NT Fishing Report
With Alex Julius 17 November 2011
Last week saw the staging of the Com Fishing Festival in the waters off Timor-Leste (East Timor).
This is the second time in three years that the government of this fledgling nation, situated just 70 minutes flying time North West of Darwin, has attempted to host such an ambitious event.
Many readers will remember that Timor-Leste's first attempt at running an international fishing tournament in 2009 was not without its serious logistical problems, and some visiting competitors came away less than impressed with the outcome.
However, several Darwin anglers who competed this year report a dramatic improvement in both the organisation and the calibre of fishing on offer.
The latter was primarily due to the festival being relocated to the deep, blue waters off the coastal village of Com, located near the far eastern end of the island.
Here the currents of two seas split around Jaco Island and the Timorese mainland, producing excellent conditions for both reef and game species.
I visited the area as part of an exploratory team in October last year and, although the weather was less than kind, we saw enough in the way of big GTs, dogtooth tuna, wahoo and scrumptious reef fish to realise its potential.
Well-known Darwin fishing and writing couple, Steve and Jo Starling, were amongst the 40-odd international anglers registered in the four-day tournament, and both have given glowing reports of their experiences.
"Timor-Leste is without a doubt the most surprising place I've visited in my 40 years as a travelling angler and fishing writer," Steve enthused.
"While still burdened by widespread poverty and the legacy of decades of occupation and bitter armed struggle, it's a stunningly beautiful and diverse country.
“The people are also amongst the friendliest and most genuine I've met anywhere on my extensive travels.
“I was totally blown away by the whole experience, and also rather pleased at how well Jo and I fished together as a team in the tournament," Steve told me.
The structure of the tournament is unique in that it consists of two separate divisions: one caters for international anglers and is fished in accordance with accepted game and sport fishing rules and regulations, while the other is intended primarily for local Timorese subsistence fishers who ply their trade from small dugout canoes and other very basic craft, typically fishing with heavy handlines.
However, in keeping with the egalitarian spirit of both the country and the event, all-comers are permitted to nominate which category they wish to compete in, and this year saw several Timorese anglers mix it with the international visitors, more than holding their own in the process.
In the end, individual honours in this hard-fought event came down to the very last day, with all three major categories not being decided until the final hours of competition.
Steve Starling, who'd been champion international angler on day two and running well ahead of the pack at that point, came back from a disastrous form slump on day three with a stunning bluefin trevally and a clutch of coronation trout, securing third place overall.
Meanwhile, Bayu Noer Rachman, co-host of the popular Indonesian TV fishing show "Mancing Mania", scored well on day four with a brace of hefty popper-caught giant trevally to seize the silver medal.
But in the end, no one was good enough to hold off the consistent catches of local-entrant-turned-international-angler, Joao Jose Fernandez, who convincingly blitzed day four and consequently seized the winner's crown in the international tournament.
The final tally was: Joao Jose Fernandez (Timor-Leste) in first with 2,352 points, Bayu Noer Rachman (Indonesia) second with 1,794 points and Steve Starling (Australia) in third place, just 19 points behind Rachman, on 1,775 points.
Steve's wife Jo held on to sixth place overall, making her the highest ranking female angler for the event. Jo also collected the daily bronze medal on day three.
Local angler, Vasco Suarez, took out big fish for the event with a 135cm wahoo, but in the end it was veteran local handline fishing maestro, Mateus Rodriguez, who won the overall local tournament from a field of 70-plus with a stunning total of 4,994 points, more than doubling the best of the international anglers' tallies!
It seems that local knowledge really is the key to fishing success, no matter where you cast a line.
“The 2011 Com Fishing Festival has been a great success," concluded Festival Director, Sean Ferguson-Borrell after the presentation ceremony, which saw more than US$25,000 in prize money handed out to the various winners.
"We've demonstrated how amazing the marine tourism potential of Timor-Leste is. The event was a great boost for the local economy of Com and we have brought anglers from around the world, all of whom have been hooked on Timor-Leste as a destination.
“Timor-Leste truly is untouched, unexplored and unbelievable...and one of the last frontiers for great recreational angling.”
Not only that, but it's also serviced daily by Air North flights from Darwin that take just over an hour to reach the capital of Dili.
With this in mind, perhaps it's time you considered adding Timor-Leste to your own fishing travel wish list?
Winners are grinners! Timorese angler Joao Jose Fernandez (centre) took out the international anglers' category honours in last week's Com Fishing Festival staged in Timor-Leste, Bayu Noer Rachman, co-host of Indonesian TV fishing show "Mancing Mania" (left) finished second, and Darwin's own Steve Starling (right) clinched third place.
Steve Starling with one of a string of solid trevally he caught on poppers during the Com Fishing Festival in Timor-Leste last week.