Return of the Guam fishing report!

Night Moves · 10-30-2011, 12:22 AM

Man it’s been a while since I wrote a fishing report. I have been fishing pretty hard the last few months since I returned from Iraq in late July. Took me a little while to run through the boat and gear up, but the Guam derby was coming up fast so that was the spark that got me going. My buddy Dustin did a great job of up keep on Kuleana while I was gone so it wasn’t too hard to get her up and running. Fishing was slow around the tournament, but we did pretty well, catching more than most other reports I heard. We caught some nice fish and even placed but nothing stayed on the board through the second day. The heart breaker was hooking a 300-400 lb Marlin and doing everything right only to have her break off after about 5 mins. I think she wrapped up it the line and got past the 13’ leader and broke the 100lb main line. She would have competed for the grand prize as the winner was around 360lbs. That’s fishing!

The latest trips have been very productive even by Guam standards. The buoys were loaded with small Skipjack and Yellowfin Tuna for a month and if you knew what to do, you could load the boat with them. I really can’t say the Wahoo season started early cause it normally starts in November with a run a small 10 lb Wahoo. There have just been good numbers of good sized fish around since August. I have been boating a few 25-35 pound fish on just about every trip. Two weeks ago I took out a bunch of fellow Chiefs from my squadron and a fishing buddy Eric who was leaving Guam the following Thursday. Eric spent like 5+ years here and really turned into a very knowledgeable local fisherman. Great guy to have on the boat and it was hard to see him go. I wanted to make it an epic day so we had a lot planned. Trolling, Jigging and spear fishing. To say we were loaded for bear was an understatement! I was going to run 25 miles south to Stu bank passing up two other banks on the way. I wanted to get farther south as the last stop was white tuna banks 40 miles south. My run took me right over a piece of the second bank(baby bank) and I couldn’t pass it up…and I’m glad I didn’t! It was steady catching for about 4 hours. We boated some nice Wahoo biggest going 34lbs, a couple Yellowfin and skipjack. It was 11 am and we almost forgot about all the other fun stuff we were supposed to be doing, so we had to make the call. We left them biting and ran 10 miles to Santa Rosa reef. There are some shallow spots on the bank that are good for spear fishing so we did about an hour of that. Eric got a nice Giant Trevally along with some Parrot and Snappers. We could have done that for a whole day, but we still had jigging to do so I reluctantly pulled everyone one from the stunning unlimited visibility waters and headed for the edge of the bank. I thought the drift would take us shallow to deep, but it was mostly parallel to the edge and since I started in 100’ we were picking up some nice Lyretail Grouper. We got a few nice different Snappers and then I jigged up a sweet 15lb Wahoo in about 300’. Always fun to hook one on a jigging rod. Well Eric had to be in for a going away party so we turned towards the barn and enjoyed a smooth 35 mile run in. We never made it to the two original places I wanted to fish, Stu and White tuna, but that goes to show you have to be flexible and never leave fish to find fish! We ended with 18 Wahoo in the box and a mix of just about everything else.

Night Moves · 10-30-2011, 12:41 AM

I was hoping to repeat with yesterdays trip, but was not to sure we could duplicate the Wahoo with it being a new moon. After repairing my arsenal of lures for the last two weeks I was ready to get back at them. 18 Wahoo + the misses do a number on your lures! I soon knew that I wouldn’t be getting to White Tuna again on this trip, but this time it was the weather. I ended up trolling at Galvez as the weatherman lied again. Wind was 10-15, all from the East with a 5 foot swell that made it like sloppy 5' seas. Picked up the biggest Wahoo of the trip right off the bat. A good 35lber. Got another Wahoo and a Mahi on the way down and then went to Baby to fish the tide change. It wasn't as hot as the last trip, but we picked away and got a few more Wahoo and a Dog Tooth Tuna. On to Stu bank, where we got 2 more and a Mahi then headed back to baby. We had been battin 100% up to this point, and then went down hill fast. Out of the next 5 hits we lost a lure, had one come off at the boat, sharks took 1 and then 2/3rds of another. Only 1 out of the 5. Ouch, time to try Galvez again. At the bottom of Galvez banks I saw birds that looked organized for the first time of the day. The whole area looked fishy. Got another Mahi and then BAM, the starboard flat went down hard! One of my crew was having a tough time with the seas. He hit the side about 5 separate times and then laid down, but he popped up felling better and was all over the fish. He was straining big time, but I had no way to judge how big the fish was not knowing if he was just not used to the rod and reel being the first time we ever fished together. As it came in I saw the line a lot lower than a Wahoo. I was like what is this? I really had dog tooth in my head cause of the one we caught earlier. Then I saw the flash...Gold! He played nice and came up for an easy gaff shot. Wow, didn’t see that coming. Cheers all around as a fat 40lb Yellowfin hit the deck! It wore him out big time. He was so happy it wasn't a little fish after the whopping it put on him! The area was hot and we got another Wahoo with out all the lines even back out. He destroyed the skirt and 2 more needed to be changed out and I wanted to put out a Tuna spread and chase the working birds, but it was late and as much as it killed me, we pulled them in and ran back. There would be no way we would be heading back if my buddy Dustin was there. The ride was sloppy for the first 10 miles, but them the island blocked the swell and it got much better for the last 10. Fueled the truck and came home to wash the boat in the dark! Nice big Wahoo, most 15+. Only 2 rats. Nice haul of 12 Wahoo, 4 Mahi, the Dogtooth and Yellowfin. I hope this fishing continues! Duty this weekend so the fish get a break!

Chris V · 10-30-2011, 02:48 PM

I've wondered when your far-and away reports would return. Thanks for posting

Firedawg · 10-30-2011, 10:44 PM

I sure miss Guam, I would walk the the lagoon from Sirena Beach to the range tearing the fish up! I can't even count how many ulua I lost in the coral heads. Wish I had more of a chance to go offshore. You guys are tearing up the wahoo!!!

Ultralite · 10-30-2011, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris V

I've wondered when your far-and away reports would return. Thanks for posting

+1

good report and thanks for your service...

Night Moves · 11-11-2011, 06:59 PM

Thanks guys!

You know the Wahoo are in when you show up at 0530 at the boat launch and one of the half dozen boats heading out is a jet ski with a rod holder mounted on the back! With the reports of a good Wahoo bite and some Mahi mixed in I figured it would be a good chance to get some of the guys from work out knowing I should be able to put them on some fish. The weather was about average for this time of year blowing about 15 knots, too rough for most boats to make it around the point, but not too bad for Kuleana. The Wolrd Cat likes the rough stuff. I figured with a good bite on the inside, those who braved the washing machine and Pati point would be rewarded! That wasn't the case. We had 3 fish in the boat before we made it to the point. The 3 hours that followed in the rough stuff only produced one Mahi and the biggest hit of the day. My best guess was a Sailfish or a monster Wahoo as it pulled off 80 yards of line so fast it made the reel hot then came unbuttoned. Pati point looked fishy with lots of bird action, but no Wahoo. Trolled back and started catching fish from Ritidian back down the calm side. Who knew? We could have stayed in the lee and caught more fish. Thats the way it goes some times. We ended with 9 Wahoo and 2 Mahi then did some swimming at Gun beach. Biggest Wahoo was maybe 15 so the run of nice 30+ pounders ended on this trip. I hope the wind can lay down for another window to get back down south one more time. Here are the pics from the trip.

Firedawg · 11-15-2011, 09:15 AM

Do you guys ever throw plugs for Ulua? I used to do good right under two lovers point in your picture. You guys are tearing them up!!!

Night Moves · 11-16-2011, 01:10 AM

Thanks! Not sure how many GTs were here in the past, but there dosen't seem to be enough around to be productive. They are here, I just don't see a lot caught or many when I free dive.

Firedawg · 11-16-2011, 08:20 AM

When the Mackeral (atuli) come in the pass at the boat basin they are usually not far behind. My buddy caught a 60lb Dogtooth at that tall channel marker/light on the right as you leave the harbor free-lining a mackeral he caught on a sibiki. I sure miss that place!!! I caught most of my Ulua around the cut in the reef off Sirena beach at Anderson, along with some nice red snapper. You guys are going to hook a monster soon out there, good luck!

Kim · 11-19-2011, 04:53 PM

Reading your post has brought back some fond memories from my tour in Guam. Enjoy your tour and make sure you get a few pigs while you're there and Luau away.

10-30-2011, 12:22 AM	#1
Night Moves Member Ruby Red Lip Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 88	Return of the Guam fishing report! Man it’s been a while since I wrote a fishing report. I have been fishing pretty hard the last few months since I returned from Iraq in late July. Took me a little while to run through the boat and gear up, but the Guam derby was coming up fast so that was the spark that got me going. My buddy Dustin did a great job of up keep on Kuleana while I was gone so it wasn’t too hard to get her up and running. Fishing was slow around the tournament, but we did pretty well, catching more than most other reports I heard. We caught some nice fish and even placed but nothing stayed on the board through the second day. The heart breaker was hooking a 300-400 lb Marlin and doing everything right only to have her break off after about 5 mins. I think she wrapped up it the line and got past the 13’ leader and broke the 100lb main line. She would have competed for the grand prize as the winner was around 360lbs. That’s fishing! The latest trips have been very productive even by Guam standards. The buoys were loaded with small Skipjack and Yellowfin Tuna for a month and if you knew what to do, you could load the boat with them. I really can’t say the Wahoo season started early cause it normally starts in November with a run a small 10 lb Wahoo. There have just been good numbers of good sized fish around since August. I have been boating a few 25-35 pound fish on just about every trip. Two weeks ago I took out a bunch of fellow Chiefs from my squadron and a fishing buddy Eric who was leaving Guam the following Thursday. Eric spent like 5+ years here and really turned into a very knowledgeable local fisherman. Great guy to have on the boat and it was hard to see him go. I wanted to make it an epic day so we had a lot planned. Trolling, Jigging and spear fishing. To say we were loaded for bear was an understatement! I was going to run 25 miles south to Stu bank passing up two other banks on the way. I wanted to get farther south as the last stop was white tuna banks 40 miles south. My run took me right over a piece of the second bank(baby bank) and I couldn’t pass it up…and I’m glad I didn’t! It was steady catching for about 4 hours. We boated some nice Wahoo biggest going 34lbs, a couple Yellowfin and skipjack. It was 11 am and we almost forgot about all the other fun stuff we were supposed to be doing, so we had to make the call. We left them biting and ran 10 miles to Santa Rosa reef. There are some shallow spots on the bank that are good for spear fishing so we did about an hour of that. Eric got a nice Giant Trevally along with some Parrot and Snappers. We could have done that for a whole day, but we still had jigging to do so I reluctantly pulled everyone one from the stunning unlimited visibility waters and headed for the edge of the bank. I thought the drift would take us shallow to deep, but it was mostly parallel to the edge and since I started in 100’ we were picking up some nice Lyretail Grouper. We got a few nice different Snappers and then I jigged up a sweet 15lb Wahoo in about 300’. Always fun to hook one on a jigging rod. Well Eric had to be in for a going away party so we turned towards the barn and enjoyed a smooth 35 mile run in. We never made it to the two original places I wanted to fish, Stu and White tuna, but that goes to show you have to be flexible and never leave fish to find fish! We ended with 18 Wahoo in the box and a mix of just about everything else. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by Night Moves; 10-30-2011 at 07:02 AM.

10-30-2011, 12:41 AM	#2
Night Moves Member Ruby Red Lip Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 88	I was hoping to repeat with yesterdays trip, but was not to sure we could duplicate the Wahoo with it being a new moon. After repairing my arsenal of lures for the last two weeks I was ready to get back at them. 18 Wahoo + the misses do a number on your lures! I soon knew that I wouldn’t be getting to White Tuna again on this trip, but this time it was the weather. I ended up trolling at Galvez as the weatherman lied again. Wind was 10-15, all from the East with a 5 foot swell that made it like sloppy 5' seas. Picked up the biggest Wahoo of the trip right off the bat. A good 35lber. Got another Wahoo and a Mahi on the way down and then went to Baby to fish the tide change. It wasn't as hot as the last trip, but we picked away and got a few more Wahoo and a Dog Tooth Tuna. On to Stu bank, where we got 2 more and a Mahi then headed back to baby. We had been battin 100% up to this point, and then went down hill fast. Out of the next 5 hits we lost a lure, had one come off at the boat, sharks took 1 and then 2/3rds of another. Only 1 out of the 5. Ouch, time to try Galvez again. At the bottom of Galvez banks I saw birds that looked organized for the first time of the day. The whole area looked fishy. Got another Mahi and then BAM, the starboard flat went down hard! One of my crew was having a tough time with the seas. He hit the side about 5 separate times and then laid down, but he popped up felling better and was all over the fish. He was straining big time, but I had no way to judge how big the fish was not knowing if he was just not used to the rod and reel being the first time we ever fished together. As it came in I saw the line a lot lower than a Wahoo. I was like what is this? I really had dog tooth in my head cause of the one we caught earlier. Then I saw the flash...Gold! He played nice and came up for an easy gaff shot. Wow, didn’t see that coming. Cheers all around as a fat 40lb Yellowfin hit the deck! It wore him out big time. He was so happy it wasn't a little fish after the whopping it put on him! The area was hot and we got another Wahoo with out all the lines even back out. He destroyed the skirt and 2 more needed to be changed out and I wanted to put out a Tuna spread and chase the working birds, but it was late and as much as it killed me, we pulled them in and ran back. There would be no way we would be heading back if my buddy Dustin was there. The ride was sloppy for the first 10 miles, but them the island blocked the swell and it got much better for the last 10. Fueled the truck and came home to wash the boat in the dark! Nice big Wahoo, most 15+. Only 2 rats. Nice haul of 12 Wahoo, 4 Mahi, the Dogtooth and Yellowfin. I hope this fishing continues! Duty this weekend so the fish get a break! Attached Thumbnails Last edited by Night Moves; 10-30-2011 at 05:29 PM.

10-30-2011, 02:48 PM	#3
Chris V Squid technician Blue Marlin Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: foley, Al Posts: 4,543	I've wondered when your far-and away reports would return. Thanks for posting __________________

11-11-2011, 06:59 PM	#6
Night Moves Member Ruby Red Lip Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 88	Thanks guys! You know the Wahoo are in when you show up at 0530 at the boat launch and one of the half dozen boats heading out is a jet ski with a rod holder mounted on the back! With the reports of a good Wahoo bite and some Mahi mixed in I figured it would be a good chance to get some of the guys from work out knowing I should be able to put them on some fish. The weather was about average for this time of year blowing about 15 knots, too rough for most boats to make it around the point, but not too bad for Kuleana. The Wolrd Cat likes the rough stuff. I figured with a good bite on the inside, those who braved the washing machine and Pati point would be rewarded! That wasn't the case. We had 3 fish in the boat before we made it to the point. The 3 hours that followed in the rough stuff only produced one Mahi and the biggest hit of the day. My best guess was a Sailfish or a monster Wahoo as it pulled off 80 yards of line so fast it made the reel hot then came unbuttoned. Pati point looked fishy with lots of bird action, but no Wahoo. Trolled back and started catching fish from Ritidian back down the calm side. Who knew? We could have stayed in the lee and caught more fish. Thats the way it goes some times. We ended with 9 Wahoo and 2 Mahi then did some swimming at Gun beach. Biggest Wahoo was maybe 15 so the run of nice 30+ pounders ended on this trip. I hope the wind can lay down for another window to get back down south one more time. Here are the pics from the trip. Attached Thumbnails

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10-30-2011, 10:44 PM	#4
Firedawg Senior Member Trigger Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 273	I sure miss Guam, I would walk the the lagoon from Sirena Beach to the range tearing the fish up! I can't even count how many ulua I lost in the coral heads. Wish I had more of a chance to go offshore. You guys are tearing up the wahoo!!!

11-15-2011, 09:15 AM	#7
Firedawg Senior Member Trigger Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 273	Do you guys ever throw plugs for Ulua? I used to do good right under two lovers point in your picture. You guys are tearing them up!!!

11-16-2011, 01:10 AM	#8
Night Moves Member Ruby Red Lip Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 88	Thanks! Not sure how many GTs were here in the past, but there dosen't seem to be enough around to be productive. They are here, I just don't see a lot caught or many when I free dive.

11-16-2011, 08:20 AM	#9
Firedawg Senior Member Trigger Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 273	When the Mackeral (atuli) come in the pass at the boat basin they are usually not far behind. My buddy caught a 60lb Dogtooth at that tall channel marker/light on the right as you leave the harbor free-lining a mackeral he caught on a sibiki. I sure miss that place!!! I caught most of my Ulua around the cut in the reef off Sirena beach at Anderson, along with some nice red snapper. You guys are going to hook a monster soon out there, good luck!

11-19-2011, 04:53 PM	#10
Kim Senior Member Sailfish Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 1,470	Reading your post has brought back some fond memories from my tour in Guam. Enjoy your tour and make sure you get a few pigs while you're there and Luau away.

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