Angler's File: Fishing & Diving in Vanuatu

Saturday, 29 December 2012

Fishing & Diving in Vanuatu

Introduction

Vanuatu has a well-deserved reputation for exceptionally good gamefishing in the heavy and light tackle classes as well as newer techniques like jigging and surface fishing with poppers and stickbaits.
From the 1000m contour line and the renowned ‘Marlin Highway’ which runs hundreds of miles in a north/south direction close to Vanuatu, to the various FAD’s just offshore and often it’s only a short trip with the hammers down to get you into some hot fishing action.
Vanuatu is one of the worlds’ top blue marlin fisheries with a number of world records to it’s credit as well as a good number of ‘grander’ blues that have been taken in the area. Most of the regular gamefishing charterboats would catch around 100 per year with many being tagged and released to conserve the fishery.

Best times and species

Put simply, Vanuatu fishes all year round, however the ideal times are March through November as this is the time when the weather and water conditions are usually optimal. It’s also rather nice timing in that it gives Kiwis and Aussies the excuse to escape the clutches of winter and head for warmer climes and some fishing!

While being a renowned blue marlin fishery with frequent catches in the 100-200kg range, the odd XXXL model does turn up in the gear and the current record stands at a very respectable 515kg or 1,135 old-fashioned pounds!
Other species that are targeted and frequently caught in the area include black marlin, sailfish, striped marlin, yellowfin tuna, mahi-mahi , wahoo, Spanish mackerel, sailfish, dogtooth tuna, coral trout, job fish and red bass.
Yellowfin and dog tooth tuna reach some very large proportions. Dogtooth grow to around 80kg and yellowfin to 100kg, while rare, are quite possible.
The most important thing about Vanuatu is the surrounding waters are rich in a wide range of species and there’s plenty to interest anglers of all abilities and interests, be it trolling for pelagics, Jigging the drop-offs or surface fishing with poppers and stickbaits.

Where to go

The main gamefishing operations operating in Vanuatu are found on Efate - Port Vila and on Santo - Luganville. From Port Vila, it can be only a 10-15 minute trip to be into sailfish and yellowfin action in Mele Bay at certain times of the year however it takes longer to get to the FADS and out to the marlin highway.
Possible destinations with local charter operators include the Marlin Highway, Blue Hat, 366, Nguna Volcano, the Erromango Sea Mounts and Hat Island.From Santo, the journey is considerably longer; however there is good fishing along the way.
On some of the smaller islands there are fishing options in various states of development and it’s even possible to rent a small dugout and create your own adventure in and around the reefs and drops close inshore catching a variety of species on lighter tackle. Be careful eating reef fish due to sicatira. A tip we heard from the locals – cut a small section from the fish and leave it outside overnight. If the ants eat it, it should be OK to eat.

What gear to take

Most of the charter operators have excellent equipment so check what’s on offer before you go and maybe you can save lugging armfuls of kit with you. If you do want to take your own gear
Popping and Surface fishing:
Take the highest quality hooks and split rings you can get and ensure your poppers or stickbaits are well made with through-wire construction. Giant trevally and dog-tooth tuna of legendary proportions will take no prisoners and the coral outcrops and bombs will shred your line in a heartbeat. Solid rods are essential as it a high quality spinning reel that can pull 10+kg of drag smoothly such as a Daiwa expedition or Stella. A minimum of 50lb braid is essential for offshore popping on the reef edges and deep drop offs but 80lb is better to stop those bigger fish. A smaller set with 30 lb braid for fishing in the lagoons and inshore reefs for a multitude of smaller species is also a good idea.
Trolling:
Species you’re likely to encounter in closer include wahoo, barracuda, dogtooth, sailfish, smaller yellowfin and the occasional Black Marlin. Further out in the deeper water blue and striped marlin are more common as are mahimahi (especially around the FADs) and large yellowfin. Deadbait fishing is common with rigged ballyhoo skipping or swimmers being employed.
Scad, rainbow runners and small tuna (called mac tuna or kawa-kawa) are also used. The kawa-kawa are a livebait favourite as they keep well in tuna-tubes and are a favourite fare of the large pelagics! Trolling lures, bibbed minnows and diving lures like mackerel maulers etc are also commonly used techniques depending on the situation (such as presence of bait schools where livebaits are more commonly deployed) or the species being targeted.

Charters

The gamefishing charter fleet in Vanuatu is now a well developed industry that has a range of top class vessels manned by experienced captains and crew running state of the art quality fishing equipment.
Vanuatu offers a wide range of options and even if the sea conditions are a little unfavourable there is almost always somewhere you can tuck in in the lee of and island and fish.
Day trips are common or you can charter a boat for several days for live-aboard options. Some operators have a ‘stay-away’ option where you can fish during the day on a luxury boat and stay in lodges and guest houses on remote outer islands in the evening, experiencing some of the fine local hospitality and food.

Tournaments

The Port Vila Game Fishing Club runs six competitions a year . Some of the larger ones such as the Marlin Classic attract lots of international anglers, as well as the locals. The tournaments are held in February through to November. Read Pete Phillipps' report about the 2011 Marlin Classic here.
There are competitions for everyone from a great day out in February with the ladies fishing comp, the yellowfin shootout, through to the big money Marlin Classic or the ‘Tusker’ Game Fishing Classic held in November.

Diving

The diving is world class. Fabulous, vibrant coral reefs, abundant fish-life and a couple of dives that are on most divers bucket-lists. The SS Coolidge and Million Dollar point. Clear, warm water for most of the year makes Vanuatu a virtual mecca for divers.