Jurassic Park

Kiwi spearfishing ace Darren Sheilds has been back in town with a team of intrepid divers looking for the big yellow fin and dogtooth tuna. They opted to try Wild Blue Charters live away trip that utilizes the Kakoola Island Resort to the north of Port Vila.

The first few days saw the boys diving the F.A.D’s which proved to be slower than usual with only a few mahi-mahi and wahoo to be seen. Later in the week they spent a couple of days diving Scotts Rock which is located north east of Vila. Darren made mention after the trip that is probably one of the most amazing places he has ever dived, a bit like Jurassic Park. Lots of dogtooth tuna however the boys had difficulty getting fish to the boat due the large amount of sharks.

Were are running trips out of Kakula Island Resort, Tranquility Island Resort and of course or famous Epi trips.

Have a look at our web site for more details or contact me on fishing@vanautu.com.vu

Capt. Peter Phillipps

http://www.nautilus.com.vu/fishing.htm

The Volcano was on Fire.

We had a memorable trip up to Epi A couple of weeks ago. It was straight after the Marlin Classic where we didn't go so well as we just didn't raise enough fish. We cleaned the boat after the Classic, loaded up with food, water and beer and we were away with the Paul Sharp group consisting of Paul, Kelvin (I be back), David and Steve.
First up we nailed wahoo at the f.a.d then about and hour and a half later a marlin jumps on then later in the afternoon another one volunteers for a tag. Not a bad day, where were they in the days before. The next day saw us off to De Chaulliac Bank for some great yellow fin action another marlin strike, another good day. Day 3 we headed out to Lopevi Volcano with Paul ordering a sail fish as we got under way. On arrival we turned up a yellow fin then a triple of fin.
No more than 100 meters further on a double strike of sails with both finally dropping off. Conditions were a bit scruffy so we ducked in behind the volcano for lunch then off around it again. This time the action was even hotter, we were hard pressed to get the gear back in the water after each hookup before we got nailed again. The wahoo action was thick and fast and most around the 20 to 25kg mark. As one of the wahoo we had a second strike, this time the sail stayed on and received a tag to the delight of Kelvin(I'll be back) It was an awsome days fishing and a delight to give the fish to the local villagers that evening back at Lamen Bay.
Check our web site for info on these fishing adventures as well as others.
Capt. Pete Phillipps
http://www.nautilus.com.vu/fishing.htm

The Vanuatu Marlin Classic

The Vanuatu Marlin Classic

The Vanuatu Marlin Classic has been run and won. With eighteen local and overseas teams fishing this year the action was a little slow with 20 marlin being raised and 5 marlin being tagged over the seven days. This comp is tag and release only and point are awarded for the most marlin tagged on the lightest tackle which ranges from 60kg down to 15kg. The first fish tagged was on Ultimate Lady putting them in the lead on day one. There was a lot of strikes with no hookups experienced by many teams and a lot of bust offs as a lot of teams were opting to fish 15kg to maximize their point as most teams were only getting one strike a day. Some great yellow fin were popping up occasionally with some in the 70kg range and some wahoo and mahi-mahi changing the pace of each day. One of the bigger marlin tagged during the comp was a 250kg fish on 24kg. This was caught by Demon Jigs, Steve Badman fishing team B on Ultimate Lady. The eventual winners were local anglers fishing on In Deep who were the first team to tag a marlin on 15kg.
Cpt Pete Phillipps
http://www.nautilus.com.vu/fishing.htm