May 2010

May weather was reasonably settled with enough good days to venture just about anywhere to fish. The water temperature is still dropping and by month’s end it hit 26 degrees. The predominate SE trades have kicked in and the current is running South West which all meant another good run of Blues and some respectable Mahimahi catches.

Billfish Action ......... May can be a bit slow but this season it’s still firing with a lot of good sized Blues from 200kg plus down to 80kg. The middle ground and Western Sea Mount held good concentrations of Blues feeding on massive schools of Skipjack and Kawakawa. The visiting sport fisher ‘Dream’in On’ - 85ft from Alabama, USA had a ball and on their best day they raised seven Blues. They  fished  Vava’u for around 3 weeks and they averaged a marlin plus a day together with a few good Yellow Fin, Mahimahi & Wahoo. Live-baiting was very productive and the best for the month was a 211kg Blue, solo fisherman effort. Sails were hard to find and only two were reported for the month.

Yellow Fin Action ...... One 50kg and a couple reported in at 20kg -25kg range but mostly school size all around 8kg. Some very big work ups out west and Reel Addiction managed to pull two Big Eye Tuna out of a work out. There are very few instances in Tongan waters where Big Eye are caught by recreational tackle as they are usually in deep, cold water thermacylines.  

Wahoo Action ............ Find the bait and right on the edge you find the teeth brigade. Nothing huge but quite a few fish around in the 20kg range. Consistent catches reported from around the FAD area and on top of the western sea mount.

Mahimahi Action ........ A big improvement in abundance and some very impressive catches.   A lot of the fish reported were all around the 16kg -18kg size with a few whoppers in the 21 - 23kg range. The bigger fish were also taking slow trolled live skipjack which became a bit of a problem for one boat trying to target Blues. The Bull Mahimahi continually harassed the baits, mauled them and beat the marlin to the bait.  

GT Action .......... A few fish good fish reported in the 15kg -20kg plus size one whopper all taken on Poppers.

Reef Fishing ........  Coral Trout seemed to be the flavour of the month with one fish reported at 10kg. Emperor species were also in good numbers jigging and baits producing consistent catches.  

New Records for the Month ....

Mahimahi 22.5kg on 15kg - Angler  Norie Blanks  - Target One.    A great effort producing a New Woman’s National & Club line class and an “All Tackle Record” for the club..

Mahimahi 21kg on 60kg – Angler Craig Carlson – Reel Addiction     Club & National Record

Big Eye Tuna 7.1kg – Angler Steve Campbell – Reel Addiction         Club & National Record

Big Eye Tuna 7.8kg on 37kg Angler Glenn Huber - Reel Addiction   Club & National Record

Skipjack 4.10kg on 1kg – Angler Steve Campbell – Reel Addiction     Club & National Record

Giant Trevally 37.5kg on 60kg – Angler Kurt Carlson – Lupo               Club & National Record

Mangrove Jack 6.8kg on 37kg – Angler James Taylor – Dora Malia      Club & National Record

Emperor Longface  6kg on 37kg – Angler James Taylor – Dora Malia  Club & National Record

Whale sightings ..... one Humpback has been verified in Vava’u waters and Henk Gros on “Target One” had a spectacular experience with a pod of Sperm Whales playing around his boat. The pod included young calves showing no fear of the vessel. Sperm Whales do not tend to spend too much time in Vava’u waters – moving on same day. Spinner Dolphins also about in small pods .... seen playing and bow riding boats in Hunga Lagoon. These pods also had very young calves.

Visiting Yachts ..... the last week of May saw the arrival of quite a few international sailing vessels and over the next few months Vava’u is likely to host up to 150 plus vessels.

The Return of Boris ....   Capt. Boris & the Team on Levenuella won the 2009 TIBT and the coveted invitational prize to fish the IGFA Offshore World Championship held in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The fishing was slow by Cabo standards but they had a ball, met a lot of good people from all round the globe and even managed to catch a few fish. The Team by all accounts made a good impression and were great ambassadors for Tonga Tourism and our fishery.

Tournament Dates for 2010 –   Pencil them In NOW  .........

19^th Tonga International Billfish Tournament – September 17^th – 22^nd

 New Zealand Fishing News Tournament – October 21^st – 28^th

Tonga National Tournament – 27^th November, 3^rd & 4^th December

 Steve Campbell

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It is that time of year again and one wonders where all the days have gone.

It has been one of the better fishing years with some notable catches and exceptional Tournament fishing.

On behalf of the VSFC & Members all the best for the Festive Season and we hope to see you back in Vava’u in 2010.

December ...09 the fishing has been hot with another great month for Billfish, Mahimahi and the occasional big Yellow Fin. The highlight of the month was the Tonga National Tournament, a three day line class event fishing 10kg to 60kg.

A number of anglers were first time game fishing, we had 5 junior anglers and this year we had our first all women team fishing on "Proteus".

Billfish Action ..... Another great month with fish everywhere throughout the fishery.

Most of The Blues were between 80kg and 140kg with a few bigger fish in the 200kg range. 4-6 bites a day was common and a few lucky anglers managed to catch 4 blues in a day. A new 10kg line class record for a blue was caught aboard Hakula.

Lure fishing has been very productive but the smaller fish have been hard to hook. Live baiting with skipjack and small Y/F has been dynamite with the occasional Sail taking a bait. No Sailfish pack attacks reported but quite a few fish caught in the 40kg range. No Black or Striped Marlin reported. Shortbill Spearfish also turn up in the December period but no catch or sightings reported.

Yellow Fin ...... This time of year usually produces some great Y/F in the 70kg plus range but to date the biggest for the month went to Kiwi Magic with a 58kg fish.

A few other reports of 30kg – 40kg fish and all the balance have been smaller school fish up to 10kg. A few Shark problems around the FAD .... those Bronze Whalers love those Yellow Fin.

Wahoo ..... A few reports of pack attacks in deeper water ..... lost or damaged lures

Being the result. Most fish in the 12kg range and the heaviest for the month wascaught by Henk Gros at 18kg.

Mahimahi..... Lots of schools about especially around the FADs with most around the 8kg – 10kg size. Full of Flying Fish and small squid and strip baiting very productive.

New Line Class Records for the month....

The Percy boys were at it again and they both performed well in the National Tournament in achieving the following new records.

Ben Percy (Small Fry Angler) 9.90kg Mahimahi on 15kg

Joshua Percy (Junior Angler) 73.7kg Blue Marlin on 37kg

Steve Bracken 48.5kg Blue Marlin on 10kg

Summary of the Seasons Record Books .....

VSFC Mens Section ... 22 New Club Records

18 to Reel Addiction, 3 Target One & 1 Hakula

VSFC Womens Section.... 14 New Club Records

12 to Reel Addiction & 2 for Kiwi Magic

VSFC Junior Section ...... 10 New Club Records

6 to Hakuna Matata, 3 Reel Addiction & 1 Kiwi Magic (A pending World Record)

TIGFA National Records

Mens Section ..... 8 New National Records

6 to Reel Addiction, 1 Target One & 1 Hakula

Womens Section ..... 5 New National Records

5 to Reel Addiction

Junior Section ...... 4 New National Records

2 to Hakuna Matata, 1 Kiwi Magic & 1 Reel Addiction

2009 Current Records for VSFC & TIGFA
Line Class Records	Reel Addiction	Kiwi Magic	Target    One	Hakula	Dora Malia	Hakuna Matata	Proteus	All Others
VSFC	72	13	17	14	2	9	2	6
TIGFA	38	31	31	22	2	2	2	89
	1st	3rd	2nd
Grand Total	110	44	48	36	4	11	4	110
All Tackle Records	Reel Addiction	Kiwi Magic	Target One	Hakula	Dora Malia	Hakuna Matata	Proteus	All Others
VSFC	23	3	4	7	0	1	2	9
TIGFA	11	7	5	9	0	2	2	32
	1st	3rd		2nd
Grand Total	34	10	9	16	0	3	2	42
As at 18/12/2009

 

Meritorious Catches for the season

Heaviest Marlin for the season

Henk Gross – Target One - Angler Graham Clarke 325kg Blue on 60kg

Heaviest Yellow Fin

Steve Campbell – Reel Addiction - Angler Steve Campbell 94.3 kg on 37kg

Pending World Record Sailfish

Keith Mckee - Kiwi Magic - Small Fry Angler R. Downs Honey 46kg on 24kg

Billfish Light Tackle

Jeff Le Strange – Hakula – Angler Steve Bracken 48.5kg Blue on 10kg

Vava’u Sport Fishing Club – 2009 Season Awards

Awards based on: Resident Club Member, IGFA Rules /Catch Sheet & the fish going line weight Tag & Release is a separate award based on the number of Tag & Releases

Highest Scoring Club Angler Steve Campbell
Highest Scoring Tuna Angler Steve Campbell
Highest Scoring Junior Angler Joshua Percy
Highest Scoring Wahoo Angler Henk Gros
Highest Scoring Marlin Angler Sunny Hannif
Highest Scoring T&R Angler Steve Campbell
Special Recognition Awards Baker Harding Watch Dog
Chris Chapkoun Weigh Master
Nora Chapkoun Recorder Scorer
Hard Luck Award Jeff Le Strange 447kg B/Marlin – "But No Record"
Hard Luck Consolation Award Todd & Ki’i Hip Hop ABS
Heinz Memorial Trophy Steve Campbell

Tournament Boat Winners for 2009 Season

Tonga Int. Billfish Tournament

1^st Boris Von Engelbretchen – "Lavenuella"

2^nd Steve Campbell - "Reel Addiction"

3^rd Ross Knutson - "Escapade"

NZ Fishing News Tournament

1^st Steve Campbell – "Reel Addiction"

2^nd Target One – Henk Gros

3^rd Hakuna Matata – Lole Lui

Tonga National Tournament

1^st Henk Gross – "Target One"

2^nd Steve Campbell – "Reel Addiction"

3^rd Sunny Hannif – "C’scape"

Charter Fleet - Billfish Tally for the 2009 Season

"Reel Addiction" for the 9^th Consecutive Season caught the most billfish in the Kingdom of Tonga of which 97% were tagged & released.

Tournament Dates for 2010 – Pencil them In NOW .........

20^th Tonga International Billfish Tournament – September 17^th – 22nd

New Zealand Fishing News Tournament – October 21^st – 28th

Tonga National Tournament – 27^th November, 3^rd & 4^th December

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November ...... Another great month fishing with most species present in good concentrations. The billfish bite has been phenomenal with 4-6 bites a day and at the end of November the Big Yellow Fin had just started to arrive.

The National Tournament started on 28^th November and ‘Day One’ in Vava’u waters, a lot of action with 23 confirmed billfish strikes.

Billfish Action .... What a season here in Vava’u - it has truly been world class fishing over the last 4 months and it just gets better and better. Blue Marlin are thick throughout the fishery with fish in the 80kg-250kg plus range. Now that the Yellow Fin have arrived we anticipate even better fishing with a few bigger Blues about.

Sails have also turned up in reasonable numbers with fish caught in the 40kg plus range. Very slow for Black Marlin ... not sure why as there has been acres of bait especially down the Bank area which is prime hunting grounds.

Mahimahi ...... Good concentrations of reasonable fish in the 12kg-16kg size with the best fishing around the FADS but ..... a few problems with Bonze Whalers. The Whalers are always amongst the Yellow Fin so on hook up you have to get them in very fast otherwise it is ..... fish head soup for dinner.

Small Fry angler ... Ben Percy has been at it again - on day one of the Nationals he bettered his own Mahimahi Record on 15kg. ( See Full Report - December Newsletter)

Wahoo .... Watch out around the yellow fin action as the Wahoo are right amongst them and they love those plastics..... ‘Target One’ had three lures destroyed in one attack. Fish in the 12kg range being caught with a few bigger fish up to 16kg.

Yellow Fin .... A few good fish being caught right at the end of the month which means December should be really hot. Kiwi Magic had a good day nailing two fish in the 50kg range, with another big fish crashing the pattern but not hooking up.

The middle ground is looking good with acres of birds working the schools and live-baiting big Yellow Fin is sure to produce some great catches.

GT Action .....With settled weather bringing calmer seas, the GT grounds have produced a few good fish in the 20kg plus size. December – March is a great time for GT’s and if the weather remains kind it is a good period to chase that trophy fish.

2009 IGFA Offshore World Championship

The ‘Cabo Raiders’ team representing Tonga made up of Martin Askes, Gary Krom, Owen Reynolds, Rodney Howard and Steve Campbell participated in the event but never featured in the fishing stakes. The Team Captain stated ... we had a few chances but just could not deliver the goods when it counted. It is a very different type of fishing to what we are used too and it all comes down to technique – we promise to do better when we get the next opportunity.It was a wonderful experience to fish the most prestigious event in the world – IGFA organised a fantastic event and it is truly the best event of the year in fishing circles.

Cabo Team Takes the IGFA Offshore World Championship Title on the Final Day of Fishing Cabo San Lucas, Mexico - The team representing the World Championship Billfish Release Tournament found themselves in the right place at the right time on the final day of the 10th annual IGFA Offshore World Championship. The team scored an epic eight marlin releases on the last day of fishing and vaulted into the top spot overall. Their local knowledge helped as they finished the event with 14 releases worth 4,200 points. Gonzalez caught 13 of the team's billfish to secure him the high-point angler award as well. For their first-place finish, the team won an armful of prizes, including the coveted trophies sculpted by Australian artist Bodo Muche, championship rings crafted by Mark Lloyd of Vanmark Jewelry, Reactor diamond championship watches, Guy Harvey giclee prints of the painting Cabo Blue, a full set of embroidered championship Hook & Tackle apparel, Fin-Nor rod-and-reel combos, Costa Del Mar sunglasses, Momoi fishing line and a Tormenter lure kit. In second place, the team representing the Presidential Challenge of Guatemala released a total of eight striped marlin and three sails to score 3,000 points. For their impressive performance, the team won Bodo Muche sculptures, giclee prints of the Guy Harvey piece Who's Next, Fin-Nor rod-and-reel combos, Reactor watches, Costa Del Mar sunglasses and Momoi fishing line. The XLVI Torneio Annual de Peixes de Bico ICRJ-Brazil finished with 2,700 points and third place overall, just edging out the team from Trinidad and Tobago by one marlin release. Finishing in third, the team won Bodo Muche sculptures, giclee prints of Guy Harvey's Blue Tango, Fin-Nor rod-and-reel combos and Momoi fishing line. Hernando Gonzalez of the World Championship Billfish Release Tournament sailed away to a surmounting lead in the high-point-angler category with 3,900 points. Capt. Ivan Gomez, who runs the 45-foot Cabo express Chaos, won the coveted top spot in the captain's division, tallying 11 striped marlin releases for 3,100 points. The second-place captain, Capt. Javier Bertini, released nine striped marlin on the 31 Bertram Rantin N Ravin Capt. Ulises Cadena of Grey Light guided the winning team to eight releases on the final-day event, helping him win third place in the captain's standings with 2,400 points. In the game-fish division, Mick Thompson of the International Governor's Cup team caught his 32-pound Dorado for first place, just edging out Kilgore for second place and Scott O'Reilly of the GFA of Papua New Guinea National Titles landed a 31-pound dorado to finish in third place. O'Reilly also caught a 38-pound wahoo to win first place in the wahoo category. Robert Mayor of the Marlin Masters Tournament brought in a 25-pound wahoo to take second place, winning a King Sailfish trophy and Tormenter lure kit. In all, it was an extremely successful event with teams from nearly 20 countries around the world fishing together in the incredible setting that is Baja California Sur. The 42 teams in the 10th annual IGFA Offshore World Championship released 53 marlin and one sail on the final day of fishing, bringing the four-day total to 199 billfish overall. Special events included a festive kickoff party, IGFA silent auction nights, a casting competition sponsored by Oakley, a roosterfish tournament, a snorkel cruise and awards party second to none. Anglers casted to targets during the kickoff party, with the winners walking away with great prizes including Oakley sunglasses and Accurate rod-and-reel combos. Angler Steve Levi from the Mobile Big Game Fishing Club took top honors. Oakley also sponsored the noonday report, with four lucky anglers winning a random draw for some great shades. In the roosterfish competition, the largest roosterfish went to Eddy Thompson of the Mobile Big Game Fishing Club who caught a 37-inch fish. Thompson went home with a beautiful King Sailfish Mounts roosterfish trophy and Oakley sunglasses. In the most roosterfish release category, Anne Horton of the Int. Roosterfish Tournament in Mexico won with 15 releases. Horton also received a King Sailfish Mounts roosterfish trophy and Oakley sunglasses. The IGFA Offshore World Championship is all about sportsmanship, and with that in mind, one team also took home a newly added Sportsmanship Award. The Salmon Masters Team from Canada, including George and Lisa Cuthbert, Nadine and Christine Baere and Ted Otness, won King Sailfish marlin plaques, earrings from Vanmark Jewelry and Oakley sunglasses for their honesty and good sportsmanship. The tournament is a 30-pound-test event, but the Salmon Masters team accidentally caught a doubleheader of marlin on line over 30-pound-test. Rather than try to sneak it by the committee, the team disqualified their catch themselves. This act is a testament to the fine anglers who compete in this prestigious event. The IGFA Offshore World Championship represents the largest international field of competitors in the world of offshore sport fishing. The 42 teams participating in the event represent 19 countries around the globe, including Australia, Tonga, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, the United States and more. With such a wide international field of competitors, the Offshore World Championship has earned the title of the "Olympics of Offshore Fishing."

Local Tournament News

The Tonga National Tournament finishes on the 5^th December so look out for the full report in the December issue of Tonga Fish Tales

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October ...... billfish everywhere following on from the exceptional hot bite during September. A lot of squid and bait holding well throughout the fishery and some very big Blues about .... see below.

The highlight of the month was the 10^th NZ Fishing News Tournament – one of the best on record for the event. (Full details in the forthcoming November issue of NZ Fishing News Magazine)

Billfish Action .... Great fishing with lots of fish, most of which were around the 100kg size with a few good blues about in the 200kg range. The hot bite was found down the South Bank area and one boat scored 15 blues in three days fishing.

Several good Sails were reported in the 45kg-50kg range and one Striped Marlin also recorded.

Big Blue .... beats the angler and crew .......

Big fish are hard to find let alone catch and when Hakula found one on the way back from an offshore island trip, skipper Jeff Le Strange knew he had his hands full. After one and a half hours on 60kg line class and with 800 meters of line out, the fish died deep down and then the winching began. Compounded with a chair gimble problem, the fight proved harder than expected for angler Todd and he passed the rod over to deckhand Ki’i - between them they managed to land the fish, but alas the fish will never be recognised as a legal catch ...... needless to say it was a good effort and one fishing story the crew will never forget.

The fish weighed in at 447kg or 983lb just 17lb short of the magic "grander figure".

Under IGFA Angling Rules the catch is disqualified (only one angler may handle the rod unassisted) and the Tongan All Tackle Record remains at 394kg ..... and the heaviest fish for the season so far, goes to Henk Gross on "Target One" with a 325kg Blue Marlin, caught by Graham Clarke.

Mahimahi ...... A bit slow for this time of the year and the size ranged between 10kg-14kg. A lot of reports of Mahimahi not showing any interest in lures but stray lining proved very productive.

Wahoo .... A bit inconsistent and found in deep water as opposed to drop offs and reef systems. Heaviest for the month weighed in at 18kg.

Yellow Fin .... The big run never materialised but during the NZFN Tournament a couple of good fish were caught 61kg & 68kg both on the same boat – Dora Malia skippered by Paul Mead.

GT Action ..... A little slow but a few good fish reported in the 15kg to 20kg range. The weather was not the best and rough conditions made it difficult to fish the reef wash areas.

　2009 10^th New Zealand Fishing News Tournament Hosted by the VSFC

Thirty three NZ anglers fishing 7 Boats over 4 days produced the following catch:

43 Billfish Strikes

34 Hook Ups

13 Caught Fish (11x Tagged & 2x Weighed)

43 x weighed fish (Mahimahi, Wahoo & Yellow Fin)

The weather could have been kinder but the anglers handled the 15-20kts wind and moderately rough seas very well.

The "Pink Team" - Robert Wheeldon, Andy Bardon, Naomi Kininmont and Glen Newman took out the Top Scoring Team with 4 x tagged Blue Marlin and Mahimahi points.

Top scoring tournament angler was Robert Wheeldon – 3x Blue Marlin

Top scoring female angler was Toni Peak – 2x Blue Marlin

Heaviest Blue Marlin Alan Ackland – 123kg Blue Kiwi Magic

Heaviest Wahoo Peter Van Eekelen – 18kg Reel Addiction

Heaviest Mahimahi Alan Ackland - 14.5kg Dora Malia

Heaviest Yellow Fin Micheal Fox - 67.5kg Dora Malia

Top Scoring Boat - Reel Addiction accounting for 4 Blue Marlin, Mahimahi and Wahoo.

The anglers were a great bunch of fishos and it was especially pleasing to see a good contingent of women anglers.

Fishing is a bit like playing Monopoly .... Some times when you pass go you don’t collect $200 - Twice .... right after stop fishing was called, billfish were hooked up when pulling in the lines but alas no team points awarded.

The closet was within seconds of the call .... Peter Van Eekelen fishing aboard "Target One" landed a 46kg Sailfish which set a new club record on 24kg line class and the other fish, a Blue Marlin was landed by Naomi Kininmont, fishing aboard "Reel Addiction".

A hugely successful tournament ..... special thanks to New Zealand Fishing News the Major Sponsor. Grant Dixon and Tournament Director Mark Airey – a great job as always in supporting and promoting fishing tourism in Vava’u and a big thank you to all the other sponsors.

The tournament ran like clockwork and the anglers had a fun Tournament with a program that provided something special for everyone and the bonus .... fish. A number of the anglers were also first time billfisher’s and it is always gratifying to see the smile on their face when they catch the biggest fish of their lives.

If you want more information on next year’s NZFN Tournament contact:

Tournament Director: Mark Airey mark@spotx.com

　

Up and coming Vava’u Tournaments

Tonga National Tournament Nov/ December Nov 28^th, 4th, 5^th Dec