Vanuatu - fishing report

  • Destinations, Pacific Islands, Vanuatu

Elections mean more fishing!

Vanuatu is currently in the middle of its parliamentary elections, and yesterday local voters took to the polling booths. Two public holidays in honour of the elections meant more time on the water for expatriate fisherman here, and the action was out of this world!

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With a strong, persistent south-easter blowing in the capital of Port Vila we elected to journey to a village on the northern side of Efate island to launch our trusty NZ-made Mac boat.  Within ten minutes trolling we were in idyllic conditions and prime game-fishing territory.

The wahoo were so thick it was difficult to catch anything else. I tried four times unsuccessfully to weigh the same fish only to be interrupted by another hooked wahoo in excess of 20-kgs.

We fished an area the size of a couple of rugby fields and had yellowfin clearing the water as they pounced on lures and mahimahi jumping five metres into the air.   Gamefish weren’t the only creatures making the most of the feeding frenzy, also putting on aerial displays were huge manta rays feeding in the plankton rich waters.

Around the same spot the weekend before, local restaurant owner Greg Pechan managed to wade through the wahoo, tagging a nice 120kg blue marlin and bringing home some big yellowfin.

Tourism picked up for a few weeks during the NZ and Australian school holidays but has now slowed down again.  Often there is only the lone local fisherman out on the water, wondering why no-one else is making the most of the amazing fishery here in Vanuatu!

When the charter boats have ventured out they have been producing the goods.  Shogun, run by the Waterfront restaurant has been catching a few tuna and marlin, last week tagging a nice blue of 120kg. Pete from Nautilus has been catching stacks of wahoo and the odd yellowfin.

Carl Muir
[email protected]

 

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