Ascension Island - Part 1
As one of the most remote British overseas
territories and being rich in military and maritime history, Ascension Island
in itself is an interesting place. Add in to the mix some of the finest blue
water sport fishing on the planet along with a truly unique travelling
experience........and that's all my boxes ticked!
A tiny speck of volcanic rock, with Africa
roughly 1000 miles to the East and South America the same to the West,
Ascension had long been on the wish list. It's an RAF base and important
Mid-Atlantic stop over for the military with a 200 mile exclusion zone around
it. About as remote as it comes and with very little commercial fishing
pressure.
Anyone plugged in to the fishing grapevine over
the years will probably have heard about the incredible sport that can be found
at this unique place. Reports from other anglers and stuff on the net are what
initially caught my attention. The final nail in the coffin was when my friend
Dave Lambert returned from a trip there.
The stories and photos were enough to make me
vow to get there one day with him and experience it too. Tales of huge schools
of yellowfin tuna, amberjacks, wahoo, dorado, sailfish, marlin, snapper and
more. With large, powerful fish it looked to be challenging and a lot of fun at
the same time. It was a dream tropical fishing adventure.
It's not a cheap trip due to the remote location
but you only live once and you can't spend it when you're dead. That's my
philosophy anyway! Sometimes you just have to do these things, catching a big
tuna there had always been a dream. Dave was going next year anyway, so I
jumped on board.
After dealing with a stack of military and
government paperwork regarding the flights and access permits, the all clear
was granted. We booked up a week with accommodation, a small sport fishing boat
and skipper Craig. We chose February. It is a good time for large numbers of
species although it's low season for the yellowfin tuna, but they are there
year round.
In typical fashion, the anticipation in the
build up to the trip was long and torturous. Fortunately, the gear was one
thing I didn’t need to worry about as it was all taken care of by Dave. Being a
well travelled tropical angler he had everything we'd need already. Popping
rods, fly rods, jigging rods, Shimano Stella reels and all manner of end gear
and lures imaginable.
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| The main street in Georgetown, the capital! |
Reels were filled with fresh braid and fly
lines, split rings and hooks were upgraded, all the gear was checked over with
a careful eye. Nothing can be left to chance on these trips..
When the day of our departure finally came,
there was a great feeling of excitement. It had been a whirlwind of planning
and anticipation from the conception of the idea to finally parking up at RAF
Brize Norton for the flight. We seemed like the odd ones out in the departure
lounge with all our fishing gear, surrounded by relaxed military personnel in
their civies. It was a lot more chilled out than I had imagined it to be.
Our flight was 8 hours and without fuss in an
unmarked, drab grey military transporter jet......and there was me thinking I'd
be dropped out of the back of a Hercules! With Ascension on GMT there's no jet
lag either, which is a nice bonus. There aren't many tropical fishing
destinations where you can say that!
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| Craig (our excellent skipper) Dave and I |
Craig, our skipper, was there to meet us with
the news that some unusually large swell had come in and it wouldn't be
possible to get the boat to the dock that day. This was disappointing news as
our initial plan had been to get straight on the water, that's fishing for you
though. Some things are the same wherever you are in the world. It gave me the
chance to have a wander round and check out the island anyway.
Georgetown is the main settlement. With just one
small main street and the dock there really isn't much going on. Everyone was
working during the day and there was an eerie silence about the place. It
seemed the 'Saints Bar' was the only place to be in the evenings though! No one
is in a hurry and every one gives you a wave. I've never been anywhere quite
like it before.
We spent the afternoon at Craigs place down by
the beach, drinking a few beers and getting all the rods rigged and ready to
go. The swells seemed to ease as the day slipped away and it was all looking
good for us to get out on the water the following morning.
A plan of attack was discussed over dinner and
it was agreed that we'd just ease ourselves in for the first day. Craig had
installed a few FAD's recently which had large schools of fish resident under
them now. It seemed like a good place to start, we could throw a few lures,
jigs and flies, do a little trolling and get a few species under our belts.
Craig told us that there hadn't been many tuna around in recent days according
to the local reports but plenty of dorado. Either way, I just couldn't wait to
get out fishing. We were also to be joined by another angler, Mick. He's the
pilot of the military plane we flew in on and also likes to wet a line.
The swells were still rolling in against the
dock the next morning, it was a little hairy getting on the boat but we all
made it with no mishaps. There were huge shoals of trigger fish all around us
as we meandered out through the other craft to the open water in the early
morning light. The depth dropped away quickly then and within minutes we were in
clear blue water and depths over 100m. There's no long steam out to the fishing
grounds of Ascension, which is another reason it's such an attractive
destination.
We pushed out to the first mark, one of Craig's
FAD's, and immediately spotted shoals of juvenile almaco and amber jack,
rainbow runners, blue runners and a few dorado milling around. It was insane
the number of fish that were there. The FAD's were very effective.
We made a sweeping pass around the fish with a
couple of lures trolling out the back and were immediately rewarded with a nice
school size dorado and a rainbow runner. Straight into the thick of it with a
leaping dorado at the back of the boat was about as perfect a start as you
could hope for.
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| Mick with our first Dorado |
After dealing with the fish, Craig crept the
boat in and anchored up to the FAD as we prepared the fly rods. Trying to pitch
a fly in front of a fast moving dorado was near on impossible in the stiff
breeze. Every time the fly hit the water it was blitzed by the hordes of
almacos anyway, tearing off with the line down into the backing. It amazed me
how much power these small fish of two or three pounds actually have. If the
jacks didn't get to it then the sea birds would. It was hectic fishing to say
the least. Lots to think about.
We filled our boots with the small stuff around
the FAD and then moved on. Fishing on the drift, we dropped speed jigs down to
the bottom to see what was lurking deep below. Ripping the knife style jigs up
at speed proved the downfall of many an amber and almaco jack. The sea bed must
have been paved with them, most drops would result in a hit or two but
repeatedlyworking the fish up from the 100m mark proved to be hard work over
time. Most were around the 5 to 10 lb mark with the odd better specimen that
put up a terrific scrap on the short little jigging rods.
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| A nice rainbow runner for Mick |
Craig informed us there are monster sized
amberjack that grow to the 100lb mark in the waters surrounding Ascension. It's
a case of wading through the fish on the jig, which would certainly test the
endurance of even the most hardened jig fisher. Or, fishing large livebaits,
which is a far more selective method for the bigger fish.
Our first day was finished off with a few hours
chunking on the drift for yellowfin tuna. We didn't nail our target, with just
a couple of small dorado and an oceanic triggerfish finding the slick of our
chum line. No monsters, but a very fishy day all round with lots of action and
a good introduction to fishing Ascension. With fresh dorado steaks on the
barbecue for dinner, it was a fitting end to an excellent first day. Craig kept
insisting it was a rubbish days fishing by Ascension standards, I couldn't wait
to find out what a good day was like!
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| My beautiful Dorado |
Join me next month for part 2 of this 'Ascension
Island' series where we get to grips with some of the monsters that Ascension
island is famous for. Until then....Tight lines!
The search for Yellowfin Tuna - Part 2
The Yellowfin Tuna must surely be the most
striking and attractive of all the Tuna species. With it's vivid yellow
colouration and large sickle-shape fins, they are rather easy on the eye. I'd
longed to admire one up close for many years and Ascension Island happens to be
one of the best places on the planet to tangle with one.
When I've spoken to other anglers of their
experiences with these fish there were similarities in their responses.
Expressions such as 'the pain' and 'the burn' were common, they all shared in
the elation and relief of finally getting the fish to the boat. These fish
fight long, they fight hard and they fight deep. Titanic battles, up to and
sometimes over two hours long seemed to be the norm and with specimens that can
be well over 300lbs in weight, it's no
surprise either.
With our visit being in February, the odds
weren't too favourable as it's low season for the Tuna. They are present in
their largest numbers throughout the summer months but the locals swear there
are resident fish available year round, albeit smaller specimens up to the
150lb mark. Craig, our skipper, insisted that it would happen. We'd just have
to work that little bit harder to make it so.
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| Bite off's would happen on occasion....there's some big sharks out there! |
There are many ways of catching the Yellowfins
that Ascension is famous for and when at their most numerous the most exciting
has to be using a large surface popping lure. I'd imagine there's little in the
world of fishing to top the experience of seeing one of these leviathans
smashing into your lure. It's also possible to catch them by trolling large
lures, pitching live-baits at showing fish or chunking for them.
Chunking is the technique the local guys use to
deadly effect, either anchored up or on the drift. They are masters at creating
a chum trail and drawing the Tuna to the boat. They simply freeline chunks of
fish on large circle hooks down the chum line, letting out line gradually to
ensure the bait drifts in a natural fashion. It's simple and very effective.
Given that it was low season, chunking and
trolling large lures were to be our best chance of finding a few fish. The
numbers simply weren't there to justify the exhausting task of chucking huge
poppers around all day. I just wanted to be connected to one and wasn't fussy
about how it happened. The real thrills start from the moment of connection
when all hell breaks loose......or so I'd been told!
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| 15 minutes in and 'the burn' is getting to me |
As detailed last month, our first attempt at
chunking for the Tuna was unsuccessful and day two proved no different. The
fish just didn't seem to be around. However, things can change fast on
Ascension so I wasn't too worried at that point in time.
Proving just how fast things really can
change out there was some interesting news from one of the local guys, Kimbo.
He rocked up to the 'Saints Bar' late on our second day with tales of how he
managed to boat 6 Yellowfins up to the 100lb mark. They hadn't been seen for
days and then they just appeared out of nowhere at dusk. It did wonders for our
confidence!
The following afternoon, Dave, Craig and I
headed out to Kimbo's spot full of excitement. He had kindly left his anchor
out there so all we had to do was locate the marker buoy and tie up to it,
putting us on the spot of his previous success. We were well loaded with slabs
of frozen sardines for chum and bait. Would the Tuna show up again though?
Craig is a master at creating a chum trail, he's
been doing it for years and got to work the moment the boat had settled.
According to him it's all a question of timing, little and often being the key.
As I stared down into the cobalt blue depths, I could see the enticing trail
drifting down the tide. The blood and the scent combined with the flash of the
chunks as they flutter away must be very appealing to the Tuna.
Dave and I were like coiled springs, the
anticipation was incredible. Some days you just get the feeling that it's going
to happen. Everything felt right, the current was good as well. Not too fast
and not too slow. Craig was also making all the right noises.
We'd been trotting our half sardine baits down
the chum line for an hour and a half without any action. Then from out of
nowhere line started tearing through Dave's fingers. He wound down to the fish
and his rod took the load. Immediately, the line started to cut up through the
water and we were treated to the sight of a fine looking dorado cartwheeling
through the air. It was all lit up in incredible shades of blue, yellow and
green. Not what we were after, but there were no complaints. Catching these
fish is always a thrill.
As they often travel in schools we expected more
dorado action straight away, but it then went quiet again. Another half an hour
passed while Craig kept introducing the chum and then I finally got a chance.
Line started pouring from my spool and my heart began to race. As I slammed
over the bail arm and wound down to the fish I hoped that this was the Tuna I'd
been waiting for. What happened next can only be described as the most
incredible run I have ever experienced from a fish!
In contrast to Dave's fish, mine sounded
immediately heading straight for the bottom. The reels drag howled in protest
as the rod bent to the butt and Craig screamed "TUNA!". I held on for
dear life as the unseen beast tore 100m of braid from the spool before finally
stopping. It was then that the hard work began. The task of pumping this fish
back up through the depths was the most intense battle I have ever experienced
with a fish.
It truly was a case of 'one step forwards, two
steps back'. As I gained a little line and pumped the fish up a few meters, it
would respond by ripping all of it and more from the reel. It was a battle of
wills with my heavy spinning rod bent to the butt, taking on it's full fighting
curve. After some time, the fish stopped running for the bottom and started to
circle way down deep below us. Craig was quick to point out this fact and
reckoned that I now had the advantage over the fish as it had tired a little.
It sure didn't feel like it to me as the ache in my back and arms became
apparent.
Craig explained that as the fish circled there
was a point in the rotation that I could pump it up a turn or two. When the
fish came around directly below us I had the advantage. After a few attempts, I
found the sweet spot and got into the rhythm of bringing the fish up little by
little. Without a doubt this was the most stubborn fish I had ever been
attached to. I now knew exactly what people meant when they talked of 'the
burn' and 'the pain'!
Some 30 odd minutes after hooking it, the
impressive sight of a big Yellowfin came steadily up from the depths, circling
slowly. With it's tail beating a relentless rhythm, the sight of it gave me a
final burst of energy and I was able to raise the fish to the surface. Craig
grabbed the leader and gaffed the fish through the membrane of the bottom lip
for unhooking. The circle hook was easily removed from the corner of the mouth
and we bought the fish into the boat for a quick photo. As I gazed at my prize,
I was fascinated by the 'design' of these incredible creatures. Evolution has
done them proud. Every fin has it's own recess or slot that it folds into
making them perfectly streamlined and efficient. They're built for speed.
Watching the fish steam off back into the depths
after the release was a joy. The feeling of relief and elation was
overwhelming. I'd been told all along that there's nothing that fights quite
like a large tuna and after the experience of catching my first one, I'd have
to say I agree. I was beaten.
For the remainder of our trip the Tuna were
around every day and we experienced some incredible fishing. With every fish
that was fought my technique improved. Most of the fish were in the 70 to 120lb
class and to be honest I'd not really want to hook one any bigger! The sight of
numbers of Tuna in the clear water all circling the boat and competing for the
chum is something I shall never forget. It was incredible.
Join me next month for the final part of my
'Ascension Island Diaries' where I'll share some of the other highlights from
the trip with you all. Until then – Tight Lines!
Make or Break - Part 3
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| The marine life at Ascension will blow your mind |
For this final part of the 'Ascension Diaries'
I'm going to run through a few of the other highlights of our week. It's been
difficult to choose them as the fishing is so varied and the species so
numerous but these are the moments that stand out in my mind.
Although not my favourite technique due to the
long periods of inactivity, trolling has it's place. For some of the species
that frequent the waters of Ascension then there really is no other choice.
Dave and I decided that we would spend one full day pulling large lures along
the drop-offs and way out into the deep blue to see if we could find any Wahoo,
Sailfish or possibly even a Marlin. Ascension is one of the best places in the
world to target Atlantic Blue Marlin with fish over 1000lb caught every year.
Hooking something like that in our small boat would certainly prove interesting
and the thing with Ascension is that anything really is possible!
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| The dock at Georgetown |
We used a selection of large, rubber skirted
lures and big yozuri marauders in a spread behind the boat and started by
trolling along the drop-off's first. These are typically the haunt of the Wahoo
so we hoped to pick up a couple of these before then heading out into deeper
water to try for the Billfish.
Nothing touched our lures as we made our way
round to the back of the island following the drop-off's, the only noise was
the hum of the engines and the sea birds circling above us. Dave and I were
taking it in turns on the rods and I was first up. Just as we were approaching
'Bird Island' the left hand rod burst into life briefly before falling silent
again. I wound the line in and checked the lure, something had grabbed it but
somehow failed to hook up so we re-set the lines and continued.
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| A nice Black Jack |
Dave, being ever the gentleman, allowed me
another turn on the rods as it was a failed strike and it wasn't long before
the left hand rod was away again. There were no problems this time and I was
connected to a lively fish, tough to call at first but once the leaping and
surface action started there was no mistaking a nice Dorado. We quickly
unhooked and returned this fish so we could get the lures back in the water. It
seemed we had come across a productive area.
Dave took up position at the back of the boat
and was watching the rods like a hawk, poised and ready for action. It was all
starting to happen and the next run was on the right hand rod with the purple
marauder lure. The reel was howling as line pored from it at an incredible
rate. Craig knocked the boat into neutral as he screamed 'Wahoo!' and Dave hung
on for dear life. The initial run was insanely fast which is typical of the
species, they are built for speed!
After a dogged fight, the fish was brought into
the boat for unhooking. With their fearsome dentistry this is a job that
requires the utmost care and Craigs experience shone through here. He had the
hooks out and the fish into Daves arms for a photo in no time at all. They
really are the most striking of fish with their beautiful colours and markings,
I made sure to get some quality shots of this one. As it turned out this was
the only Wahoo we got to see on the trip, but what a fish it was!
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| Oceanic Trigger Fish |
After the Wahoo, we headed out into deeper water
to see if we could find a Billfish, it had to be worth a shot. February is peak
time for the Marlin and the start of the Sailfish run so anything was possible.
I took up position at the rear as we headed out and awaited my turn, I'd never
caught a Billfish and was rather excited at the prospect of doing so.
A good half an hour passed before the left hand
rod burst into life and I was on it in a flash.
Something wasn't quite right, certainly not the
heavy resistance I was hoping for. It felt like a small fish just rattling away
on the rod tip. Sure enough, as I wound it in we were all surprised to see a
juvenile Almaco Jack of 5lb or so attached to the end of our large skirted
lure. Not what we were expecting way out in the deeps and definitely way off
his patch. Hanging out on the surface like that he was pushing his luck. Marlin
fodder for sure!
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| Blue Runner |
I retired to the front of the boat and let Dave
up the back for his turn on the rods. We trolled for what felt like hours,
riding the large swells with the brisk wind in our ears. I had pretty much
written it off out there and we were discussing plans for the remainder of the
day. The weather had taken a turn for the worse and our thoughts were leaning
to a spot of inshore lure fishing.
Then out of the blue, as is typical of this
style of fishing, the left hand line was away. Dave grabbed the rod and we were
treated to the sight of a nice Sailfish leaping and thrashing it's head angrily
as the water boiled. Dave looked at me and told me to take it as he'd caught
one before and I was a Billfish virgin. I shook my head and told him to crack
on, it was his turn and his fish. A very kind gesture, but some things are
meant to be and that fish wasn't mine. I would have felt cheated had I taken
the rod from him.
The fight was typically spectacular and to be
honest I enjoyed just being there, sharing in the moment with Dave and Craig.
To see the fish up close and personal in itself was a treat, they are such
magnificent creatures. I did the honours with the camera while the fish was
unhooked by the boat, never leaving the water. After a little reviving, the
fish swam away strongly. With that, we called it a day and headed back inshore
as the clouds built ever thicker behind us.
Although we didn't catch a Marlin, I did get to
see one. On my last day, I was out in the boat alone with Craig and I was
really going for it, knowing that time was against me. I'd done five Tuna back
to back by fishing chunks and was pretty much exhausted at that point. A school
of good sized Rainbow Runners had moved in under the boat and was intercepting
all the chum so I switched to a smaller hook and was trying for these as an
'easier' option. Easy on my back but very difficult to catch, I was failing
miserably and missing every lightning fast bite!
Suddenly, all the Rainbow Runners grouped up and
hid tight under the boat as Craig screamed 'Marlin!'. I looked down into the
clear water and was treated to the sight of a monstrous fish that must have
been pushing 500lb, all lit up in incredible hues of green and blue. It circled
the boat twice at great speed and then ploughed through the shoal of fish
cowering underneath us before vanishing from sight. It was all over in a flash.
Magnificent and imprinted in my mind forever. Incredible!
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| Nice Almaco Jack |
Fishing for the bottom dwellers was pretty
spectacular too, there are so many fish down there. Working the 100m line
seemed to be a good depth, there were plenty of fish and it wasn't too much
hard work on the retrieve. Dropping whole sardines or jigs down was the best
way of getting into the fish and the majority of bites would come from Almaco
Jacks, Amberjacks and Grouper. You could pretty much guarantee a fish a chuck
like this, it's staggering really.
The Amberjacks and Almacos are great fun, they
have the nickname 'Nodders' due to the way they fight on the short rods. Even
with drags locked down hard fish of 10lb are able to take line, they are just
pure muscle and when they decide they want to push hard for the bottom you just
have to hang on and enjoy the ride. Catching anything larger guarantees you a
solid workout. Jigging enthusiasts have been known to catch 100 fish or more in
a day, such is the quality of the fishing on Ascension.
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| Dave with an AmberJack |
Every trip has a tale of the one that got away
and this trip was no exception. While we were chunking for Tuna one afternoon,
Dave hooked a fish and had it on for nearly 2 hours. The fish simply would not
give up and Craig called it as 200lb+. Finally, with Dave almost in bits, we
got a glimpse of the fish below the boat and it was indeed enormous. It looked
at least twice the size of the others we had been catching, a proper sea beast!
Then disaster struck as the pressure became too much and his rod snapped at the
butt. With the fish now being played directly from the reel it was impossible
to get any leverage on it. Craig grabbed the braid and started to hand line the
fish up inch by inch. It was no more than a few meters from our reach when the
line parted and we had to watch as the fish turned and slowly swam back into
the inky depths. It was heartbreaking. So close. It would have been the biggest
Tuna of the trip as well, just goes to show the raw power of these fish. You
win some, you lose some!
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| Dave....minutes before the smashing of his rod! |
Sadly, Ascension had now been closed to the general public. As of now, there is no sport fishing happening. The Government claim it is due to problems and safety issues with the runway. My thoughts go out to the people living on the island who's livelihoods are at stake. It is claimed that the island will re-open in 2020....fingers crossed! I'm glad I made it to this very unique and special place when I did......
Thanks to Ellen Cuylaerts for the underwater photography :)
