Back from a week in Vanuatu (3 days fishing), and I won't BS ya with made up stories, the fishing was bloody hard. One of our deckies said he can't remember the fishing being as bad as it has been in Mele bay for years. The weather was crapper too, talked to a kiwi guy that runs the chopper trips and he said the he's never seen the weather so bad in 3 years, but anythings gotta be better than a waikato winter aye. So here goes,

Fishing Trip One: V-Factor

Nice boat, good skip and a funny as local deckie, Sea was rough as guts and just to top it off we had rain as well, trolled about for 8 hours for a small YFT and a small cuda. found heaps of bird life but nothing was interested in our offerings. Highlight of the day was coming across a massive Hammerhead shark(est 400kg), when the deckie decided we should try and catch it, rigged up a tuna as bait and was just getting ready to pitch it to the shark when all of a sudden it hit the back of the boat, spray everywhere and then it was gone.

Fishing Trip Two: Wild Blue

Much older boat, mainly used for dive trips by the look of it, and all local boys as skip and crew. Headed out to troll some of the reefs for Wahoo and doggies, maybe a stray GT. tutued around for a couple of hours for nought when all of a sudden the 50w sprang to life, was my turn on the rod and in short time I had bagged a big cuda. Had just got the lures set when the Tiagra screeched again, this time the brother on the rod for the same result.

 
Now the reason we were there was to break our marlin ducks so we headed out to the 1000m mark for a stickface. Once again we settled into the monotany of trolling (I even managed a kip) when the 50w screeched again, I was on the reel when a big blue started jumping round the ocean, adrenalin pumping and I was just settling into the fight when it charged the boat, shoulders full out the water shaking its head only 30m behind the boat and we could tell it was a big bugga and then dismay as lure goes one way marlin the other and line went slack. Marlin 1 Roto 0. Gutted. Kept working the area, but it was over. Headed in and had one last troll over a reef and the shotgun kicked off, bet my brother to the reel and settled into a nice little fight and ended up with my first Wahoo, YAHOO.

Fishing Trip Three: Reel Capture

Very nice 34ft Cat, Pommie skip asks us what we want to try and catch, MARLIN bro !!! 8am and we head out to troll off a small island just outside the entrance to port vila, another bloody rough day but nothing was going to dampen our enthus inthoos our spirits. I'm looking after the port rods and brother looking after starboard rods, when my SR screams,  jump on the rod but gone,  Marlin 2 Roto 0, bout 45mins later the SR screams again, make it to the rod and in the distance we see a stickie jump up and shake his head, then slack line, Marlin 3 Roto 0, by this stage I'm feeling like a truck has crashed into my gut when the shottie 50w peels off, brother gets there first, and settles in for the fight, He gets a full tour of the cockpit as the marlin drags him around the boat but after a relatively short fight (20min), squiddy our little local deckie has the leader and our other deckie whacks in the tag. Marlin 0 Brother 1, little bugger has beaten me to a stickie.





Hooting and a hollering like little kids, skipper yells down lets get another one, but 4 hours later its all over and I'm coming back to NZ in the same shape I left it, a big fat marlin virgin

In between the fishing we did some other stuff as well, Kayaking, snorkelling, parasailing, chopper ride & Mele cascade, but all good things must come to an end, and so did the holiday.




Totally recommend Vanuatu to anyone, Locals are awesome, but some of the attitudes of expats and tourists to them is disgusting, the brother and I gave a dingo tourist a serve at the waterfront bar for abusing a waitress. The roads are an adventure, but the public transport is pretty good for getting around. Food is a bit on the steep side, but who cares, you only live once. And if going fishing, the advice from our first deckie, is to go on a stayaway trip and head out to one of the other islands as the waters are much more bountiful, and options greater than straight out of Mele bay. Of course if you can get the trip for the same price I paid then all power to ya.

Sorry bout the pics, but they were all taken on a phone as the brother couldn't work out how to use the old ladies digi cam.

And if one of ya want to take pity on me and get me a stickie in NZ, I'm only a PM away. Granted I'm a bit of a Jonah, no stickie in Vanuatu and no stickie with fnet Virgin killer supreme BA, beginning to think I'll never bloody catch one

shot cuz!!!.....looks like ya had a good time despite the weather and fishing! The Waterfront is worth the trip alone I reckon.....mean...

Best steak in the world at the water front bar!

nice one!

Great report Roto, must get there myself! Plenty for wife and kids to do while I fish?

ancient mariner wrote: Great report Roto, must get there myself! Plenty for wife and kids to do while I fish?

Dunno mate, left my wife and kids back in NZ

must admit kids would like the snorkelling, we saw nemo (clown fish), the little blues ones, a bluefin trev even followed a turtle round for a bit. very cool

Choice mate, wicked spot a!

we are off tomorrow looking forward to the tusker  in the waterfront bar and a meal and talk fishing ,hope the fishing comes on with the new moon.
see you all at the softbait comp Sept 12th

Nice Report , want to go Fishing there one day.....

Cheer lads Cliff here from Surtees u guys come and talk to me every auckland boat show, i also have just got back from Vans well 2 weeks ago my parents live up in Santo Vanuatu we got out fishing a couple of times. The weather was crap due to the trade winds blowing so hard we got a Wahoo couple dog tooth and a couple of GTs but the fishing was very hard we spent a fiew hours on Island Escape drinking Tusker and they hadent caught anything in the last 2 weeks. We went 124miles up the west coast to look at some logs for the old man saw heeps of work ups but they disapear as soon as we get there and no strikes on the lines. The boat went flawlessley i sent a 6.7Workmate Hardtop up to the olds 4 months ago we burnt through about 350ltrs of gas going upthere and back in one day So much fish on the sounder but nothing bitting we were changing the lures every couple of hours. Some of the local fisherman said the tides were very high and low it was the same week as the eclipse in egypt they blame no fish on that??? Good on ya for standing up 4 the local barmaid some of the xpats up there are ****#@$ BUT i must disagree the best TUSKER is served at the Anchor Inn at the other end of town they got Tusker on tap cheeper if u buy it by the jug.