Ascension Island

[PanamaJack]

I guess even though it sits on the mid-Atlantic Ridge, some 500 miles south of the Equator, you'd link Ascension Island (that remote British Protectorate) with Africa, rather than South America. It's a close run thing though sitting as it does almost mid-way between Norther Brazil and Angola.

It is remote though and, realistically, the only way to get down there is by the - every 4 days - RAF flight.

It's fishing potential is phenomenal - huge Six Gill Sharks, Marlin to over 1000lbs and Tuna over 200 plus loads of other species. And they catch both Sharks and Tuna from the shore!

I couldn't though resist posting the story of this adventure - nearly 150 miles offshore. It come from Shy 3's web site - http://www.azoresmarlin.com and is written by its skipper Ian Carter.


Before Christmas fishing had not been very good - did catch 2 blues in 3 days though - and I was wondering what to do to keep Christian Stooss (the client) on his toes. I had a look on my computer charts and worked out that Grattan Seamount was 145 nm to the south east and there was an un-named bank another 40nm out.

Martin (crewman – Marty Bates) and Christian were very keen to go so I gave Dieter a call to ask permission to go, as it is not normal to ‘wizz off’ a few hundred kilometres into the middle of the Atlantic. The boss agreed, with a caution to be careful, l so we filled Shy up with food and fuel - also 200litres in a drum as a precaution - and left Ascension at 10:30 on Wednesday, 29th December.

There was about 10 knots of wind on the nose with a small chop which was just enough to make it rather uncomfortable but OK. Our speed was about 7knots and expected to arrive on the bank the following morning. We trolled normal marlin lures all day while under way with no bites and as it got dark we put out luminous lures in the hope of a broadbill. We did get a bite in the night but pulled the hooks and can't be sure what it was. We arrived at the bank at 07:30 and stopped to do an engine room check and have breakfast. We were pretty tired with almost no sleep due to the uncomfortable trip but the wind had dropped and the sea had calmed down. We started trolling just after 08:00.

08:25 - Pulled hooks on a Blue 500 to 600lbs
08:35 - caught small Yellowfin
08:50 - Raised a small billfish, but no bite
09:05 - Pulled hooks on a Blue 350lbs
09:45 - Bite small billfish
10:30 - Caught another Yellowfin but just too big to live bait
11:00 - Pulled hooks, maybe Tuna
12:45 - got ‘covered up’ in Wahoo - caught 1 but had 2 others bitten off at the swivel
13:00 - stopped to fix the wahoo damage to tackle and did a drop to the bottom. Caught Bullseye, Grouper and small Sharks.
14:00 - caught Yellowfin 170lbs
14:15 - caught Yellowfin 100lbs
14:30 - pulled hooks Tuna
14:45 - caught Blue marlin 300lbs
16:00 - mystery bite on stinger
16:45 - mystery bite on stinger

It was getting dark so stopped to do another engine room check and set up for drift. We did three drifts across different parts of the bank and even managed to catch a squid and rig it live. We caught an Oil fish, Black Jack and 2 small Sharks. At sunrise we started trolling again.

07:45 - caught Wahoo
08:30 - caught Blue marlin 400lbs
10:45 - caught a blue marlin well over 1000lbs.

Fight lasted about one hour and was close to the boat for most of the fight. Martin had it on the leader at least 6 times. We had the gaffs ready but didn't want any accidents - especially the fish sticking its bill into the hull. Without a gaff man I would have to leave the controls. We had the fish at the side of the boat twice and the second time I was on my way down when the fish did a nasty and the 900lb leader broke on the hull. Maybe just as well as it was still strong and wet all of us on the deck when it left.

We departed from the bank at 14:30 and had a bite from a Spearfish in the deep off the bank. The wind had dropped and was maybe 5knots with a calm sea. The troll home was calm and uneventful which was just as well as we were all very tired with maybe only two hours sleep in two days. We managed to rest on the way home and had two bites on marlin lures just after dark, but no idea what it was. We did not troll during the night as we were all rather knackered and arrived safely at 08:30 on 31st.

It was a great trip and we would love to fish there every day but it is too far and if there was any wind we would have had to abandon the trip. Even in the light winds you could see that the bank would be a nasty place to be if there was any wind or sea. You wouldn't want any problems out there as the next stop would be Brazil! It was a great adventure and I imagine it is the first time a sport boat has ever been there. We are now rested after the New Year bash and after engine service this morning we will back to fishing closer to home.

[cuda]

How do I organise a trip? I want to be there - got the whole of April off and have a budget of £1500 to spend and am looking for some exotic fishing!

Cuda

[lobsterkid]

Now that is what i would call an adventure.Thats like an astronaut going to mars
in the fishing equivalent.I belive if you want any info on the asension islands there is a web site you can visit. There is also the sartma web site which has links to other web sites.I also think you have to apply to the ascension government office to ask for permission to visit the island. I wonder if i could retire there.
Great weather,great fishing and even better still in great britain.

[martyboy]

Hey lobsterkid, i'll be up for that in a couple of years time when i get some money together. You could even bring the wifes and abandon them for a while.......or a week.

[Ian Houlton]

i have been there and the fishing is fantastic although i was not into angling at the time. loads of lads pull shark out from the shore and you can get drunk, throw up in the sea and the little black fishes will come crowding round to clean it up:D .

we spent two weeks there and the RAF kindly placed a wooden shack on the beach full of beer and named it (and this proves it was the airforce) TARQUINS NIGHTSPOT.
On entering said shack i discovered to my horror that it was so cramped i could not get out. i shouted a short SOS to the lads outside informing them of my plight and my plattoon leader rendered instructions to "break out and supply the lads with refreshments". so i kicked the side of the shack in:yahoo:
This reinforced the RAF's opinion that paras are nasty men who do not wash or use brilcream.

back to the point that place has got to be one of the best places to fish in the world, it's teeming with em
just take your own beer:D

[PanamaJack]

Hi Cuda
There're only the two game fishing boats that operate out of there - Harmattan and Shy 3 - and their season ends at the end of April/early May. I've fished with both and would thoroughly recommend them. You can get to their web sites through this link to our Club's site - http://www.scbi.org.uk/pages/News_Aratw_AtlanIsle_Ascension.asp. There're also links to some images of some of the Marlin, including a couple of 1000lb plus fish.

In April, although we've seen 'granders', the bulk of the fish are smaller males, sub 500lbs. But they're usually there in numbers we usually tease them up with hookless teasers and fish stand-up, Bait 'n' Switch, with the fish nailing the deadbaits 30' off the transom.

Given where they are rates aren't cheap at 1000 Euros a day. But a couple of the locals will also take you out in their smaller boats, just 1/2 to a mile offshore, for 'peanuts' for the Yellowfin Tuna. They've had them there to nearly 300lbs, and there're masses of them - most are 50 to 100 pounders. The local boats only provide 'crude' tackle - 10 to 14/0 Senators, and there's no chair so you'd really need to take your own tackle.

Later on in the year though, when the scad fry are there in unbelievable numbers, they occasionally catch them from the beach.

Inshore the water's alive with things called Black Jacks, up to 25 or so pounds. But literally any and everything can turn up - things like Dorado, Amberjack, Rainbow Runner. And whilst offshore they catch massive Six Gill Sharks (on the bottom), Makos, Threshers and occasional Tigers the water's full of Galapagos Sharks - one of our members holds the world record with a 310 pounder - and you can catch them from the shore.

Seriously though Cuda, even given the amount of money you're talking about, you'd need to either fish with friends to share the charters or try and get the skippers to organise a split charter. Apart from the charter rates the air fare, via the RAF, is just over £900 return.

Just contact me if you want further information though. I would have suggested the Cape Verde Islands as being a cheaper venue for Marlin but April's probably just a little early, our members tend not to start to fish there until mid May. How about somewhere like Venezuela? It's again relatively cheap and, as well as Blue Marlin, you'd encounter Whites and Sailfish as well as, occasionally, Yellowfin.
Dave

[PanamaJack]

Although Shy 3's now stopped fishing for the season Matthias on Harmattan having great spot with Blue Marlin, mainly smaller fish, but all fishing Bait 'n' Switch. So you see the surface strike with the fish usually just 25 to 30' off the transom.

But the odd big fish is still showing. A couple of weeks ago they landed another 'grander' - a fish of 1038lbs. And apart from the Marlin, some of which are coming on 30lb test tackle, they're landing lots of Yellowfin Tuna, especially if the anglers want to anchor on the 'drop off' in the evening.

Sharkwise the 1000lb plus Six Gills are available to anyone wanting to crank one up from the bottom in 600' of water. Also they recently had a 700lb Tiger Shark.

If you're interested there're full reports on Matthias' web site - http://www.atlanticfishingcharter.com/html/news.html.

I recall that someone did ask about the possibility of a charter down there. When I last spoke to Matthias, at the beginning of February, there was just one place available on what was a week's 'mixed' charter - with two German doctors and an Australian guy. You could check if it's still available through the web site. Whilst Matthias is in Ascension his wife Emi in Gran Canaria arranges charters. She speaks excellent English.
Dave

[PanamaJack]

Recently I got into a discussion on the Boat fishing forum about Stand-up rods and this went way of topic and got into Sporting Tackle. That just made me think about this report I'd read some time in the past about Roddy Hay's skippering a boat - Harmattan in Ascension Island for a 5 week period during the 2003 season.

As I said the report is very detailed, but well worth reading if nothing else for Roddy's observations and humour, and some excellent photographs. As well as the Marlin there's a good picture of one of the Six Gill Sharks - you'll see these deepwater sharks are pink in colour.

But the bit you must not miss reading is the report for Sunday, 30th March. On that day Roddy describes raising THREE 1000lb plus Blue Marlin - the best the largest he's ever seen! Anyway there is no direct url. Access Roddy's site through this link - http://www.legendlures.com then under Archives on the righthand side of his home page click on Ascension Diary 2003.

So back to the tenuous link and Sporting Tackle. Can a 30lb outfit be 'man enough' for an estimated 1400 pounder? I'll leave you to read the report.
Dave

[lobsterkid]

:clap3: :clap3: What an absolutely fabulous link. Pure riveting stuff. The whole story from day one is brilliant. Reminds me of an old Ernest Hemmingway novel.
Makes my report on hellesoy look like quick comment:clap3: :clap3: .

[PanamaJack]

Hi Lobsterkid
Not at all! I found your trip report was great. It showed tremendous enthusiasm for what you were doing and included those little perceptive things and the humour. More of the same please! We really do need to demonstrate that we enjoy our fishing. And I bet memories of that trip will linger on for a long, long time.

Remember as well Roddy was, for a while, a professional journalist.

Any rate it was only a few days after that that I arrived on the island. Together with the crewman I had a few beers in the Volcano Club on the American base then we stuttered up the mountain in an old Land Rover. No power steering, and with 23 hairpins - full 180s - to contend with. It was usually the multi-point turns! Luckily there was nothing coming the other way - there not too many cars on Ascension.

But I got to hear the tale of the '30th' first hand. Were there some excited clients! But none more so that Olaf, the crewman. You can perhaps visualise this excitable German - the description interspered with expletives and tuetonic oaths!

Later in the trip we celebrated Olaf's 30th birthday. Loud music, loads of beer, a bar-b-que on the beach and all the times seeing the turtle hatchling, confused by the lights, 'gate crashing' our party. You picked them up by the handful and released them in the ocean. As well on quieter stretches of the beach you could spot the big Green Turtles - shells 6' long - heaving themselves up the beach to lay yet more eggs.

Re-playing the DVD of that trip really brings back the excitement of it all.
Dave

[emberman3]

I was working there for a few weeks in 1997 , fishing is fantastic the locals would take me out fishing for tuna wahoo jacks shark, the waters are full of fish, spinning from the shore lasted only a few casts rod snapped still dont know what took it.

john

[lobsterkid]

:) The only personal info i have :) on ascension was from an old friend of mine who once visited the island. This was a few years back, infact just after the falklands war.My mate was on board the gooseander a salvage vessel being sent down to the falkland islands to refloat a argentinian sub which had been sunk during the war.They had stopped off at ascension to either refuel or take on supplies. While in port my mate decided to try a bit of fishing. Some flying fish had crash landed on the ship so there was no shortage of bait. He put a whole fish on(what he thought was just for a laugh) and dropped it over the side of the boat.Within a few minutes he had a strong take and his line took off like a shot. After about 45min he still hadn't landed this thing.Infact he had to hand over the rod to one of his ship mates because he was worn out.Unfortunatly his fellow ship mate wasn't an experienced angler and soon lost the fish. However later on that night he decided to have another go and this time he was a bit leaner on the bait.Again after a few minutes he hooked up again.This fish wasn't as big but still put up a hell of a scrap. He managed to land this one.It was a yellowfin tuna of about 15lbs. A nice fish because it was stuck straight into the freezer and he showed it to me when he got back.:)

[PanamaJack]

I was quite surprised for what is a very remote location that a number of others have fished there.

Obviously though it helps if you are military personnel - the flights down are obviously, if on a posting, free or for 'R & R' very cheap. In fact one of our Club members, a military policeman, has managed to 'purloin' an ex-Navy tender that service personnel go out on. Here's an image of that boat, and some of the fish they catch - http://www.marlinnut.com/dcforum/DCForumID1/911.html.

What does come over though in all of the postings are just how many fish there are and how quick the bites come. It must make those restricted to UK shores quite envious! Although not too many anglers fish for them there are masses of BIG - average weights are estimated at around 1000lbs - Six Gill Sharks on the bottom. They come out of very deep water in the evening and feed on the edge of the 600' drop off. The quickest bite I heard of on a Six Gill came 38 seconds after the bait touched the bottom!

For anyone interested there're some images of some big Marlin, including a couple over 1000lbs in weight, linked to this page on our Club's web site - http://www.scbi.org.uk/pages/News_Aratw_AtlanIsle_Ascension.asp.
Dave

[lobsterkid]

:) Still thinking of visiting this mysterious place. I know it's not the easiest of places to get to and probably thats the main reason it appeals to me. But as value for money compared to other places around the globe .How would you rate this place Dave?:)

[PanamaJack]

Hi Lobsterkid
I guess the first point I must make is that getting there is expensive and somewhat akward. Realistically the only way is by RAF transport and they're every four days and there are restrictions on non-military personnel numbers - limited to 20 a flight. Whilst I'm aware the island council and that of St Helens it's bigger neighbour, nearly 800 miles to the South West, are looking at the possibility of running charter flights I suspect it will remain nothing more than a 'pipe dream'.

And the two gameboats - that normally operate from November to April - are expensive to charter. Here are their web site's http://www.atlanticfishingcharter.com/index.html and http://www.azoresmarlin.com. Rates are around 1200 Euros although I believe, in terms of Harmattan, Matthias does occasionally cater for individuals creating mixed charters.

But the Marlin and Tuna fishing can be spectacular, especially for BIG fish. Elsewhere in the forum I recall I posted a link to a diary that Roddy Hays kept of his month in Ascension in March 2003. Certainly his report for 30th is well worth reading.

Something I've never really explored though is the shore and 'inshore' fishing. And there of course costs reduce dramatically. Certainly from the shore, in the Spring and Summer, when the scad - the locals call them 'google eyes' - are there in unbelievable numbers they do catch BIG Yellowfin Tuna - the biggest I've heard of was 276lbs - literally from the beach. (They just float a bait out 100 yards under a balloon.) And they also catch big Amberjack, Rainbow Runner and, occasionally, Dorado. Then, throughout the year, 200lb plus Galapagos Sharks and loads and loads of 20lb plus Black Jacks are present.

In terms of what I've described of as 'inshore' some of the 'locals' - they're not actually 'locals' but men under contract from St Helena - have small open boats. They take those out to fish 'for the pot' and occasionally will take out groups of military personnel - they're usually on the island for 'R & R'. I went out with some friends for 4 hours one evening with them and, from memory, they charged us £80. A trip out there usually comprises of trolling lures for things like Wahoo briefly and then anchoring - 1/2 mile offshore - and chunking for Yellowfin. The tackle on the boats is usually very crude - 12 and 14/0 Senators - but they catch lots of fish. And, during the summer months, I've heard of them having to come in at midday just to unload their catch. They will also, for a change, take you to a sheltered spot near Bird Island where you can catch loads and loads of Black and Horse Eye Jacks any way that you want - it's great fun fishing surface poppers or with fly tackle. And they also catch loads of Sharks around there. (That's where our Club Secretary smashed the existing world record - by over 120lbs - for a Galapagos Shark.)

So the fishing's great. Does it represent good value for money though? I suppose I'm somewhat spoiled and go there, because of the Marlin, in March/April. Then they're there in numbers, as well as occasional 'granders' and you can realistically catch them fishing Bait 'n' Switch just 30' back from the transom.

But in terms of catching a Marlin more cheaply I suppose I'd recommend the island of Sao Vicente in the Cape Verde Islands - it's cheaper to get to, the boats are just half the price and there're as many, if not more Marlin. OK they may not consistently be as big, and there not as many Tuna or Sharks - most of the sharks they seem to catch are Tigers - but it does represent good value for money.

Hope that's of some help.
Dave

[lobsterkid]

:) Thanks for the reply dave. Yes i have already looked into the flight cost and like you say it is a bit pricey to say the least. But it still seems very tempting. It's one of those places that i have always wanted to go to just to say i have been. I know there where rumours of a possible domestic flight starting up for the island but it looks as if it that has been knocked on the head. I started to delve into the history of the island and it's surprising what you can come up with just through the power of the internet. One interesting bit of info i did uncover was a debate held in the houses of parliament regarding the goverments u-turn on allowing residents of the island being able to own their own land. The government now claim that the island has no indeginous population so even being born on the island does not give you the right to stay there. They at first seemed to support the islanders right to buy and invest in there hope of owning land then mysteriously reverse there assumptions. A solid kick in the teeth for the islanders.:)

[PanamaJack]

Hi Lobsterkid
Unfortunately, somewhat like Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, I suspect that our Foreign Office's policy to Ascension is 'influenced' by strategic US Military requirements.

The airfield was built by American engineers and, although there's not too many on the island, you're aware of their presence. ‘Strange’ freighters, with naval registrations obscured – they’re ostensively ‘merchantmen’, their decks and walkways completely covered by customized tarpaulins occasionally moor off there. And, I understand, ‘odd’ military jets including AWAX surveillance aircraft turn up, some filing flight plans at extremely short notice.

So yes the military with their obsessive security do, to an extent, control the island. Even us Brits, with I think it’s under 30 military personnel based on the island, are also security obsessed - you would have found non-military personnel on RAF flights are limited to a maximum of 20.

As such as well they maintain a 200 mile commercial exclusion zone around the island - great for the fishing!

Apart from that Ascension is a mid-Atlantic hub for Cable & Wireless’s and the BBC communication networks. So as you can see quite important.

Talking to members of the island council they had hoped to develop tourism (and that ‘independent’ air link) on the island but realistically, apart from the fishing, there’s just the limited eco-tourism aspects. Ascension’s a breeding ground for Green Turtles – particularly in February to April the beaches at night are ‘littered’ with them – huge females coming ashore to lay eggs and hatchlings scampering back to the ocean. Then there’re the birds, including some strange Frigates. And I’ve heard estimates of something like 19 million being present. Must be ‘one or two’ fish in the sea to sustain that population.
Dave

[lobsterkid]

:) Yes i agree with what you are saying about the influence the americans seem to have over this island. I read the complete transcript of the debate in the houses of commons and it took me well over an hour to read it. There were several mentions of the diego garcia situation ( of which i have no idea what this means) and the slipperyness in which the minister evades answering the questions put to him. Several things he did say have convinced me that there is some form of hidden agenda or military reason behind the arguement against the islanders. He stated that the island has a poor source of electricity and that the existing generation capacity( diesel generators) is not reliable and could not cope with any expansion on the island. He forgot to mention that the americans are currently developing geothermal generation on the island and intend selling any surplus energy onto the brits. He also stated that there could be no real viable economy created because of it's remoteness. Allowing a commercial airline to operate flights to this island would help create tourism and so cancel out this arguement.. Also when asked how much the americans pay for the lease of land on which they occupy apparently they are there rent free. And because of the remoteness of the island i belive it makes a perfect location for testing secret military hardware . Allowing a commercial airline would only create a security nightmare. Allowing only 20 civilians in at a time makes security back ground checking( of which iam sure they will do) far more simpler and reliable. :)

[PanamaJack]

Certainly the people that live on Ascension are, in the main, migrants from St Helena. They’re employed on short term work contacts in rented accommodation and, as such, have no residential status.

And in fairness, prior to us Brits garrisoning a company of Marines and warships on the island, to prevent the French mounting a rescue attempt for Napoleon incarcerated on St Helena, no one lived on the island. It took them ages to find a water source.

I guess that’s where the similarity with Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean, ends. There the indigenous Chagos islanders originally settled the archipelago in the late 18th century. And when they were forcibly evicted in the sixties – Wilson’s government colluding with the Americans who wanted it as a strategic base – the excuse put out by the Foreign Office was that the islanders were merely transient contract workers who could be "returned" to Mauritius, 1,000 miles away. (A certain similarity with the declared status of those living on Ascension?)

Unfortunately nothing seems to have changed with our current Government. In 2000, the islanders won a historic victory in the High Court, which ruled their expulsion illegal. Within hours of the judgment though, the Foreign Office announced that it would not be possible for them to return to Diego Garcia because of a treaty with the Americans.

You can pick up loads on the Net about what is currently 'Camp Justice' (sic) - the American strategic base. Don't they have a 'Freedom of Information' Act, just like us?

Any rate back to Ascension. You'd picked up that according to the Minister

the island has a poor source of electricity and that the existing generation capacity( diesel generators) is not reliable and could not cope with any expansion on the island.

Um....interesting. Shame that the publically funded BBC with its huge transmitters that broadcast to South America and Africa have to rely on such antiquated technology. And, of course, Cable and Wireless - they're attempting to run a global communications network - on something held together with 'paper and string'. Forget the military, both organisations have massive overcapacity and back-up systems.

Still it's unlikely that either you or I will be able to 'change the world'. Just go there and enjoy the fishing whilst you can.

I guess Ascension's one difference, one saving grace, is that it's the stop-over point for flights to the Falklands - with the still to be exploited (?) natural resources of Antarctica 'just down the road'. I wonder what the status of those incomers are?

[kronenborg]

hi, ive just come across this site while doing a little research on a possible trip to ascension island for fishing. i was planning to go there for a week in november/early december this year, and to do perhaps 4 or 5 days charter fishing (if my budget allows).

ive emailed both of the charter outfits mentioned in this thread, and am awaiting replies...although im disappointed to hear the estimated charter costs mentioned! (especially since i was considering chartering the whole boat myself).

i was also somewhat put off by the prospect of flying in a military aircraft...can anyone who has had experience of this journey from oxfordshire provide a little more information on what the flight itself is like? (eg comfort, seating etc), and how long is the actual flight?

any other tips or advice for arranging a fishing trip to ascension would be greatly received...

[PanamaJack]

Hi Kronenborg
And firstly welcome to the site. Charter rates are unfortunately rather high but, in large part, that's a reflection of the island's remoteness. Literally everything has to be brought in from South Africa, 2000 odd miles away on the monthly ferry service, or air-freighted in.

The dates you're suggesting are unfortunately prime time for the really big Blue Marlin, so there's likely to be pressure on bookings already. But there may possibly be slots or cancellations.

If you are prepared to share though I know that, very occasionally, Matthias on Harmattan has in the past put such charters together. Then it would be either a case of rotating rods on fixed time periods, or rotating strikes – not to everyone’s taste, unless it’s a group of friends, I’d admit.

As to the aircraft the Tristar's are perfectly adequate, with a reasonable distance between seats, for the 8 hour, overnight flight down. (There's, from memory, an hour's time difference, and the flights arrive around 7am.) Although they are, of course, configured for troop carrying so don't expect scheduled airline standards – there’s not too much in the way of gourmet food or videos in seat backs. That said, when there's been pressure on them for military use – like there was at the start of the Gulf War - the RAF will substitute charter aircraft for the flights that leave every 4 days. (I recall on one occasion we even got to flight in a brand new BMI long range Airbus.)

In terms of tackle the boats are both fully equipped with 130s/ 80s and 50s for fishing the chair, with equipment based on 2 speed Tiagras. Harmattan, as well, is equipped with stand-up tackle together with that for deep water jigging – superbraid on big Stellas. If you want to fish lighter or fly fish though I would recommend you take your own.

Please post again though if there are any specifics you want information on.
Kindest regards
Dave

[kronenborg]

thanks for the information, dave.
i received an email back from ascension charters to say that they wont be operating this year at all, since the skipper ian hasnt had a break over x-mas and new year for 6 years! they plan to start their charter season at the end of january 2007, and do have some dates available both in february '07 and march '07.

i would prefer, if at all possible, to go this year (my leave cant be carried over calendar years), so i guess ill wait and see if i get any response from my email to the hartmann crew.

in an interesting development, my parents are currently holidaying in st lucia, and my father, being a casual angler, went on a 4 hour (half day) trip, and ended up catching a 547lbs blue marlin, which is apparently the biggest from st lucia so far this year! i also understand that virgin atlantic currently have some fairly spectacular flight offers to the caribbean right now, so perhaps for this year, my best bet will be to settle for a weeks fishing over there...

[PanamaJack]

Um.....that's a shame. Ian's a good skipper, as is Matthias - they've caught a number of 'granders' between them off Ascension and Ghana, and Ian's also had lots of big fish off, where to him is currently home, the island of Faial in the Azores. Following that through I know that Matthias, who lives on Gran Canaria, is also planning to charter in the Canaries in 2007. The fishing off La Gomera this year was particularly good - lots of big fish.

Your dad's fish is a good one from that part of the Caribbean, especially this late. Venezuela can also be good into October but again the Blues tend to be on the small side. The plus side though is that White Marlin and Sailfish are also encountered, so 'grand slams' are always a possibility.

Later in the year - November/December - you may wish to consider the Pacific coast of Central America - places like Panama, Costa Rica or even Mexico? Late in the year Black Marlin would be present in numbers off the first two with Striped Marlin starting to appear off Baja in December. Just to whet your appetite you may wish to have a look at this particular web site - http://www.tropicstar.com - an absolutely stunning location to relax as well as fish. Somewhere like http://www.crocodilebay.com is also excellent although there you'll find greater emphasis on Sailfish and the inshore fishing. Then there's Guatemala but again that's primarily Sailfish.

Please Kronenborg no matter where you end up could you post a report of your trip. Everything helps to add to the forum members understanding of these areas.
Kindest regards and Every Success
Dave

[kronenborg]

hmm..im starting to go round in circles!

ive decided against the caribbean, because (from past experience) it can often be a whole day of trolling, with only 1 or 2 strikes (if youre lucky!). now while i know this can happen on even the most prolific of fishing grounds, i want to maximise my chances.

i got distracted by a friend of mine who is currently living in michigan, who suggested i come over and try some steelhead and salmon fishing a few hours away from where he lives...which was on the cards for a while, but now im back to thinking about billfish.

ive contacted anglingdirectholidays.com (first brought to my attention by the likes of matt hayes on Discovery H&L) regarding a trip to the sea of cortez in november/december. seems my ambition of catching 1 (or even several) billfish in a week over there is certainly realistic (perhaps not monsters, but it might be best to play the numbers game!). they've quoted me for the flights, full board accomodation and 4 full days fishing, including tackle, licenses and bait, at £2600.

now, given that im going on my own, and therefore that price includes single person supplement for the hotel (full board), as well as the fact that it includes 4 days sole use of the boats (no sharing of strikes) that seems to me to be a pretty good deal.

no matter where i end up going, though (if indeed i ever DO end up booking somewhere!) ill be sure to share the outcome of the trip...

[PanamaJack]

A small world Kronenborg! Next month, as part of a trip to the 'States, I'll be fishing a feeder stream of Lake Ontario for stocked Pacific King Salmon. Just a bit too early for the migrating Steelheads. (We're also targeting Striped Bass from Montauk and Red Drum in North Carolina.)

Whilst it's not a company I've heard of before they certainly look reputable. Do you know, will you be fishing from East Cape or Cabo san Lucas? Either should produce Striped Marlin at that time of year. And there are usually regular up to-date reports on this US web site - http://www.marlinnut.com/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi?az=list&forum=DCForumID1. As well as the Marlin you might want to consider spending a day’s panga fishing for Roosterfish – they can be caught inshore, just at the back of the surf line light tackle trolling small livebaits. Size for size they’re one of the strongest fish I’ve encountered.

Wishing you every success.
Dave

[Asp]

I can vouch for the shore fishing potential of the Island at least. Had 2 months there in the "early" days of the eighties, just after the Falklands argument and thanks to the military. The angling there was relatively "undiscovered".

Tremendous catches from the shore and several battles with "something" hefty that just ran you ragged before departure. Shark, Tuna, Amberjack, you name it, we connected with it. Most of them all went back, apart from a few for the barbie.

Loads of green turtles laying their eggs on the beaches, if you time it right.

asp

.

[PanamaJack]

Couldn't resist posting this link - http://www.atlanticfishingcharter.com/html/news.html. It shows on 17th February one of our Club members, Phil Riley, releasing what in big game fishing parlance is there or thereabouts. Is it a 1000 pounder, a 'grander'? Well the skipper Matthias was somewhat conservative and called it '950 plus'. Olaf the skipper of Shy 3 who also got a good look of it was convinced it was larger.
Dave

[emberman3]

Couldn't resist posting this link - http://www.atlanticfishingcharter.com/html/news.html. It shows on 17th February one of our Club members, Phil Riley, releasing what in big game fishing parlance is there or thereabouts. Is it a 1000 pounder, a 'grander'? Well the skipper Matthias was somewhat conservative and called it '950 plus'. Olaf the skipper of Shy 3 who also got a good look of it was convinced it was larger.
Dave

I spent 2 months there, in 97, saftey adviser for french/british wildlife survey, killing cats! only done 4 days work, the rest fishing, the locals go out and catch tuna for the RAF base, I went out with them many times, fishing fantastic, the shore fishing is out of this world, tuna/jacks,grupa,shark, you will need heavy duty beachcasters and plenty of tackle, I ended up fishing with handline, snapped rod in two, fantastic rock marks, you will need transport mine was provided, but you can hire there, you need a ascencion driving licence, from the local policeman, cost me £5, take plenty sun oil, theres even a golf course, rough as hell playing on sand/lava,but with a good clubhouse, Im going back, trying to get cheap flights through RAF, WATCH THIS SPACE.

[PanamaJack]

I spent 2 months there, in 97, saftey adviser for french/british wildlife survey, killing cats! only done 4 days work, the rest fishing, the locals go out and catch tuna for the RAF base, I went out with them many times, fishing fantastic, the shore fishing is out of this world, tuna/jacks,grupa,shark, you will need heavy duty beachcasters and plenty of tackle, I ended up fishing with handline, snapped rod in two, fantastic rock marks, you will need transport mine was provided, but you can hire there, you need a ascencion driving licence, from the local policeman, cost me £5, take plenty sun oil, theres even a golf course, rough as hell playing on sand/lava,but with a good clubhouse, Im going back, trying to get cheap flights through RAF, WATCH THIS SPACE.

Cheap flights would certainly be the answer, if you're fortunate enough to have that link with the forces. For 'joe public' the return Apex flight on what's usually a Tristar is £870. And there's a restriction of 20 'non-military' personnel on each flight - and that's also covering those on their way down to the Falklands.

Although no one's saying anything the speculation is that the island will be leased to the Americans from around 2012 when an alternative transit airport will be built on St Helena. I really don't know. Although our Foreign Office recently 'put the blocks' on an island council proposal that people would be able to buy land and houses. Going the same way as that strategic base in the Indian Ocean?

As you say though, as to the fishing, it's out of this world. Offshore I've never seen such large shoals of Yellowfin, literally acres and acres often feeding on tiny Grouper fry or the Scad. There're just fish everywhere. And just about any and everything does and can turn up.

Each season the two game boats put down a couple of 'moorings' on the edge of one of the dropoffs, around 100 fathoms. That's where they anchor and fish for the big Six Gill Sharks. Their season tends to end in April so, if you get down there, it might be worth getting one of the locals to take you there. At times, in the evenings, the bottom seems to be literally carpeted with them. And the fastest bite I've heard of came within 38 seconds of the bait touching bottom.

Finally the last time I was down there they were still setting traps for the feral cats, but they hadn't had one in 2 months. So they do seem to have been eradicated. But I have seen the odd rat on Green Mountain. I'm sure they're just as partial to eggs and fledglings!

[PanamaJack]

I've just heard from Olaf, the skipper of Shy 3, that he rather than Ian and Sian Carter in the Azores is now responsible for bookings. He can be contacted through the boat's web site - http://www.ascensioncharters.com/.

Bookings for Harmattan, the other game boat there skippered by Matthias, can be made through his web site - http://www.atlanticfishingcharter.com/.

Both skippers and Matthias' wife Emi speak excellent English.

[PanamaJack]

For anyone interested there's a fascinating picture of Yellowfin Tuna and birds feeding on Olaf's web site against the posting for 23rd March - http://www.ascensioncharters.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=28&Itemid=40. Just like other species they can get totally pre-occupied on one prey species at this time of year probably 'red' Grouper fry just inches long.

[richgodfrey]

although this thread is old i only just found it, i went there 4 years ago and went down to the docks to ask if we could go fishing, we ended up cathing rainbow runners up to 10lb a wahoo about 6ft long weight undetermined, and countless amounts of tuna i was 18 at the time and i pulled in the smallest tuna at 197lbs!! and the best thing about it all was that when we got back to the dock the fisherman wouldnt take a penny off of us!! we managed to find out where he lived and got a a crate of beer for his troubles. like whoever started this thread said the only way to get there is by military flight but it is worth every second and penny you spend, watching turtles come up to lay eggs to the people to the food, to the beautiful scenery and serinity, never would i have said there is paradise but that was it!! hope you all get to go there one day like i long to return!! tight lines!

[chefangler]

I have spent 18 months down their in the early nineties, fantastic fishing. We could only get out with the locals or on the small RAF boat, but were over the moon with what we were catching. These days, with the fishing by professional Game Charters and the info on these websites, i'll get down there again. Great websites, links and stories, just love reading em...

Only disagreement is beer, south african lager, Castle and Ohllies is fantastic for hangovers....drink locally

[PanamaJack]

I know from previous posts that a number of you have visited Ascension in the past, or want to go there.

Apart from the air fare the costs of chartering a game boat are far from cheap. So one of our Club members, together with five friends, tried some big game fishing from the shore in early August. (One chap had never even held a passport until this year, he'd been no further than Ireland. He really didn't know what to expect.)

Anyway literally the day they arrived so did the 'google eyes' (Scad) in enormous (unbelievable) numbers accompanied of course by the YFT. And for those that have been there they were trapping the bait to the left of the pier head, literally against the beach. You just looked down on all this action. As well as the Tuna, 100lb plus fish, there were also Amberjack, Horse Eye and Black Jacks getting in on the act.

So a lot of fish hooked, not quite so many landed! But they had great fun. Later in the week a lot of the Tuna were in English Bay. But first job was to get the livebait and they could literally pick them up off the beach as the 'google eyes' were leaping out of the water to avoid the predators.

They also tried some boat fishing using one of the locals' boats, a converted liveboat. Never more than 3 miles offshore they were getting multiple hookups, as many as they wanted to land. A bit like Mackerel fishing? BIG Mackerel!

Any rate if you're considering trying it flights are around £900 return using the RAF's transport, the only way down there. Just make sure your tackle's up to the challenge.
Dave

[lobsterkid]

came across this while surfing.

http://www.the-islander.org.ac/artd_5286_05_2008_45.html

[PanamaJack]

came across this while surfing.

http://www.the-islander.org.ac/artd_5286_05_2008_45.html

Now, apart from the local boats, only Harmattan will be based there. That's unless the German owners of Shy 3 determine to replace it.

Will they? I don't know.

Both game boats are usually fully booked with essentially return clients, but recently levels of co-operation with the US military command on the island have 'lessened'. And, although it could be just sheer incompetence on their part, with the Royal Air Force as well – trying to get that very crane that dropped Shy 3 operational took months and months with a key component for its repair ‘sitting’ at Brize Norton.

I'm not necessarily into conspiracy theories BUT what’s happening does make you wonder.

In the same way as Diego Garcia our Foreign Office recently blocked a request by the island’s council to allow people to buy, own the freehold of property. And of course there was not an indigenous population down there. Apart from the military and contractors for the BBC and Cable & Wireless (plus a few others) it’s contract labourers from St Helena that work there. Children are obviously born, but I suspect the issue of their nationality might just be a tad ‘clouded’.

The view being expressed by the locals ‘in the know’ is that this is all part of a cunning plan to allow the Americans to lease the island in its entirety as a strategic base, closed to non-military personnel. There’s of course a stumbling block. Apart from being used by the RAF for refuelling to maintain links with our dependencies in the far south, the Falklands (& South Georgia) it’s also used as a transfer point for the ferry to St Helena – there’s no airfield on St Helena. So will they ultimately build an airstrip there? That’s the last part of the jigsaw. Surely not? Um … read on - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Helena_airport - and the Foreign Office have even linked it to the retirement of the ferry. But of course as I started by saying - I'm not necessarily into conspiracy theories. Does make you wonder though.
Dave

[lobsterkid]

:unsure: I think you could be right Dave. The link i posted no longer works.Almost like it has been scrubbed from the website. Spoooooky!!

[PanamaJack]

Ah, egg on Douglas Alexander's face now - http://www.sthelenaonline.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=517. I wonder just how much that original, now rather pointless, consultancy document cost us, the British taxpayer? Looking at the St. Helena airport plans I presume that the 'cunning plan' was always for mid-range jets - 737-700s and Airbus 320a - to fly there from South Africa rather than from the UK.

It is a shame though that the mail boat - St Helena - link to St Helena from either Ascension or South Africa is a somewhat impractical link to the island for anglers. It involves weeks of 'kicking your heels' between trips. People I've spoken to suggest that the fishing for Yellowfin Tuna is even better from St Helena.

Still, after a relatively slow start, in January Matthias and Olaf on Harmattan have found a couple of Marlin for two of our Club members. Hopefully it will stay like that for the rest of their trip.


12.02.2009
Finally a real good day marlin fishing again !

Phil (Riley) and Andy (Thomas) arrived this morning and after 30 minutes Andy was on a beast already !

The 900 pounder took the blue breakfast and loads of line .

Finally after an exhausting standup fight for Andy we released the lady !

After that we got 3 bites and raised 1 more all fish over 500 pounds and finally caught a 350 pounder for Phil .

[Norm B]

Now that is what i would call an adventure.Thats like an astronaut going to mars
in the fishing equivalent.I belive if you want any info on the asension islands there is a web site you can visit. There is also the sartma web site which has links to other web sites.I also think you have to apply to the ascension government office to ask for permission to visit the island. I wonder if i could retire there.
Great weather,great fishing and even better still in great britain.

:laugh:You can't buy property there, the government went back on it's word and sold all it's "spare" property to a local consortium but you can visit and fish and stay at the self catering places owned by the local consortium. the fishing is as good as described, I spent 12 days there. I'm sure you could get a group together, air fares are expensive as seats are limited on each flight and are handled by an agency. Cheaper if you book well in advance. If you want to retire try St Helena, just south of A.I. Prices will boom there when the airport is built. The fishing there is great too.:laugh:

[PanamaJack]

:laugh:You can't buy property there, the government went back on it's word and sold all it's "spare" property to a local consortium but you can visit and fish and stay at the self catering places owned by the local consortium. the fishing is as good as described, I spent 12 days there. I'm sure you could get a group together, air fares are expensive as seats are limited on each flight and are handled by an agency. Cheaper if you book well in advance. If you want to retire try St Helena, just south of A.I. Prices will boom there when the airport is built. The fishing there is great too.:laugh:

In terms of property ownership I'm afraid our Foreign Office's approach is slightly more devious than that Norm ... well that's according to the locals. Just in the same way as the native community from Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean were forcibly removed to Mauritius by the Wilson government, and the atoll leased to the Americans our FO are keen not to allow anyone to establish land ownership rights. And technically, although children may have been born on Ascension Island, the island is a dependency of the Overseas Territory of St Helena so they’re citizens of St Helena.

So the ‘fate’ of Ascension? It will undoubtedly, in time, be leased to the Americans. But what to do in terms of the link to St Helena? Well that’s where the airport on St Helena would have been ‘convenient’. But a tab of £100 Million to the long suffering British taxpayer? Um ... certainly unlikely in the current financial climate. Hence my comment about Alexander’s ‘egg on face’. This is from that local St Helena web site link:


St Helena, one of the most remote places in the world, has been refused an airport by the British Government.

For years the colony, located more than 1,200 miles from the African continent and twice as far again from South America, has dreamt of ending its isolation with the construction of a £100 million airport.
But a surprise decision from Whitehall last week put an end to their plans, the Times reports.

In a statement issued very quietly, the Department for International Development said that the Treasury could not fund the project.

"As a result, there will be a pause in negotiations over the St Helena airport contract," Douglas Alexander, the Secretary of State for International Development, wrote.

With a per-capita income of only £4,500, St Helena's 4,000 inhabitants depends on the British taxpayer for £17 million a year for their survival.
They believe the airport would have reversed their dependency.
The island's councillors have written to Mr Alexander of their "bitter disappointment from the repeated raising of expectation that have subsequently been dashed".

"Our electorate of Saints is renowned for loyalty to Britain, but if this current statement is hiding an indefinite delay in an airport, then we are certain there will be a very negative backlash," they warned.
The island can become cut off during storms and the few cruise ships that visit bring little economic benefit to the island.

The airport, slated for 2012, was meant to change all that. The project galvanised islanders to plan for a future with tourism as their main income.

"All our plans for the future were based on the airport project," Eric Benjamin, one of the councillors, told The Times. "We are devastated."


As to ‘spare’ property you will have seen the size of the RAF base down there. Loads of space given that there’re less than 30 personnel on the base.

[TomBettle]

Not sure why it would be £100,000 for an airport?

The "international" airport that is now apparently ready at Sao Pedro, Sao Vincent in Cape Verde is a single fairly small, but capable runway, a couple of prefabs and a few portacabins.

Runway aside, the airport is no more than a million or so....

[Norm B]

In terms of property ownership I'm afraid our Foreign Office's approach is slightly more devious than that Norm ... well that's according to the locals. Just in the same way as the native community from Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean were forcibly removed to Mauritius by the Wilson government, and the atoll leased to the Americans our FO are keen not to allow anyone to establish land ownership rights. And technically, although children may have been born on Ascension Island, the island is a dependency of the Overseas Territory of St Helena so they’re citizens of St Helena.

So the ‘fate’ of Ascension? It will undoubtedly, in time, be leased to the Americans. But what to do in terms of the link to St Helena? Well that’s where the airport on St Helena would have been ‘convenient’. But a tab of £100 Million to the long suffering British taxpayer? Um ... certainly unlikely in the current financial climate. Hence my comment about Alexander’s ‘egg on face’. This is from that local St Helena web site link:




As to ‘spare’ property you will have seen the size of the RAF base down there. Loads of space given that there’re less than 30 personnel on the base.

:ohmy:I stayed at the dive centre whilst there but ate at the RAF base, there's lots of self catering in the town though and a house in the hills. The local boats are a real bargain but if you want a marlin the game boats are your best bet because most of the marlin are 20 miles off on the reefs but they do come inshore when the baitfish are in.:laugh:

[Thornback]

i spent 3 happy six month tours on Ascension nothing to do all day but work a bit and fish or drink at night or sometimes both ,hope the Volcano Club is still up and running and the club in TWO BOATS still cooks your catch for you ,ahhhhhhhhh happy days:victory:

[PanamaJack]

Some of you may have fished with Noddy one of the St Helenians based on Ascension in his old, open boat for Tuna.

In this video clip you start by seeing a Scandinavian angler hook into a Tuna on a fly rod. That's the easy part! It's not clear whether he ever gets it to the boat.

(A few years ago I recall a couple of our members attempting it. One got a 46 pounder in after 20 minutes, the other finally popped the tippet - deliberately - after a failed gaffing attempt and the fish 'bound for the bottom' again. He'd been playing it for close to 3 hours at that stage! Here're some pictures -
http://www.scbi.org.uk/pages/News_WhatsNewNfc200403_A.asp.)

But back to the video - http://www.vimeo.com/13073967. Noddy employs a slightly different technique in landing his 275 pounder. Who said YFT were tackle shy and you needed to use flurocarbon leaders?

[daikent]

What a fantastic short video...and some of the comments are sensational!
(e.g. I'm glad I didn't get that one on THIS (fly) rod!!).
It's amazing how they got her in so quickly, I guess it was by keeping her head up all the time.
Absolutely awesome.

[Norm B]

What a fantastic short video...and some of the comments are sensational!
(e.g. I'm glad I didn't get that one on THIS (fly) rod!!).
It's amazing how they got her in so quickly, I guess it was by keeping her head up all the time.
Absolutely awesome.

:fishing1:I think I'll have to go back this year.:fishing1:

[PanamaJack]

....
It's amazing how they got her in so quickly, I guess it was by keeping her head up all the time.
....

Hi Dai
That really is the only way and I have heard of commercials employing that method for Bluefin off Madeira and, once, many moons ago, by a Azorean boat operating down in the South Atlantic near Ascension.

(On my first trip to Ascension we had two abortive strikes, two different boats, from Tuna in the 6 - 700lb range. We speculated that they were Bluefin but, interestingly, another Club member who had access to commercial records, was adamant that they were MONSTER BigEye. Evidentially commercials caught them to that size in the Gulf of Guinea.)

Back to keeping their heads up though. On sport fishing tackle, after that first explosive run, I push the drag up past strike and always try to keep them moving, even if it's just short pumps retrieving a foot or so of line. A low gear ratio can also help! All the time you tend to feel them 'knocking', trying to turn their heads, and its something, unless you want to prolong the fight, you have to prevent.

The best I had in Ascension on a bent butt set of 130 in the chair went 225lbs and I got that in in 10 minutes. But that was with 60 odd pound of drag with the fish, on occasions, pulling me up out of the chair. That's when you discover just what the arms on a fighting chair are for, especially when you only weigh a tad over 11 stone dripping wet! Any rate picture attached.

[robbym]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11137903

Not related to the fishing there but a fascinating article all the same.

[PanamaJack]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11137903

Not related to the fishing there but a fascinating article all the same.

Green Mountain referred to in the article is absolutely fascinating, especially when you compared to the rest of the 'cinder', with the cloud forest inhabited by red land crabs.

I can't remember now just how many 180 degree 'switchbacks' there are before you get to the top. Great fun in a car with no power steering! Everyone ends up in multi-point terms! Fortunately there aren't too many other cars on that road.

Although it's now not occupied, other than occasionally by tourists, the farm on the mountain used to provide several crop cycles a year. Apart from that there're the original sentry positions from the Napoleonic era and ... a small pond inhabited by Guppies.

[Patudo]

There definitely is a bit of a technique using the pole to land big YFT. I've seen the Madeiran bait boats fishing that way. I was looking at how slender the poles were and thinking they could never pole in the fish like you see in the old video footage from the Pacific tuna clippers, but they seem to handline the fish rather than pole it and have a line wrapped round the pole in case it gives way. That clip from Ascension is great and here is another goodie from South Africa - another beautiful YFT with those long sickles. Bamboo is a pretty durable material huh?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1ZHRx8oFnY

I have spoken to a number of commercials as well as sport fishermen who maintain the yellowfin is the trickiest of the big tunas to fool, much more so than the bigeye. I think the pole is used in such a way that it keeps most of the leader out of the water. Some boats like the SA one in the video above also have sprinklers that not only create a bait splashing effect but also help to obscure the pole and line/leader from the fish.

ps. I've mentioned this to you before Dave on a couple of occasions, but whenever I look at that fish in your photo I can't help but think what a fantastic YFT that is, especially from the Atlantic. 200-pound yellowfin from the Atlantic must be nearly as rare as 300-pounders from the Pacific. Ascension must be one of the very few places in the Atlantic you have a reasonable expectation of taking fish like that. And you got it on a marlin lure with 600 lb leader too! I bet Joe Palacat (the guy who made the lure you caught it on) would like a copy of that photo, if he hasn't got one already...