Fishing
Fishing is done primarily on the southern side of Upolu. There are only two other charter boats on the south side of the island, both located approximately 20-30 miles away, which makes this area almost entirely exclusive. On occasion we see some local fisherman in the area, but they catch mainly small tuna. Since Samoa is largely undeveloped and void of any major industries, the waters are perfectly pristine.
For fishing we use a combination of both lures and live bait. The live bait we generally use are: aku- for marlin and big yellowfin, bigeye scad- candy for just about any pelagic species, rainbow runners- good marlin and swordfish bait, and anything we can sabiki up when the bait is around.
We provide food, water, soda and snacks, but we do not include alcoholic beverages. Beer and other alcohol can be purchased at the dock or on the way to the resort, at one of the local stores.
Sport fishing in Samoa truly is an untouched resource; the numbers and size of the fish show the lack of pressure placed on it. It is great to be here now and see the start of what could be a major sport fishing destination in only a few years. There is always hope-filled anticipation of what will come up in the spread for the day and from talking to native commercial fisherman in the area, the warm tropical waters off Samoa could prove to hold some real giants.
Species
Blue Marlin
The blue marlin is widely considered the top catch for any angler and we are blessed to have deep nutrient-rich water just miles off the shore of Samoa, perfect for the pursuit of these amazing sea creatures. There are areas where the open ocean pushes up against underwater mountains and ocean trenches to create upwelling and bait schools, this is where we find the most marlin.
When a blue marlin is hooked and does its first run, screaming off line and trying to turn out the reel, it is enough to get anyone excited and addicted to bill fishing. During its first run many marlin will take to the air, thrashing and tail walking in attempts to rid the hook from its mouth. It is a breathless sight to watch a 400lb+ marlin displacing enormous quantities of water and breaching several feet into the air. After these amazing jumps, the marlin usually sounds and the angler is in for a long dogfight against one of the oceans most voracious predators.
The angler loses many battles to the marlin, but with our help and experience the angler has much more chance of winning the fight and releasing that marlin with a tag in it to fight another day.
Although Samoa offers great marlin fishing all year long, the most consistent action falls between October and January, with the average of two or three marlin a day. On some days, there is a chance of rising up to five blue marlin, along with an occasional black marlin or sailfish. The average weight is between 300-600lbs.
Mahimahi/Masimasi
Mahimahi, masimasi, dolphinfish, dorado, dolly etc., the names go on forever but one thing is for sure, when the Hawaiians named the fish mahimahi, meaning strong, they were not joking. These fish, pound for pound, can put up some of the toughest battles and on light tackle it can be down right tiresome.
These fish turn brilliant colors and strike at lures and baits with force and authority. It is not uncommon for our captain in the tower, to point out a school of mahi and then direct your attention to a bright blue, about 50 feet away, heading full speed for the lures. Almost all bites are seen and just after hook-up the mahi will jump and perform some amazing airborne displays.
There are two kinds of mahi, the cow with a rounded head is the female and the bull with the blunt squared head is the male. The bulls grow much larger and seem to fight with more authority.
We do not release mahi, as they are great table fare, and being the fastest producing fish in the ocean, there is no worry of over fishing them. Most of the mahi run in the 20-50lb range, but we have hooked many that have been close to 70lbs. Mahi run big here all year round and have no real season, although December seems to have more school fish in the 20lb. range. There are always tremendous amounts of mahi inside and on the thousand fathom curve.
If this species is something you would like to target, then we request that you speak with the captain beforehand and depending on the conditions, he will change the spread accordingly.
Tuna
Tuna, or ahi, is a favorite food among sushi connoisseurs or really anyone who loves great tasting fish. You can tell a bit about the blazing first run of a tuna from the origin of their Hawaiian name. The old Hawaiians named tunas ahi because when hand-lining for fish, if a tuna grabbed their bait, their line would be pulled so fast against their wood canoes that it would start a fire and they would yell "ahi, ahi," meaning fire.
In Samoa bigeye, yellowfin, albacore, skipjack and dogtooth are plentiful. The tuna in Samoa are generally in the 60-200lb range. Yellowfin tuna and bigeyes can be caught all year and average around 200lb. Though the catch may vary, it is not uncommon to have triple hook ups with them from time to time. If you would like to target tuna, please let the Captain know a day in advance.
Wahoo
Wahoo, for me, is not my favorite species because they are the chainsaws of the sea and will cut and destroy your lures in one run. In Hawaii they are called ono, which means good to eat and they certainly are a great tasting fish.
Their fighting characteristics consist of a blazing first run often followed by the shaking of your head. Often times when hooked up to one ono, the mate will be reeling in the other lines only to have double, even triple, hook-ups with these stripped speedsters.
Wahoo feed shallower and if you would like to fish for them let our captain know so we can plan the day around them
Sailfish
When Famous author and angler Zane Grey first went to Tahiti in the 1920's, he saw the plentiful sailfish population and called them "golden billfish" for their brilliant color and shine in the sea. He wrote of how voracious and bold they were, as they swam right up to the back of the boat, in pursuit of the lures and would smash the teasers only feet from the stern.
Sailfish today are much the same as when Zane Grey was around and it is not uncommon to have them come right up to our teaser and smack them with there bill, only to fallback and eat one of our hooked baits. Sailfish are one of the more beautiful billfish in the sea and although they do not get very big, they make up for there lack of size with speed and jumping. These fish are a true challenge on light tackle.
We have come across several spots between the islands that hold bait schools and bring the sails into feed. Most of them are in the 60-80lb range and it seems they are much more abundant here in May, when the bigeye scad are running and the bait is along the reefs and congregating in current lines.
We have several ways we fish for sailfish, as both lures and live bait work well on them. One particular technique that we have found to work well is kite fishing. Sailfish can be caught when fishing for marlin but if there is a hot bite at the time, the Captain will ask if you are interested in some light tackle sailfishing.
