Giant Grouper from Tanzania

I've included below a precis from a New Release I've just received from Club member Peter Ruysenaars' Pemba Channel Fishing Club - www.pembachannel.com - regarding a potential All Tackle record for a Giant Grouper.  I must admit the species name took me totally by surprise, but that's what the IGFA refer to it as.  Any rate here's the report. 

One of The Pemba Channel Fishing Club’s Bertrams – Shuwari - fishing out of Latham Island (Tanzania) in March boated a Giant Grouper weighing 179.5 kg (395lbs). 

Shuwari, skippered by Madelena Martinengo, made the long haul to the island from Shimoni in the early hours of the morning.  Fishing at Latham had been slow in the previous few weeks so it was decided to live bait for Giant Trevally and Dog Tooth Tuna.

A couple of Rainbow Runner were rigged live and trolled along the drop-offs near the island, in less than 60 metres of water.  It was not long before the live bait on the down rigger was taken and battle commenced.  A battle lasting about 30 minutes, on 60 kg line, and a Giant Grouper of 179.5 kg was the surprise of the day.  Nobody on board suspected it would be a Giant Grouper as, in the main, Giant Trevally were being caught together with the odd shark and other reef fish.

Even though the fight with the fish was short and sweet, getting it on board proved to be a more difficult task!  Without a transom door it was difficult.  Eventually with ropes attached to the flying bridge ladder and 7 able bodied people the fish was finally lifted on board.

Pictures and measurements have been sent to the IGFA for identification and it’s awaiting ratification as a potential All Tackle record.

Thumbnail picture of 395lb Giant Grouper caught by Nelson Shayne off Latham Island, Tanzania.  Click on picture to view larger image. Reproduced by kind permission of the copyright holder - Peter Ruysenaars of the Pemba Channel Club, Shimoni, Kenya.

Conservation Issue

Just something I picked up from the Florida Sportsman web site which may be of interest.  I've reproduced it in full.  It graphically illustrates the international aspects of certain irresponsible commercial fishing activity. 

Massive Bust of Seafood Importers Upheld by Supreme Court
Another Lacey Act Violation; four defendants earn up to eight years.

Guilty verdicts were recently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court against four defendants who owned or worked for SeaAmerica, an Alabama company that illegally imported 1.6 million pounds of illegal spiny lobsters from Honduras. The seafood had a resale value of $17 million. The stiffest jail sentence will be eight years.

One of the defendants owned perhaps the largest lobster commercial fishing fleet in the entire Caribbean, and certainly in Honduras.

According to NOAA, “Honduras and Nicaragua are primary parental sources for replenishing lobster stocks in the Southeast United States.” Lobster larvae from those countries drift with strong currents into Florida’s coastal waters. It’s believed that without a constant re-supply of young lobster from Caribbean countries, populations of Florida Keys lobsters would plummet.

Florida’s commercial lobster fishery has now experienced a third consecutive year of decline. A number of other Caribbean countries have noticed declines, to, with the taking of “shorts” and egg-bearing female lobsters often the roots of problems.

Among lobster shipments from Honduras confiscated in Alabama were some 5,000 pounds of illegal, egg-bearing females, along with 26,000 pounds of undersized “shorts.”

Ascension Island

Six members of the Club – Dick Clack, Peter Gurd, Derek O’Donnell, Charles Reaves, Andy Sale and myself, Dave West – fished Ascension Island for a week in mid-March, on Shy 3 and Harmattan.  In total we released 12 Blue Marlin, all with the exception of one fishing Bait ‘n’ Switch.  The singleton was taken on a lure, trolling on the first day out.  Most of the fish were around the 250lbs mark, with Dick releasing the largest estimated at 400.  Although I did hook into a bigger fish on 50 – the hook hold failed after 20 minutes with the fish deep and several hundred yards away from the boat – and, on the last day, we spotted a monster tailing.  That looked to be easily in the 1000lb range.

We also had the usual backup species – an 80lb Sailfish, Yellowfin Tuna taken chunking at anchor to 70lbs, Dorado to 30lbs including a 25 pounder on the fly, Wahoo to 35lbs and, inshore, the ubiquitous Black Jacks up to 20lbs.

So they’re the bald facts.  What lays behind them?  (But to view the photographs first though click here.)

Firstly on Shy 3.  Well Derek, on his first Marlin fishing trip, released three – the best a 250 pounder on 30.  Also both Andy and Charles released fish on 30s - Charles’ the best at an estimated 300lbs, a 10–1 capture.  Then Derek had a ‘dustbin lid’ sized Black Jack – evidentially the largest Olaf (the skipper) has seen to-date. 

And, on one particular evening, they elected to fish the mooring for school Tuna.  Very quickly, chunking, they had a school boiling at the back of the boat.  Well the Tuna definitely won!  Both Andy and Charles elected to fish using heavy fly tackle, 20lb tippets, with white-bodied Snook flies – Doug’s Flys (Doug’s spelling, not mine).  Charles had two hook-ups, both of which popped tippets.  He also managed to foul hook a Manta Ray that appeared in the chum trail.  Then Andy had a 2 hour battle with an estimated 50 pounder.  Unfortunately the crew went for a gaff shot with the fish holding deep.  The shot was ineffective and the fish made off for the depths again!  With the prospect of a further two hours looming Andy pulled for a break.  Not to be outdone whilst all this was happening – they’d also had several other YFT on conventional gear – Derek fished a set of 16lb stand-up.  He had a battle that lasted an hour before the rod tip, closely followed by the line, broke!

Now to Harmattan, skippered by Matthias.  And we were accompanied throughout by Gerard Aulong, the French video photographer. 

Let’s start with what I suppose was the most eventful day - the 21^st, Mothering Sunday.  Broken rods – TWO!  And it wasn’t the most auspicious of starts!  We started off messing around inshore on the Black Jacks, with both Peter and I fishing 10 weight fly rods.  Inexplicably, with his first fish played out and close to the boat, the second section of the ‘Thomas and Thomas’ broke.  It wasn’t as if he was doing anything wrong – he wasn’t ‘high sticking’, the pressure was very much on the butt – and it was a clean break, two inches up from the butt section.  (Normally, if the rod’s been previously damaged, you’ll get a ‘greenstick’ fracture.)  So in deference to Gerard  - ‘C’est la vie’!

Then we raised Dick’s 400lb Marlin, and got a tail wrap.  We were backing into a big sea with the fish on the surface when Riako (the deckie) took the leader.  Given the fact that it was likely to pull away strongly, which it did, Riako started with two thumb and palm pinches.  Unfortunately Dick didn’t back the drag quickly enough and ‘ping’ - that was the tip of Peter’s pristine 50lb custom-built rod broken.  I say pristine because - although Dick had had that Marlin on it, I’d had a 20 minute battle with one and both Dick and I had caught Tuna on it – Peter had failed to have even a hook-up in its short eventful life!  Oh dear, bother or something equally eloquent!  And developing my multi-lingual skills I remarked to Gerard ‘Jamais deux sans trois’.  How true though - it was later that evening that we learned of Derek’s mishap!

Then one evening we tried to emanate Shy’s good fortune on the mooring.  The tuna were fewer in numbers and whilst I stoically persevered with the legitimate fly outfit I noticed a chunk of skipjack ‘sweetened’ Peter’s fly.  The cad!  He got a good hook-up on what proved to be a 40 pounder, although part way through the fight the handle of his 4.5” Abel came adrift.  We managed to find the locking nut, and he beat the fish in 20 minutes on a 20lb tippet.  A creditable achievement on the long rod. 

One observation on technique that might be of interest, with the fish circling just sub surface, Peter was leading the tuna – holding on whilst it circled away from the boat and recovering line as it circled in.  It finally surfaced, and made no attempt to dive.  That was the point at which we gaffed it, but making sure not to hold it against the transom until Peter was able to slacken his fly line.

I also that evening had an abortive strike on a Skipjack deadbait.  We’re fairly convinced that that was from a Broadbill.

There’s something else that you might find of interest.  Bait ‘n’ Switch involves intense concentration on behalf of the skipper and crew, with normally Matthias on the tuna tower spotting the fish long before us.  You really don’t want the fish grabbing the teaser.  Any rate, on  a couple of days, Gerard was towing an underwater camera.  And on one occasion he, before Matthias, spotted a Sailfish come deep into the pattern under the left-hand teaser.  It was impressive, on playback, to watch – seeing it banking on its pectorals, and raising its sail.

You can view photographs from the group's trip by clicking here.

John Goddard's big fly-caught Barracuda

You may have picked up details from the 2003 Notable Fish section details of John Goddard's huge Barracuda, which he released.  It was estimated at 65lbs, way in excess of the current 16lb tippet World record.  What I'd failed to appreciate was that John had actually rigged his heavy rod to target Giant Trevally (GT) using one of his own designed Deceiver-patterned flies on an 80lb shock leader.  No wire!  Seeing the fish cruising the Flat both John and his guide were convinced it was a GT.  But 180 yards into that first run, when it surfaced, the realisation dawned!

I think that makes John's catch even more creditable.

John Goddard's huge Barracuda.  Click on the thumbnail to view a full-sized image.

Rok-Max (UK) Ltd

Rox-Max, who supply game angling tackle to UK and European markets, have recently moved their base from Brixham to Truro in Cornwall.  Their new contact details are as follows - address - PO Box 87, Truro, Cornwall, TR3 7Q, telephone number 01872 - 864422, fax - 01872 - 865845, e-mail remains as rokmax@compuserve.com.

As part of that move they have a clearance sale on some of their product lines and are offering discounts on others.  Things that particularly stood out were a Penn International 50 VSW (Wide, 2 speed) Trolling Reel for £379.00 plus a range of heavily discounted Loop & Fin-Nor fly rods, and Star boat & spin rods.

Irish Angling Updates

I know that Roger Bradbury, Denis Froud and John Gill have in the past targeted Bluefin Tuna off Ireland's West Coast so far without success.  Denis and Roger though have had some reasonable Albacore, some of which have been ratified as European records.  But, in the main, it's somewhere that we tend to just fly over on our way to the 'States.

You might be interested though in looking at their Central Fisheries Board web site - www.cfb.ie.  It contains a fair amount of content and also offers the opportunity to subscribe to a regular electronic angling update, covering fresh and saltwater.

Also there is the website of the Irish Specimen Fish Committee. The ISFC's main aim is to verify and publicise the capture of specimen fish caught on rod and line by anglers in Ireland, both in freshwater and at sea. The Committee also ratifies Irish record rod caught fish.

The site is still very much in its infancy and there are assurances that it will continue to develop and grow.  Watch this space - www.irish-trophy-fish.com.