Getting Down to Business

October 17th 2017

When you are sent to Samoa on business, you’d be a fool not to make the most of the opportunity and squeeze in a few hours on the water. . . . and I’d hate to be made a fool of.  Despite a tight schedule with less than 48 hours on the tropical rock,  I was fortunate to find room on a charter vessel for an early morning stint on the waves.  They were quite some waves too:  A churning, lumpy sea, roughed up by a steady Nor-Easter meant we were in for a hairy ride.  Fortunately the journey times are short, for Samoa sits atop the edge of a precipitous sub-aquatic shelf and within a few kilometres of shore, you have 3000 metres of water under the hull!

While it was a quiet morning with just 2 mahi-mahi boated, these were exhilarating fish to catch.  From the moment of hook-up they erupted in virulent explosions of colour and energy.  A cartwheeling display of aerial acrobatics ensued until the fish were gaffed at the boat and hoisted aboard.  The only thing more stunning than their iridescent coloration, was the speed at which it disappeared.  Within 30 seconds of capture their golden green hues had all but vanished.

My only disappointment was the tackle we caught them on.  The fish were totally outgunned by the giant Shimano trolling gear and I can only imagine how much more fun the encounter would have been, had a stick baiting rig been the weapon of choice.  Nevertheless, it’s another species ticked off the checklist and I’m looking forward to targeting them again during their Southern migration to NZ, in the height of our summer.