Saltwater Fishing Report – September / October 2007

For the waters around Kadavu Island- Fiji Islands – South Pacific.
Charter Operator – Matava Resort Gamefishing
Boat Names – Bite Me (Offshore) and Offensive Tackle (Inshore)
Average Water Temp – 25.0
Average Sea State – 70% Wind chop to 4ft, groundswell to 6ft / 30% calm
Average Winds – 70% Breezy to 20kts ESE / 30% light Northerly
Water Clarity – Variable inshore, good offshore

Spring is in the air but the wahoo and sails continue their airborne displays. With the late season start, Fiji should continue to enjoy a good wahoo bite right through to October. The big sails are stillbeing found along the reef but usually just in twos and threes. It has been a variable winter, warmer than normal with some unusual weather patterns interrupting the typical trade winds.
In winter, the outer barrier reef slopes are often inaccessible but these weeks of calm winter days have given anglers unlimited access to the big GTs that hang out in the breakers. This has resulted in a red hot GT bite. Kadavu island’s Great Astrolabe barrier reef is producing large numbers of mid sized fish with frequent fish to 70lbs and the occasional rod snapping monster getting the best of astonished anglers. Even the narrow barred mackerel are getting into the action with many good sized fish caught on poppers right in close to the reef.

Nevertheless, with the calm summer season rapidly approaching, the sails will move on and the wahoo move out wide so thoughts are now turning to the heavier tackle. Divers from the resort have been checked out by big black marlin on several occasions as the blacks migrate past Kadavu island.

With large schools of Skipjack and Yellowfin tuna scattered all along the barrier reef, the bent butt 80s and Moldcraft wide ranges are getting dusted off and serviced as attention starts to switch to the blue marlin grounds and the coming run of big cow Yellowfin in November / December.

Summary:
Blue marlin – Lots of small to mid sized fish with the occasional 600+ pounder
Sailfish – Still here with double hook-ups common. Average size 80-90lbs
Wahoo – Big packs still being found though starting to thin out now.
Yellowfin - Here in good numbers but can be patchy as schools move through
Mackerel – Plenty of small ones inshore, some very nice fish hitting ballyhoo rigs outside the reef.
Mahi Mahi – Yes, lots to 20lbs and some bigger bulls to 50lbs around
GTs – Red hot bite at the moment but the weather sometimes limits access to the best places.

Cpt Adrian Watt
Director, Matava Resort Gamefishing,
Tel: + (679) 3337 222 or 3336 098
www.GameFishingFiji.blogspot.com
www.Matava.com