Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Fishing-Adventures-Destinations » Tonga Party!
Tonga Party!
Robbie Wells
I only had half hour of light left as I quickly scrambled to tie a 30g slug onto the nearest spinning reel... I had just unpacked. As I waded chest deep across a small 40m lagoon the incoming tide was flooding in rapidly and engulfing the coral reef edge I was to fish off. I climbed up on to the reef but was about waist deep by now with enough current and small swell breaking to throw you around a little, bad timing but at least I could get a couple of flicks in.
The sun was very low but looking out into the turquoise water I could see a series of coral reef bommies scattered about in front of me, with two or three lining up with where I was about to cast. I shot my first cast out past the three Bommies , let it sink for a couple of seconds and started to crank the lure from the depths. Ten winds later zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ting. Poleaxed, 20lb braid, 50lb leader on a 6-8kg T-curve rod with a Sradic 4000, mmmm perhaps I picked the wrong rod. "Welcome to Tonga!"
Our Home for the next 7 days was the picturesque Outer Island of Mounu {baitfish in Tongan}, a short 50 minute boat trip from the VaVau Island Group which is about a 1 hour flight from the capital Tongatapu {Tonga} the main island. Two years in the planning, a combined Wedding anniversary, 40th birthday and a bit of R & R... some extensive research on the net has brought us here.
Mounu Island is the only place in the world where you can dive with Humpback Whales and their young, on their migratory mission back south. Add to this some and outstanding fishing and diving and I'm in heaven. Our island home was set up by ex-pat Kiwi Alan Bowe and his family over 18 years ago with a vision to see what would happen if you could swim with the Humpback Whales. Alan is a seadog from way back and never short of intriguing, real-life stories from rescues to sinking's, from his time at sea around the northern tip of NZ and his time in Tonga. His tales were always a treat each evening over dinner.
Mounu Island is an eco resort with a difference. It's only small, at 6 acres and caters for couples, with a maximum of 8 people on the island at one time. Accommodation consists of 4 traditional Tongan Bures, with verandahs overlooking the beach edge and the water literally lapping at your feet. The Bures are open plan and built using traditional Tongan timbers. The other major difference to other eco resorts is you can walk around the island, kayak or walk out to the reef and flick lures all day.
The sun had set and the full moon had just started to illuminate the ocean and sand as? I walked up the beach to our Bure, my wife Sue standing on the deck, in full view of the reef I had fished. Before I could even wash my feet, Sue being a super keen angler was telling me what lures she wanted on what rods and enthusiastically firing questions at me. What time's low tide? What do think it was? How big was it? What lure did you use? What technique? By this stage it was 6.30pm and we were due for dinner.
After a succulent 3 course dinner and a few scotches our intentions were to rig up all our gear ready for low tomorrow... but after a huge day of travelling and perhaps a few too many Maka's (local Tongan beer), I was out like a light and dreaming of GT's, wahoo and coral trout.
I was up mega early the next morning well before light sorting all the gear ready for the onslaught. We were armed with 7 setups, ranging from 6-8kg up to a 12-15kg popper smasher, all spooled up with 20lb-50lb braid. My arsenal of lures included chromies, a range of hard bodies... the usual CD18's and 12's, Laser Pros, a range of 80mm to 250mm Poppers, TT Lures 1.5oz? Switchblades and a swag of ZMan soft plastics from 4" SwimmerZ to 8" StreakZ. After a mishap a few years ago I don't travel with juiced up lures anymore... they don't smell nice mixed up in your clothes.
Finally there was enough light to wade through the lagoon, with enough visibility to weave through the myriad of coral and reef. Although the tide was starting to come in, there was heaps of dry reef with no swell to cause any real grief, but only one little platform of rock that you could comfortably stand on, as the coral surrounding us was delicate and razor sharp.
We both shot a cast out, one either side of the bombies. I was armed with a ZMan 8" StreakZ XL in Bubblegum and Sue flicked out a 30g TT Lures Slug. 1, 2, 3, 4, bang! I was using a fast hop through the water column, while Sue was using the usual fast-as-you-can-wind retrieve. Zzzzzzzzzzzz, Sue hooked up first, her 10kg T-Curve was doubled over and giving those big pulses on the tip that only a big fish gives, while tearing off an easy 100 metres of 40lb braid. I was watching in amazement as my 8" StreakZ got nailed about 10 metres from the coral edge. I looked down and just saw a flash. It looked more like a Trevally than a Mackerel and my reel screamed in pain as the StreakZ was taken into the abyss, double hook-up, how goods this!
Unfortunately mine was short lived as it smoked me around some reef about 10 seconds later. With big head shakes and a blistering pace my bet was on a big GT. Sue, on the other hand, was starting to get some line back after the initial run and if she could get it in front of the 2 bommies we were in for a shot. After some handy rod work from Sue we had what looked like a big blue trevally just within sight... that was before another blistering run zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz??? zzzzzzzzz ting, straight into the bommie. Both lines were cut off clean above the leader. ??
I made sure I had a backpack with all my gear in it this time, as in my haste last time I grabbed my rod and reel and that was it... no pliers, Boga grips or anything! For the next half hour all I did was tie leaders and burn lures to the demon fish from below. I have never lost so much gear in such a small period of time. We changed tactics and started to fish the closer holes and reef just off the drop off and were finally rewarded, almost instantly, with a small blue trevally of around 2-3 kg and coral trout.
Sue was picking up trevally on the TT Lures Switchblade HD in 1.5oz and I was still using a Bubble Gum 8" StreakZ hopped through the reef holes. I have never seen 3 coral trout come out of the reef to compete for my plastics before and at only 4 metres away, it was an awesome sight! In 6 casts I had hooked and landed 2 coral trout and 2 coronation trout. They weren't big fish, especially for the 8" plastic, but they just engulfed it. I had one cracker coronation trout that I stashed in a rock pool... but the incoming tide flooded in and it escaped, doh! I picked up another couple in the next 10 minutes, so dinner that night was going to be good.
The tide was now flooding in with a small swell and current. The 15-20 knot trade winds also started to kick in, signaling the end of the session. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.