Bluefin Tuna Update

After a slow start in late July, with only few trawlers in the Hokitika trench most of the fish caught proved to be late season Southern Blue Fins, ranging in size from 80 to 180 kgs.

Fishing around the trawlers was'nt producing the results of previous season and the crew of Cerveza II found that chumming up away from the trawlers produced better results with a few hook ups each trip but still a long way short of 2005 and 2006 numbers.

Late last week reports from a local offshore trawler of massive shools of Pacfic Blue Fins schooling around the only boat working north of Westport sent the charter boats scambling north for a look, Cerveza II departed at 11pm on friday night with a group of local Greymouth anglers and George Shilligo, a marine biologist from Stamford University's Tuna Research and Conservatin Foundation.

What transpired proved the be the best days bluefin fishing we'd had to date. The boat arrived at the fishing grounds at 4am Saturday morning and within seconds of throwing a dead bait into the water hooked up to a good sized Pacific estimated at 220kgs.

Returning to the same hookup point 2 hours later produced the same result with a much bigger fish this time this fish was tagged with a PAT by GeorgeShilligo , measured and the weight calculted at 280kgs. A further 6 fish were similarly hooked up over the next 14 hours and all were tagged, DNA samples taken, measured and weights calculated before being released. These fish included a massive 420kg fish caught by Mike Trusselou which he decided to release as he was not a member of an IGFA affilated club. Mike made the decision as the fish was ineligable for consideration as a world record, which bit clearly would have been. Good call Mike, a man can only eat so much Tuna!

The 8th fish was hooked at 6pm after luring around a dozen good sized tuna away from the stern of a factory ship with a berley trail of squid and Hoki, then watching them feed on chunks of Hoki pitched from the stern of Cerveza. Watching them crashing onto the bits of Hoki and coming full body out of the water at speed was almost as much fun as hooking up to them.

The last fish, caught by Josh Worthington, was boated after 55 minute battle and taken back to Westport, weighed at 238kgs and the meat divided up amonst the weary but obviously extatic clients.

So with the season at last looking like it wll produce some spectacular results we have moved Cerveza north to Westport and with a fulll list of bookings until mid September we look forward to reporting the next fish to ecilipse Andy Hamiltons IGFA ratified record of 300kgs caught  from Cerveza II on the 9th September 2006.

More details on Cerveza II here