Nusa Penida Giants – By Dan Bowater
The last thing your average Aussie fisho wants to hear is someone bragging about a trip to Bali. So when I mention this story involves a Bali fishing holiday, please don’t stereotype me as that annoying person. As some of the readership would know, I lived most of my life in the Cairns/Innisfail region. The common belief always was to think there were ‘endless’ fishing opportunities when based in ‘tropical paradise’. It was very tempting to be lulled into this romantic notion, given many thousands of dollars were invested into the fishing pastime. But after knocking off the top dozen target species, the harsh reality was more like a ceiling effect. Gradually, many of the best anglers in my generation found themselves in what I unofficially knew as the ‘fishing doldrums’. This ceiling effect usually begins after about 5-7 years. The satisfaction of catching an umpteenth red, mackerel or barra was nowhere near like it was for the first, third or fifth capture. It’s certainly not the outcome we expected to encounter after accomplishing so much in our hobby. Ironically, it’s also the last thing up and comers want to hear when chasing the dream. In October 2023, after my yearly Cairns visit, I noticed yet another friend and long-term Cairns fisho unceremoniously fare-welling for the deep south.
This rainbow runner took a live bait aimed at dogtooth tuna- it was seen as great table fare for the village.
A Foreign Fishing Foray!
If I’ve learned one thing in life, the only way to grow is to step outside of my comfort zone! On two occasions, I have made massive decisions to get out of toxic situations. Both times, I made drastic changes by moving to live in other countries. Yet people emotionally cast doubt upon my decision at every step of the way. Each time, the focus was always on the limitations or downsides but never on the opportunities for success or personal growth. In late 2023, I felt again, it was time to try something different- some blue water sports fishing in southeast Asia. Truthfully, some of Fish and Boat’s accomplished writers, such as Miles Tam and his mate Brett Ruck, already dabbled into this foreign fishing foray and were kind enough to provide some helpful info. My lovely partner Lucia had also completed a grueling year of work and counted down the days till we left. My new fishing charter contact in Bali, ‘Reza’, even arranged a traditional outrigger-style boat with a second guide and local captain for our upcoming day trip. By December 2023, the stage was set!
Daniel Bowater and Lucia Pazzanese enjoying the tourist hotspots at Nusa Penida- a rather good fishing spot in the background!
Bali’s Day-Tripping Delights
Lucia and I started the Bali trip by visiting famous tourist sites such as Lempuyang Temple, Tirta Gangga Water Palace and Tegalalang Rice Terrance. These landmarks were beautiful and probably among South-East Asia’s finest. I even managed to trek Mount Batur, the third tallest peak in Bali at 1717m above sea level. We could cook an egg at the summit on the steaming soil due to the volcanic activity! Americans and European visitors travelled literally for days to experience this stuff. As we neared the end of our week-long stay, we also visited the beautiful Island of Nusa Penida- like a mini-Bali. The small Island’s most iconic selfie spots were crammed with tourists, and rightly so- the views were spectacular. But the FNQ angler in me couldn’t help but feel curious about what inhabited the swirling aqua currents at the base of the plunging Eastern cliffs. As things transpired the following day, I would find out!
Tong Tio has a reputation in Indonesia as a giant slayer. Among his top captures include this 82kg big eye tuna caught when deep jigging.
Lining Up Island Giants!
At 4am, Reza collected me from the township of Sanur for a hazy 25-minute drive to a small fishing village. When I curiously asked what depths we’d be fishing, he calmly answered “We’ll stay shallow…15-100, mate”. I assumed he was describing in feet, but he meant in metres! It sounded like an outlandish statement since fishing these depths off Cairns would require a 2-3 hour run to the outer reef. But in Bali, the water turns dark blue alongside the shore, with cavernous oceanic trenches and massive pressure waves that would envelop a small tinny in seconds. Over hundreds of years, the local Balinese have perfected outrigger-style boats that are nearly impossible to swamp, can hold massive cargo and require barely any horsepower. In fact, our rig was pushed along by a diminutive 30hp Yamaha outboard, the same engine I used on my four-meter Quintrex Explorer back in Mourilyan Harbour (in much safer waters).
Prospecting Nusa Penida
We had a dozen yellowtail baits ready to roll in the under floor tank at dawn. Then, as we neared a flotilla of other traditional boats, we observed one captain bucketing out blood while loudly exclaiming, ‘Dogtooth!’. Reza didn’t have to ask me twice to rig up a bait and send it down! The secret must have been out, as at least ten traditional boats quickly flocked to the same pressure point on the Island’s eastern extremity. While I held the bait at forty meters, the other guys peppered the swirling currents with big blooper poppers. It became clear that this traditional style of boat was ideal for popper fishing, as the guys could roll up the canopy and have their own unimpeded casting station. My other guide ‘Tong Tio’ actually had a side business creating timber poppers for the waters at Nusa Penida. His favourite black and silver 100g model was chugging through the pressure waves seemingly non-stop throughout the morning. Reza, meanwhile, advised me to change the live bait depth according to the multi-coloured braid’ three colours!’ ‘four colours!’ (each colour represented ten metres in depth). The captain held us in position with light revs of the Yammie. These guys worked like a well-oiled machine. We were effectively slow trolling the live bait while also covering more ground with the top water lures.
My Nusa Penida fishing guide ‘Reza’ with a stock standard Nusa Penida giant trevally.
A Bit of Balinese Brainpower
Nevertheless, after an hour, we were yet to raise a scale and I couldn’t believe we were drifting around such as serious bluewater location without any electronics (unless you count an i-phone). The Western consumerist in me couldn’t help but ask (with a teaspoon of skepticism), ‘Have you guys ever hit this area with some decent sonar?’ Reza calmly replied, ‘Look over there- they won’t get anything’. I looked in amazement as a boat full of rich Westerners were kitted out in a seven-meter Haines Hunter with all the latest gadgets. It became apparent how the Balinese anglers operated as a tight network rather than using technology and secrecy. Once a boat had figured out a successful technique, the others would hone into the action like a swarm of bees. All for one and one for all! The local boat captains maintained ongoing communication by the ever-present WhatsApp messaging, hand signals, or occasionally shouting in Bahasa dialect. Instead of expecting the technology to do the work, the anglers showed all the initiative. In the modern age of one-touch solutions, anonymity and fragile social media egos, these shared skills seem to have been long been lost in Australia.
‘Tong the Giant Killer’
Eventually, a solid rainbow runner snatched one of the hapless yellowtails that stretched out my loaned Shimano Ocea Jigger outfit. These are prized table species for the Balinese villagers, so the captain was happy to see them come aboard. Next, Tong Tio began shouting excitedly as he spotted some commotion in the distance. Moments later, he was hunched over his 8000 Stella with PE6 pouring off the locked drag. This guy was known among the local anglers as a giant killer, with many trophy amberjack and dogtooth tuna to his name. In fact, three years ago, he landed an incredible 82-kilogram big-eye tuna when vertical jigging- a 3.5-hour fight on PE6! Whilst these 40lb GTs weren’t in that caliber, they were more than satisfying captures. Anyway, nothing beats that GT top water strike! Reza and I boated our own Nusa Penida giants as sweat poured from every orifice. These guys must have been the most passionate anglers I have ever fished alongside. While they were small guys, they were highly determined, agile and quick-thinking. Absolute balls of steel! Somehow, these blokes even managed to film part of the action while juggling their iPhones back and forth. They were worth every cent of the charter fee.
Local angler Tong Tio caught this impressive GT during our trip using his home made poppers.
Believe in Bali!
If you asked the average Aussie whether they’d go on a fishing holiday overseas, many if not most, will respond with aversion responses that are proven to shut down the idea. One of the standard one-liners is “I’d rather see my own country first”. I hope this article shows the folly of these limiting thought processes. Bali certainly could be a better location. It is unruly, unpredictable, chaotic and loud. It even has some dodgy foods that give you ‘Bali belly’. However, in life it pays to consider the upsides, too! It is also a spectacularly beautiful place with an ancient Hindu culture, notable landmarks and some of the finest gamefish in the world. Experiencing foreign locations really helps expand your social network, challenge your belief systems, gain new opportunities, and get out of that dreaded comfort zone. Please, don’t be another one of those unsuspecting anglers stuck in the fishing doldrums!
If you’d like to try targeting some giant bluewater species frequenting the oceanic trenches at Nusa Penida, and you’re not sure of the pricing, my charter cost was $250 USD per day for the boat (can be divided between two anglers).
Also, feel free to view a short YouTube clip of our trip at the below URL!
One benefit of fishing in Bali is also experiencing some world famous landmarks such as Lempuyang Temple.
