Game Fishing in Vanuatu

Vanuatu has many things to offer its visitors, andand less humid than during the rest of the year.
water activities are amongst the most popular. GameSaying that, December to April are sometimes the
fishing in Vanuatu is known throughout the world asbest months for the heavyweight catches.
being exceptional and the area holds at least threeMarch through to May is officially the game fishing
world records for the largest catches on a single line.season and these months often see the best range
In fact, some of the game fishing operatorsof species being caught. For example, Santo is known
guarantee at least one 200lb+ catch per trip - that isto produce sailfish, short-billed spearfish and Big Eye
how confident they are.Tuna during the early fishing months but less so as
Where to fish in Vanuatuthe season progresses.
Many of the islands offer fishing expeditions;Fishing trips in Vanuatu
however the best game fishing in Vanuatu is found inGame fishing in Vanuatu is big business, which means
Port Vila (on the island of Efate) and in Luganville (onthat trips out to the best fishing spots run virtually
Santo). Most of the large fishing operators work outevery day of the year. The fishing boats are
of Port Vila, as it is a relatively short journey ofgenerally first class and most provide all the
around 20 minutes to the best game fishing sites.equipment you would need to successfully go game
From Santo, the journey is considerably longer;fishing. Port Vila also has a game fishing school where
however there is good fishing along the way.you can learn the basics of the sport before hitting
There are four commonly fished sites close to Portthe ocean.
Vila - these being the Marlin Highway, Nguna Volcano,The large fishing operators usually run two kinds of
the Erromango Sea Mounts and Hat Island; each istrip - day trips where you leave early in the morning
known for particular types of fish.and return in the late afternoon and live-a-board trips
Types of fish common to Vanuatuthat can last up to a week or more. The live-a-board
The fish that both Port Vila and Santo are mosttrips move from one site to another so that as many
famous for is the Blue Marlin - a magnificent fightingspecies of fish can be caught by the fishermen.
fish. Professional fishermen come from all around theVanuatu fishing tournaments
world just for the Blue Marlin game fishing in Vanuatu,The Port Vila Game Fishing Club runs two
often resulting in Blue Marlin catches with averagetournaments each year which attract hundreds of
weights of 200-500lb, with the largest ever caughtinternational fishermen, as well as the locals. The
weighed in at 1094lb. Santo fishing is very similartournaments are held in May and November - the
although the average weights are a little lower.two best months for game fishing in Vanuatu - and it
In addition to Blue Marlin, you can also catch Blackis not unusual for the largest catches of the year to
Marlin, Striped Marlin, Yellow fin Tuna, Mahi Mahi andbe caught during these tournaments.
Wahoo at the Port Vila sites. Santo also has fish suchConclusion
as sailfish, dog tooth tuna, coral trout, job fish andIt is widely known that game fishing in Vanuatu is
red bass as well. The dog tooth tuna have beenamong the best in the world, and thousands of
known to reach 80kg+ while the yellow fin tunapeople visit the small island nation each year just to
grows even larger, sometimes up to 90kg.take part in the sport. Port Vila is probably best for
The fishing season in Vanuatularge, heavy catches of Blue Marlin, however Santo is
Game fishing in Vanuatu is legal all year round,better if you are looking to catch a range of species
however some months produce better catches thanthat are slightly smaller in size. Either way, you are
others. Most of the fishing takes place between Mayvirtually guaranteed to catch something worthwhile
and November because the weather is slightly coolerwhen game fishing in Vanuatu.