Category: Blog

A lot has been happening over the last few weeks here at Trees & Fishes, as the fishing’s been really turning it on for our January & February anglers!

Anglers have been getting stuck into some nice yellowfin, mahi mahi, while this week extreme anglers had a blinder on everything including nice dogtooth (on popper), GT, blue marlin (on spinning rod), job fish & even a 18kg wahoo caught on popper all from the lodge.

For anglers wanting a mid year Vanuatu getaway and to experience a sportfishing trip of this calibre, we have limited dates and packages available. Contact us for more details or trip package. Check out below latest anglers pics gallery.

The VFD (Vanuatu Fisheries Department) is the government body charged with the implementation and enforcement of fisheries management laws, policies, regulations and principles under the Ministry of Agriculture, Live stock, Forestry, Fisheries and Biosecurity (MALFFB).

Andrea Traverso from Ocean Blue reports: “On the 8th February our team assisted the VFD with the set-up a tracking device on the FAD so it can be followed and/or retrieved if it brakes off. We also installed a device with an echo sounder that transmits biomass data (amount of fish present) in real time. Mostly to collect data for the fisheries”.

The mission of the Fisheries Department (VFD) of Vanuatu is “to ensure sustainable management, development and conservation of fish resources in order to achieve maximum social and economic benefits to Vanuatu for the present and future generations”.

Need a break why not escape your day to day life and discover ours? This could be just the thing as a single angler, group of friends, couple or corporate team bonding to escape and experience fishing Vanuatu with Ocean Blue. A typical anglers day generally starts at 7:30 am, to sit down with other fellow guests and anglers for a wholesome, hot breakfast of choice freshly prepared by our local cook. The food fuels an easy conversation between guests and anglers. Guests staying onshore can enjoy a massage, take a tour around the island or kick back around our rock pool, deck lounge on the waters edge at Trees and Fishes. As for the energetic anglers (with no day being the same) they will relish the challenge, experience whilst chasing their dream fish. At the end of the day ie: 4 pm guests and anglers can reward themselves with a cold beverage and enjoy our culinary evening meal which our retreat has become well known for over the years. Fortified by our spectacular setting, wholesome food, outstanding service and guaranteed on the water satisfaction, guests and anglers will feel like kings before they know it. Vanuatu is one of those truly rare destinations with most species available all year round guaranteeing anglers will experience exciting “water friction” like no other in 2018!

It’s been a solid start to 2018 with guests enjoying a great yellowfin, sailfish and marlin bites fishing out of our lodge, Trees and Fishes. The coming months are looking great as the ‘fin moving offshore, depending on the day and schools, we find fish anywhere from 5-60kg+. Special mention this week to the Sterianos boys who were rewarded with a 50kg Sailfish & 40kg Yellowfin, stand up. Charlie Pelaia for landing his 1st ever blue marlin and Angus Boyd for landing a 60kg barrel. Great effort by all!

A doggy hook up can be brutal and followed by a prolonged adrenalin rush and better hold on to that rod nice & firmly when hooked up. Dogtooth Tuna are generally caught either trolling or jigging. A big live bait or a trolled lure on a heavy conventional setup gives you the best chance to land a really big one. However, most extreme anglers prefer to catch them by casting or jigging. For jigging a good range of short and fat butterfly jigs between 40 and 200g max is recommended as your fishing in water depth ranging between 40 & 120 meters. Depending on the spots and on how these beats bite expect to loose between 0 and 20+ jigs a day. Top tip is to always think to check and redo your trace which should be between 7 & 8 meters on 150lbs. Note that our crew can assist you with these, to ensure that you are always ready for that big hit. Onboard the edge gear used for jigging are a range of Saragosa 6000, 10000 and 25000 matched with light, medium and heavy jigging rods and filled with PE 3, PE 6 and PE 10 braid. You will need an average of 400-500m of line when facing facing your advisor. Finally make sure that your drag is well set before dropping. Chasing doggies is something we recommend to all anglers to experience at least once in their lives.

Variety… is King this summer in Vanuatu! Unsettled conditions can make the fishing hard for the best of us at times. Did you ever get the feeling you were up against it when out fishing? We all have those days when the conditions seem wrong or the fish aren’t biting. Nothing like the OFF days. And when the conditions do change and the fish are really back on it, those little lessons stay with you, making your adventure even more satisfying. One of the great pleasures of fishing Vanuatu is that most species can be targeted all year round. Just times when some species are more prolific than others.