Bite Me Smashes Another World Record

Angler Fiona from Australia just smashed the Womens 3kg line class Wahoo IGFA World Record aboard Bite Me.
Full story and Video to follow shortly....

New telephone numbers for Matava!

Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort has installed a new Satellite Communications System with new telephone numbers. We have new methods of contacting Matava in the Fiji Islands including new telephone and fax numbers and a new Skype name! All running off the in-house solar power!

Our new permanent contact numbers are:

TELEPHONE: +679 603 0685

FAX: +679 603 0684

SKYPE: MatavaFiji

"And so what does this mean to you?" I hear you ask? Well one of the big step forwards is that we now have a 24 hour contact via Skype technology and voice-mail there-in on site at the resort. This will revolutionise our online reservations and booking system.

Matava Resort is proud to install this communications solution purely using the alternative power already available at the resort.

We will maintain our current CDMA/Easytel phone (+679 368 0080) until the end of August 2010, at which point they it be disconnected.

The new system runs on the Gilat SkyEdge System which supports telephony, broadband data and video communications via satellite. It is optimized for transaction-oriented applications, business continuity needs, legacy protocols, rural telephony deployments and multi-topology networks with mesh, star and multi-star topologies.

The system has an uplink speed of 64kbps where the service and support are provided by Connect Fiji.

Not only does the new service out perform its predecessors, the satellite network is designed to perform even under the heavy tropical rain.

The equipment installed at Matava is called a VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal). It consists of a 1.8m dish (situated hidden away behind the resort office) and outdoor electronics for communicating with the satellite and an indoor unit to which our standard telephone /fax lines and laptops are connected. The intelligence within the indoor unit processes the calls and distributes them to assigned telephone lines.

Power for the terminal is purely 12V DC and is supplied by our own in-house solar panels and batteries in our Main Bure complex.

Watch this space for the next phase in the program which is to make WiFi available directly to guests laptops in the Main Bure (shhhhh... this is currently top secret info!)

Once again, here are our new permanent contact numbers:

TELEPHONE: +679 603 0685

FAX: +679 603 0684

SKYPE: MatavaFiji

New telephone numbers for Matava!

Fiji Gamefishing Report

A little summary from last week's fishing with anglers Hayden & Guy from Australia. We had a bit of a mixture of weather, a couple of nice days and a couple of decidedly 'iffy' days.
The water temperature is still hovering around 25.5 a shade warmer than normal and a warmer water current coming down from the NW over the North Astrolabe Barrier reef has brought plankton rich coloured surface water, not ideal consitions for the wahoo and sails. Compared to the week before, the fishing was quiet with the changing conditions.


We did manage a day jigging on the seamount for dogtooth tuna. Plenty of wahoo around which proved costly on the jigs. Hayden had a nice doggie of over 30kg sharked by several whaler sharks right at the back of the boat which was a bit of a shame. Guy then hooked into a freight train that powered away from the seamount just as the really big dogtooth do. We gave chase but just after 10 minutes the hooks pulled. I estimate this fish was well over 60kg.

Hayden about to see his prized doggie sharked

Heads you win...Tails you lose..

Guy hooks up to one of the really big dogtooth and hangs on for the ride...

A consolation prize. Retrieving our jig from the depths after the hooks pulled did net us a little yellowfin for some nice sashimi for dinner.

We also has some fun taking several wahoo with jigs

The popper casting was unusually quiet, probably because of the coloured surface waters



Amazing what you see on the seamount. Standing there jigging away and up pops a pair of humpback whales just to say hi. We also had a Hammerhead shark investigate us but a little too shy for a decent photo.

Big Fish, Broken Tackle

One of my Daiwa Emblem Pro 5500s finally packed up the other day. Interestingly, it wasn't the gear or drag system or shaft that went....it was the reel foot. Still, its done pretty well for the light / medium tackle popping for GTs here.
Time to go shopping for some new popping gear for Bite Me and Tease Me !

August Starts With Mixed Weather....Mixed Bag....

The past week the weather has been somewhat challenging. A strong Tradewind with frequent rain squalls gusting to 30kts..... Didn't stop us fishing of course but ruled out jigging and limited our popping options to the calm side of the island and barrier reef.
We are fortunate enought to always have a lee shore, no matter what the weather brings but water temps rule in the winter season and sometimes the biggest fish prove elusive.
Oh well...that's fishing...

Rain squalls not a problem on the lee side

Mind you...even in the lee of the barrier reef it got choppy....

Great weather for Mackerel

A few Yellowfin around

Dave Christens his new Stella & Hots Gipang 75XXH

This big Barracuda loved his Cubera

Some very good bull Mahi Mahi around

Adam with a nice GT on the popper

Big Dogtooth Tuna Records Fall

Just heard from pro fishing guide George Trinkler aboard Suva based charterboat Golden Eagle that they have smashed a couple of Fiji Islands ladies dogtooth tuna records. I asked him for the low down. He writes :
"During day 2 of our trip the boys caught some nice fish jigging and
livebaiting so the girls decided it was ther turn in the morning. We were
drifting over the Kadavu seamount with the girls both harnessed up with the reels
set on strike drag and a drop back to the baits via the rigger when Kim
Gilbert hooked up on 24kg line, shane also hooked up on a jig at the same
time but was cut of when his fish bolted for the bottom. We left Sheridan
Purvis bait out and as we got colour on Kims fish Sheridan hooked up on
37kg. Fight time was around 20 minutes each and Kim Gilbert's fish was 42kg
on 24kg and Sheridans 64kg on 37kg, Sheridan fought another dogtooth for 40
minutes on 15kg only to have the hook fall out and both girls were stoked at
catching bigger dogtooth than there partners."


Awsome doggies mate, that's a fun day on the seamount !

To top that off, Golden Eagle also won the recent Denarau Sport & Gamefishing Club Tournament.

Very well done to the angling team and crew.

Wahoo Coming Thick and Fast

Australian angler Kelvin with a pack wahoo

The cooler winter waters are now moving in on the Fiji Islands and the wahoo packs are flooding in.
Some packs are made up of smaller fish around 20kg (45lbs) like the one above but bigger wahoo to 40kg are starting to show. Also now showing are the eagerly anticipated Pacific Sailfish as well as frequent good sized mahi mahi, many of which are weighing in at around 17-18kg (40lbs).

Paul with a nice female mahi mahi

A Mahi mahi lights up for the cameras

Some nice Narrow Barred (Spanish) Mackerel in the mix

Joe tags a Pacific Sailfish before release

Its been a late season start and the wahoo are still holding on the Southern cooler sides of reefs and islands but they are there in big numbers. Aboard Bite Me we have often been in the enviable position of catching so many wahoo we have been throwing them back !

Dinner ?

No - This one like many others goes back....