Tuesday, March 30, 2010

After the storm with Yuki

After way too much bad weather, tsunami warning one weekend, cyclone Tomas the next and then blowing at 30knots with driving rain, we finally got out for a fish. Not the greatest weather, but it was fishable none the less.
We went out with Yuki again and he brought two friends, Jose, who has been out with us and Hanochin, who has never fished before.
First order of business is to teach Hanochin how to fish.
From Yuki take two
Lucky he was a fast learner and was casting like a pro in no time.
Yuki is a seasoned pro so he just moved out to the bow and started casting away.
From Yuki take two
The same goes for Jose who is quite the angler. It is not long before he has a nice Bluefin in the boat.
From Yuki take two
The sea is a bit rough with an Easterly blowing and a Southerly swell. A bit lumpy to say the least.
Yuki has a few strikes but they are missed. He finally gets a solid strike and hook up. The fight is on but it is not acting like a GT. Soon the question is answered. A Bronze Whaler shark.
From Yuki take two
Needless to say this fish did not make it on board for a photo session. It was released in good shape if only for a sore nose.
From Yuki take two
The shark was followed by a massive strike that led to Yuki losing his popper and leader.
After a quick change of gear he finally hooked a GT.
From Yuki take two
The GT gave a good accounting of itself and was eventually boated in good shape. After the photo session it was released.
From Yuki take two
Unfortunately the bite time was rather short as we are upon the full moon and bad weather. Things slowed down from there and only a small Bluefin Trevally was landed in the last hour. That is not to say we did not have a few laughs with the giant sunglasses we keep on board.
From Yuki take two
Our time was short together but we had a good time and made the most of rather tough fishing. Yuki is a great guy to fish with and he knows what he is doing. That always makes things a bit easier.
I am sure we will fish together again.
Tight lines

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Ding dong the cyclone is gone

Well it looks like cyclone Tomas has missed us. By the time it finished ravaging the North and East of the country it moved far enough East not to affect us. I am hoping to go fishing this weekend and have some fish pictures for you all. Thank you for all of your support.
From tomas
Fiji is in the middle of the image and Tomas cannot be seen. The cyclone to the left is Ului and it is threatening Queensland Australia. It destroyed the Solomon's as a Cat 5, the biggest there is.

Tight lines

Monday, March 15, 2010

Tropical Cyclone Tomas update

Where I am, we have yet to feel the full force of Tomas. That said we are prepared for the worst and as Shoreman from Northern California Trout suggested, I have tied my ass to a palm tree. Thank you all for the thoughts and encouragement.
Here are a couple of images.
From tomas
From tomas
Tight lines

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Tropical cyclone Tomas

Living in the tropics has all kinds of benefits, sandy beaches, warm water, great fishing and the list goes on. There is also a down side, a dark side, a side that is darn right scary,
From tomas
You are looking at Tropical cyclone Tomas and the out line just below it is Fiji. As I am typing this the wind is blowing quite strong and the rain is coming off and on. Tomas is moving so slow that it is not expected to hit fully until late tomorrow or the next day. It is a Cat 2 right now but is predicted to be a Cat 4 in the next 24hours with winds up to 200+kmph.
We will finish preparing and then hunker down for the big blow. I will keep you all posted.
Tight lines

Monday, March 8, 2010

Post tsunami fishing or Cashing in on Karma

Well after much bad weather and tsunami Sunday, that was when the earthquake hit Chile and put us on tsunami watch. Here are a few images of us and the entire community on high ground.

From Brendon, Katie and Billy
Who could resist turning it into a bit of a party?

From Brendon, Katie and Billy
And of course someone had to keep an update on the whole situation Pacific wide, and that someone was me of course. With wireless internet and a laptop it is amazing what you can find out.

From Brendon, Katie and Billy
It was time to get out and do a bit of fishing. I was beginning to feel like I was growing roots.
Plans were laid and then the day came for them to be executed. As Billy said to me, "You must have cashed in a whole lot of Karma cause this is a great day."
From Brendon, Katie and Billy
On board for the days fishing was, Katie Longo, Brendan Yee, Billy Longo (who does not fish, he has some deal with the fish, he wont eat them and they wont eat him...... Scuba divers), Rosie and myself.
The tides were all wrong but the weather was all right so who cares.
Off we go and before long we are fishing.
Nothing much for the first hour or so. We finally get to a spot that the current is ripping through. Then we start to see a bit of action. A few follows and a couple bites but still nothing in the boat. Then Brendan hooks up to a mighty big something. Not sure what it is but he is definitely out gunned. After he is taken into the rock below his double leader is bit right through. This leads me to think shark. Then not two minutes later a white tip reef shark starts to harass our poppers. Time to move.
Our next stop sees us casting to a long reef finger about 3 meters deep and maybe 60-80 meters long.
Suddenly and without warning Katie shouts, no screams, FISH ON!!!!!!!!!! and of course we all get really excited because she is excited and everyone rushes to one side of the boat to see this leviathan of the deep. Because anyone who yells that much has got to have a monster of a fish on and is asking for assistance to put on a fighting belt.
Alas it is but a small Long Tom the is not even hooked with the hooks but instead, it's elongated beak is wrapped up in the leader.
Ok, now the first fish is in the boat and everyone can settle down and move away from the side of the boat. We get back to fishing and as we do a bunch of birds have moved over the finger we are fishing on and start diving into the water after bait. This of course means there must be bigger fish below the bait.
Right then we hear the same, shall I call it a hysterical scream, FISH ON!!!!!! You got it Katie strikes again, only this time it is a small Bluefin trevally. She hauls it out of the water by her rod and almost slaps me. Then within minutes, maybe less, Brendan catches one and this is followed by another. All about the same size and all in the ice chest.
The birds are still working and everyone is still fishing when, you guessed it, Katie sings out, FISH ON!!!!!!!!!! This time I can hear her drag screaming as line melts off of her little 30lb outfit. I can tell this is a better fish and something different. With repeated runs and her not gaining much line we get a belt on her and she settles in to the fight. Soon she has the upper hand and before long we have color. To all of our amazement she has hooked and landed a Yellowfin Tuna.
From Brendan, Katie and Billy
To say she was excited is really an understatement. In fact we were all excited and returned to fishing in hopes of another, but alas it was not to be on this occasion.
We move on down the reef and eventually inside of the lagoon in search of some eating fish.
Instead of fish, some on the boat got in a swim.
Brendan out retrieving his non floating lure.
From Brendan, Katie and Billy
Billy's fish eye view of the boat.
From Brendan, Katie and Billy
After swimming and mucking around we tried a few bommies inside the lagoon, but the tide was wrong and no one wanted to bite.
We decided to head to a reef that we know can produce some nice fish. So off we go for a 20 minute ride.
We arrive on the reef but the swell is massive which makes standing a chore. We fish on despite any hardships.
Soon Rosie boats a nice Bass and comments on how hard they can pull as it is released because they are poisonous.
All is quiet for awhile and the troops are getting tired from casting all day. Soon it is Brendan at the back and Rosie up front when I see Rosie pause and step down from the bow. I take the opportunity to get in a few casts.
Pop pop SPLASH, fish on. Drag screaming. 50lb braid melting away. Drag screaming. Turn the boat. Drag screaming. Follow, follow. Go go. Drag screaming. Keep going, keep going. I will let the video finish the story.


Needless to say we had a great time out. Friends, great weather, fish and lots of laughs.
Until next time
Tight lines