Do you have a photograph of a fish you can’t identify? If so, we’re up for the challenge, and would welcome the opportunity to share your photo and its ID with an international audience of enthusiasts. (Whether published or not, we will personally respond to every inquiry.) Email your jpgs, as large/hi-res as possible, to: fishfacts@sportfishingmag.com.

Clearly, says Jean-Francois Helias, of anglingthailand.com, this is a lionfish. But which species? Helias writes that in fact one of his guides, Pro Kik Phanpraphat, and clients were catching “one after the other” while jigging near Koh Kut Island, in the Gulf of Siam. He would like to know more about this impressively spiny fish.

Handle with care, advises Sport Fishing Fish Facts expert Ben Diggles, based in Australia. That is a very venomous plaintail lionfish (Pterois russelii). There are many species of lionfish in tropical and warm-temperate waters around the world. The plaintail grows to around 12 inches, inhabiting muddy areas in shallow estuaries, bays and coastal waters throughout the western Indo-Pacific. Like most lionfishes, they’re voracious predators of small fishes, so snapping up small jigs is hardly surprising.

The plaintail, like most lionfish species, sports venom glands at the base of each spine. These, Diggles says, operate like a hypodermic syringe; when contact is made with the business end of the spine, venom containing a potent and highly painful neurotoxin is released into the puncture wound. “Fortunately the venom is not deadly, but it can cause paralysis in rare cases, so best to neutralize by dousing the affected area with or in hot water,” Diggles says.

The plaintail can be sometimes confused with the common lionfish, Pterois volitans, an invasive species now well established in the Western Atlantic, from the Carolinas south through the Caribbean. But it lacks the many rows of small dark spots on tail, soft dorsal and anal fins found on the common lionfish.

The post Fish Facts: A Dangerous Beauty appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

When it comes to game fish of inshore waters and shallow reefs, these eight brawlers have probably broken more hearts — and rods — than other species. Sure, it’s subjective and, sure, there are other species that might have been included. But no angler who knows his game fish will dispute that these are very tough on rod and reel. Most don’t fight fancy, leaping and cavorting like tarpon, but battling hard, down and very, very dirty. Keep in mind, by the way, that this list is limited to inshore and shallow-reef waters. (So species such as amberjack, that tend to be on somewhat deeper reefs, aren’t included.)

GIANT TREVALLY (Caranx ignobilis)

GT are actually as tough as they look, which is saying something. One of the largest of the jacks (family Carangidae), GT are one of the ultimate, bucket-list game fish for anglers fishing areas such as Australia, New Caledonia, Oman, the Andaman Islands, and even Hawaii. A favorite method for the big boys is throwing large poppers and stickbaits over reef and channel edges — and then trying, often fruitlessly, to power them away from structure, even with 80- to 100-pound braided line. The IGFA world record is an amazing 160 pounds, 7 ounces caught in Japanese waters in 2006.

ROOSTERFISH (Nematistius pectoralis)

Roosters are arguably the most exotic of all nearshore eastern Pacific game fishes, with their distinctive coloration and, particularly, the unique high, comb-like dorsal fin. But, as anyone who’s caught them will tell you, their very tough combatants when hooked. Though not jacks, roosterfish take a page from the playbook of that stubborn family of fishes. Unlike jacks, roosters jump and may clear the water in spectacular fashion. They’re found in the tropical waters of Mexico south into the waters off Peru. The IGFA all-tackle record, caught off La Paz, Mexico, in 1960, is 114 pounds.

MAORI WRASSE (Cheilinus undulatus)

By and large, wrasses tend to be active little colorful fishes of tropical reefs. But the humphead Maori (aka Napoleon wrasse) is a big powerhouse of a fish that can reach 400 pounds or so, dwarfing a man. Seldom are specimens more than a fraction of that landed. Once these fish take a lure, there is truly no stopping them from swimming right back into or around coral. Amazingly strong, they pretty much go wherever they want, whenever they want to go there. Found throughout the Indo-Pacific, the IGFA world record is, surprisingly, just 43 pound, 10 ounces.

PAPUAN BLACK SNAPPER (Lutjanus goldiei)

Widely called a “black bass,” these powerful snapper in fact live in the lower rivers of southern Papua, New Guinea. Heavy currents in muddy waters swirling around omnipresent snags (sunken trees) make for a great challenge; many more of these fish are lost than are landed. But anglers from developed countries make the long trip for the bragging rights of releasing one. The biggest brag goes to the angler with the world record of 47 ½ pounds, taken in December 2015.

PACIFIC CUBERA SNAPPER (Lutjanus novemfasciatus)

There are other species of cubera snapper; the Atlantic and the African versions both get a bit larger. However, unlike those, the Pacific cubera loves to prowl rocky headlands and shallow reefs, and as such is a prime target in the clear waters for anglers throwing large poppers and stickbaits, as well as for those slow-trolling live blue runners. That habitat also means stopping these cubera is critical — and very hard to do. The world record of 81 pounds, 3 ounces was caught in Isla Senora, Archipielago De Las Perlas, Panama in 2022.

RED STEENBRAS (DenItex ruprestris)

Anyone who’s ever fished for porgies — rather small but tasty tropical/temperate fishes — might have trouble accepting the fact that the thick, aggressive steenbras of South Africa’s coastal and estuarial waters is a porgy. In fact, it’s the largest porgy of that family and sports big canine teeth. The slow-growing predators are prized and tightly regulated. The world record is a whopping 124-pound, 12-ounce fish from the Eastern Cape area of South Africa, taken in 1994.

CALIFORNIA YELLOWTAIL (Seriola lalandi)

Although similar in morphology, appearance and down-and-dirty fight to the amberjack, California yellowtail (caught primarily from Southern California south along Baja and the Sea of Cortez) often frequent waters quite near shore and around kelp beds and rocks — where many big yellowtail are hooked and lost. Unless found offshore around floating kelp, light tackle for yellowtail often ends in sorrow (for the angler). Most IGFA yellowtail records come from the California or Baja regions, but some anglers in Japan are also making noise in the record books.

GOLDEN TREVALLY (Gnathanodon speciosus)

In true trevally fashion, goldens are fighters to the end. While they don’t get nearly as large as the giant trevally, goldens fight as hard pound for pound. They also offer anglers a particularly striking appearance with their yellow coloration, and their very widespread availability — throughout the Indo-Pacific all the way to the eastern Pacific, from Baja south to Ecuador. They are caught in near-coastal waters as well as clear flats where, in Australia, they are prime sight-casting targets.

The post Toughest Nearshore Game Fish appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Sport-fishing enthusiasts will find few places in the world as unexplored as the mostly uninhabited, rugged coastal wilderness of Australia’s Kimberley. It’s a region so remote, it remains a mystery even to most Australians, few of whom have ever ventured to this distant northwestern corner of the continent.

The fishing remains unspoiled and untouched, and anglers who do manage to visit here marvel at the terrain, replete with dramatic gorges cut deeply into red sandstone cliffs, rugged ranges, waterfalls that tumble right into the Indian Ocean, and flats that daily become totally exposed and then hours later completely disappear when flooded by 25- to 30-foot tides that are part of this watery world.

The Kimberley includes many national parks, and ancient indigenous rock art can be found throughout the area on rock walls and in caves, estimated to date back as far as 40,000 years. The population of the Kimberley is roughly 50 percent aboriginal. Here’s a thumbnail look at four fishing destinations in the Kimberley.

Broome

Broome might be considered a gateway to the Kimberley. The largest city in the territory (about 15,000 population), it’s located at the southern end of the Kimberley. Typically visitors to the Kimberley jump off from Broome or, to the northeast, Darwin.

But Broome is a fishing destination in its own right. It offers excellent surf-fishing without having to travel far, starting at Roebuck Bay along Crab Creek Road. Fish rocky points for the iconic barramundi, as well as trevally, queenfish, threadfin and mangrove jacks (as the Indo Pacific version of gray snapper are called). Charter boats will fish reefs nearshore for a great variety of gamefish, including various snappers, groupers (cod and coral trout), narrowbarred Spanish mackerel, longtail tuna, trevallies and more. Serious anglers can book a multi-day trip to the famed Rowley Shoals (about 200 miles out) for amazing fishing.

But more than any gamefish species, sailfish are quintessentially Broome. It’s not unreasonable to consider this one of the best fisheries for sails in the world, with doubles and triples common. Renowned Australian fishing journalist John Ashley has experienced the fishery, and he says it’s common for Broome boats to tag-and-release a dozen or more sails in a day. Boats typically run 15 to 40 miles to find sails (which they generally do by finding schools of baitfish). These Indian Ocean sails run 45 to 55 pounds or so—similar to Western Atlantic sailfish. And, similar to Florida, anglers generally fish light spinning gear, often pitch-baiting ballyhoo (aka garfish).

Rather than walking down a dock to meet their boat, charter anglers in Broome wade out to a dingy just off the beach, which will run them out to deeper water where boats are moored. There are no docks here on the extensive sandy shallows where huge tides are a constant fact of life.

Broome also offers heli-fishing (kashelicopters.com.au) on an extended half-day tour to drop anglers into otherwise inaccessible spots. It’s a pricey but a unique fishing experience, with barramundi the primary target. Information on the biggest offshore tournament here can be found by searching online for the Broome Billfish Classic.

Kuri Bay

A bit over an hour north of Broome via floatplane, Kuri Bay sits deep in the Kimberley coast. For human purposes, it’s less a sport-fishing center than a base for the pearl industry. The Paspaley pearling center here was established in the 1950s, but only recently (in 2016) did the isolated spot become accessible to sport fishermen when well-known Kimberley guide and charter operator Peter Tucker worked out an arrangement with Paspaley to house small groups of anglers on-site at the working pearl farm, via his Kuri Bay Sportfishing Tours.

Often the Kimberley’s coastal waters are turbid, but at Kuri they’re generally clear. That makes it an appealing destination for fly-rodders, who have the chance to sight-cast to one of Australia’s most elusive inshore prizes, the blue bastard (actual name), a large (reaching at least 3 feet in length) species of sweetlips in the family of grunts, as spooky and unpredictable as any permit.

Fly- and light-tackle anglers alike fish for abundant trevallies (giant, golden, brassy and others), as well as barramundi, queenfish, mangrove jack, fingermark, cobia, longtail tuna, narrowbarred mackerel, various groupers and more.

As everywhere in the Kimberley, where and how one fishes always depends upon the massive tides. Some mornings, boats will remain briefly at the dock high and dry when low tide empties out Kuri Bay. The flip side means that when the tide floods the bay and the coast, it completely swallows shorter trees underwater. The guides at Kuri Bay, out of necessity, know how to play the tides and where to fish at any time.

Kimberley Coastal Camp

Other than this resort, there is simply nothing in this remote part of the Kimberley for many miles around. Visitors reach Kimberley Coastal Camp only by chopper or floatplane. The camp sits on the Admiralty Gulf north of the Mitchell Plateau and Lawley River National Park, northeast of Kuri Bay.

There’s abundant wildlife and ancient cave paintings (take a tour of indigenous rock-art sites), but fishing is the major draw. Barramundi are a primary target, but anglers catch the typical, wide variety of gamefish here including mulloway (aka black jewfish, a large croaker), threadfin salmon, mangrove jack, fingermark, giant trevally, narrowbarred Spanish mackerel, longfin tuna, queenies, coral trout, blue bone (blackchin tuskfish) and more. That diversity’s not too surprising with such a variety of habitats to fish at KCC: huge tidal rivers, mangrove-lined creeks, estuaries, flats and offshore reefs and islands. The resort claims that it’s “one of the few fishing tour operations that include tackle on an unconditional basis. No cost for loss or breakages.”

KCC owners Tub and Jules take pride in their cuisine, and in fact wrote a book about it — Cooking in Thongs, Recipes and Stories the Kimberley Coastal Way. The modest resort (16 guests maximum) is open year-round. For barramundi, in particular, the wet season is recommended, with February a peak month.

Kununurra

One needn’t venture far from this Kimberley community (population about 5,000) to find some outstanding barramundi fishing. Lake Kununurra, formed in 1963 with the construction of a dam across the mighty Ord River, has seen well more than a million barramundi fingerlings released over the past decade by the Lake Kununurra Barramundi Stocking Group. The result: a world-class fishery for Australia’s most iconic inshore gamefish.

The ragged coastline of the Cambridge Gulf and its estuaries just to the north of Kununurra also offer great barramundi fishing. The entire area along with the lake is included in the annual Apex Kununurra Barra Bash competition held each September. For information on that tournament, visit lakekununurrabarramundi.com.au.

Local fishing guides can be found at visitkununurra.com/tours/fishing-tours. For a very different sort of fishing experience, there’s barra fishing using hand lines with Pete’s Cultural Adventures. One spectacular site is famed Ivanhoe Crossing, a concrete causeway across the Ord River with water flowing over it—and plenty of big crocodiles (“salties”) hanging around.

Here too you’ll find heli-fishing opportunities. See helispirit.com.au. Kununurra’s airport is served by regular domestic flights, and the Great Northern Highway from Broome is paved for its length.

Helpful Links

For more information about fishing Western Australia, visit Tourism Western Australia (westernaustralia.com) and Great Fishing Adventures of Australia (part of australia.com). For general info about visiting Australia, see Tourism Australia. My thanks to these agencies, whose assistance made visiting the Kimberley possible. Also, be sure to check out the free digital magazine Allure for more Australian fishing adventures.

The post Fishing the Kimberley—Australia’s Most Remote Region appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Read Next: Study: Okay to Hold Fish Briefly for Photos

This suggests several conclusions. First, of particular importance to recreational fishermen, fish can and do survive after being caught and released. Repeatedly. Secondly, jacks are tough. Samsonfish, amberjacks, almacos and yellowtail (all genus Seriola) make excellent candidates for catch-and-release fishing because they are so resilient. Third, these species may be highly site-specific, at least seasonally, living around the same wreck or reef where they may indeed be caught again and again.

The post Same Fish Caught and Released Four Times in Six Years appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

The post Australia’s Great Swordfish Race Begins appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Although these 13 hot spots aren’t the only places in the world to go for great sailfishing, they’re among the best bets to find the best sailfishing in the world. By any measure, in various respects, each deserves close consideration.

Note that the destinations have been ordered not by relative merit, since our goal is not to rate these spots but to help you compare them and what each offers. I’ve divided them into three groups per the oceans where you can find the best places to catch sailfish, within each grouping more-or-less based on distance from the United States.

Atlantic Ocean

Florida — Southeast to Upper Keys

While some of the best sailfish action occurs in remote or exotic locales, in fact, you don’t have to travel across the globe for great fishing. The Florida Keys winter/spring fishery can offer world-class action, at times truly spectacular. Consider a winter tournament with 24 boats tallying 424 sailfish releases over two days. Serious sail anglers look for north winds driven by frontal systems. The conditions get pretty rugged but that’s when you’ll find sails in abundant, scattered packs tailing down-sea. From Stuart north, anglers generally troll ballyhoo; to the south, live baits fished under kites or slow-trolled are the norm.

Why You Should Go: Hot sailfishing without leaving the country from January into May. The run to fish is often within 10 miles; for some areas (Palm Beach and adjacent) it might be just two or three. No shortage of charters, marinas, etc. At times, many exciting sight-casting/pitch-baiting opportunities.

But… Most sails run 30 to 50 pounds, so fish light. Weekends might get a bit crowded in popular areas offshore.

Contact: Capt. Randy Yates in West Palm Beach; Capt. Ray Rosher in Miami; Capt. Greg Eklund in Islamorada, Florida Keys (Note: There’s a wealth of many excellent skippers/charters up and down this coast.)

Mexico — Isla Mujeres

Just off the Yucatan Peninsula, this small, personable island is a short ferry ride from Cancun. For many years, its waters have produced fabulous underwater photography showing hordes of sailfish decimating huge bait balls; anglers look for just such scenarios during the January-to-June peak season for sails.

Why You Should Go: When bait abounds, action on the grounds can be dramatic and ferocious. Long runs to fish are rare. Minimal time commitment or cost is required to get here, generally (just two hours from Miami).

But… Winds can be blustery and seas rugged when sails are thickest. Isla sails are generally of modest size. Fishing live baits is illegal for foreign boats, so most troll ballyhoo.

Contact: Capt. Anthony Mendillo Jr. at Keen M International

West Africa — Senegal

On the Cape Verde Peninsula, this westernmost, French-speaking city offers the potential for great action all summer and well into the fall.

Why You Should Go: Anglers can rack up big numbers of sails off Senegal while enjoying a relatively safe and very exotic African experience. Charters generally work at modest rates and the run to fish is often short.

But… You’ll need a day plus to travel to Dakar, and $3,000 to $4,000 for round-trip airfare from Miami makes it rather costly among Atlantic sailfish hotspots.

Contact: Atlantic Evasion

West Africa — Angola

When it comes to Atlantic sailfish, Angola has long been associated with big fish since the current all-tackle world-record Atlantic sailfish of 142 pounds, 6 ounces, was taken here in 2014, along with most of the 100-plus-pound records. This is one reason that interest in Angola remains high among sailfish enthusiasts. Globe-trotting anglers say these sails fight noticeably harder than Pacific sails of similar size.

Why You Should Go: Triple-digit sails aren’t at all unlikely. Seas are usually flat and the run to fish short; sport-fishing pressure is light. Blue marlin in the 500-pound range prowl the same waters (and frequently take sailfish baits).

But… Not a place for numbers like Guatemala or Malaysia, but an angler can expect two to eight shots typically, and 10- to 20-shot days are definitely not unheard of (and these are big fish). While good to check the U.S. State Department’s travel advisories for the latest, in recent years Angola has been listed as a level 1 (“normal precautions”).

Contact: Iain Nicolson in Luanda)

Pacific Ocean

Mexico — East Cape, Baja California Sur

Baja’s East Cape doesn’t offer sails in numbers like some Central American hotspots; however, it’s close and easy to reach, and generally has far better odds for big sails than most people realize plus, of course, outstanding mixed-bag fishing.

Why You Should Go: An affordable option for shots at triple-digit sails, commonly 60 to 120 pounds, in waters very often very calm. A long season runs most of spring through midautumn. Super slams are possible with black, striped and blue marlin common here. Travel costs are reasonable, and fishing packages at resorts can be excellent.

But… Not a spot to rack up numbers. Charters often run some distance — 10 to 30 miles — to the fish.

Contact: Jen Wren Sportfishing and Hotel Palmas de Cortez

Guatemala — Iztapa

No spot in the world is more renowned for its sailfishing than Guatemala. That’s not surprising when given the often-phenomenal and at times nonstop action anglers can enjoy here.

Why You Should Go: On better days (and these are often), you can expect at least 20 shots and sometimes many, many more. And these are big fish – running 80 to 105 pounds for the most part. But wait, there’s more: Most of the time, the Pacific here is calm. Travel costs from the states will set you back neither an arm nor a leg. Outstanding boats and crews, experienced for light-tackle and fly-rod bait/switch action.

But… Expectations can run too high; even here there are no guarantees, and off-days do happen. The run to find fish might be quite close but at times could be 20 to 40 miles or more.

Contact: Casa Vieja Lodge

El Salvador

El Salvador offers sailfish action comparable to its neighbor, Guatemala, though far fewer boats fish these waters, which has been mostly off the radar for American anglers.Why You Should Go: During the long (October through March) season, expect 15 to 20 shots on a typical day, mostly with light winds and big fish (the same size as Guatemala’s). You’re unlikely to see any other boats fishing sails. Excellent concentrations of marlin at times.

But… Unlike Guatemala, good and reliable charters are few. The run to fish can be 30-plus miles.

Contact: Blue Sail Sportfishing Charters

Costa Rica — Los Sueños

From December through August (excluding May, which is often slower), sailfishing can be hot off the central Costa Rica coast. In fact, Costa Rica’s Pacific coast offers great fishing opportunities throughout the year, from Golfito in the south to Papagayo in the north, with an abundance of great resorts, marinas and charters.

Why You Should Go: Again, expect very big eastern Pacific sails to be the norm, up to 120 pounds and sometimes much larger. Ocean conditions vary widely by area and season, and while they can be rough, more often the Pacific is tranquil. Costa Rica prides itself on being accessible and inviting to tourists, with travel generally easy and safe. Plenty of options await for other big-game pelagics, in particular at times for tremendous blue marlin action around seamounts in the summer.

But… Seasonal incursions of cold or green water can shut down sailfishing at times anywhere along the country’s coast.

Contact: Will Drost at Maverick Costa Rica

Panama — Piñas Bay

Time it so you’re here when sails are whacking sardines (mostly likely to happen May through July), and you’ll enjoy triple and quad hookups. December and January are good alternative months for sails. Just watch out for grander marlin (both blacks and blues) here as well — Tropic Star boats hook ’em. Many line-class record sails, to nearly 200 pounds, have been weighed in here.

Why You Should Go: Calm waters, big sails and often very short runs to lines-in all make for world-class sailfishing when timed right. Staying at famed Tropic Star Lodge is a bonus. Quick flight down to Panama City at affordable rates. Outstanding boats/crews for anglers looking to sight-cast, pitching baits or casting flies to sails.

But… Fabulous lodge though no bargain rates, nor are there less-pricey alternatives in the area. Overnight in Panama City generally required en route and sometimes when returning to the states as well.

Contact: Tropic Star Lodge

Tonga — Vava’u

A search of Google Maps will show the geographically impaired that the Kingdom of Tonga lies northeast of New Zealand, about halfway to the equator. For most of us, that’s a long way to go to catch a sailfish, but some of the world’s biggest reputedly prowl these waters. Effort for the species remains minimal.

Why You Should Go: Not a bad place to look for a world record; the men’s 50-pound line-class record of 210 1/2 pounds was taken here, with sails larger than the all-tackle record 221 pounds (from Ecuador) probably caught but never weighed. The run to start fishing can be fairly short and often begins working along steep reef edges — where you may catch big yellowfin and wahoo as well (and of course closer to the reefs, dogtooth tuna and giant trevally).

But… During the best sailfish season (winter in the southern hemisphere), 15- to 20-knot tradewinds blow constantly. Also, given Tonga’s remote location, figure many hours of travel to get there (via Auckland or Sydney).

Contact: Capt. Steve Campbell at Blue Marlin Magic Sport Fishing Adventures

Indian Ocean

East Africa — Kenya

For decades, anglers have come to Watamu on the coast of Kenya in pursuit of western Indian Ocean sails. The warm northern Kaskazi winds blow October through March, maintaining water temps favorable for sails, and around shallow ledges (Malindi and Mambrui) and Watamu Banks, baitfish aggregate attracting sails as well as other pelagic gamefish.

Why You Should Go: Don’t like long runs to fish? Here, lines can go in as little as a mile from the beach. Seas stay calm mostly and crowds are nil. These waters are also known for nighttime swordfishing. Charters are cheap.

But… Not so cheap is the airfare to Nairobi, which will set you back in the vicinity of a couple grand.

Contact: Hemingways Watamu

Malaysia — Kuala Rompin

With conditions on the South China Sea off Malaysia’s ¬southeast coast seldom rougher than your average farm pond, Rompin is very possibly the world’s calmest sailfish hot spot. And hot it has been, since gaining fame as one of the best places on the planet for sailfish (running 50 to 80 pounds) within the past decade years (Sport Fishing was one of the first to feature the fishery in its March 2009 issue).

Why You Should Go: Enjoy quiet fishing, drifting live baits with engines off. Most days you’ll see birds and sails on top of the mirror-smooth sea, and enjoy many multiple hookups. Package trips include ground transportation (from Singapore or Kuala Lumpur), accommodations, meals (with to-die-for dinners) and fishing (including top-quality conventional reels) generally with guides who speak English fluently — and priced to make this one of sailfishing’s best bargains. Plus you’ll experience a ¬fascinating and hospitable corner of Asia.

But… The fairly short season lasts from mid-July through October. The shallow, expansive sea offers minimal bycatch of other large game fish. Some operations rely on traditional wooden, open boats that offer shade and space, and work well for fishing here; however, if your taste runs to convertible sportfishers, such operators are also here, now. Allow day plus and two grand for travel.

Contact: Dom Pereira at Billseeker Sportfishing (specializes in fly and light tackle); Blue Oceans Adventures (for larger boats)

Western Australia — Broome

Although known historically more for pearls than sailfish, in angling circles, this small city (pop. 18,000) on Australia’s northwest coast offers reliable odds for memorable Indian Ocean sailfish action during the season, beginning sometime in May and running into November.

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Why You Should Go: Great light-tackle action; many skippers play the bait-and-switch game, so sight-casting opportunities abound. No worries about competition on the grounds here. It’s also a gateway to the amazing Kimberley in Australia’s far Northwest with breathtaking scenery and barramundi fishing. Also check out multiday trips to the incredible Rowley Shoals, 160 miles offshore.

But… Expect a long run of 10 to 35 or more miles over shallow waters to reach sailfish grounds. You’ll find good numbers of fish but of moderate size, running 30 to 70 pounds. And you’ll drop a couple thousand to get here, logging 30 to 40 hours of travel time (about 10,000 miles) from the U .S. each way.

Contact: Capt. Chris Nisbet at Broome Billfish Charters

The post The World’s Best Sailfish Spots appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

A 20- to 25-pound narrowbarred mackerel — similar to the Atlantic kingfish — leapt suddenly clear of the water and hit a woman fishing with her husband out of Darwin, Australia, recently.

According to local news reports, Belinda Bingham suddenly lay on the deck with her hand on her throat, attempting to stop the free-flowing blood, and a large mackerel thrashed in the boat. Her husband rushed back to the boat ramp where an ambulance awaited. Bingham is recovering.

Narrowbarred mackerel (called Spanish mackerel Down Under) are a very common Indo-Pacific species, similar in size and habits to king mackerel of the Atlantic — but more prone to leap. They are often seen free-jumping high out of the water.

The post Mackerel Leaps Into Boat, Slashing Angler’s Throat appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Narrowbarred Spanish Mackerel

Think king mackerel of U.S. waters — on steroids. Found throughout the Indo-Pacific, the narrowbarred reaches just over 100 pounds.

Giant Trevally

Widely acknowledged to be the toughest game fish of tropical Pacific reefs, these ferocious members of the jack family (Carangidae) grow to more than 150 pounds — easily large enough to wrench an angler’s arms from their sockets.

Shark Mackerel

Colorful shark mackerels sport a distinct double lateral line. They may grow to just under 30 pounds, and derive their name from their flesh sometimes bearing an ammonia-like smell reminiscent of sharks.

Coral Trout

These long, colorful and very aggressive groupers of Indo-Pacific shallow reefs are never shy about whacking topwater lures.

Rankin Cod

Found throughout the Indian Ocean over moderately deep reefs, this grouper is popular with anglers in many areas.

Emperor

Emperors are a large family (Lethrinidae) of relatively shallow bottom fishes often favoring partially-sandy areas. Fine eating they’re important commercially. This one hit a Sebile Magic Swimmer.

Houndfish

Called longtoms in Australia, these members of the needlefishes (family Belonidae) can grow to several feet in length. They live and feed at the surface in nearshore waters.

Baldchin Groper

Though Aussies called it a groper, the baldie is a member of the (always tasty) wrasse family, hence its resemblance to wrasses that anglers seek in the U.S. Northeast — the tautog, the Southeast — the hogfish, and California — the sheephead.

Blacksaddled Coral Trout

More properly called the blacksaddled coralgrouper, this little pup struck a Stick Shadd lure. The distinctly patterned species grows much larger — to 50 pounds or so.

Humphead Maori Wrasse

This monster among wrasses may reach upwards of 400 pounds. Locomotive-powerful when hooked on lures in its preferred thick-reef habitat, the species is vulnerable to overfishing, and is now protected in many areas.

Red Bass

One of the most abundant of shallow-reef snappers in the Indo-Pacific, Lutjanus bohar (also often called a bohar snapper), is remarkably aggressive, often charging after large poppers or stickbaits in packs, competing for the prize.

Narrowbarred Spanish Mackerel

These mackerel are always eager to chase down either topwater lures cranked fast or fast trolled lures. Often they will “sky” on poppers, launching themselves 10 or 20 feet into the air in their determination to catch their prey.

Talang Queenfish

A long, thin member of the family of jacks and trevallies, the queenie haunts estuaries and nearshore coasts throughout the Indo-Pacific. Maxing out at nearly 40 pounds, it’s one of the world’s great light-tackle gamesters, making sizzling runs and leaping wildly.

Brownmarbled Grouper

Often called flowery cod Down Under, these grouper are distributed widely in tropical Pacific waters. Typically, they’re anything but shy, striking lures and baits hard and immediately heading for structure.

Giant Trevally

GT may range from silver with dark spotting to nearly black.

Coral Rockcod

One of a seemingly infinite number of colorful groupers, this one (Cephalopholis miniata) grabbed a metal jig.

Double-Lined Mackerel

Seldom exceeding 6 pounds or so, this little mackerel is common throughout the Indo-Pacific. It shares the double lateral line with shark mackerel.

Yellowspotted Trevally

Abundant in many Indo-Pacific areas, this species — also known as the goldspotted trevally — prefers inshore/nearshore waters. It can reach 30 pounds.

Coronation Trout

Gaudy but gorgeous, Variola louti —a species of grouper — is properly known as the yellow-edged lyretail. Common throughout the Indo-Pacific, coronation trout may reach 15 pounds.

Squid

Okay, it’s not a fish. But it was so cool, it merited inclusion here. Caught at night under boat lights at anchor. Eaten next day. Yum.

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The quality of fishing must be noteworthy for anglers to venture into these islands — and they do — where winds often sweep in with gale-force intensity, where there are no accommodations or facilities of any sort, and where the nearest port is the Western Australia coastal community of Geraldton (roughly between Perth and Exmouth), more than 40 miles across the Indian Ocean.

The Abrolhos are in fact unusual in many respects, including their geography, at a confluence of tropical waters from the north and a cooler flow sweeping up from the south. The islands are home to the most southerly significant coral reefs in the Indian Ocean.

Entering the Islands
“Why don’t you try fishing the Abrolhos Islands with us?” Ben Patrick, who oversees Australia’s iconic Halco Fishing Lures, suggested. “I think you’d find it really interesting.”

I’m always eager to share discoveries of new fishing grounds, and this opportunity sounded like it would certainly fill that bill.

So nearly a year later, I touched down in Perth on a Cathay Pacific flight out of Hong Kong early on a Sunday morning in March, after a long journey starting in Florida. Before I could blink, let alone nap, I was buckling up in a Toyota Land Cruiser with Tim Carter, Patrick’s colleague at Halco. Also on board for the 4½-hour drive north to Geraldton: Scott Thomas (editor of Australia’s Fishing World magazine) and a Halco pro staffer, Curtis Waterman.

There, Patrick waited aboard his 48-foot custom sport-fisher, Mandalay. We loaded up more gear and supplies, and cast off to start the run to Middle Island in the southern group of the Abrolhos. The cruise seemed longer than the two hours it actually took us, thanks to 25-knot headwinds most of the way.

It seemed clear that we’d have heavy winds the next day — our first fishing day. But with several days in total, I figured we’d have at least one day with conditions that would give us the chance to really fish the Abrolhos.

In any case, our anchorage was protected and secure. (Patrick pointed out that we sat very close to one of many historic wrecks, in this case a ship that sunk on Half Moon Reef in 1726.) The four of us enjoyed a good meal with wine and beer on Mandalay — since any vessel visiting these islands on more than a day trip must be a liveaboard and completely self-contained — and went to bed early.

Baldies and Spaniards
The morning promised no letup in the breeze, with the wind whipping even the inside waters into a ferocious little chop despite the limited fetch. But we’d come to fish, and fish we would.

Though the blow had rendered most of Patrick’s favorite and proven areas unfishable, he piloted Mandalay to some clear shallows (in 20 to 80 feet of water) that offered a respite from the blow, where we could drift comfortably.

Read Next: Australia’s Coral Coast

We cast Halco Madeye soft plastics on jig heads and quickly began connecting, not with anything particularly large but fun fish on light gear — feisty coral trout, emperors and snapper. (Note that these snapper — very popular among anglers in the temperate waters of southern Australia and northern New Zealand — are actually a large, tough-fighting and tasty species of porgy.)

A few fish into the morning, something slammed my pearl Madeye Paddle Prawn and put a serious bend in my spinning rod. It proved to be a bit larger (at 12 to 14 pounds) than other fish we’d caught, and a lot angrier.

“Nice baldie!” announced Carter.

Southwestern Australia anglers consider the tough, tasty baldchin groper something of a prize. Despite its name, it’s in fact a wrasse — closely related to wrasses popular among U.S. anglers (none of which are called wrasses either): tautog, hogfish and California sheephead.

A bit later, we nosed out a bit into more open, deeper water despite the rugged sea awaiting us there. In short order, we hooked a couple of ­narrow-barred mackerel of 30 pounds or so and another that had to be 40-plus, trolling a Halco Max 190. Think king mackerel, though I find these kingfish cousins (known as “Spaniards” Down Under) a bit wilder on the hook and tastier on the plate. On a somewhat calmer day, we might have realized a wide-open bite from these schooling predators here.

Murder on Morning Reef
Back at a quiet anchorage that evening, in the cockpit, we enjoyed a meal of fresh fish with a side of Abrolhos history, courtesy of Patrick, who has been coming to these remote islands for many years — since he was 8 years old — often for many weeks at a stretch. At times, Patrick’s kids even attended school on the islands (back when there was a school), while the family lived on the boat.

Today, the Abrolhos are mostly uninhabited beyond a few dozen commercial fishermen targeting western rock lobster until an annual quota fills. The austere terrain and its lack of fresh water, plus a law prohibiting camping, mean that anyone overnighting must stay on a boat. (Limited camping might be allowed in the future.) However, one can enjoy a cold one at the pub on Pigeon Island, as we did.

Besides lobster, the Abrolhos are best known for shipwrecks; throughout recorded (and particularly pre-GPS) history, the treacherous reefs that punctuate these waters have taken a great toll on ships — none better known than the Batavia.

The Dutch East India Co. vessel ran aground on Morning Reef in 1629 and, to cut to the tragic chase, more than 130 men, women and children were murdered, courtesy of a bloke named Jeronimus Cornelisz, while the ship’s commander sailed off to get help. The Batavia is one of almost 20 historic shipwrecks identified around the Abrolhos.

The Dhufish Blues
By day four of our five-day Abrolhos adventure, the forecast offered no hope of even a slight letup in the winds. That meant Patrick would have no chance to put us on his usual spots, and some of this area’s prized targets would certainly elude me on this trip.

Read Next: A Great Barrier Reef Fishing Adventure

One of those species is the West Australian (aka Westralian) dhufish (Glaucosoma hebraicum), an iconic species among anglers of Western Australia, the only area in which it is found. Dhufish live on nearshore reefs, usually in less than 150 feet. Beyond being superb eating, the prized species is slow-growing and site-specific, and so is not surprisingly managed carefully as a recreational and commercial target. For anglers, that means a daily one-fish-per-angler or two-per-private-boat limit, with a minimum size of at least 500 mm (about 20 inches). Dhufish may exceed 50 pounds in size, but are uncommon at more than 15 or so pounds. Though Abrolhos’ waters are an outstanding area to score on a big dhufish, it remains one on my bucket list.

The mix of tropical and temperate waters here means that many other species can be taken around these islands. These include the yellowtail kingfish and samson fish (relatives of and similar to amberjack), red emperor (Lutjanus sebae, a beautiful, large true snapper), shark mackerel, trevallies, spangled emperor (a long-nosed reef fish not related to snappers), groupers such as Rankin cod, tailor (Oz-speak for bluefish) and others. Those who are able to venture out to blue water can find yellowfin tuna, marlin (blues, blacks, stripes), sailfish and wahoo.

Carpet Python, Mutton Birds and Squid
Speaking of tailor, they became the target of a rock-fishing adventure one morning when we all climbed into Mandalay‘s little dinghy and motored to the shallows off a beach on West Wallaby Island. From there, we hiked 20 or so minutes to a stark, picturesque shoreline in the lee of the hard breeze to cast to tailor, which we found in their usual aggressive feeding mode.

During the hike back, we chanced upon an 8-foot carpet python coiled in the morning sun to warm up in the overnight chill, an impressive, beautiful serpent.

We tied up next to Pigeon Island for the evening. Surprises the next morning included three mutton birds — a type of shearwater determined to live up (or down) to the “birdbrain” tag: They had landed in the boat overnight and, while able to fly, didn’t seem to have any idea how to leave the cockpit until Carter picked them up and tossed them over (and then proceeded to do a major deck washdown).

A more welcome surprise were numerous large, colorful squid cruising back and forth around the boat under the lights until just after daybreak — long enough for us to catch quite a few in anticipation of a calamari feast for dinner.

I can only hope to get back to fish the Abrolhos someday when the wind takes a break. That is somewhat more likely during the months of February through June and September/October, though even during the winter months, there might be periods of variable winds in between the year’s fiercest gales. For those wanting to experience this unique fishery, Carter recommends Blue Lightning Fishing Charters’ liveaboard trips in the Abrolhos starting in January and running into June.

Even limited by conditions as we were, I would say that anyone lucky enough to visit and fish the Abrolhos Islands will remember experiencing a part of Australia that few anglers from this continent or any other ever get to see.

Five Stars Ease the Angst of Long Flights
Flying from Florida to Perth is no small undertaking, requiring close to a day and a half of flight and airport time. Cathay Pacific flew me from Chicago to Perth with only one stop (in Hong Kong). Besides appreciating the surprisingly few flights needed, I was interested to fly to Oz on an airline that consistently receives the highest rating (five stars) on Skytrax, an airline-review site I’ve used for years. After my flights on Cathay Pacific, I could understand all the positive reviews. The airline is hard to beat for anyone flying Pacific routes.

Where Lures Come From
A slogan like “Halco lures: Designed by Fishermen for Fishermen” came to mind the morning I watched Ben Patrick don snorkeling gear and tumble off the transom of his anchored sport-fisher. Tim Carter began casting and retrieving a small red-and-white lure just in front of Patrick, whose head swiveled as he watched it go by. Patrick made careful observations of how this prototypical Trembler 70 swam; anything less than perfect would require some tweaking back at Halco HQ in Perth before Patrick would add the lure to the Halco line.

The post Fishing the Remote Abrolhos Islands Off Western Australia appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

From the port’s deep protected bays and sand flats to the offshore islands and reefs, there’s fish galore to be targeted. But Port Stephens has gained international notoriety among big-game anglers for its consistent multi-species marlin fishing — for blues, blacks and stripes — and at times sailfish as well.

A glance at the IGFA World Record Game Fishes book for billfish records will show quickly enough how productive are these waters, and you’ll find many records as well for massive whaler and tiger sharks.

Not all the billfish are always massive, however, explaining in part why so many saltwater fly-fishing records come from Port Stephens, for marlin in the 100- to 300-pound range.

So good is the game fishing here, the NSW Game Fishing Association has held its Annual Interclub Tournament in Port Stephens for an incredible 53 years. This event attracts around 200 vessels and more than a thousand anglers attend. It’s the largest game fishing tournament in the Southern Hemisphere.

If interested in booking a charter to fish Port Stephens, try Capt. Tim Dean at Calypso Fishing Charters or Capt. Scott Thorrington at Haven Sport Fishing Charters. For general information about visiting the area, check with the Port Stephens Visitors Information Centre.

Enjoy these 16 photos that offer some idea what Port Stephens fishing is all about.

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