Game fishing the calm warm waters off Kona’s coast has always been a year round drawcard to anglers. Night fishing really is providing great results, with impressive captures of swordfish, yellowfin tuna, big eye tuna, albacore, spearfish and giant thresher sharks, especially over the warmer months. A variety of techniques are used specific to the season and conditions, including underwater lighting, drifting baits down the chum line into the shadows tempting night feeders and fishing various depths above underwater sea mounts and ledges.

The attractions for fishing the Kona coast include access to gamefishing waters holding world class fish just minutes from the harbour, a variety of year round gamefish species, and the pleasure of fishing the calm waters available on the lee side of the Big Island.

It’s quite common to locate the larger fish on night fishing trips, and is particularly effective on swordfish and big tuna. Night fishing trips can be independent charters or be combined with day charters to maximise opportunities. Ocean Blue is now offering charters from Kona for the opportunity to experience this style of gamefishing. Charters can take up to 6 anglers and bookings are very affordable, now even more attractive to Australian and New Zealand anglers with the US exchange rates.

For more details contact www.oceanblue.com.vu

New Caledonia is leading the way for big GT’s, again sending us reports of monster GT’s caught over the last few months.

Plenty of 30 and 40kg GT’s on poppers were caught, and even a few topping 50 and 60kg, making Ocean Blue’s New Caledonia operation arguably the best big GT destination in the South Pacific. Some other really impressive jigging captures from there include dogtooth tuna, big cod, red bass, mega coral trout and maori wrasse. Some great pelagic fish from along the outside of the reef aswell as plenty of lagoon action for the smaller boats and even the guys on live on board trips getting poppers smashed by unstoppable GT’s while at anchor in the lagoon at night time.

One of our Sydney based groups returned this week raving about the great action and with reports and photos of plenty of big GT’s including a couple of 50kg specimens landed, 30kg Maori Wrasse (on a popper), Yellowfin tuna on poppers including a big one lost, unstoppable jig bending doggies, some XOS coral trout. Definitely no shortage of big fish… Even the guide David got into the action on the last day, 6 casts for 2 massive bust offs on monster GT’s and a rod broken in two pieces was the result.

A great week that really pushed both anglers and tackle to the limits, and beyond! These guys really know their stuff, and are already planning a return trip.

Vanuatu: has been firing well, with the remote northern Santo trips giving anglers plenty to get worked up about.

Andrew Papdi was back for another Scheduled Charter to Santo for a 6 day liveaboard, his 9th trip with Ocean Blue. This trips hightlights included plenty of wahoo and other pelagic action, including mahi mahi, and good numbers of yellowfin busting the surface. Smaller doggies landed to around 25kg on lures, with unstoppables of approx 60kg hitting lures near the surface and hastily making it back to the deep seamount against the 80lb standup game gear. Largest Yellowfin was a 40kg example, biggest GT went 34kg. 1 hour after a larger blue marlin strike failed to hookup, Kevin Armstrong got himself a 130kg Blue marlin which put on a great aerial display just off the transom. Plenty of sailfish activity also but they proved elusive to hook up. The whole team on Fiesta puts in big days often turning the engines over at sun up, and dropping anchor around sunset.

Ocean Blue have scheduled another live on board trip to Santo Novemeber 9 -14, 2008. Full details are on the website. http://www.oceanblue.com.vu/santo.cfm

Meanwhile the south of Vanuatu have not missed out with some quality yellowfin, marlin, wahoo and mahi mahi being taken on recent trips out of Port Vila, giving all onboard plenty to do when the strikes come.

The boys returned from Port Havannah Anglers Retreat this week and they have had a ball. It is a great venue for a weeks remote fishing for a group of anglers. Paul Paramonov’s group caught a good variety including yellowfin tuna, mahi mahi, wahoo and blue marlin to 90kg.

28/8/2007

Anthony & Jenyne,

I would again like to thank both of you for my last fishing trip to Vanuatu in August.

For the second year in a row you have organised an unforgettable and highly successful fishing charter for my party to Espiritu Santo. The 2006 trip was great, catching heaps of various species; this year’s trip surpassed the last trip by a long way.

John and Wendy were fantastic hosts, Sandy and Christian sensational Deckies. Not to mention the fishing, wow, where do I start?

Fishing Wusi Seamount for the first 3 days of the charter had all four of us very busy with screaming drags and fish everywhere. Dogtooth Tuna to 40kg, Wahoo to 30kg and Yellowfin to 15kg with so many strikes it was like a dance-floor in the cockpit. Double hook-ups, quite a few triple hook-ups and even a couple of quadruple hook-ups had us ducking and weaving all over the place, as well getting smoked on some extremely big fish that had the 24’s peeling off at an alarming rate without a chance to stop the 1st run.

For the last 3 days of the charter we decided to chase Blue Marlin with 5 hook-ups overall and some very acrobatic Wahoo crashing into the lures from below. Seeing Wahoo 2 and 3 at a time in mid air taking lures was a spectacular sight I can tell you, also many more Yellowfin to 35kg and a nice bull Mahi Mahi (which was very nice for tea I might add) of about 15kg. Add to that 1 coconut that got hooked while trolling had everyone fooled that a nice fish had been hooked and a very embarrassed angler that we made to hold up for the trophy photo’s. All four of us had a trip that will be hard to forget and not a negative aspect of the whole charter.

All I can say to both of you thanks again for the superb trip, again you guys took care of all the details and made sure that we did not have to worry about anything except landing the fish. I look forward to the next trip you will be organising for me in 2008.

Kind regards Calvin Rhodes

Matt Watson from NZ’s ‘The Fishing Show’ fished & filmed his way from Port Vila up to Santo with Ocean Blue. Here's what he had to say about the trip.

While working as a professional crewman and now making fishing television shows I’ve been pretty fortunate to have experienced some of the best sport fishing destinations on the planet, each being special for a particular type of fish, but to my mind nowhere has such a wide range of quality game and sport fish species as Vanuatu.

On a 6 day live aboard trip with Ocean Blue we visited reefs, seamounts, canyons and islands between Port Vila and Santo and encountered blue and black marlin up to 500lb, dozens of yellowfin tuna up to 130lb, dogtooth tuna up to 80lb, countless big wahoo, giant and bluefin trevally as well as a whole range of reef species that climbed on our flies and soft plastic baits. For variety it’s unbeatable and the team at Ocean Blue are the guys to see if you want to experience everything these remote and beautiful islands have to offer.

Matt Watson

Mark and I would like to thank Anthony, Jenyne and the Ocean Blue crew for organising an excellent live on board trip. The service both on the water and with the bookings was excellent.

The captain and decky were great, we really learnt a lot from them. All the fish we caught on our trip were first time captures, making it even more exciting. Mark caught his first marlin - a blue of about 60Kg. I got my first Sailfish, we also caught 6 Wahoo to 17Kg, 9 Yellowfin to 40Kg, and heaps of reef fish to keep us busy in the evening. We also caught 2 Dogtooth – both estimated to be 60Kg+.

Thanks guys, can't wait till my next trip! Mick Onley and Mark Pringle

Modern Fishing's Editor, Daniel Tillack fished New Caledonia with me last month with the aim of catching his biggest GT. Knowing how good the GT fishing is in New Caledonia I knew Daniel will crack his biggest fish although he wasn't convinced. I thought I'd let Daniel and our Guide David stir the fish up as I was under pressure to make sure Daniel got his mark.

Being pretty confident I didn't think his first hook-up would be it, but it was. Daniel and David were casting up against a cliff face only 10 minutes from our resort when a big GT woffed Daniel's popper at the boat. The trick was to give the fish as much stick as possible while we head to deeper water. This fish was a biggen and we didn't think we were going to see it when 20 minutes into the fight Daniel's arms were shaking and he was cursing our centre console didn't have a game chair! After some words of encouragement from the crew Daniel finally had the fish to boat.

At 36kg this fish was Daniel's biggest and fortunately I was true to my word.

Anthony Pisano

On my recent trip to New Caledonia we encountered some superb GT fishing. We were hard pressed to catch a GT under 30kg. After catching our fare share of big GT's we decided to head outside New Caledonia's Barrier Reef to be met by bird action, and yellowfin tuna jumping. With our trusty Stella 20000,s we trolled a 2 minnows and one pusher. Not long after hitting the water we had a double hook-up on a 30 or so kg yellowfin and a feisty black marlin. Unfortunately the billy pulled the hooks and the fin was bought alongside and onboard for tonights sashimi. As soon as the lures hit the water a massive torpedo appeared and scoffed the pusher. After a blistering run photo journalist Rick Huckstepp had this big fish under control until the sharks arrived. Rick tightened the drag and gave the fish stick as we didn't want to lose this monster to sharks. As we got it close we were amazed by the size of this lit up wahoo. With sharks in tow we quickly got the fish on board. For all of us this was the largest wahoo we've seen and I've experienced big 30+kg fish but this was huge. After the obligitary shots we brought the fish to dock to weigh a 59.4kg. Considering the fish was on the deck for 4 hours while we continued on the hot bite the fish would have been 60+kg at the boat. An excellent catch none the less! Well Done Rick

Anthony Pisano

The last few months have seen the year’s first truly big blues show up in the local waters around Port Vila. Huge bait schools of small yellowfin and skipjack tuna are starting to draw in the big girls, indicating that a promising season is in store.

Yellowfin are now prolific around the FAD’s off Efate, providing anglers on day charters with constant action. Surprisingly loads of large mahi mahi have also been encountered keeping our anglers happy and busy on light stand up gear.

Autumn should see some impressive blue marlin fishing, with sailfish and the first run of big wahoo starting to appear.

For more information on fishing Vanuatu contact Ocean Blue Fishing Adventures email: info@oceanblue.com.vu or visit www.oceanblue.com.vu.

The GT fishing has continued to impress over the last few months and the fish just seem to be getting bigger. A recent 10 day expedition in the Malabou region finished up with a tally of 79 GT’s, 16 of which were over 30kg’s.

One monster fish put up a back breaking 30 minute fight before it was brought onboard. The GT weighed in at a massive 62kg’s! Ideal weather conditions have prevailed largely, making for exciting popping and jigging charters, with double GT hook-ups quite common.

Dogtooth tuna to 50kg’s have been taking the poppers on the reef’s edge, along with coral trout, large jobfish and a rare black trevally. An attack on a popper by a estimated 30kg sailfish in 7m of water surprised a few lucky anglers while GT fishing.

For more information on fishing New Caledonia contact Ocean Blue Fishing Adventures email: info@oceanblue.com.vu or visit www.oceanblue.com.vu.

The run of yellowfin is in full swing throughout Fijian waters, providing anglers with some outstanding medium/heavy tackle fishing. Day charters operating out of Pacific Harbour have encountered loads of yellowfin in the 30 – 50kg range.

As predicted the marlin numbers have begun to steadily increase with fish in the 150 – 200kg regularly raised. The wahoo season is expected to kick in soon with many anglers anticipating a repeat of last years great fishing for XOS Wahoo.

For more information on fishing Fiji contact Ocean Blue Fishing Adventures email: info@oceablue.com.vu or visit www.oceanblue.com.vu.

Ocean Blue are offering anglers the opportunity to fish this years 21st Annual Big Island Blue Marlin Tournament in Hawaii! Teams of 4 and 5 anglers are invited to fish the tournament, however spaces are limited.

The tournament is based off the famous blue marlin grounds off Kona. We'll be fishing 2 days pre-tournament and the 3 day tournament itself. We've put together an attractive package for anglers wishing fish this tournament. The trip dates run from 13th - 21st August and prices start from AU$3,375pp. For full tournament and package info please email our team at info@oceanblue.com.vu.

We're now offering anglers the opportunity to fish the productive and picturesque Barra grounds of the Northern Territory. Fish the productive big barra rivers and billabong's of the Mary River, Shady Camp, Corroboree Billabong, Kakadu's South and East Alligator Rivers as well as offshore and reef expeditions to Vanderlin Island in the gulf.

With the run off fast approaching now's the time to book your Top End Fishing Safari - limited spaces and dates still available! Check out our website for more information on fishing NT or email info@oceanblue.com.vu.

As the wet season draws to a close the run-off in Northern Australia begins and this means exciting angling for Barramundi enthusiasts. Cape York offers magnificent fishing at this time of year as the water from the wet season floods recedes back into the mainstream rivers bringing the large fish with it!

Wet season run-off from rivers like the Archer and Watson is similar to that encountered in the Top End, however the four main systems emptying into Archer Bay provides anglers with a variety of species not found elsewhere.

So whether you are chasing a barramundi fix, or a tussle with the huge range of other estuary species look no further than Cape York for your next fishing expedition. For more information on fishing this amazing location visit our website or email info@oceanblue.com.vu.

Here's a great opportunity for single anglers to join a 6 night estuary and offshore sportfishing safari fishing the remote Archer & Watson rivers of the Cape York Peninsula. Anglers joining this trip will stay on a custom built mothership and fish aboard guided tenders each day, casting your lure or fly for huge Barramundi, Saratoga, Mangrove Jack, Threadfin, Tarpon and so much more! To view the full trip itinerary click here or email us at info@oceanblue.com.vu.

Ocean Blue are offering anglers the opportunity to fish this years 21st Annual Big Island Blue Marlin Tournament in Hawaii! Teams of 4 and 5 anglers are invited to fish the tournament, however spaces are limited. The tournament is based off the famous blue marlin grounds off Kona. We'll be fishing 2 days pre-tournament and the 3 day tournament itself. We've put together an attractive package for anglers wishing fish this tournament. The trip dates run from 13th - 21st August and prices start from AU$3,375pp. For full tournament and package info please email our team at info@oceanblue.com.vu.

The grounds around Fiji have also produced some excellent fishing of late. Mahi Mahi have been appearing in large numbers, creating some great fun on stand up. The yellowfin are also providing some exciting stand up action, with fish up to 50 kg's regularly caught. Trolled lures have been the most successful in taking Blue Marlin in the 150-160kg, with the next two months expected to see an increase in the marlin numbers for both blues and blacks.

Summer in New Caledonia is GT time. The trevally fishing in New Caledonia can only be described as spectacular. Average 20 kg fish have been abundant with 30-50kg GT's regularly being encountered. The water temperature is a temperate 25 degrees holding good numbers of spanish mackeral. On a recent trip a blue marlin of 120kg was an impressive catch on casting gear.

North in Aurukun things have gotten a little quiet as the wet season takes hold and fish a moving into the flood plains. Yet the offshore fishing has produced some good catches of bluefin & mackeral tuna. Golden trevally have been another welcome catch fishing the coastal flats and inshore reefs. Spots are still available for our Cape York Barra Safari fishing the run off this coming may. For further information click here or email us at info@oceanblue.com.vu.

The Christmas/New Year period has produced another great month of fishing in Vanuatu. The marlin fishing has been good, with most boats averaging a marlin a day. Large yellowfin are starting to show with anglers returning to port with 60 to 70kg fish. These yellowfin are currently appearing sporadically off Efate which is a good sign large numbers are about to show up during the traditional yellowfin season of February-May. Mahi Mahi have been encountered around the FAD's provide constant action for anglers on light gear.

Two anglers headed to New Caledonia’s Malabou area in early December, in search for the resident Giant Trevally! The fishing conditions across the nine days were perfect – great weather and ideal tides for GT fishing. Throughout the first three days the anglers warmed up with 8 yellowfin tuna ranging from 8 to 30kg on jigs. Then the real action began! Over the nine days more than 40 GT's were caught which is a great effort!

The GT stats are as follows; 30 fish from 18 to 29kg, 6 from 30 to 34kg, 4 from 35 to 38kg, 1 of 40kg, 1 of 49kg and new New Caledonian record GT of 57kg’s! The monster fish measured 138cm long and weighed 57kg!

After a short recovery period the guys got back into the action, only to have another huge GT spool the Stella 10,000 set at 15kg drag using 112lb braid on it’s first run! The other standout moment of the nine day expedition was a 40kg grouper caught on popper which provided the lucky angler with a personal best.

Other species encountered throughout the charter include a small 10kg sailfish caught on a 20cm GT popper in a 10m deep channel, and a double strike on 2 mahi mahi on a 25cm GT popper - that is one fish on each hook!

The angler’s had smashed personal GT records twice throughout the nine days, were ecstatic, and declared it a once on a lifetime experience! Needless to say these satisfied anglers are heading back to New Caledonia in 2007! For information on fishing Malabou email info@oceanblue.com.vu.

Ocean Blue's Anthony Pisano recently hosted a group of clients to remote Aurukun, 100km south of Weipa on the Cape York Peninsula. Fishing the Archer, Ward and Love Rivers, we experienced some pretty hot sportfishing. The potential of this region is enormous with the wide variety of sportfish on offer. Even though Barra were our main targets we encountered monster threadfin salmon, jacks, cod, black jewfish, queenfish, tarpon as well as golden trevally, tuna and mackerel offshore.

Aurukun offers a wide variety of options whether fishing the rivers or the offshore reefs casting lures or flys. The accommodation on board the mothership “Pikkuw” was spacious and comfortable catering for up to 8 persons. The crew were fantastic and meals were superb with freshly caught mud crab the specialty. Ocean Blue are leading another trip to Aurukun to fish the run off in May 2007. For anglers who are interested in fishing this new hotspot click here for more information

New Caledonia boasts the second largest barrier reef in the world, second only to Australia's Great Barrier Reef. This reef is approximately 1,600km long and surrounds the Caledonian lagoon. This lagoon is an enclosed sea dotted with coral pinnacles, reefs, flats, mangroves and offers anglers spectacular light tackle sport and fly fishing. The abundance of baitfish, plenty of current and a bit of foamy white water makes this place a popper fishing paradise, especially for large GT's . On top of this New Caledonia arguably offers anglers access to the most untouched, yet easily accessible bonefish flats found on the planet.

Modern Fishing's, Andrew Mayo reports on his 3 day Bonefish and GT expedition in New Caledonia. "When it comes to truly mind-blowing sport fishing, particularly with surface lures, few places compare to the remote northern reefs of New Caledonia." To read his full article click here>