[Kenyafisherman]

Hi Guys,
Over the past year I have researched and read much about the new fishing I am just getting in to.
Tackle, destinations, species caught and species I'd like to catch.

My top 5 fish are as follows in order.
Hammerhead Shark
Grouper (over 50lbs)
Marlin (500lb)
GT
And Dogtooth Tuna,
PHOTO IS EXAMPLE ONLY AND I DO NOT KNOW THE FISHERMAN.

this species looks fearsome, strong and from what i've heard fights like a demon.
Also from my research I see most are lost, especially the bigger ones, for a couple of reasons.
Pure fury of the take and run, the harsh dentures they so obviously have, and lastly, the tackle they are caught on does not usually consist of wire traces, unless you are specifically targeting Dogtooth Tuna.
Many anglers although wanting to bump heads with this species are usually targeting reef species generally and should these turn up, they are often lost because the Assist Cord can not cope with their dentures even though it maybe 200lb+

Can these fish be targeted?
Is this option often wasted time when you could be catching many other species.
Would you or should you put this fight in your favour by using strong wire traces.
Have you caught 1
What size was it
Where was it caught
What method was it caught using

These fish very much interest me and impress me these days, and hopefully at some point I may get the chance to tackle them myself.

 

[ripplefisher]

Hey Kevin,

Yes, the 'terror of the drop-off's' as some call them - I remember an experienced French angler trying to explain that first run when a good doggie hits the jig - he likened it to attaching your line to a fridge and pushing it off the top of a high rise building, with you on the top of the aforementioned building holding on for dear life...a fair summary in fact..!

I do believe a big doggie is still the pinnacle of all jigging accomplishments - for a number of reasons; Firstly, as you say - despite the experience of the angler, even the most experienced anglers can and will be bitten or broken off - there is, more than other species and contexts I believe, that leads you to truly require that element of 'luck' - where the doggie hits your jig - not too close to the reef or drop-off, where it is physically hooked, are there sharks present, and of course with doggie's, they are sometimes a species that can be frustratingly absent in places at certain times - i.e. very dependant upon conditions. Secondly, you need to be physically fit - not so much for the fight itself, but of course there is an element of conditions required there, but to work the jigs hour after hour to generate the action required to get the strikes - often a very...well, 'violent' action - it's the best way I can describe it, is needed. Add to that the fact that doggie's like zones with big currents and deeper water than say GT's, you need to use bigger jigs, which equals harder work!

So, luck and destination aside - and on that note there are not all too many destinations were trophy class doggies - and to quantify that I mean 60 plus kilo fish, are regularly taken - my choice for what it's worth would be Rodrigues, Seychelles, Tanzania, Australia, the Mariana Islands, certain places in the Andamans, and Fiji/Vanuatu, what else is needed..?

You mention tackle..

Well - to use steel or not - or indeed 'other options' - a chain-link of split rings, or steel assist links such as those made by Shout. Well, so much is a matter of personal preference and confidence. Many people for example do not like to use Fluorocarbon - instead options for nylon shock leader, arguing the fluoro is 'too stiff' and impedes the action of the jig...well, a 'for and against' argument can likewise be made for assist versus wire - many people think wire reduces strike rate - doggies can be very fickle feeders.

Other 'obvious stuff' - don't compromise on your tackle, and take a good selection of jigs - long and short - such as the following; Duel Tamentai, Williamson Abyss, CB One Zero 1 Semi Long, Tackle House P-Boy jig Vertical Power, Seven Seas hooker, Willamson Vortex, Hart Weepy, River2Sea Sea rock and so on...and then....to dress or not to dress..lol....complicated stuff this...!



One example of a short jig that works for doggies, amongst others...



About to go down..!




Dressed jig, next to a modest sized doggie's denture..!



Doggie's often are in the same place as shark - you can at times find yourself out of luck - like a mate here out in Mada. Others say that when you find banks of rainbow runner or black jacks in the right type of water, then the doggie's are there...but who knows...

I know guys who have dived when others have dropped jigs, and the jigs have literally passed a couple of feet away from a doggie, and they turned away...food for thought...



fearsome dentistry...not the hook-up position...!



big fish...bent jig...lucky angler...lol..!

All the best on your quest mate, and you 'have my number' if you want anymore information on the subject, for what it's worth..!

tight lines, Marc.

 

[Kenyafisherman]

Marc,
Yet again you impress me with your write up, these Doggies have to move up my list of must catch fish.
You make them sound worthy of 3rd place easily, and describe them as I've expected from research and other info I've read.
Some great photos there, not sure if the fish you caught or the the photo of dentures impresses me most.
When are you in UK next?
You made me an offer I may still like to consider if they are for sale still, assuming I have any money left after paying for my trips.
I thought I had enough Jigs to start with, but obviously not enough to narrow down a set to take with me for Madagascar, although this is still long enough away to finish my "buys"
My mind is awash with places, fish and tackle, and my Mrs is sick of fishing consuming all my time either buying, looking, talking and planning fishing.
Oh well, Cyprus in 4 weeks time will make her hate me less
Not buying anything now until June, as money needs to go to bank to pay for CR & GB and even though I'm crazy busy, even I have a limit on how many hours a day I can drive/work if I am not to kill myself.

2016 has been left free for a special trip, as I will have a little experience and hopefully enough saved for a great destination or a slightly longer trip in a good destination where several of my Bucket List fish can be caught, including Dogtooth Tuna.
Tanzania looks interesting, read a few reports from there recently, and I love Africa, but Vanuatu even better, but I'll need deep pockets and a lot more tackle (Jigs/Stickbaits/Poppers) before tackling a place like that.

 

[JonD]

Looks like to much hard work. This is why I use jigging master gear :notworthy Looks like that big one was on the spin gear Ripplefisher ?
JonD
[video=youtube;Gn1nGsuOYgI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn1nGsuOYgI[/video]

 

[ripplefisher]

Looks like to much hard work. This is why I use jigging master gear :notworthy Looks like that big one was on the spin gear Ripplefisher ?
JonD

Lol - are you sponsored by Jigging Master by any chance..?! :giveup:

I think there is a lot of good jigging gear/companies out there - this fish was taken on a Smith Nirai 55 WRC rod, and yup - a good old Saltiga Expedition reel - I like my saltiga's, and they have caught me some good fish.

I was literally two turns - line on the reel that is, away fro losing the fish, but we 'just' got the boat started quick enough for me to try and regain some line. The only reason I got that fish is because he took a fair distance away from the bottom - 60 meters is my guess - we got broken up more than half a dozen times...

Yup - no doubt that frantic jigging, or heavy popping is hard work - planning to 'break my back' on some big goliath grouper over in Florida later this year though - enjoy feeling that 'deep burn' - lol...!

 

[Kenyafisherman]

Marc,
Where was your Doggie. Caught by the way?
You name lots of places they could be caught.

 

[JonD]

Lol - are you sponsored by Jigging Master by any chance..?! :giveup:

I think there is a lot of good jigging gear/companies out there - this fish was taken on a Smith Nirai 55 WRC rod, and yup - a good old Saltiga Expedition reel - I like my saltiga's, and they have caught me some good fish.

I was literally two turns - line on the reel that is, away fro losing the fish, but we 'just' got the boat started quick enough for me to try and regain some line. The only reason I got that fish is because he took a fair distance away from the bottom - 60 meters is my guess - we got broken up more than half a dozen times...

Yup - no doubt that frantic jigging, or heavy popping is hard work - planning to 'break my back' on some big goliath grouper over in Florida later this year though - enjoy feeling that 'deep burn' - lol...!

Wish I was sponsored by them it would of saved me heaps on the 8 JM outfits I now have. I had been breaking alot of rods before using some of these more expensive rods, Im sure if I had tried smith. ripplefisher, blackhole etc I would of stayed with one of them. There are quite a few decent rods capable of this kind of fishing including daiwa, Jm just happened to make a supper light 100g rod that suited my daughter targeting kingfish. Dogtooth tuna are high on her list but to far north for us to take the boat. You certainly like chasing the giants :notworthy:notworthy
cheers JonD

 

[ripplefisher]

Marc,
Where was your Doggie. Caught by the way?
You name lots of places they could be caught.

Kevin - that doggie was caught in Tanzania - still a good choice, but weather and fish availability can be hit and miss. Rodrigues another good option - Hawkins Bank / look at Yann Colas' boat..

You can achieve you aims of course, with ambition, luck and some spending - as you know, I only ventured into saltwater fishing properly in 2009, and close to achieving most of my aims in the salt - it can be done!

Wish I was sponsored by them it would of saved me heaps on the 8 JM outfits I now have. I had been breaking alot of rods before using some of these more expensive rods, Im sure if I had tried smith. ripplefisher, blackhole etc I would of stayed with one of them. There are quite a few decent rods capable of this kind of fishing including daiwa, Jm just happened to make a supper light 100g rod that suited my daughter targeting kingfish. Dogtooth tuna are high on her list but to far north for us to take the boat. You certainly like chasing the giants :notworthy:notworthy
cheers JonD

Hey Jon,

Yes - when you find a good rod/manufacturer, you do tend to stick with them - I know what you mean - and yes, I agree - plenty of choices out there currently - just depends upon personal choice.

My main reasoning for going for that particular jigging stick (Smith Nirai) was that it has a shorter butt than most jigging rods, which I personally prefer when fighting fish - and also easy to transfer in a fluid motion to tuck under the armpit - I fight a fair amount of fish from there for at least part of the fight on jig - including the doggie above..

My mid range jigging stick is a Fisherman Spinoza Amberjack - again, the reason for my choice was the incorporation of some fibreglass in the blank - makes for a flexible tip, and very easy to impart action in the jig, but has backbone when needed. Also one of the few companies which uses specialised components like gold cermet guides etc - a bit of the 'tackle whore' syndrome going on there I think - lol..!

As you say - very much a personal thing, and what suits the individual - makes complete sense what you say in terms of light little rod for a smaller person. Yamaga Blanks also make some great lighter sticks I hear..

Tight lines mate.

Marc.

 

[Timmer]

...but to work the jigs hour after hour to generate the action required to get the strikes - often a very...well, 'violent' action - it's the best way I can describe it, is needed.

Interesting what you mention about the action there Marc...without wishing to give away spoilers from my upcoming Seychelles report, I was sharing a boat with a French guy a few days ago, and he was jigging in a manner I would call "experienced but lazy" whereas I was jigging with cack-handed enthusiasm. All the doggy takes we had came to my rod, though he was getting plenty of other fish. Perhaps this was a case of energy trumping competence?

a bit of the 'tackle whore' syndrome going on there I think

Seriously? I hardly think choosing your spool for colour co-ordination with the rod counts as "tackle whore"!
Incidentally, despite my initial mockery, I ended up having to spend a few dollars more on the "weave" version of the Nirai because they'd run out of the decal

 

[ripplefisher]

Interesting what you mention about the action there Marc...without wishing to give away spoilers from my upcoming Seychelles report, I was sharing a boat with a French guy a few days ago, and he was jigging in a manner I would call "experienced but lazy" whereas I was jigging with cack-handed enthusiasm. All the doggy takes we had came to my rod, though he was getting plenty of other fish. Perhaps this was a case of energy trumping competence?


Seriously? I hardly think choosing your spool for colour co-ordination with the rod counts as "tackle whore"!
Incidentally, despite my initial mockery, I ended up having to spend a few dollars more on the "weave" version of the Nirai because they'd run out of the decal

Come on Tim - out with the Seychelles report - hope you had fun..?!

Well, I know people make a lot of jigging actions - our Asian friends seem to put labels on specific types of 'jigging methods' - but for doggies, from what I know you can stimulate or trigger doggies into striking, and also an erratic style can also trigger strikes 'on the pause' - perhaps the case with you on the boat...who knows..

Well, yes - I got so bored in Madagascar when work was over, I had to amuse myself somehow - colour co-ordinating combo's and wasting inordinate amounts of time seemed like a good idea at the time..!

 

[waldo_one2]

RippleFisher said the below:

Doggie's often are in the same place as shark - you can at times find yourself out of luck - like a mate here out in Mada. Others say that when you find banks of rainbow runner or black jacks in the right type of water, then the doggie's are there...but who knows...

On a trip to Mozambique last year we identified a number of really good 'drop-offs' on the sonar and got the jigging gear out. Although not massive we got into the Doggies and got slaughtered by the sharks everytime, so as Mark RippleFisher says we found that wherever the doggies were the sharks were there as well.
Even small to average sized doggies first runs were ridiculous....big up for landing a monster like yours Mark, that truely is something mega mega!

 

[ripplefisher]

RippleFisher said the below:

Doggie's often are in the same place as shark - you can at times find yourself out of luck - like a mate here out in Mada. Others say that when you find banks of rainbow runner or black jacks in the right type of water, then the doggie's are there...but who knows...

On a trip to Mozambique last year we identified a number of really good 'drop-offs' on the sonar and got the jigging gear out. Although not massive we got into the Doggies and got slaughtered by the sharks everytime, so as Mark RippleFisher says we found that wherever the doggies were the sharks were there as well.
Even small to average sized doggies first runs were ridiculous....big up for landing a monster like yours Mark, that truely is something mega mega! View attachment 198329

Well, as I always mention in any conversation talking about fishing for doggies - you definitely need some luck on your side! :cc_surren

You may not have got a good doggie, but that YFT you took on that trip on that gear is a great accomplishment!

 

[JonD]

Well, as I always mention in any conversation talking about fishing for doggies - you definitely need some luck on your side! :cc_surren

You may not have got a good doggie, but that YFT you took on that trip on that gear is a great accomplishment!

Hows things ripplefisher, you certainly like chasing decent fish and was wondering if you have ever fished New Zealand and caught any yellowtail kingfish. This is probably one of the most common fish in my local area, though they don't normally get as big as the NZ fish they certainly give a good fight. You may have them over where you fish under a different name so have included a pic, I was wondering how they compare to the doggie's as I would put the kings well above yellow fin tuna. A fight can often be very hard to compare and one fish may fight well in cold water but be boring and dull like the southern bluefin tuna in my area, travel 1000km south and take them on in cooler water and they are a different fight all together.

By the way many of the bluefin satellite tagged off our coast leave our waters and head in a straight line for South Africa and then move up the West African coast.
Cheers JonD

 

[ripplefisher]

Hows things ripplefisher, you certainly like chasing decent fish and was wondering if you have ever fished New Zealand and caught any yellowtail kingfish. This is probably one of the most common fish in my local area, though they don't normally get as big as the NZ fish they certainly give a good fight. You may have them over where you fish under a different name so have included a pic, I was wondering how they compare to the doggie's as I would put the kings well above yellow fin tuna. A fight can often be very hard to compare and one fish may fight well in cold water but be boring and dull like the southern bluefin tuna in my area, travel 1000km south and take them on in cooler water and they are a different fight all together.

By the way many of the bluefin satellite tagged off our coast leave our waters and head in a straight line for South Africa and then move up the West African coast.
Cheers JonD

Hey Jon,

yes, the yellowtail kingies look a heap of fun. To answer your question, no - not targeted them as yet - I want to join/arrange one of those liveaboard trips on the Enchanter to Ranfurly or better still Three Kings over in NZ - I have it tentatively 'pencilled in' for early 2016 - looks like a whole heap of fun, and would love the chase 'those tail'...!

They do of course exist, by the same name - Seriola lalandi from memory - always referred to as yellowtail, off the coast of South Africa, the US coast - I think California side but may be wrong - however, the big boys are down there in NZ..

In terms of the Bluefin - what species are you referring to..? I am amazed they make it all the way up the coast of Africa without being eaten...lol..!:laugh:

Tight line mate, Marc.

 

[JonD]

I was meant to do a trip to the Ranfurly banks on the Enhancer just before Xmas when the kings are at their prime for mating, this is the time for the 40kg+ fish (November). Unfortunately my youth is catching up on me and a previous neck, back and rotary cough breaks are all making life tough from time to time. I would have to put kings at the top of any fish Ive caught just because of their amazing stamina, as with most fish there comes a point when you know you are in control and winning the battle, with a king you might have it boat-side only to have it charge off back to the bottom ready for round two. The dogtooth tuna is one that Im still to target, partly due to fishing with my kids from our own boat and having to head so far offshore for them, not to mention the 3500 km drive north with the boat first.

The tuna species I mentioned travelling across the entire Indian Ocean, past South Africa and into the South Atlantic Ocean is the southern bluefin tuna. A few of the tv fishing shows have been catching them here and fitting them with satellite tags.

This fish id has kingfish at the top right, as you can see there is a fight rating which puts them above the tuna's and on a par with some of the marlin. The little black figure with a rod is the fight rating.
JonD

 

[Kenyafisherman]

Came across this video today on my FB
Only about 3 minutes long, but Wow

If this is a Dogtooth Tuna I seriously need to build my stamina and strength before bumping heads with these powerful demons of the reefs in the future.

 

[JonD]

Here's one where the Jigging master guy's set a new world record on the dogtooth. When you realise those monster game reals can put out up to 120lbs of drag you realise just how tuff those fish are. Makes the old sharking penn senator 6/0 with 15-20lb drag look a little wimpy.
JonD

 

[Kenyafisherman]

Man that's a good video,
sadly cant watch it all at minute, but its got that Wow factor
The water was heaving with Sharks too at the start.
Watched it all now.
Wow I want to catch Doggies.
Awsome powerful fish.

 

[Kenyafisherman]

Oh No,
More tackle buying
Boo hoo
Jigs being ordered, and need to get me some Heru Cubera Poppers too, I have enough stick baits for now.
I want to bump heads with Doggies

 

[Oldnipper]

I had one doggie on a pink 100g Cubera and another about 40kgs on a yellow 125g Cubera in the Andamans- they seem to like them!!

Mike