Fishing Aitutaki

Fishing stories of Aitutaki Cook Islands.  Fishing in and outside the Aitutaki Lagoon in the South Pacific Ocean.

Ian Guinea & Ben Grummels Game Fishing Aitutaki

Ben Aitutaki lagoon spear fishing

This photo was on the front cover of the Cook Islands Lonely Planet travel guide.

I'll expand on the following Aitutaki fishing story in time:

My Nikoparra neighbour went giant trevally fishing Aituaki.

A tourist from Sydney with a glass eye came fishing with me in an Aitutaki game fishing competition. Most of the fishing fleet were off the South East of Aitutaki. We were on one of my Hobie 16s catamaran yachts when we got a double hookup of MahiMahi (dolphin fish, Eldorado)  We landed both fish after a fantastic fluorescent changing colours displayed on their skin as they crossed again and again jumping airborne.  A storm was approaching the north east side of Aitutak where the entrance to the passage is, so on the first attempt to cross the southern reef a huge wave loomed up behind our yacht. Abort, turn and sailing straight at the wave, the fishing yacht had enough speed to punch through the wave face without bodies being swepted off. On the third attempt I ran to the bow, jumped off and onto the top of the barrier reef. I dragged the yacht over the reef and into the deep water of the safe Aitutaki lagoon. We tacked against the wind and back to the Aitutaki fishing club to weigh in with out game fishing catch before many of the battered, motorised fishing boat which came back the usual long way round motu Maina in the big storm waves of the Pacific Ocean.

This is just one of many fishing adventures in Aitutaki fishing trips. Next I'll write about fishing with a shark towing my fishing yacht and about a strike of 5 tuna at once which pulled my small outboard boat backwards so much that one of the lines wrapped a propeller. Unwinding that fishing line with shark fins passing under my elbow was memorable.