After our first day, we thought an upset was on the cards, and our team were in to the prizes, (just trophies kept by the Vavau game fishing club) we were still thinking that way at midday on the last day, Shane had landed another marlin at 122kg, and by then we had 2 mahimahi, one to Shane and one to me, both weighed exactly 10kg The only other fish caught or tagged were a sailfish, a yellowfin and 2 blue marlin tagged.
My Mahimahi
Shane his mahimahi and the T-shirt at the last days weighin
222 kg of blue marlin
Trish and her fish
Skipjack tuna
65.5 kg of yellow fin tuna
But that last afternoon Henk the skipper we had for the first day found the bait fish again in the same area, and Trish a small 4ft 11 but chunky weightlifting lady landed 2 blue marlin over 200 kg.
We had one day where we did not see anything resembling a fish, apart from flying fish, but they do not count!
Part of the competition rules are that the angler who has the most points, has to wear a yellow t-shirt, from breakfast to the end of prizegiving for all the 4 fishing days, and it is custom to make it as dirty as possible with anything that comes to hand from food to fish blood, beer and even a bit of whisky the last day.
By the last day wearing it is more a penalty than an honor. By the end of the weigh in, Shane was quite happy to pass it on to Trish who immediately jumped in the sea with a few belly flops to remove the stains, then she comes striding out of the water and up the beach to the chalets, and one bright spark sitting with a beer comments "The only difference between you and Ursula Andress is the pong"
By the time of the prizegiving the T-shirt had been remodeled as a grass skirt, Trish was still wearing it!
A great trip, heaps of fun and even a few fish. One day I will get my first Marlin,
Pigs wander around everywhere, gardens are lined with old corrugated iron, wire netting and wood
A walk we did on Sunday
The bar area
Found wandering in the restaurant
The morning after, and this was after they had left the bar
Monday was too rough for fishing
Blue oceanic water
Judy and I
The island is mostly uplifted coral reef
The jetty and heron
Local heron
I'm not sure of the brown cray, but the middle one is a Morton bay bug (Australia) and the last a painted crayfish
The Tonga Beach resort
Our last evening
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