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INTERNATIONAL| HOT BITES
3 NEW ZEALAND:A crazy season
This has been an interesting
season in most every respect.
We’ve alternatively suffered
four cyclones and then glassy
conditions. Our normally
prevalent striped marlin have
been in short supply, while
blues abounded, and despite
stunningly beautiful warm water there’s been very few dolphinfish
about. Outsized specimens of all pelagic species have been caught,
including blue and black marlin plus broadbill to nearly 400kg, striped
marlin over 190kg and yellowfin tuna to 90kg (as pictured). All we
need is some consistency, which thus far has been sadly lacking.
There’s every chance the season will extend into early winter,
producing superb striped marlin fishing to augment day-dropping for
swordfish – with our southern bluefin tuna season shortly thereafter.
Capt Rick Pollock –Pursuit
Email: [email protected]2 FIJI:Casting to yellowfin
As anticipated, schools of
big yellowfin tuna followed
the migrating run of sardines
further south in recent
months, giving the charter
fleet fishing around Beqa and
Kadavu Islands some great
top-water action.
Many anglers battled yellowfin up to 70kg on spin tackle after
casting surface lures into busting schools of tuna.
The blue marlin bite has also been consistent, with two to three
bites per day from fish in the 150kg range for those trolling wide
of the bait shoals.
Over the coming months we’ll see the first schools of huge
migrating wahoo and sailfish as they begin to pack up along the
outer reef edges and islands when the water temperatures cool.
Capt Jaga Crossingham – Kokomo Private Island
Email:[email protected]1 MAURITIUS:A great summer
Many blue marlin were caught or released
during our peak summer marlin season
of January and February. Some huge fish
were also lost after long fights. March then
delivered a reasonable run of yellowfin tuna
in the 50 to 90kg range, and dolphinfish
have now started to show in good numbers.
We expect more dolphinfish, and perhaps
another yellowfin run, as the water cools
over the coming months.
Long-range trips to fish the northern
seamounts continue to produce good
yellowfin, wahoo and sailfish, as well as
black and blue marlin. Grander blue marlin can be caught during
any month off Mauritius, so we’re hoping the coming winter will
give us at least one.
Capt Gérald Wiehe – Aquila Fishing Mauritius
Email:[email protected]Warm ocean currents(approx.only) Cool ocean currents(approx.only)
4 TONGA:Blues and tuna
With water temperature of
27.5°C, a strong south-west
current and loads of bait, the
fishing has been hot. All the
common pelagics are about in
reasonable numbers, feeding
among schools of yellowfin,
kawakawa and small skipjack
tuna. The hotspot for blue marlin in the 100 to 150kg range has
been the Hunga drop-off on the 500m contour line. There’s a few
sailfish about with an average size of 35kg, plus dolphinfish to
15kg, wahoo to 18kg and yellowfin around 12kg plus a few in the
40kg range.
June will see cooler waters of 24-25°C and the start of bigger
concentrations of sailfish and blue marlin, with late June expected
to produce blues in the 300kg-plus range off Vava’u.
Capt Steve Campbell –Blue Marlin Magic
http://www.bluemarlinmagic.fishing