trip - a Smiths Komodo Dragon popping rod and Stella 10000SW.
He was hooked up pretty quickly and an awesome fight in 10m of water produced out first GT of the trip.
The popper was a Yo Zuri Sashimi in Black and Red. This was to be the HOT popper for the trip.
The GT gets released back into the water by Sammy....
This is a sight that would get any popping enthusiast salivating!!!
Sabrina was hooked up next....hooked in the breakers....T Curve popping rod, Saragosa 8000 and a Blackwatch pulling a GT towards deeper water with the reel HOWLING!!!!
Sabrina does well in the final stages of the fight.....
And an BIG GT hits the deck....SAME POPPER!!!!
Sabrina pretty happy with her catch!!!
Tony even happier!!!!
Tony was hooked up on another Giant Trevally next but this one was gonna end in tears......BUSTED!!!
We headed to a seamount outside the reef next and a bit of jigging as in order, first drop Jules hooked a tasty jobfish for the table. These are one of the few reef fish (ie non pelagic fish) that are safe for eating in the tropics.
Jules again gets his T Curve and Saltiga reel to work on a bigger fish, the howling reel had all the hallmarks of another GT
Jules' GT caught on a Smiths jig in silver
A quick photo before release
As Jules fish was being played the skipbait we had on the surface sank beneath the surface and all of a sudden the line sprung out of the rigger and reel howled, it went into gear and Tony had his hands full!!! Reel at sunset, thumbs hard down on the spool and still line was pouring off the reel as Pete gunned the boat towards deeper water....the result was a GIANT trevally!!
Tony pretty happy with a GT of 25kg.
It was Mike's turn next, first a GT
SOMEONE FINALLY LET THE DOGS OUT TO PLAY!!!
And just before we were about to call it quits for the day, I changed Mike's jig to a KV 200gm Blue jig I had bought from YeeHaa especially for the trip (I had an inkling it had doggie written all over it!) firs bounce and the JM 300 bent in half and line started pouring from the Ocea Jigger. It looked very much like a Dogooth and sure enough a long shape appeared under the boat and we had broken our doggie curse!!
That set the flood gates open the next day at the De Chauliac Bank....
This one fell to a black Broken Arrow, treble rigged at the bottom, on wire trace......r
Mike accounted for another FAT doggie.....and we had a bust off right by the boat on one which would have gone 30-40kg. Stella was fulled locked up and it was a heavy fish but once again bit through kevlar right by the boat....!!!!
We couldn't help but return to the same reef from the day before and Tony was hooked up, same style popper Yo Zuri sashimi, different colour (blue, gold and red head)
Tony pretty happy with his biggest popper caught GT
Our third and last night in Cheif Tasso's hut in Lamen Bay will be remembered fondly, as we celebrated Independence Day with the locals, Cheif Tasso had made some of his local island village Grapefruit homebrew!!! Went down very well!!!!
A bif of a sing along with the locals!!
Sabrina and our host on Lamen Island, Cheif Tasso. In the words of Tasso "tonight we have small party. Not tomorrow , not yesterday, JUST TODAY!!"
Sammy is one of the best deckies I have come across and a top bloke.
The last day we trolled home and the marlin were still elusive, the earthquake and volcanic activity really seemed to put the surface fish off the bite, but the jigging and popping was some of the best I have come across. Just got to land more of those big doggies next time!!!
Jules accounts for a nice mahimahi on the way home which was desitined for the ritual Nautilus Friday night BBQ on our last night before flying out
Last fish of the trip, not far off the BBQ!!!
We'll be returning to Vanuatu again next year, and the plan is to do a similar trip with plenty of jigging and popping for GT's and doggies, and hopefully account for a few more marlin next trip as well. The plan for next year is to charter two boat - Shogun and V Factor and run a mini tournament between the two boats. If you are keen to be a part of our next Epic Adventure to Vanuatu then get in touch with us now as the 2010 trip will fill up quick!!!
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