Category: Popping
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Big yellowfin Vanuatu .
BY: Webteam / 0 COMMENTS / CATEGORIES: Fishing Trips, Other species, Popping, Soft plastics
Today we were after big yellowfin . The wind was howling and the sea at the fad bigger than yesterday . So we started to troll with big 12″ poppers and a 7 ” soft plastic .
The first one was 15 kg then in came the big one at 25 kgs . Two more were caught ,12 kg and 10 kg . A great haul for the morning .
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Fishing Vanuatu for Yellowfin Tuna
BY: Webteam / 0 COMMENTS / CATEGORIES: Fishing Trips, Other species, Popping, Soft plastics
First day of four days fishing . The wind is howling but we decide to go out to the fads for yellowfin .it is not really a fishing trip as we have our wives with us so half days are going to be the norm . Once we get to the fad its micro jigs out to get some skipjack for bait . First drop all four of us hook up to rainbow runners . These fish are cousins to the kingfish . Next drop all four hook up again , this time two rainbow runners and two skipjack . Then it went off so we started trolling and using our poppers out the back . I also put out a 7″ soft plastic in white to see if they preferred this . Over the next hour the soft plastic worked and in came 4 nice yellow fin tuna . A few more skip jacks and at 11 am we headed for calm water as the swell was causing us havoc .
Back for lunch at the resort with the girls and they were not keen for the boat two of us went out into calm water chasing dogtooth tuna .
The next two hours gave us no joy , only a shark and a couple of small fish . See the video below of the shark and the days catch between two boats .
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What fish to catch and where to catch them
BY: Webteam / 0 COMMENTS / CATEGORIES: Fishing Trips, Jigging, Live bait, Other species, Popping, Soft plastics, Trolling
At the moment I am talking flathead , but we will talk bream , snapper , kingfish , jewfish ,tailor salmon ,and many others as we go . Also micro jigging, soft plastics , hard body , trolling , popping , deep water jigging , vibes , sometimes live bait , but never never smelly old bait or dead bait !
let me knew your success stories also , but make sure you include , rod , reel , line weight , leader , jig sizes , hook sizes and lure .
this way we will all learn .
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Fishing Vanuatu day 1 – Mahi Mahi
BY: Webteam / 0 COMMENTS / CATEGORIES: Jigging, Popping, Uncategorized
the weather is perfect, no wind , sun and a bit of cloud . We went out 20 minutes to the first fad , chasing yellowfin tuna . Two of the guys wer popping , that is the boat trolls slowly and you put poppers out the back and jig them to make the splash . I put out a 7″ soft plastic pearl white colour on a 7/0 hook , 120 lb leader . It wasn’t even 60 seconds when I got hit and a 10 kg yellowfin was in the boat . Reset and not 5 minutes went by and a 4-5 kg skip jack hit the soft plastic . Then another two quickly after . It hadn’t even been half an hour . The poppers had 3 huge hits but all of them failed to hook up .
We went to the next fad , much quieter , but two big hits on the poppers and again no hook ups . Then just as we decided to go for luck and a snorkel , three hits together , two big tuna and one Mahi Mahi on the soft plastic . See photo . One tuna was lost , the other one eaten by a shark , we only got the head in , see below photo , and the Mahi Mahi was for dinner.
After lunch we went jigging to shoes dog tooth tuna . Nothing landed but three bust offs . These fish are fun and frustrating .
So s quieter day overall but enjoyable , getting us ready for day 2 . Update this tomorrow .
We went to the next fad , much quieter , but two big hits on the poppers and again no hook ups . Then just as we decided to go for luck and a snorkel , three hits together , two big tuna and one Mahi Mahi on the soft plastic . See photo . One tuna was lost , the other one eaten by a shark , we only got the head in , see below photo , and the Mahi Mahi was for dinner.
After lunch we went jigging to shoes dog tooth tuna . Nothing landed but three bust offs . These fish are fun and frustrating .
So s quieter day overall but enjoyable , getting us ready for day 2 . Update this tomorrow .
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Day 4 Vanuatu fishing
BY: Webteam / 0 COMMENTS / CATEGORIES: Fishing Trips, Jigging, Popping
This morning we took the 4 wives out for a fish and a snorkel . As it was clam we went to the fads for popping to get some yellowfin tuna . Three rods out , two popping and one on a 7″ soft plastic. Within 10 minutes of popping a double hook up , one on the gold popper and one on the soft plastic . Both big hits . Mayhem , everyone scrambling to help the girls as the reels were screaming . As there were two fish on, the boat could not chase them . After about 5 minutes the tuna on the popper was sharked so over to the small red rod PE 3-5 strength , with 10,000 reel and 50 lb braid . This was a big fish for this rod so the 4 girls took it in turn to pull it in . Three of the guys helped at times and after about 40 minutes the great yellowfin was at the boat . Not before they got it to the surface twice to see how big it was . Third time lucky . About 25 kg or so , same length as the big ones but not as thick around the body .A great shot below . They were very pleased , but didn’t want any more popping ! So next we took them jigging . Surprisingly they learnt this pretty quickly and were quite good at it . Six or eight fish came into the boat , some photos below , then it was time for a snorkel and lunch back at the lodge.
In The afternoon the four of us went chasing dogies . We didn’t land one , the afternoon was quiet for a while but then we were hit with some big fish . One fish spooled Chris’s reel , all 300 yards of 60 lb braid , in an instant . Either a big sailfish or small Marlin . All of us were using bigger gear this time but we still had fish that we could not stop . Amongst the big hits we managed some smaller reef fish ! But the Sharks played havock with our catches . Just as we were finishing one small fish coming up got hit by something really big . We couldn’t move this thing . It was on the biggest rod I had PE 6-8 with 20,000 Stella reel 100 lb braid and 200 lb leader. We shared this rod for half an hour and still couldn’t get the fish up past the 40 metre Mark . Probably a big shark or grouper , but my money was on a shark as they had been constant all afternoon . Finally we busted it off as we had to go home , so it is there for one of you .
The Trees and fishes lodge is in my opinion the best place to go if you want to catch a lot of fish or you want to chase trophy fish . You can do either . The boats and gear and skippers are great . They will chase what you want and do any type of fishing you want . Or you can just follow what they say and catch what is going around .
The lodge itself, run by Angele is fantastic . From the moment you arrive at the airport you want for nothing . Food is exceptional , so is the service , and the accommodation is excellent . Whether you go with your mates or take your wives everyone will go home impressed . You just book through Ocean Blue here in Aus . You must get over there . Our wives were impressed and want to go back !
The Trees and fishes lodge is in my opinion the best place to go if you want to catch a lot of fish or you want to chase trophy fish . You can do either . The boats and gear and skippers are great . They will chase what you want and do any type of fishing you want . Or you can just follow what they say and catch what is going around .
The lodge itself, run by Angele is fantastic . From the moment you arrive at the airport you want for nothing . Food is exceptional , so is the service , and the accommodation is excellent . Whether you go with your mates or take your wives everyone will go home impressed . You just book through Ocean Blue here in Aus . You must get over there . Our wives were impressed and want to go back !
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Day 3 Vanuatu fishing
BY: Webteam / 0 COMMENTS / CATEGORIES: Fishing Trips, Jigging, Popping
Today the boys have a full day fishing while the wives visit the market and then a relaxing day at the lodge . This morning we were after the big yellowfin tuna, popping the 11″ poppers on PE 6-8 popping rods and Stella 14000 reels , 80 lb braid and 200 lb leader . Well , it wasn’t even 10 minutes and Greg had this huge hit and he was on . The tuna took off and peeled nearly all the 300 yards of line off the reel . I think we had 20 kg of drag set . It took about half an hour and a couple of fishermen changes to get him in but eventually it was in the boat. What a beauty , 40 kg of pure muscle . See photo below.
Next about half an hour later , Chris was on , same rod , same popper . Not quite as big but it took off also taking half the line . Chris managed to get this one to the boat in about 10 minutes . Another beauty about 25 kg of muscle . Yellowfin were jumping out of the water everywhere but they turned off the bite and we didn’t get another one . So after about another hour and a half we took off for lunch and then to chase doggies .
Next about half an hour later , Chris was on , same rod , same popper . Not quite as big but it took off also taking half the line . Chris managed to get this one to the boat in about 10 minutes . Another beauty about 25 kg of muscle . Yellowfin were jumping out of the water everywhere but they turned off the bite and we didn’t get another one . So after about another hour and a half we took off for lunch and then to chase doggies .
The afternoon started slowly with only pike coming into the boat . Some bait for Paul . We then changed spots a couple of times and finally found a spot out of the wind and virtually no current . So we drifted here from 90 metres down to 50 metres . Plenty of bait on the sounder and then it all started to happen . Two hours of non stop action . No doggies to the boat ,but more than half a dozen bust offs and the same from sharks . My light weight jigging rod ,PE 2-4 with 5000 Stella was non stop with a 60 g jig . The sound of the braid peeling off like cotton is just an exciting feeling you never get sick of . Everyone was catching fish except the bait person ! But he did end up with a nice coral trout . So the fish in the boat were shark mackerel , big Rosie job fish , coral trout , GT,s, although the two big ones were shark food , we only got the heads up , skip Jack and more I can’t remember .. Chris caught a beaut amberjack,photo below. No doggies but it didn’t matter as we had fantastic fun.
I have to tell you about the rod incident ! Chris hit this good fish , not too big and then something huge hit and took the fish on his line . Well , this caused chaos. The skipper had to start the boat and tow this fish . Chris was not making much ground on it and the rod was bending like crazy with the drag at maximum for the rod. After about 10 or 15 minutes ,SNAP ! , the rod was shorter , so he passed it over to Paul to finish the job . He did by busting off the line with the shorter rod . We didn’t see what it was , a big shark or big grouper . But very funny to watch . See photos below . Last day tomorrow , stay tuned .
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Day 2 Vanuatu fishing
BY: Webteam / 0 COMMENTS / CATEGORIES: Fishing Trips, Jigging, Other species, Popping
The seas were flat as a pancake , no wind , so the 4 of us took our wives out for a morning fish at the second fad. See the photos below of them popping for yellowfin tuna . The poppers are about 30 cm long so it is hard work , the rods are PE 6-8 , reels Stella 14000 fast action , and the braid 60 lb and 200 lb leader . There were big yellowfin all around but we couldn’t get a hit for over an hour . Then we decided to show them how to jig . There was a lot of laughter and shrieking but no fish hits at all .Then Annette managed to land a small yellowfin ,that’s a photo below . See the smile .we took them for snorkel on the coral and fed the huge red bass and multitiude of small reef fish , before coming in for lunch at the lodge. The afternoon info after the photos below .
Afternoon we went jigging for doggies . This was a fun packed afternoon with plenty of action . We must have hold over a dozen doggies and not one landed . There were schools of big pike around and sharks and they either hit the line and were biting it off or hitting the fish and taking our catch . One hit I had on the 80 lb rod and 20,000 Stella reel , with 24 kg drag locked , wouldn’t stop. We shared the rod for about half an hour and then it busted off . We could only get about 5 metres of line every few minutes . When we lost it , it was still 60 metres down and we were towing it with the boat in circles to try to get it to come up . Probably a big shark hooked in the side or tail . There are some big fish down there . Another doggie managed to get off by straightening the hook , when I thought we had this one . We were fishing in water 50 -70 metres deep running up to 45 metres . The sounder had so much bait fish showing , so we were always on the spot . Paul has one fish , we think it must have been a huge red bass or grouper that had his 400 T curve jigging rod about to bust . 200 lb leader and 18000 Stella reel . We didn’t get this in either , lost just before we could see it . In between all this action we caught half a dozen pike and some coronation trout , but the real fun was these big hits . Just at the end of the day Paul was using bait and he hooked into something big again . This time he got it in , a huge pike , must be nearly 5 ft long , see photo below. He cheated as he put a wire trace on with bait just to see what was down there.
So the tally for the afternoon was one big pike , 6 or 7 smaller ones ,2 trout , and more lost than we would like to remember . But fantastic fun . Just it let you know the gear we are using , see photos . I have 3 rods , one PE 6-8 , 20,000 Stella reel, 80 lb braid , 200 lb leader , jig 100 g-120 g . Second rod PE 3-5 , Stella 10000 reel , 60 lb braid 200 lb leader , 3 oz jig head ,soft plastic 7″ , 5/0 hook . Third rod is PE 2-4, 30 lb braid , Stella 5000 reel , 80 lb leader , 60 g jig . The three other guys have similar gear . Even on the heavy gear we still get beaten up . Anyway more tomorrow for day 3 . Is there a better fishing place than this ?
So the tally for the afternoon was one big pike , 6 or 7 smaller ones ,2 trout , and more lost than we would like to remember . But fantastic fun . Just it let you know the gear we are using , see photos . I have 3 rods , one PE 6-8 , 20,000 Stella reel, 80 lb braid , 200 lb leader , jig 100 g-120 g . Second rod PE 3-5 , Stella 10000 reel , 60 lb braid 200 lb leader , 3 oz jig head ,soft plastic 7″ , 5/0 hook . Third rod is PE 2-4, 30 lb braid , Stella 5000 reel , 80 lb leader , 60 g jig . The three other guys have similar gear . Even on the heavy gear we still get beaten up . Anyway more tomorrow for day 3 . Is there a better fishing place than this ?
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Day three Bangkok fishing – barramundi
BY: Webteam / 0 COMMENTS / CATEGORIES: Fishing Tips, Fishing Trips, Popping, Soft plastics, Videos
Last day fishing in Bangkok so we are returning to the barramundi farm to see if they will bite as well a second day . We only had 5 hours today as we needed to head to the airport at 3 pm . Within 10 minutes Barra were being hooked on our hard body lures and mostly lost . This continued for a couple of hours , one landed and two throwing the hooks back at us as they jumped and twisted out of the water . One fish hit the lure so hard it there back at us onto the bank .
After about 2 hours and 25 fish landed and released we decided to have some fun with poppers . I put on a small red and white popper and Jonathan put on a bigger red and white popper . The Barra went berserk over these poppers hitting them with huge books that sounded like thunder . See the video below . Cast after cast they hit the lures , many times missing the hook up but the fun was seeing them smash total tally of Barra caught and released today over the 5 hours was 81. The tally hooked and Lost would be nearly triple that .sll the fish were roughly the same size , around 6-7 kg . Photo gallery below . Enjoy the jumping Barra video . There will be more videos each day this week .
After about 2 hours and 25 fish landed and released we decided to have some fun with poppers . I put on a small red and white popper and Jonathan put on a bigger red and white popper . The Barra went berserk over these poppers hitting them with huge books that sounded like thunder . See the video below . Cast after cast they hit the lures , many times missing the hook up but the fun was seeing them smash total tally of Barra caught and released today over the 5 hours was 81. The tally hooked and Lost would be nearly triple that .sll the fish were roughly the same size , around 6-7 kg . Photo gallery below . Enjoy the jumping Barra video . There will be more videos each day this week .
