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Junior
teamwork
When Jerome Tranape set out for
a family fishing trip from Koumac
Harbour in the north of New
Caledonia, he did not realise how
much fun they were about to have.
On deck was his son Lucas, daughter
Jade and their friend Maitou.
The ocean was a sparkling sheet of
glass and they soon found a flock of birds
working over some fish. Hoping to catch
a small skipjack to use as a skipbait for
marlin, the boys set a Pakula ‘Uzi’ on a
50W Tiagra loaded with 37kg line. The
small lure bubbled away in the wake, set
close to the boat, until a large yellowfin
leapt through the surface to pounce on
the lure.
Jade raced to the flybridge to take the
helm from Jerome, who switched down
to help the boys in the cockpit. The reel
screamed as the tuna tore off 300m of line
on its initial run. The heavy drag proved
quite a challenge for the young boys, but
by taking turns and working together they
found a technique that worked. Within
30 minutes they had the yellowfin only
10m from the boat – but that’s when a
shark appeared and wanted a piece of the
action, snapping a mouthful from the belly
of the tuna. Jerome acted fast and within
moments the tuna was safely aboard. They
had plenty of stories to tell as they enjoyed
the delicious tuna for dinner that night.Monster GTs at Japan’s Tokara Island
On an April tackle-testing mission to Japan’s famed GT hotspot, Tokara Island,
BlueWater reader and tackle manufacturer Chaabi Mehdi experienced the most
amazing trip of his life. The weather was extremely challenging, with large seas,
rain and wind, but the fishing more than made up for any discomfort.
Over the four days they fished with the revered captain Kenzuburo Fukui aboard
Big Dipper, each member of the team caught several giant trevally in sizes that most
anglers can only dream of. Casting poppers and stickbaits around the island washes
was difficult from the pitching deck in the strong wind and racing current, but the
promise of a breathtaking surface strike kept the team in action.
Chaabi said Capt Fukui’s extraordinary skills and knowledge of GTs made all the
difference, turning the unpleasant weather conditions into a positive. In fact, the
captain said the weather was the primary reason the fishing was so good.Despite huge seas, wind and rain,
Chaabi Mehdi experienced the
best fishing trip of his life while
fishing with Capt Kenzuburo Fukui
around Japan’s famed GT hotspot,
Tokara Island.NEWSLINESWith teamwork,
Lucas and Maitou
made short work of this
surprise yellowfin off
New Caledonia, racing a
shark to get it aboard.