Nori "The Soul Surfer" And His First Longtail Tuna

It was rough and the wind was blowing but we still managed to land this nice Longtail Tuna and a couple of other Mac Tuna.

Congratulations Nori.

Gavin

Judy and I have just had the wonderful opportunity to visit a very remote Island in the Gilbert Island group called Nonouti ( pronounced Na-nous ). The name Nonouti means “Get up early and go fishing”. It was part of a Project put together by the Kiribati National Tourism Office and it was called the Nonouti Project in their local Parliament. We were told that this was a very unique area full of bonefish with a lagoon area larger than Christmas Island (Kiritimati). Mind you, the land mass of Nonouti is much smaller.

The position of Nonouti

The whole island

The Northern Flats

The Southern Flats

To explore this area we were joined by a couple of good friends, Mark Lollback, Benn Hardie & Cameron Clarke, all of us keen to walk remote flats casting at what every comes by.

The Motley Crew - Plane to Nonouti

We all met at Brisbane International Airport at about 11pm and boarded an “Our Airline” flight to Tarawa. Our flight went via Honiara, Nauru and on to Tarawa, the capital city of Kiribati. Here we boarded an Air Kiribati flight to travel on to Nonouti. Basically we left Brisbane at midnight and got to Nonouti just after lunch of the same day. Really handy.

In keeping with their culture, once on the island we had to make our offerings. This was great fun and we got to see most of the island in their truck. The first offering was made at a welcoming ceremony at the Maneaba (the village community’s meeting house) and the second to the shrine and the old man. It was also important as a sign of respect to visit the place where the tides meet at the southern end of the island. The Mayor came with us that day and gave us a little insight into the Nonouti culture. A real privilege.

Tara & I with the Old Man

The offering that we made

The plan to explore the flats was put together using Google Earth and information from the local fisherman who net and line fish bonefish. We had stacks of info from the local fisherman except the info was in relation to catching bonefish in water from 6’ to 20’ deep. All good info but we wanted to know about bonefish in less than 2’ of water. The local bonefishermen never look in really shallow water and they were amazed when they saw us catch ‘bones in ankle depth water.

A nice Bonefish

My job was to assess the fishery and select a number of local fishermen to be trained as fly fishing guides. Assessing the fishery was made difficult due to a number of reasons.

First of which was we had overcast conditions most of the week and actually had torrential rain at times. Secondly, we knew nothing about the geography of the area. Thirdly, only two in the group had ever seen bonefish let alone caught one. So I went by the theory that if the bonefishery was as good as they were telling us then no matter what, we would see something of the fishery. We heard stories of schools of bonefish numbering in the 1000’s .

Well we never saw thousands, but we did see enough bonefish nearly every day to make us very excited about “What could be……. If only the sky would clear “

You know the old saying………” Clouds Suck ”

We fished a lot at the north end of Nonouti around an island called Noumatong which has a beautiful set of flats around it to the north. It was here that Benn hooked a real big bonefish and he also landed his first ever ‘bone – sight cast in ankle depth water. I’ll call this area “The Angle Wings” due to their shape, hopefully we’ll eventually get the local names. On the N/E corner of the wings I had a great session with ‘bones feeding in the small surf line. Small fish 3 – 4lbs but heaps of fun. In the centre drain between the Wings produces another ‘bone and then a couple more where Benn scored his. All in all day one was a real success and probably the day with the least amount of cloud cover.

Benn and his Bonefish

A nice Bone

The next few days we struggled with cloudy and rainy weather and only one more bonefish was caught but the species count was growing with a few different types of trevally, sweetlip and reef species being caught on fly.

Judy's Bluefin Trevally

Cameron and his Sweetlip

Each night entertainment was planned for us, the highlight of which were performances by the local dance groups. As the first tourists on the Island, I think that we were the entertainment for them! If you check out Cameron’s dancing you can see why.

Cameron and the locals

Me and Judy with the locals

The food was fantastic with a wide variety of seafood on offer. Fish, lobster, mantis shrimp, clams and moray eel just to name a few.

Judy and lunch

Cameron and a Coconut Crab

After a big discussion with the local fisherman it was pointed out that we should make an offering at the northern end of the island to get the Old Man to help bring the big schools of bonefish moving on the flats for us. So Jude and I were taken to a very special place by our guide Taam. We were instructed to put sand on our faces and then taken to this special place where we placed Irish Cake (tobacco) as an offering at what looked like a grave site.  After asking the Old Man to help us we then headed off to join the others on the flats at another island nearby.

This day we had reasonably clear skies and we all caught enough fish but only one bonefish was landed. The interesting part about today was that three of the group saw and cast to trophy sized ‘bones on the flat. Jude and I had a fish nearly 3’ long just swim up to us so close Jude couldn’t cast to it and unfortunately I was already hooked up to a Trevally.

My Golden Trevally

Cameron also saw a bonefish around 3’ and actually got it to eat but the hooks pulled (you probably could have heard his frustration from here!). Benn also saw a group of very large ‘bones on the same flat.

Cameron's Trevally

My most memorable time was being invited to go fishing with Kairiata (the island’s Magistrate) in his sailing canoe. More on this later. This showed me beyond a doubt that this fishery is very good. We sailed out to a flat about 1klm in front of his village and Kairiata landed enough bonefish in a couple of hours to feed his whole family

Kairiata and his bonefish caught on worm

I blind casted the same area and caught nothing. Then the tide was low enough for me to wade in knee deep water. In this situation I caught five bonefish and cast to about two dozen ‘bones.  Kairiata came onto the flat when he saw me catching ‘bones but because of the method he used (sinker, trace, hook and bait) he needed to fish in water up to 20’ deep because as soon as this rig hit the water, it hit so hard it spooked all fish in water less than 6’ deep. The penny dropped when I hooked a fish in water less than 1’ deep. Kairiata will make a good guide and is right behind the Nonouti Project.

The prize of sight fishing

This Nonouti Project is a very big undertaking for the Government of the Republic Of Kiribati. If you’re interested in helping this wonderful community to explore the viability of it’s bonefishery, please contact us as I believe this will be one of the next great bonefisheries and it’s right on our doorstep.

The Island Council is offering a special “Explore Nonouti Package”. Call us to get the details.

Get in quick and be one of the first to experience this unique piece of the world.

I’ll leave you with a couple of photographs from this trip…

A beautiful specimen, hidden on the flats

Measuring up on the side of my rod, from fork to nose, around 18''

Fly in the mouth

Check out the girth

Shallow dwelling speedsters

Camouflaged local flats dweller

A Bone landed off the flats

Gotcha, in the basket

Interviewing the guides

We are proud to support The Nonouti Project in partnership with:

The Nonouti Island Council

Kiribati National Tourism Office

– SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT –

Australia now has an authorised agent for the famous
Mako Fly Reels, by Jack Charlton.

CLICK HERE for more details…

Our recent trip has received a lot of press and attention, both here in Australia and in Kiribati.

The Kiribati National Tourism Office had this to say in their recent newsletter:

Famil Tour to Nonouti
The KNTO in conjunction with Australian based salt water fly fishing company “Tie and Fly Outfitters” undertook an eight day ‘exploratory’ trip to the island of Nonouti in the Gilbert Islands to ascertain whether the island would for recreational ‘bone fishing’ similar to Kiritimati Island. The group of Australian’s headed by Tie n Fly’s managing director and internationally recognized fly fishing guide, Captain Gavin Platz saw first hand the potential Nonouti has a recreation fishing destination.

Click here to read the full story:

http://www.kiribatitourism.gov.ki/images/stories/Industry_Newsletter/Feb10.pdf

We are very proud to have been selected by the Kiribati Government to partner with them on this exciting project.

The next few groups that we take in with us will also be “exploratory” trips – there are acres of flats to explore and document… not to mention the coral bombies and the GT potential!

If you have a spirit of exploration and adventure, enjoy discovering a new culture and people – then this may be the trip for you!

Call us to register your interest today – 07 5444 0611.

Cheers
Gavin & Judy

Nonouti (Pronounced- Nonoos) is an atoll and district of Kiribati. The atoll is located in the South Gilbert Islands, about 250 km south of Tarawa. The name Nonouti means to “wake up early to go fishing”.

Nonouti in the South Pacific

Nonouti in the Gilbert Islands

The highest point on the island was 1.2m above sea level on last Sunday’s high tide. The island has a population of around 2000 people from around 300 families.

The Northern Flats

The Southern Flats

We had a great time in Nonouti and hope to make a difference in their isolated community.

What we came for

Gavin with a nice Bonefish

Watch this space for more updates on Nonouti.

Experience the thrill of catching Tuna on fly…
Or maybe a Queenfish, Mackerel or Kingfish…

WHERE DO WE FISH?

The waters just off the beaches of the Sunshine Coast offer a world class fishery.

During this unique full day school we will show you some of the ways to get the best out of your day on the water.

WHAT IS THE SCHOOL ABOUT?

The day will be exciting and fast paced, topics covered will include:

* fly selection;
* knots & leader construction;
* gear rigging;
* casting tuition – improve your distance & accuracy;
* fishing tactics – know where the fish are in the water column;
* line stripping methods;
* line management techniques – prevent tangles for easier and faster casting;
* fishing for the conditions;
* and more…

WHAT IS THE BOAT LIKE?

Our tri-hull 6.7mtr “Fly Fisher” is purpose built for this style of fishing with large stable casting decks both fore and aft.

There is a maximum of four students per school, giving each person the opportunity to be on strike for a minimum of three hours throughout the day. The entire day is held on the water – the first school of its kind in Queensland!

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

Great value at only $295.00 per person.

Includes your lunch, soft drinks, snacks and the use of our tackle (conditions apply).

WHEN IS THE NEXT SCHOOL?

Our next Tuna-on-Fly School will be held on Saturday, 20th March 2010

As numbers are limited, it is essential to make a booking.

CALL US on (07) 5444 0611 or
EMAIL NOW to make your booking.

Fly Casting Class

If you have ever wanted to learn about fly fishing, join us for our Introduction to Fly Fishing School.

Perfect for the beginner…

When:

Saturday, 20th February 2010

from 8:30am to 4:30pm

BOOKINGS ARE NOW BEING TAKEN

Where:   Buddina Beach, Sunshine Coast

WHAT WILL I LEARN?

During the day you will learn all you need to know to get started. You’ll be shown what to look for when purchasing rods & reels to suit the particular type of fishing you intend to do, the different types of fly lines & their applications, maintenance of your equipment, how to set up the gear & the knots to use as well as coaching on the basics of casting.

During the on-water session, you’ll learn the basic fishing skills such as the various retrieve methods, techniques for handling loose line, setting the hook & playing the fish as well as learning how to overcome the problems caused by wind and current, roll casting, increasing distance & much more.

WHAT DO I NEED TO BRING?

Yourself and a smile…
We can provide a fly fishing rod and reel for you to practice with on the day.

WHO IS TEACHING ME?

Gavin Platz is an internationally recognised certified casting instructor with the Federation of Fly Fishers and was the first saltwater fly fisherman in Australia to receive this distinction. He is an international guide and operates his service from his base here at Tie ‘n’ Fly Outfitters on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland.

HOW DO I MAKE A BOOKING?

BOOKINGS ARE ESSENTIAL

There are only 6 participants per course – giving you plenty of individual attention.

Call us to reserve your place today – 07 5444 0611
or click here to email us

Course fees are $165.00 per person.

See for yourself why SALTWATER FLY FISHING is the FASTEST GROWING form of recreational angling.

What a fantastic time of year. You get to spending time with the family, eat heaps of food get a few nana naps in the afternoon after mucking around on the beach. A very good wind down after a hard year of work.

The weather has been a little bit of a challenge though, especially if you’re into the offshore side of fly fishing. We’ve had few good weather days but mostly it’s been northerly winds of 15 to 20 knots and very sloppy. Those of us that have put in the miles, or should I say burnt the fuel have been rewarded with some very good school sized Spanish Mackerel. They are showing up on all the usual old haunts -  Hancock Shoal, Murphies, The Pin, 5 Mile, Leach Shoal, Victor Bailies and Halls Reef have all produced both Good quality Spotty Mackerel up to 6kgs and Small Spanish Mackerel up to 8kgs over the last two weeks.

Greg landed this nice Spanish Mackerel

They have had a definite bite pattern and are feeding hard on the first of the run out tide.

In the same areas there have also been a few Dolphinfish up to 11kgs and a couple of Wahoo caught by the guys trolling livies looking for bigger fish around the mid-water bait balls. Mostly they eaten live Frigates hooked up and trolled along the eastern side of most drop offs. It would be well worth the effort to dredge some big flies on fast sinking lines while drifting in those areas.

Spanish Mackerel are not as easy to find as Spotties because the Spaniards usually hang a little deeper in the water column. You really need a very good understanding of your sounder and the topography of the area you are fishing.

If you’re new to any area in South East Queensland at this time of the year all you need to do is get out the navigation chart and check for the main reef areas. Then use your sounder to sound that particular reef looking for bait that is schooled up. Then set a drift over them so you can searching the area around the bait looking for the predators that are harassing them.

Dan Larsen with a Spotty Mackerel

It’s very much the same as fishing for Bass that are holding deep on a weed edge. The secret is good use of your sounder plus knowing at what depth your fly is at all times. Like bass fishing, it no good having your fly only sink to 10ft when the bass are holding at 15ft. Same with Spanish Mackerel that are hanging deep. Sometimes you’ll see them hanging around the bait ball on your sounder.  But most importantly you need to work out how fast your fly is sinking and then count it down to know it’s at that depth.

Ben landed this Spanish Mackerel

Another Spaniard caught by Wayne

I find double handed stripping is the best as it makes the fly move at a constant rate without the pause caused by single handed stripping.  Look at it like this, if you were the bait (fly) and a Spaniard was on your tail about to eat you… would you pause or keep going?

Greg with another Spanish

As far as flies go that can range from a 4/0 to 6/0 Flashy Profiles to 4/0 Clousers. Really nothing fancy, it’s all in the presentation, get the fly to their depth or it doesn’t matter what fly you’re using. I cannot impress on you enough, learn your gear and this can only come from practicing this style of fishing.

Flashy Profile Flies and Clousers all heavily weighted.

Leaders are short and strong with a short wire trace. I use about 6 inches of 60lb single strand stainless steel when I have to.

The entire wire shock leader

Please note the lead wire wrapped around the nose of the fly.

I use an improved Albright knot to join the wire to the mono. I never use a swivel as this just adds an extra thing for the mackerel to bite at. The best way to join the fly to the wire is with a Haywire Twist to form a loop.

Haywire Twist

It’s always good to own and use a good knot for flyfishing book.

These are the best.

Fishing Knots by Lefty Kreh

Fly Fishing Knots & Leaders by Trevor Hawkins

Some of the knotable wires are very good but the really good stuff like Tyger Wire is quiet expensive.

The only thing to do now is get out there and have a go.

Mackeral fly fishing (and lure) is great fun and they’re fantastic food too.

Remember Spanish Macs have an in possession limit of 3 and a size minimum of 75cms and you must remove one fin before it goes in the icebox. Fisheries will not accept ignorance as an excuse.

Click here for a link to the DPI’s Brief guide to recreational fishing rules and regulations in Queensland.

http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/28_2981.htm

The best flyfishing is found by those that are out there at the time when it happens.
Hope you all had a great New Years Eve and get ready for a very prosperous Mono Stretching 2010.

Gavin

Whenever we come across a fly fishing destination that we feel that our clients will enjoy, Gavin always goes there to fish it and experience what the place has to offer before we offer it to you guys.

One such place that caught Gavin’s interest is Kuala Rompin in Malaysia.

There is a congregation of Sailfish in these waters each year that has to be seen to be believed…

Gavin went to check it out in October 2009 – CLICK HERE for his report.

CONGRATULATIONS

to Shane Bretz…

From the piles of entry forms we received, Shane is the lucky winner of our Christmas Competition.

He has won the book “Casting with Lefty Kreh”.

WELL DONE SHANE!