Fresh Vanuatu Fishing Reports

Well today was a good day for the Geddes family from Sydney who are enjoying the festive season in Vanuatu. The weather was perfect with flat calm seas and clear skies. It was only a 4 hour charter today so the pressure was on to try and get Mark a fish in a small window. A quick chair demonstration to show 1st time heavy tackle angler Mark the ropes and we were away. As usual at the FADs the Yellowfin Tuna were busting all around us, with lots of birds working the area. In the calm weather it was hard to tempt the Tuna and despite a couple of tackle changes they were not biting. We decided to stick to chasing the ultimate goal of a Blue Marlin so left the temptation of the birds and Tunas to work our usual Marlin spots. As usual the lure spread was representing some of the best lure craftsmen in the business with Koya's and Crampton lures taking the short corner and long corner. It wasn't long before a good sized marlin appeared inside of the long corner, the fish was lit up with electric blue tail on full display. Just as the Captain gave the shout, the fish piled on the Crampton Hog lure and line started to peel off the Shimano 130. The fish gave a short display of thrashing turning the water white before screaming off into the distance. The crew had to move fast to clear the gear as this Marlin was not waiting for anyone. The speed of the run was blistering! In no time at all the top shot was off the reel and we were well into the dacron! Russ started chasing down on the fish to try and get some line back, despite it being his first time fishing out of the chair Mark put on a masterful display of angling with excellent technique and plenty of grit. As the top shot was safely back on the reel Russ made a few manoeuvres with the boat to encourage the fish to co-operate which she did and up she came. The look on the anglers face and the whole family as they saw a decent sized Blue Marlin swimming along was priceless. In around 30 minutes of fight Laura grabbed the leader and got the fish under control at the side of the boat and Lani deployed the flying gaff with a solid shot to secure the fish. We would normally release the fish but a local village was desperately in need of food for there community Christmas lunch and we thought we would give them a helping hand. The fish was boated and measured and using the IGFA formula had an estimated weight of 213 KG (468lbs). To say that Mark and family were happy is an understatement, and the local islanders from Lelepa have already been calling to thank the Nambas Team and the Geddes family for their Christmas feast. Merry Christmas Everyone!

It's not always plain sailing as this video shows, but its always fun when there are this many Dogtooth around. With several failed hook ups on the popper, the Angler Neil Trujillo managed to hook the fish of a lifetime for a novice angler. When you actually get attached to a Dogtooth on any gear you really start to wonder if its a battle you can ever win...but thats the challenge and the fun of it. Surrounded by sharks and other Dogtooth the odds are stacked against you but its so worth it when you manage to stop the Doggies insane run and actually get it to the boat. During this trip the amount of life was insane, so much so the boats brand new Gopro 6 got eaten by an aggressive shark whilst filming the underwater shots. Luckily we downloaded this footage before the Shark decided it wanted a colonoscopy. Most people who go Doggie fishing openly admit it is the ultimate test of everything...angler, gear, knots, boat handling, stamina and a dose of luck on your side as well. Everyone agrees though that once you get the bug for Doggie fishing you are addicted for life!

It was a great day on Nambas during one of our trips in November. We went from battling Dogtooth on topwater lures, with explosive bites and screaming drag to battling a classic Vanuatu Black Marlin on the spin gear. Having already caught 2 nice sail fish on trolling gear, we then hooked up to this awesome little Black Marlin on the Shimano Saragosa spinning set up. The Black didn't like the situation and after getting tail wrapped started to go down. With some changes in pressure and some boat manoeuvring by Captain Housby we managed to get the fish unwrapped and back up on the surface. To try and ensure we realeased the fish in the healthiest state Russ then backed up hard on the fish leading to a speedy and healthy release and a good drenching for angler and crew. When the weather is a good as it is in Vanuatu a bit of cooling salt water is a nice relief! As you can see the fish swam away in great condition. Unfortunately we ran out of time and couldn't go in search of a Blue Marlin for a slam...next time!

It was a dream come true for novice angler Andrea Delaney, she was clearly excited by the prospect of her first big game fishing trip. As the lures went out Captain Housby showed her the ropes and correct technique in the chair. It wasn't long before she had her first fish on, a nice Mahi Mahi. At this point Andrea would have been happy with that but we still had plenty of fishing time left so Captain Housby started working his marks looking for Andrea's first Marlin. After a couple of hours Captain Housby called out as he saw a movement behind the long rigger, instantly followed by a huge crash bite... the fish pulled line off the 130 shimano reel then unfortunately disconnected. The disappointment didn't last long though a couple of striped Marlin started to attack every lure in the spread. Crewman Lani Mantai quickly dropped a lure back to a fish and Andrea was hooked up to her first Marlin which went leaping across the surface in a blistering run. Andrea couldn't believe what she was seeing but kept her head and did a great job in the chair to quickly get the fish to the boat. To celebrate everyone headed to the local Wahoo bar to eat the Mahi Mahi and weigh the Marlin. The Marlin didn't go to waste and was donated to 2 of the local villages for their upcoming celebrations of Independence Day in Vanuatu.

It was a fantastic trip for Englishman Peter Brumby. Having only had a couple of drops with our lightweight Jigging gear, Peter soon realised he was connected to a seriously hard fighting fish. Peter being an experienced angler eventually managed to slow the GTs run and start winning some line back. Having lost so much line in the initial run Captain Russ Housby manoeuvred the boat on the fish to make Peters life a bit easier. After a 15 minute battle the fish was brought through the door for a few pictures. It was by far Peter's biggest GT to date!

Our 2 anglers got more than they bargained for yesterday on a half day charter with Nambas Fishing Charters. Both anglers were clear that they wanted a bit of fun and would be happy with a 15KG Yellowfin Tuna. Having only put the lines in the water 30 minutes before we were approaching the FAD when the long corner popped out of the clip. We knew it was a decent Blue Marlin when an enormous tail could be seen cruising away after the bite. Line was screaming off the 130 Shimano Tiagra. The angler was positioned in the chair a little did he know what he was in for. After 45 minutes it was clear that this was going to be a prolonged fight. The fish has gone straight down and we suspected it was tail wrapped. With over 650 metres of line out we all settled in for some hard graft. The Anglers swap out of the chair a few time to try and rest aching muscles and even the skipper took a turn so the guys could rest. Eventually after 5 hours of grim determination we got the fish to the surface. It looked a good fish and unfortunately as we suspected it was badly tail wrapped and had died during the fight. Despite 5 people and several rope systems there was no way this fish was coming in the boat. We started a steady tow back to base at Havannah. Word had spread that a decent fish was coming in and we were greeted by an excited audience at Havannah's famous Wahoo Bar. The fish came out 670lbs and obviously the anglers were exhausted but delighted. In true Vanuatu style nothing went to waste and the Marlin was shared amongst the local villages. A great effort by all!