Aitutaki: Fishing Outside the Reef

Grant Blair travelled to Aitutaki to explore the fishing options both inside and outside the coral reef. In the second part of his feature, he looks at the open-water options…

While Aitutaki is a world-class bonefish destination, travelling outside the reef opens up a range of excellent opportunities for the enthusiastic angler. Several operators provide charter trips targeting local pelagic species such as yellowfin and dogtooth tuna, wahoo, mahimahi and marlin and we spent a day in the open water with the team from Black Pearl Charters. Owned by Mike and Mere Taka and assisted by their deckhand Leo, they operate two boats, a 7.5m Tsunami and a 7.4m Lazercraft.

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Leo was our host for the day and an early start proved worthwhile with three yellowfin landed in quick succession on small paddle-tail soft-baits. The baits were trolled a good distance behind the boat which seemed to be more effective than the shorter distances we typically use in New Zealand when slow trolling baits or lures. The tuna weren’t massive but we knew how delicious the ceviche would be after some Al Brown magic on the fillets. The bite shut down as the sun began to lift itself off the horizon so it was back inside the lagoon to get a supply of small baitfish for livebaiting around the FADs.

Jeremy Coombes with a small but tasty yellowfin soon to receive a bit of Al Brown magic.

Jeremy Coombes with a small but tasty yellowfin soon to receive a bit of Al Brown magic.

A casting net was used to gather up the small and generally plentiful baitfish, which is a process that requires a level of skill. Leo and Mike are experts! On arrival at the FADs, a few of the baitfish were scattered around to kick-start the food-chain frenzy. Mahimahi, yellowfin, wahoo and the occasional dogtooth frequent the FADs and are typically keen to snack on such a tasty offering. Reasonably light rods with ~30lb fluorocarbon leaders and tiny Owner 1/0 hooks do the damage and most days will result in some wonderful food for the table. The catch is always cared for immaculately and fresh yellowfin or mahimahi is hard to beat with a cold beer or two after a day on the water. On this day we didn’t have much luck so chose to keep moving, but on past trips I’ve had great success fishing at the FADs.

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Baitfish could be found boiling up within the reef, but it still takes skill to catch them.

Baitfish could be found boiling up within the reef, but it still takes skill to catch them.

After the FADs, the plan was to troll a few lures on our way to target GTs on poppers and stick-baits; however, it wasn’t long before Leo’s bionic eyes picked up half a dozen white birds ducking and diving so we changed course to check out the action. Sure enough, as we trolled our lures through the activity, several mahimahi came smoking in and Al hooked a nice bull mahimahi. Mahimahi can put on a real spectacle and this big guy was no exception. He was finally dispatched to the iced cooler and another was box ticked – a trophy catch and some more spectacular food!

Al Brown understandably stoked with his trophy bull mahimahi.

Al Brown understandably stoked with his trophy bull mahimahi.

If you’ve never had the amazing experience of seeing a GT appear from the depths at supersonic speed, hell-bent on devouring your topwater lure, then quickly scribble it on your fishing bucket-list. The outside of the coral reef around Aitutaki is extensive and home to a healthy population of large, strong GTs that will stretch those biceps and give you a decent work-out. Casting either poppers or stickbaits right into the shallow water on the edge of the reef is the modus operandi and both types of topwater lure seem to work well.

Jeremy hooked a solid GT on a smallish pencil shaped popper and after some serious to and fro, boated the feisty fish that was estimated at the 20kg mark. A quick photo and he was released to join his buddies. Sturdy topwater rods are a prerequisite along with a minimum of 80lb braid. GTs are no-holds barred fighters and will have you in the coral in a jiffy if given half a chance. A trophy 40kg+ GT can make our kingfish look polite in the way they fight. We had both a Shimano Stella 10,000 and Daiwa Saltiga 5000H with us and suitable rods so were well kitted out with quality gear. The new Catch 5-piece travel rod is well up to the job, loading up nicely to fling your lures good distances, and is strong and robust when the reel starts screaming and the hard yards start. There’s a good range of travel rods on the market and while top charter operators like Black Pearl have well maintained, respected brands for their customers, there’s some excellent travel rod options available from our top brands such as Shimano, CD Rods and Catch.

GTs are some of the toughest fighters around, and this 20kg model lived up to its reputation.

GTs are some of the toughest fighters around, and this 20kg model lived up to its reputation.

We had packed plenty into the day so didn’t get a change to bottom fish or jig, but these are also options that can be explored. They allow you to target a range of species including coral and coronation trout. The diving outside the reef and snorkelling inside also deserve to be on a visitor’s schedule. The crystal-clear lagoon is a shade over 50km2 and with most of the main snorkelling spots ranging between two and five metres deep, it’s safe and as good as you’ll get anywhere. And finally, a scooter trip around the island exploring the wonderful unspoilt landscape, meeting some of the friendliest and most helpful people on the planet will round out your trip to the amazing Aitutaki, unquestionably one of the jewels in the crown of South Pacific destinations.

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   This article is reproduced with permission of   
New Zealand Fishing News

March 2020 - Grant Blair
Re-publishing elsewhere is prohibited

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