Fishing for weather

I find it amazing how much the weather dominates what we do. In this day and age when we humans have been to the moon and back, seed clouds for rain and snow, damn rivers and hold back the oceans, yet when the weather is crappy we are stuck inside. Sure there are those that venture out into it with protective gear and rod in hand, but for what? The love of fishing, or just because.....? It's wet, cold and darn right miserable.

As I type this it is raining, no it is pouring and it is so loud that it is the only thing I can hear. If I were to go outside I would literally be soaked in seconds. As you know I live in the tropics so rain gear is really out of the question. I would sweat to death and then end up wetter than if I did not wear anything.

Ok you get the point that weather does play a major role in my/our fishing times and lives.

So it came to be, Yuki wants to go fishing again on Sunday. We make the plans to meet at 7:30 at the boat.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday all have fine weather. In fact the weather is so fine I start thinking Sunday is going to be fine. What a fool I am.

I wake up around 4:30 to the sound of wind and driving rain. I better text Yuki and see what he thinks. Not surprising he says we go. As my Australian friends would say, "fair dinkum". We go.

As Yuki, Jose and Imaken (Kanto) arrive at the boat the sky actually starts to clear up and for a brief moment I feel that the fish gods are smiling at us. Yeah right, dream on.

We head out with high expectations and visions of Giant Trevally.

As we clear the river mouth the first thing I notice is a Southerly swell and a NE wind. Not what the doctor ordered.

It does not take us long to arrive at our starting point and the first casts are made in no time.

With in minutes Yuki is hooked up to a nice GT. After a classic Yuki fight where he almost gets pulled out of the boat, he weighs maybe 60kg, the GT is boated.

From Yuki and friends April 18 2010

Now before I go on I must first stress how much respect Rosie and I have for these fish. I refuse to let anyone kill one and do everything in my power to return them in good condition from whence they came.

This next image is Yuki and myself performing a bit of hook removal surgery. Notice the blue saltwater hose in the mouth. I had to remove the hooks from the popper to get them out. Luckily the gills were not hooked and only minor bleeding that was stopped by the time I released it.

From Yuki and friends April 18 2010

From Yuki and friends April 18 2010

Now for the grip and grin shot. I just love this guy.

From Yuki and friends April 18 2010

It went quiet for a little after that firecracker start.

The weather then started to act up. With the wind kicking up to 25knots and rain squalls blowing through, it's amazing we even caught another fish.

Here is a shot of Yuki and Jose doing the popping thing.

From Yuki and friends April 18 2010

Here is a close up of Yuki in action.

From Yuki and friends April 18 2010

Next up is a nice Red Bass that put up a good fight. Notice the size of the swell behind Yuki, and how rough it is.

From Yuki and friends April 18 2010

This is Kanto with a classic action shot.

From Yuki and friends April 18 2010

Kanto had a bit of a rough go in the beginning. He was hooked up to a giant and could not really handle it. He was a bit overwhelmed by the shear power of the GT. Unfortunately he lost the fish but not the lure.

From Yuki and friends April 18 2010

Good for him he persisted and never gave up. He eventually hooked a very large Unicorn fish, albeit in the ass, but a fish is a fish.

From Yuki and friends April 18 2010

From Yuki and friends April 18 2010

Yuki, not to be out done, lands a nice Bluefin Trevally.

From Yuki and friends April 18 2010

Another Red Bass and a Bluefin Trevally were boated. Unfortunately no more GT's were to be seen this day. All said 6 fish were boated and there was four misses. Not to bad for a half day out. We all had a good time and made plans for another trip.

From Yuki and friends April 18 2010

From Yuki and friends April 18 2010

You can check out Yuki's blog at

http://orenostyle2008.blog17.fc2.com/

It is in Japanese but it is always fun to use google translator and look at the pictures.

Tight lines

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.

From Yuki take two

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

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

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

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

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

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.

From Brendan, Katie and Billy

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

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.

From Brendan, Katie and Billy

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

Until next time

Tight lines

Playing tour guide and tourist with visiting family

My brother Arick and his wife Stephanie came to visit us here in Fiji. Of course we wanted to get them out on the water for a fish. Unfortunately the weather gods were not very cooperative.

We did manage to get in some quality beach time.

From fishing with Arick and Stephanie

As well as a river kayaking trip with Rivers Fiji that involved a kava ceremony with a village headman

From fishing with Arick and Stephanie

and then a few hours on the river.

From fishing with Arick and Stephanie

We also managed to do Zip Fiji. A series of cables strung through the jungle that you get to zip around on. Great fun.

From fishing with Arick and Stephanie

From fishing with Arick and Stephanie

From fishing with Arick and Stephanie

We did get out to do a bit of fishing. I have to say the odds were stacked against us. With four cyclones that developed inside of two weeks within the region, we had massive swell, wind and unpredictable weather. We still managed some fish and of course we all had a great time.

First fish in the boat was a Longtom or the Fijian name is Saku.

From fishing with Arick and Stephanie

Next up was Arick and here he is showing us how it is done on a Bass, Fijian name, Bati.

From fishing with Arick and Stephanie

From fishing with Arick and Stephanie

Then Stephanie decides she wants to have a go with the 50lb rod, and of course you know what happened. First cast, first pop, a fish on and landed. A nice Emperor to boot. Fijian name, Dakunivudi.

From fishing with Arick and Stephanie

Then it is Rosie's turn to show us all how it is done.

From fishing with Arick and Stephanie

We had a very good time with Arick and Stephanie and I think they had a good time with us. We hope they decide to come back again. Hopefully the fishing will be better.

Tight lines

Yuki and friends fishing for GT's

Yuki, from the Japanese Embassy here in Fiji, has been coming into the shop for some time and always wanting to go fishing with me. This last Sunday was his day.

We meet at around 7:30 am for a full day fishing. After a few introductions to his friends Kazu and Jose we are off to fish.

I knew the tide would be right around mid day and the moon was not in the greatest phase so the morning would be spent hunting for GT's and then we would get into them a bit later.

Yuki is a seasoned pro at fishing. His gear was all top of the line and he could handle everything that was thrown at him.

From Yuki and friends

The water was crystal clear and the sea was calm.

From Yuki and friends

The first fish in the boat was a very green and very pissed Barracuda that no one wanted to handle.

From Yuki and friends

Next up was a Bluefin Trevally.

From Yuki and friends

Now it is Jose's turn to catch a fish. He was using his own gear and landed a little Bluefin also.

From Yuki and friends

By now the tide is coming right and we have found a few bommies that looked promising. On one of Yuki's first casts out he is taken for a ride and left holding a stripped lure. It was a massive GT that did not want to be caught.

From Yuki and friends

Yuki then got onto a nice GT who did not give him as much trouble.

From Yuki and friends

Next we had a double hook up with Yuki battling a cracker of a fish and Kazu having his own war.

From Yuki and friends

Kazu's fish was being attacked by a shark and by the time we got it to the boat the damage was done.

From Yuki and friends

After the bite slowed we changed locations. Looking for any stragglers that might be lurking about. Eventually we found another and this one gave Yuki a real hard fight. He prevailed in the end and got his picture taken one more time.

From Yuki and friends

We had a great time with these guys and got onto some nice fish. Yuki is a top notch angler and Jose and Kazu are definitely up and coming.

From Yuki and friends

I have a feeling we shall fish together again. Until then,

Tight lines and screaming drags