We arrived at Norfolk Island on Sunday the 23rd after a 3-day steam from the God Coast in good weather conditions. I headed ashore in a locals fishing boat and experienced the Norfolk lift. Where the trailer boats are craned in and out of the water with passengers and belongings aboard. The exciting part is when it is done in a 2-meter swell!
Norfolk island has been on my radar for a number of years, as we regularly fish south of Norfolk at the Wanganella's. The wanganella is attached to a under water ridge system, known as the "Norfolk Ridge" and along with Norfolk Island has some very interesting bottom structure. This structure could potentially hold large numbers of sport fish, namely marlin, tuna and broad bill swordfish. Research conducted onboard the Ultimate lady has lead to some interesting finds with regard to the migration of various marlin species and the waters surrounding Norfolk.
The aim is to base ourselves at Norfolk Island for a couple of months while we explore and fish the surrounding waters and south along the ridge to the wanganella's. Our guests will fly into the island to embark on fishing trips of a lifetime and hopefully discovering a potential sport fishery at Norfolk Island.
With a few beers and shore party welcome. We loaded local celebrity, “Hose” onboard and with him he bought a few singlets, stubbies, thongs and two massive hands from which a VB and cigarette were never far from. We settled in for the night at cascade bay, which reminded me very much of anchoring at the Three kings Islands. The next morning we got away early and was out on the ridge at 0830hrs, and with only the lures in the water for 20 minutes we were soon looking at 4 shimano reels howling under protest from 4 yellow fin tuna. Only the one made it onboard, but at 50kg, it was enough to feed us for a week!
The weather was looking good, so we planned to head straight through to the wanganella, but before that, we would finish the day on a particularly fishy looking hook down to the south. As the bottom rose up, so did the columns of bait and it wasn’t long before we were hooked up again. This time to a striped marlin. After catching our first Norfolk marlin, we attempted to stop to catch some bait, but as we slowed, we had another bite, this time it was a 400lb black marlin! We finished the day with 3 stripeys and 2 blacks and a very good reason not to rush anywhere fast! The next day started with the early biters…wahooo and after a couple of them, we thought, it can’t be too long before the marlin go on the chew, but we had to wait for the afternoon again. Finishing the day with 1 black, and 2 stripeys. So, with our first 2 days fishing under our belt at Norfolk island, I was suitably impressed, and it would seem that our research wasn’t too far from the mark.
The wanganella was up to it’s usual self. The first day was slow with so much moon out the night before. With only 4 fish released, we wondered why we had left Norfolk. However the high light on the first day was a 500lb black marlin, which is only the second black we have seen at the wanganella, and the first one we have successfully released. The next 3 days saw us release 11, 11 and 9 fish per day respectively. However the best was yet to come. The moon eased up, and the fish came on the chew, with a 16 fish day followed by the most epic day marlin fishing I have ever had.
We hauled in our sea anchor in glassed out conditions, to see Dolphin fish lazily swimming about, wondering where their new home had disappeared too. The lures hit the water as the boat was put into gear, and we didn’t get 100 meters when we hooked the first fish for the day. I didn’t think much of this, but by 10 am, we had already caught 10 marlin, and by noon, the tally was at 14. Our previous best was 21, and that day, started slow and finished with a bang. On that day in May, we had only caught 9 fish by 1pm. So I am thinking, what the hell is going to happen this afternoon?!?! I should mention, during the morning, we had another first. We raised a pack of marlin, of unknown numbers behind the boat, and we hooked 6 fish, and we still had 3 fish fighting over my teaser! Luckily or unluckily, 2 fish fell off, but for the first 10 minutes it was quite a site looking at the lines coming off the back of the boat, with anglers ducking and weaving in the cockpit like some sort of knitting machine in over drive, desperately trying to un tangle themselves from each other.
The bite slowed in the afternoon, and I was left wondering where had all the fish gone? The bait had gone to the bottom where we had caught the fish in the morning…so we went for a look out a bit wider, as we have seen the fish out wide before. A few more bites, pack attacks and fish caught saw us finish the day with the sun just down and 24 releases. Hose was in good form, with his “skull dragging” technique, winching the striped marlin to the boat in record time!
The fish weren’t that big, but as we have experienced before, from day to day, the size can vary, as if the marlin traveled in a certain size group and a new pack had just reached the wanganella.
The last day saw the same size fish of around 230lbs and we let go 19 before we started the steam back to Norfolk Island. In all, 102 marlin were caught, but the exciting part is we have only just scratched the surface of a potentially awesome fishery surrounding Norfolk Island. |
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