Samoa Dogtooth
I'm fishing the islands of Samoa - in the tropical waters of the South Pacific.
We set out from Upolu Island, which is surrounded by reef, so we have to weave our way through narrow channels to reach the sportfishing action.
About 3 miles offshore, we hit a spot that looks perfect for pelagics.
Where there's baitfish, there's big'uns.
This doggie just couldn't say no to my Rapala Deep diving lure - and he's come complete with stowaway.
This is a remora, they attach to pelagic fish and go about the cleaning process, feeding on what the tuna are feeding on. They go through the gill casing and mouth, getting rid of parasites.
Dogtooth tuna are built for speed over a short distance. When you hook them, they tear off and go for repeated power runs into the reef. They are nocturnal hunters, with big eyes. They hang in the depths and prey on baitfish schools.
Meanwhile we land another doggie! He's about 17 kilo, but that's still small fry for a dogtooth.
These fish are resident fish, they hold in areas and stay for the rest of their life. So it's important not to fish an area out, keep the odd fish get the rest back in the water as quickly as possible.
His doggie teeth have made their mark on my lure.
We decide to anchor at the edge of a dropoff for a bit of bottom bouncing. We're using tasty tuna to tempt the fish out of the coral.
Nick's turn, and he lands another strange Samoan reef fish. By the looks of these guys, they're definitely night feeders. Big old mouth, big eyes down here, down so deep, dark down there, big eyes to feed all hours.
We're having an absolute field day with these exotic ooglies from the deep. They're amazing to look at, but watch where you put your fingers!
We're back trolling the reefy dropoffs near Upolu Island, and on the menu today - stripey sashimi.
Hopefully this deepwater rod will hook into a big pelagic. I'm also using a light rod and tackle to catch rainbow runners for bait. And wouldn't you know it - the wrong rod hooks a biggie..
My rod's only built for light sportfishing - so I'll be struggling to keep this bloke on the line, whatever he is. Could even be shark, doing those power runs, like that.
This fellow wants to go the full 10 rounds, and my whippy little stick is playing David to his Goliath.
Unbelievable! A dogtooth tuna…and he must be at least 12 kilos. Thats fantastic !
Well, looks like the weather's not going to hold out.. so we head back to the resort.
This dogtooth tuna is straight into the kitchen for tonight's meal. And what a meal! Sharing a feast is an important part of the Samoan culture…
To find out more about the fishing or sightseeing in Samoa, contact the Samoan Tourism Authority.
We fished with the guys from Samoana resort. The resort uses Yamaha motors on all their boats, so check out the full range on the Yamaha website.
You can pick
up all your dogtooth tuna fishing gear from Big W.
