The BAD
While I consider the ihana hokara species (the good) the best to eat and easiest to predict, there is another category of species that are a rule upon themselves. These fish are called ihana lavata, which means ‘monster fish’. These fish are the top predators of the Marovo and act like it.
Giant Trevally
Giant Trevallies are the largest of the trevallies. They have a large head, big eyes and sharp scutes on the tail. Their body is silvery-white, sometimes with a darker tinge over the back. Giant Trevally do not usually swim in schools, but sometimes they can be seen following sharks in order to eat the remora fish attached to the sharks. They are considered the strongest fish in the Marovo and fishermen here call them batubatu which means ‘mighty warrior’. Unless you’re a jerk and use ridiculously heavy gear, they are a bloody hard fish to catch because they feed close to coral or rock structures. In my opinion, your best chance is to fight them out in open water where they can’t hide. Spearing Giant Trevally can be done, but is a tad dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. Most spearfishermen I know, don’t shoot Giant Trevally without a long length of rope and a float attached to their gun. Over the last few years, there has been a few recorded drownings attributed to spearing Giant Trevally.
Spanish mackerel (Kingfish or Tangiri)
The best way I can describe Spanish mackerel is a big dumb bully. They are one of the fastest fish of the Marovo, discounting sailfish and wahoo, but as my old PE teacher would say they are “all killer and no filler”. I never fully understood what he meant by that statement, but I think it is apt in this case because Spanish Mackeral will attack just about anything given the chance. They are known to form milling surface aggregations in the first and last lunar quarters, but not in the interval between them. The best way to catch them is by trolling deep diving minnows, but I have been experimenting with fishing with live bait recently and that can work as well. The only other thing I will say is that Spanish Mackeral are sprinters not long distance swimmers, so it is best to let them run a little bit before bringing them close to the boat.
Dogtooth Tuna
In my opinion, Dogtooth Tuna are the hardest fish in the Marovo to catch. They tend to stay around barrier reef passages and off the outer reefs, usually in rather deep water, and never in groups. Most people who successfully catch them use deep water rigs and really heavy gear. Similar the Giant Trevally, they will tend to swim down, not out, for coral or rock structures. I really enjoy deep water jigging, but to date, they have always tied my line around a rock before I have had a chance to stop them.
solomontime 