The Kingdom of Tonga has a wide diversity of species to target for spearfisherman. Spearfishing Tonga has an intimate knowledge of locations and species and can help plan your trip to “target” certain species. Some spearfisherman want to target certain species whilst others are happy with the “run of the catch”. Either way, below is a list of the more popular species that can be readily taken in the Kingdom of Tonga.
Blue Water Species (Pelagic)
The Dog Tooth Tuna is a highly sought after species amongst spearfisherman and Tonga is an ideal destination to hunt these challenging species. Many of the regular dive sites host “Doggies” (as they are affectionately known). Average size is probably 15-20 kg but specimens to 50 kg are not rare and they have been speared up to 80 kg. Furthermore, world record sized dogtooth over 100 kg have been seen and it is only a matter of time before a MONSTER Dogtooth is landed in Tonga. They can be found in reasonable schools of up to 30 fish but as they get larger they generally tend to be in smaller numbers (3-5 fish) or even solo. Doggies are found year round in Tonga.
Wahoo are another highly sought after game fish for spearfishes and can be found year round in the Kingdom of Tonga. They are typically found in the more open waters such as offshore reefs, sea mounts, offshore islands and the FADS. Average size is around 14-18 kg but larger specimens to 50 plus kg have been encountered and caught by line fisherman. 35-40 kg fish are quite common and several have been lost off the spear estimated at over 50 kg! Spearfishing Tonga’s new home base at Eua Island has access to some of the best wahoo grounds in the world and we have been encountering large schools of wahoo (up to 50 kg) at the surface. These wahoo seem to aggregate on the pinnacles and sea mounts at certain times of the year and have to be seen to be believed. A great time for this aggregation of wahoo is from August through to December.
Mahi Mahi or Dolphin fish are another common fish in Tonga. Average size would be 10-12 kg with regular specimens being caught around 20 kg and they have been landed to 30 kg by line fisherman. Typical hotspots for Dolphin fish include the FADS and offshore open waters (often under the birds) and at the pinnacles and sea mounts. Typically found in the top 5 meters or so these are often a great fish for the shallower diver/hunter and respond well to chum and burly. They can be found year round with the better months being from June through to December.
Billfish (Blue, Black and Striped Marlin along with Spearfish and Sailfish) can all be found in the Kingdom of Tonga. Tonga has an international reputation for its Blue Marlin fishery and Spearfishing Tonga has already encountered several 300 kg plus blue marlin. Rob Torelli has also led expeditions to Tonga previously to land World Record Black marlin and is familiar with what it takes to target billfish. These species can be targeted but we also have “chance encounters” at locations like the FADS and sea mounts.
Sailfish grow XXXL in Tonga and average around 40-50 kg. Spearfishing Tonga has a few “hot spots” for sailfish and can assist divers wanting to target a “one off” billfish. Here at these hotspots the sailfish can be found in large schools close to the surface. A strict one billfish per trip policy applies. Tonga currently boasts the IGFA World Record of 95.5 kg for a sailfish (24 kg line fishing class) and our spearfishing clients have landed them to over 50 kg. Our guests have landed the World’s Record for female spearfishing and it is only a matter of time before the Open World Record sailfish is taken in the Kingdom of Tonga.
Yellow fin Tuna are common in the Kingdom of Tonga and line fisherman regularly makes catches of them along with Big Eye Tuna up to 90 kg. They are often seen by spearfisherman and smaller specimens have been taken to date so it is only a matter of targeting these tuna to get better results. Diving and exploring the sea mounts and FADS and applying some chumming techniques will be a great place to start. Yellow fin are found year round but November though to April are the hot months for them. Historically, Spearfishing Tonga have not ran charters this time of the year but now with our new home base in Eua at the Blue Water Retreat and a full time crew we plan to target this sought after species. Watch this space!
Giant Trevally and other trevally species arequite commonin Tonga and can be found year round at most locations. The Giant Trevally (GT) have been landed to 50 kg and seen to 60 + kg but the average size seem to be approximately 20-25 kg. A strong fighting fish the GT is a popular eating fish in Tonga and can be found both in schools and as a solo fish.
Their smaller cousins (black trevally, purple trevally, big eye trevally, etc) are also very common and can be taken on most days. Again, a popular eating fish with the local Tongans these fish offer good sport and even better food!
Reef Fish
Coral Trout are reasonably common in the Kingdom of Tonga and are a sought after species by the local divers. Large blue spot coral trout, leopard and coronation trout are relatively common though out the Kingdom and offer great sport. The larger blue spot trout grow to over 20 kilograms and will test your gear! Coral trout can be found on most reefs and offer good sport, especially the colourful and cagey coronation trout.
Mangrove Jacks are also quite common and can be found on the reefs or on one of the many shipwrecks. They grow to 10 kg plus and are a great table fish and hence in demand. Even Red Bass (or snappers as the locals call them) are relatively common and fair game but they are not tame and easy prey like in some parts of the world. Large specimens to 15 kg have been encountered and the world record was taken here on one of our charters.
Green job fish are common throughout the Kingdom and again offer great sport and a prized table fish. They average 5-6 kg but larger specimens to 12 kg have been landed to date and wary 15 kg specimens have been sighted! The former King of Tonga’s favourite table fish the Green Job fish is a prized species that will test most divers hunting skills!
Large arrays of mixed reef species are quite common throughout the Kingdom of Tonga. Whilst generally speaking, Spearfishing Tonga only target blue water species it is possible to try your hand at reef spearfishing and come up with a good mixed bag of quality table fish. Some of these species include the emperor’s, the snappers and cod species.
Fish are a very important part of the local Tongan diet and culture and no fish is ever wasted or neglected on our charters. Spearfishing Tonga consume as much of the fish captured on their charters and are prepared back at the Blue Water Retreat a number of different ways by our resident gourmet chef, Nikko. All fish taken on our charters remain the property of Spearfishing Tonga.
