Photo of big fish and lure makes top fishing magazine cover

Check out my yellowfin tuna picture on the cover of the new issue of Bluewater Boats Magazine!

I do a lot of fishing photography on the Kona Coast on the Big Island of Hawaii. Last summer I fished with Captain Russ Nitta of Lepika Sportfishing chasing Ahi (the Hawaiian name for big yellowfin tuna). 

He caught the 130 pound yellowfin tuna featured on the cover trolling a custom Hawaiian lure head made by Ronald Shiroma. Russ likes to skirt it with blue and silver over pink and white.  

For ahi, Russ uses 300-400 pound test Momoi Extra Hard leader, with leader lengths between 18 and 24 feet. His reels are all Fin Nor 80's and 130's, matched with custom Ian Miller rods from Australia.

I had originally booked time with him because I wanted to see him catch huge tuna with an interesting contraption known as the "green stick", but we had better luck trolling lures. 

Captain Nitta on the Lepika, a 33' Force built in Hilo.

I'm thrilled that my photo was featured on the cover of Bluewater. Editor Tim Simpson runs an awesome publication that is cherished by big game anglers worldwide, and I hope his readers will get a kick out of this tuna pic. Below is a photo I took of a sailfish being released in in Guatemala that made the cover of Bluewater awhile back:

Fiji Adventure Travel and Ecotourism Photos by Jon Schwartz

Fiji has been on my bucket list for years. Ultra exotic fish like the Dogtooth Tuna, Giant Trevally, and Wahoo prowl the waters just off the Great Astrolabe Reef, and it's also a top snorkeling, diving, surfing, and ecotourism destination.

Captain Adrian Watt operates a world class sport fishing boat called the Bite Me out of Matava Resort on Kadavu Island, and my recent visit provided me with a great opportunity to get more exciting fishing and travel photos (click pictures to enlarge)

"Bure" is the Fijian word for cabin. Here's an exterior view of one of the bures.

Here's where I slept! The sound of the waves crashing on the Great Astrolabe Reef are very soothing.

This is Lion Rock, where I took the over under shots of the snorkeler swimming.

Below is an under over (also called over under or split shot) photo that I took at Lion Rock. It was fun trying out my new specialized custom camera lens port that enables me to do this type of photography.

Every night the guests gather for a multi course meal and conversation. I made friends with people from  Australia, France, Germany, Argentina, England, and New Zealand.

Matava Resort is also a PADI 5 star dive center.  Here's a couple of divers entering the water. I'm a fool for not being certified in SCUBA, because the Great Astrolabe Reef is one of the best dive spots in the world. I'll have to go back and do a dive trip there. I got some awesome pics just snorkeling!

Cool local style carving outside my cabin.

Anyone for a message?

The view from my bure (cabin).

The dining room set up for lunch.

Flying into Kadavu Island on Pacific Air from Nadi Airport on mainland Fiji.

In Fiji and the Western Pacific they have a drink called Kava. It is mildly intoxicating and according to Wikipedia, can act as a sedative and anesthetic. Here's the staff preparing some for the guests from the roots of the plant Piper Methsyticum.

I'm a sucker for closeup flower shots like this:

Scenic shot of the entrance to the resort

Dining room looking out