Happy Holidays from Bite Me Gamefishing Charters

When my deckie Joeli wants to go fishing, he's not very subtle about his hints.

Happy Holidays from everybody at Bite Me Gamefishing Charters

New Book on Top 50 World Record Catches Captures the Imagination Too

SEYMOUR, Conn. USA -- Let’s face it.  You’ll never own a world record in swimming or track and field.  Nope.  Won’t happen.  However, every time you wet a line, you have a shot at landing a lunker that will go down in the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) record books.  That slender thread of possibility is what makes angling the most egalitarian of sports.  On any given day, you just never know.  

To celebrate the possibilities, celebrated angling author Mike Rivkin has teamed up with renowned watercolorist Flick Ford to create BIG: The 50 Greatest World Record Catches (Greenwich Workshop Press, 216 pages, $50).  This coffee-table collaboration combines Rivkin’s considerable narrative skills with Ford’s uncanny ability to reproduce game fish in their entire lifelike splendor.  Never mind how he does it: the fact is that these fish appear poised to swim off the very paper they’re printed on.  

The first thing you’ll notice is that the book lives up to its title.  BIG’s 14”x11” dimensions deliver the goods in glorious detail on 50 of the all-time great catches.  Each painting pops with taxonomic detail, and the stories are every bit as rich.  How did a high-school girl on her first fishing trip catch the world’s largest wahoo?  What would prompt a guy fishing for Northern pike to stick his hands in amongst all those teeth?  Why would an angler for Atlantic salmon bombard his catch with rocks?  If you don’t know the answer to these and other burning questions, reading BIG on a cold winter’s night is a terrific way to find out.

Frankly, part of the charm of this book includes the fact that BIG’s top 50 are so subjective.  Just like the all-time greatest outfield or defensive line, the arguments for including this fish and excluding that one are never-ending.  In the end, Rivkin (a big-game guy) and Ford (a fresh-water dilettante) split the list almost down the middle.  Bass, salmon, and trout are well represented, but so are tuna and marlin.   It’s a fair mix of large and small, fresh and salt, northern and southern.  Hey – it could always happen to you!]

This book belongs on your holiday gift list… for you, if for nobody else.  Rivkin’s got some other killer angling books out, too.  Take a look at www.silverfishpress.com for his latest works.  You won’t be disappointed!

###

Publicist note to editors: For consideration of a media copy from a limited supply please contact Wendy Wentworth at Greenwich Workshop Press:  (wentworth@greenwichworkshop.com) to make your request. To contact Mike Rivkin for an interview please call him at 858-625-0220 or scmcorp@sbcglobal.net .

 Pete Johnson, Johnson Communications

Scottsdale, Ariz. 85267

                                                              480-951-3654 (ph) 480-951-0040 (fax)

JohnsonCom@aol.com (e-mail)

IGFA Certified Sport Fishing Captains - Best Charter Captains in the World

Captain Adrian Watt
Kadavu, Fiji Islands
Phone: 679 3336 222
Email: info@matava.com
www.matava.com

IGFA Certified Sport Fishing Captains - Best Charter Captains in the World

Fiji Islands Saltwater Fishing Report – November 2008

• Average Water Temp – 27.0
• Average Weather - excellent for gamefishing, calm, light overcast, just the occasional breezy day.
• Water Clarity – Variable inshore after tropical rain, good offshore

It has been an excellent spring for us with just about everything on the species list available to anglers. The wahoo and sailfish packs have thinned but the first of the Christmas Yellowfin schools are now moving in.

With the windy winter weather behind us now, the hot tropical calm is moving onto Fiji waters, ideal conditions for the GT popper casting and deepwater jigging fans. Summer’s almost here with glassy seas and barely noticable swell, just enough to keep the barrier reef breakers visible.

All being well, the current excellent popper conditions should last right through to April. With such calm conditions, its easy to spot the fusilier shoals being harrassed by GTs, bluefin trevally and narrow barred mackerel. The calm also makes it easy to work jigs down to 120m with little or no drift.

This summer we will be working the Kadavu seamount over with larger 400g droppers for dogtooth, amberjack and a whole host of wild and wacky deepwater species. At 150m its a deep drop but easy enought in the summertime.

Trolling small baits is still producing wahoo, sails, mackerel and mahi mahi whilst switching to big baits close in to the barrier reef is producing good yellowfin to 100lbs and black marlin to 300lbs.

The blue marlin average size is rising quickly and by January an average blue tagged should be well over 500lbs.

The biggest problem for anglers aboard Bite Me cruising up to a mass of boiling yellowfin will be deciding whether to flick a metal slug out on a casting rod and hang on tight or bridle up a live-bait for the inevitable blue marlin working the edges.

Not such a bad problem to have. Im looking forward to worrying about it. :)

Capt Adrian Watt
Bite Me Gamefishing
www.GameFishingFiji.com

Denarau Game & Sport Fishing Club

Denarau Game & Sport Fishing Club
P.O Box 13, Port Denarau Post Office, Denarau, Fiji Islands

From the President

Bula!!!!

Its gives me great pleasure to bring you the first newsletter for the New Year, I hope you all enjoy our new look tight lines
newsletter, my thanks to all the committee members and contributors who helped get this going.

First on a sad note one of Fijis long standing fisherman Bill Williams sadly passed away, Bills knowledge, history and
passion for game fishing in Fiji will be sorely missed. Bill was an active member of our committee and weigh master for the
club, our thoughts go out to Phyllis and family on this very sad occasion.

On the home front, the tuna season has started with reports of numerous yellow fin being caught outside the main reef
down towards Momi and up towards the Mana passage, Sunday the 13th of April is the next club comp and we look
forward to some exciting fishing! Just a reminder that only members are entitled to points in the competitions so bring
your friends along and sign up!!!

Till then tight lines!!!!!

President:
Marc McElrath
Ph: 9997 230 Fax: 3308 674
mmcelrath@mcdonalds.com.fj

Secretary:
Dave Bloxham
Ph: 9926 147
mps@connect.com.fj


Membership Types :

Family
Subscription

Individual
Subscription

Associate
Subscription

Corporate
Subscription

FJ $150.00 FJ $75.00 FJ $50.00 FJ $200.00

Make cheques payable to: Denarau Game & Sport Fishing Club

Denarau Game & Sport Fishing Club

IGFA 25th Annual International Auction & Banquet

IGFA’s premier fundraiser, the 25th Annual International Auction & Banquet is scheduled for Friday, January 23, 2009 at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Fla.

In celebrating our “Silver Anniversary”, we are already receiving donations and reservations for this special event. This year’s “featured artist” is renowned marine artist, conservationist and marine biologist, Dr. Guy Harvey. Guy has been an IGFA Trustee for many years and has supported our annual fundraiser in grand style. This year, he promises a special piece to commemorate the milestone. Each guest will receive a signed and numbered print of this original.

Other donations have begun arriving at IGFA headquarters, including an original sculpture by past featured artist, David Wirth, a week for two at the fantastic Tropic Star Lodge, a safari for two to Zulu Nyala in South Africa, an original bronze sculpture by Bodo Muche, a seven-day wels catfishing trip for two to Europe, fishing charters, rods and reels, tackle, jewelry, resorts, and much more.

Tickets are $175 per person or you may purchase a Corporate Table for 10 persons for $3000 that includes preferred table placement, a full-page ad in the auction program, table signage and table favors.

To make reservations, if you need further information or would like to donate to the 25th Annual International Auction & Banquet, please contact Ms. Lesley Arico at (954) 924-4222 or email larico@igfa.org.
IGFA, International Game Fish Association

World's Best, Top Rated Fishing Resorts and Lodges - North America, British Columbia, Alaska, Florida, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, Brazil, Belize

Fiji's one and only listing by IGFA as one of the World's Best, Top Rated Fishing Resorts and Lodges

FIJI
Matava Resort Gamefishing
+(679) 3336-222
www.matava.com



World's Best, Top Rated Fishing Resorts and Lodges - North America, British Columbia, Alaska, Florida, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, Brazil, Belize

5th World Recreational Fishing Conference/November 10-13, 2008/Hosted by IGFA

The World Recreational Fishing Conference series is a forum through which to address fisheries issues specific to recreational fishing community. The 5th WRFC will provide a focused and dynamic agenda to address issues of importance today and the future. Leaders representing the sport fishing community from around the world will gather in an environment where they can get to know one another and exchange ideas on addressing real issues impacting the sport of fishing. The conference Proceedings will be peer reviewed and published.

The outcomes of the WRFC include:

Better ideas and solutions for addressing challenges, and capitalizing on opportunities, that impact sport fishing and participation. For the scientific/management community, an opportunity to explore common environmental and social issues affecting sport fishing from a scientific view point in an atmosphere focused specifically on sport fishing.

Topics of Specific Interest include:

• Climate change: direct implications for anglers, sportfishing industry, and fisheries managers
• Inland and marine protected areas: successes, failures, processes and impacts on recreational fisheries
• Sustainable development of recreational fisheries
• Community expectations and perceptions: recreational fishing’s role in society
• Global partnerships in recreational fisheries
• Ecosystem based approach to recreational fisheries management
• Economic contribution of recreational fisheries to society

This will be a highly dynamic, interactive conference offering ample opportunities for you to interact with your colleagues from around the globe.

Who Should Participate?

• Recreational fisheries managers
• Companies depending on sportfishing for their business
• NGO’s wanting to increase interaction with the sportfishing community
• Fisheries scientists
• Highly motivated anglers involved with management of sport fisheries

Join the Distribution List!

For up-to-date news and notification when registration is available. Sign-up now

News

• The Program for the 5th WRFC has been posted.

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

Registration is limited to 280 Conference Attendees. Attendees are encouraged to register early as space will be limited!
Registration will be open Sunday Nov. 9th from 2pm - 6pm at the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum.

Register Now ›

5th World Recreational Fishing Conference/November 10-13, 2008/Hosted by IGFA

Airbourne black marlin

Airbourne black
Originally uploaded by Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort.

Simply Awesome huh?

Bite Me Gamefishing Charters
Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Lodge
Kadavu, Fiji Islands
Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Lodge
Gamefishing Fiji Blog
Gamefishing in Fiji

Five to be inducted Oct. 25 into 10th IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame

October 2008
By Pete Johnson, Johnson Communications – IGFA PR Counsel

One of fishing's most celebrated evenings of the year will take place on Saturday, October 25, as five legends of the sport are inducted into the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame. The annual event recognizes honorees from around the world for the important contributions they have made to fishing through angling achievements, the arts, literature, science, education, communication, an invention or administration of fishery resources. This year they include: the late Henry Chee, a renowned Hawaii guide and innovator of offshore lures; the late Dr. Roy Dean, founder of the Intl. Light Tackle Tournament Assoc., and early promoter of catch-and-release and researcher of billfish migration; Jimmy Houston, professional bass fisherman and TV show host; Kay Rybovich, co-founder of the Intl. Women's Fishing Assoc., conservationist and one of the grand ladies of sport fishing, and Karl Wickstrom, founder and editor-in-chief of Florida Sportsman magazine, who initiated and chaired the Save Our Sealife campaign that banned gill nets and revitalized Florida's inshore waters.

The class of 2008 represents the 10th year of inductions and takes place at the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum in Dania Beach, Fla., USA. The evening's activities begin at 6 p.m. and include a cocktail reception, silent auction, dinner and the induction ceremony. Tickets for the evening are still available at $200 per person. The public is invited.

Seventy IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame members are currently enshrined and include Ernest Hemingway, Zane Grey, Curt Gowdy, Ted Williams, Michael and Helen Lerner, Philip Wylie and John Rybovich.

For reservations, sponsorships or further information, contact Lesley Arico at the International Game Fish Association, 300 Gulf Stream Way, Dania Beach, Florida, 33004.  Email: larico@igfa.org, by phone 954-924-4222, or fax 954-924-4299.

Award Winning Television Sport Fishing Show - IGFA Angler's Digest - Fishing Videos, Photos, Captains, Charters, Articles and Information for Sponsorships

IGFA ANGLER'S DIGEST WINS BIG!!

Receives most nominations and most awards at the 2007 Sportsman Channel Awards at the House of Blues Las Vegas!

That's right, IGFA Angler's Digest scored big at the 6th Annual Sportsman Channel Awards at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on February 2nd, 2008.

Our show was honored with 4 nominations including Best Videography, Best Writing while winning Best New Series and Best Saltwater Fishing Episode of 2007!! Now we're off to FSN Florida for broadcasts of our award winning show starting 3rd quarter, 2008.

Award Winning Television Sport Fishing Show - IGFA Angler's Digest - Fishing Videos, Photos, Captains, Charters, Articles and Information for Sponsorships

AOL Video of Black Marlins in Fiji

Watch more metacafe videos on AOL Video

Marlin World online video magazine

What a world we're living in right now ... It seems that hardly a day passes by without some kind of news being announced that is going to affect our lives one way or another. For those that don't know, the Marlin World team is based in Europe so forgive us if we don't always pick up on the news from the USA where most of our readers come from. What I can pick out from 2008 though is the 'credit crunch', economic downturn, hurricanes galore and of course the upcoming election for the next President of the United States.

One way or another we have all been affected and we pray that solutions will be found for all the world’s woes and that life can bring us as much as we hope for. There is also a lot to feel good about though too, and that’s fishing! Fishing is a passion that brings together many people, let’s not waste that comradery! We are upbeat and are fast approaching our first full year of the Marlin World online video magazine.

We remain passionate about our publication and we welcome articles, photographs, videos and press releases from the entire sportfishing community whether they be saltwater or freshwater inclined.  

Closing date for the November / December issue is October 29th, so get your material to us as soon as possible if you want to be included. Send to ofcfilmcrew@gmail.com

COMING UP IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF MARLIN WORLD...
Respected heavy tackle captain Peter Bristow debates the use of single hook rigs for big Atlantic Blue Marlin, Pete Pakula kicks off a new series of video articles about fishing techniques, swordfish action from Europe, fishing DVD reviews from award winning films, Costa del Mar and the incredible 580 lens, 'Lady Action' with Carrie Winner, and much much more!

Tightlines to ‘one and all’

Paul Watson,
Editor,
MARLIN WORLD

How to Catch Marlin, Black Marlin Fishing, Tips, Marlin, Article, Trolling, Lures, Live Bait

TIPS AND TACTICS FOR RAISING AND CATCHING BLACK MARLIN IN CABO
By Richard Chudy

Unlike other marlin, blacks live only in the Pacific. They are considered by most marine biologists to be a continental shelf species – meaning that they tend to remain near landmasses and are unlikely to be found in open waters.

Perhaps that characteristic contributes to the black marlin’s more deliberate nature. Black marlin are more likely to remain in a specific area for longer periods of time, move slower than a blue or a striper, and feed in a more methodical, systematic way. Like all marlin, they are opportunistic feeders but differ from the others in that they are known to consume loads of reef fish.

Hunting areas of structure for grouper, snapper and other reef fish, the black develops more of a territorial personality. Blacks caught and released in one area are often caught again in the same spot weeks later.



Read the whole article here:

How to Catch Marlin, Black Marlin Fishing, Tips, Marlin, Article, Trolling, Lures, Live Bait

Fiji forums: Fishing Fiji - TripAdvisor

If you want to get off the well trodden tourist track that so many here re4commend over & over &over then head down to Kadavu Island and hook up with Adrian Watts @ Matava-all found and more.
http://gamefishingfiji.blogspot.com/
http://www.matava.com/

If fishing from the beach be advised that some resorts have a No Fishing policy for the area directly around the property and that-and this is important-all land in Fiji is Private.

Every grain of sand belongs to someone you can't just walk onto a likely looking stretch of beach and start casting away-not only might you be trespassing you might be poaching someone's food supply as well.
The thing to do is ask carefully and politely about permission-which is generally freely given except as I've said in the case of some resorts.
You mean a rod/reel for trolling or casting?

Lures-from the beach small Silver spoons and some surface Poppers-fish early/late in the day and whenever it's windy and overcast-bright sunny conditions mean fish don't like leaving their hidey holes and fishing is marginal at best.

You'll do much better hiring a boat to travel to the outside of the reef and then cast back to the outside edge-more and bigger fish lurk.

Lures trolling-Red Head Rapalas/Yozuris or the like actually any bright colour combo in the Red/Yellow/Orange spectrum also Blue/White Yozuri Bonitas.
Trolling feathers in the same colour combos-preferably on wire leaders if you're fishing closer to the reef toothy critters abound and make fishing straight mono leaders very expensive.

Fiji forums: Fishing Fiji - TripAdvisor

NOM029-PESCA-2006 - a terrible regulation

Make a difference!

Shark fishing regulation NOM029-PESCA-2006, combined with the recent "30% incidental bycatch agreement" has created a very serious problem for the ecosystem and the economy of the Sea of Cortez. These rules combine to provide incentives for longliners to enter the near shore waters and capture and sell lucrative sport species. If this measure if fully implemented, the results will be disastrous.

PLEASE, TAKE A MOMENT to send an e-mail note to the distinguished Senator Luis Coppola from Baja California Sur, and selected other Mexican representatives. A click of your mouse will make a difference.

Note: it is very important to personalize this email. Add and delete as you deem appropriate (it's very easy), and please add your name and address to the bottom of the letter.

Distinguished Luis Coppola:

An "incidental by-catch agreement" was recently added to shark fishing regulation NOM029-PESCA-2006. This addition will likely have terrible consequences for the economy of Baja California Sur and for the ecosystems of the Sea of Cortes. I strongly urge you to initiate a review of this agreement to study its probable effects before complete implementation causes irreversible damage.

The "by-catch agreement" sets specific limits on fish captured by commercial operations, but it does nothing to change the methods used, nor does it provide any enforcement. In practice, SAGARPA has found that actual by-catch is around 90% of a commercial operation's take. Usually these fish are ground into fertilizer or otherwise discarded. In the case of the BCS near shore fishery, however, much of the by-catch is sport species, the billfish and dorado that drive much of Baja's tourism economy. The "by-catch agreement" permits and encourages commercial operations to catch and sell their valuable "by-catch", thereby driving local fishermen out of business and destroying the sport fishery. Without serious enforcement measures and changes to fishing techniques, we should expect that longliners working near the BCS shore will take around 90% of our valuable sport species. Furthermore, we should expect the sport fishery to be decimated by these practices.

Please join the voices calling for real study of this terrible regulation before it is too late. Even though fisheries like ours are resilient, eventually they will disappear entirely, as we've seen in innumerable case studies from around the world.

Your comments will be sent first to Sen. Luis Coppola of Baja Calif. Sur. The e-mail will be CC'd to the following officials, who share responsibility managing the resources of the Sea of Cortes:

Antonio Vivanco Casamadrid (Coordinador de asesores del Presidente)

C. Alberto Cardenas Jimenez (Secretario SAGARPA)

C. Gerardo Ruiz Mateos (Secretario de Economia)

C. Rodolfo Elizondo Torres (Secretario de Turismo)

Use this link to send your email: Stop Commercialization of Sport Fish!

Key West Offshore Fishing

Key West Fishing  features excellent offshore fishing grounds which are a guarantee for fantastic and successful fishing excursions.

An abundance of fish such as marlin, sailfish, mahi-mahi, tuna, wahoo, cobia, and king mackerel live in these waters and you can never know what it is that went after your bait in the Atlantic here.

Look for the fish and go after them for the catch of a lifetime. With the right boat and captain, nothing can go wrong during an exciting fishing adventure on the Atlantic Ocean with Key West Fishing .

Peters son Jessie with byecatch wahoo

Peters son Jessie with byecatch wahoo
Originally uploaded by Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort.

And this was the BY CATCH!!!!!

Black Marlin - Bite Me Gamefishing Charters - awesome Sailfish, Marlin and Wahoo Fishing in Kadavu, Fiji

Home Fish Species Black Marlin

Black Marlin

Kadavu island sees black, blue and striped marlin however the easiest marlin to target are the black marlin that are found close in to the Great Astrolabe barrier reef outer slopes.
Little is known about these blacks but it is speculated that they migrate past Kadavu island on their journey to and from the breeding grounds off Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Bite Me holds the M-60 Fiji National Record with a fish of 320lbs but much larger fish have been seen by the resort's divers and a probable grander was briefly hooked by anglers aboard Offensive Tackle before throwing the hook. She was estimated to have been over 16 feet in length as she swam under the boat.
	So far, the best times for black marlin seem to support the Cairns/Lizard Island migration theory with blacks usually seen July to October and January to March however some fish have been seen outside these times so there may be a resident population.
When fishing for black marlin, as with Australia, the bite seems to be in the afternoons and we follow the traditional Cairns methods.
	We spend the morning inside the barrier reef catching and rigging bait, move outside the reef at lunch time with large lures and then switch to running two circle hook rigged baits off the outriggers for the afternoon bite.
Black marlin are extraordinary fish that jump like sails but fight like enraged bulls. They always put on a show for the cameras and will astound you as they charge across the ocean in a repeated series of spectaculor jumps.

Book your Black Marlin Gamefishing Trip Now!

Click here to book your Black Marlin Game Fishing trip to the Fiji Islands today and see what all the pro's are raving about in the fishing magazines about Kadavu, Fiji!!

Book Now!

Black Marlin - Bite Me Gamefishing Charters - awesome Sailfish, Marlin and Wahoo Fishing in Kadavu, Fiji

AdventureUs.com | GT Popper Casting Package, offered by Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort

GT Popper Casting Package

Offered by Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort

Awesome GT Popper Casting Package 7 nights with 5 days Popper Casting for GT's aboard 'Offensive Tackle' 5 days of popper casting and deepwater jigging aboard 'Offensive Tackle'. Work monster poppers all morning over pristene barrier reef slopes and miles of inshore coral reef systems from our dedicated popper casting boat 'Offensive Tackle'. This is a GT hunter's dream fishing holiday. Lunch at the resort before heading out for another late afternoon bite popper casting session. Includes: * 7 Nights superior accommodation for two (Double or Twin) * All meals for two * Kadavu airport – Resort boat transfers * 5 days of specialist popper casting and deepwater jigging aboard 'Offensive Tackle' Package for 2 anglers F$2,999 per person Valid for any charters after 15th January 2009 and before 31st March 2009

Photos

AdventureUs.com | GT Popper Casting Package, offered by Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort

marlin on a spinner on YouTube

Capt john up in Taveuni certainly has some fun!

Kadavu GTs

We recently had a one week special charter to target black marlin and flew in a professional deckie and friend of mine, Glen Gardener to back-up Joeli, my full time deckie. Glen normally deckies aboard 'Bounty Hunter' a 35 Bertram charterboat based out of Sydney, Australia. More on that when I get a chance to sort through recent pictures of leaping marlin....

By way of thanks to Glen for all his hard work we popped out on Bite Me on his last afternoon for a bit of fun with the GTs. I recently added a couple of heavyweight popper casting outfits to Bite Me's tackle inventory and it was the perfect opportunity to Christen them. Whilst I would love to run Daiwa Saltiga Explorers or Shimano Stellas, as a charterboat, we just can't justify the cost of these Ferraris, not to mention the risk of them going overboard. Instead I went for the Daiwa Emblem Pro 5500 on Shimano T Curve GT Special rods and this combo proved to be just the job.

We upped the popper size from our usual MILs and fired out a big Halco Roosta Popper 195 rigged on an 80lb twisted leader to target the bigger fish.

The Shimano GT Special loads up beautifully on a nice GT

One of several GTs finally comes to the boat

Hooks out (we crush the barbs for easy release) and a quick shapshot

Ahhh....A face only a mother could love.

The GTs cute though.

Recent Fish

Its been a rather windy few months but that hasn't stopped us getting out aboard Bite Me and fisnding some nice fish. Thought I would post a couple of recent pics before I write the next gamefishing report.

Jason Ashman, regular BlueWater magazine reader with a Kadavu GT

Plenty of Mahi mahi around at the moment

A cracker bull Mahi mahi for Mary Migge from California

Ken & Vivian Eastwood from NZ found some nice wahoo
Sorry Ken, the ladies always catch the biggest fish...

Ken had some fun with the GTs as well

Nigel from England was sure this must be a World Record....

Sorry mate, just another nice Kadavu wahoo !

Pacific Bluefin Tuna World Record

Lynn Salvidge and her husband bruce spent a couple of days in June aboard Bite Me having some fun with the wahoo and Lynn honed her big fish fighting skills taking a W-10kg line class Fiji National Record Pacific Sailfish.
With that record under her belt and the record hunters bug firmly caught she recently decided to have a go at a fish that heavy tackle record hunters dream of landing. The Pacific Bluefin tuna (thunnus orientalis), a fishery recently discovered on the Hokitika Trench off the West side of New Zealands South Island.
Fishing for these monsters is not for the feint hearted. There are only a handful of game boats able to reach these waters. They have to cross dangerous bars outside harbours, make at least a 40 mile run offshore and he weather conditions are nearly always attrocious. Once out on the grounds, game boats find and closely follow one of the huge Hoki factory trwalers that the bluefin follow to scavenge on scraps thrown overboard.

Lyn's trip was no exception. With snow on the grounds, freezing 40-45 knot winds and 3-4 meter swells, the crew fought awful weather and skipper Lance fished within yards of a huge Russian trawler. After 27 hours of hard fishing and whilst the other anglers snoozed below decks, Lyn hooked up in the dark using a whole Hoki bait and began a 63 minute fight with a monster bluefin on 60kg tackle.

Back on the dock the fish weighed in at 223kg and should earn Lyn a New Zealand and World Record.

Awsome fish Lyn - Rather you than me though. Think i'll stick to my nice warm Fiji waters.....

USA v Australia Ultra-Light Tackle Shootout

Well, its official. Somebody up there likes to have a laugh at my expense every winter. Each year Tim Simpson, Editor of BlueWater magazine (www.bluewatermag.com.au) and I take a 'busman's holiday' and get together for a week of fishing 4kg line class. 

Each year we discuss at length, plan and meticulously prepare tackle, rods, reels and tactics to target the run of big wahoo packs that gather along Kadavu island's Great Astrolabe barrier reef and each year the powers above select a suitably sized spanner and chuck it in the works.

This year's spanner was a straight run of 30 knot winds that began the day Tim arrived and eased the day Tim left.

If we didn't have to wait another year before trying again it would almost be funny.

Fortunately this year we were joined by world renown biologist, photographer, writer and TV show presenter and producer Bill Boyce and his partner in crime Diana Woods. (See some of Bill's hugely entertaining gamefishing TV shows for free at IGFA Angler's Digest www.IgfaAnglersDigest.com).

I have to say that having such knowledgeable fishermen together in the same cockpit was more than just instructional, it was down right entertaining as West Coast USA took on East coast Australia and the ensuing realms of fishing stories that drifted up to the bridge could have filled a novel. A very funny novel, all be it with an '18 - not for sale to minors' certification !

We looked hard for the wahoo but could only find the occasional juvenile fish of about 10lbs sheltering from the rough weather. With the big wahoo packs stubbornly staying on the unfishable wild side of the barrier reef, we turned our attention to the yellowfin and sailfish.

Whilst we trolled teasers and special Bill Boyce kawakawa belly flap circle rigged baits for the sails, (forever known now aboard Bite Me as 'BB Specials') Diana took the opportunity to turn herself from beginner to pro-light tackle angler with every strike and some world class advice and encouragement from the two pros.

By day two she had taken the W-04 Kawakawa and yellowfin tuna Fiji National Records. On day 4 she set the womens 4kg wahoo record and finally, on our last day together she displayed all her new found ultra-light tackle skills by taking the W-04 Giant Trevally Fiji National record. Anyone familiar with GTs will appreciate the skill envolved in taking one of these fish on 4kg (8lb) line class.

One day we were joined by Mike Thomas, angler from California and member of the Tuna Club of Avalon for the light tackle fun. He proceeded to smash the existing M-04 Barracuda Fiji record which was previously held by....er, Tim actually. Ooops !

As to the sails, we found quite a good bite. Bill had a sail hooked up for over an hour and we were getting close to the leader when the hook pulled. Tim fought a lively sail to the transom several times after some hard backing down in nasty chop that sent spray clear over the bridge. (yes I got very wet) We could have tagged several times but the record beckoned.

Just as Bill went in for yet another possible gaff shot the circle hook pulled. We had doubles and tripples but the most entertaining moments were when Tim hooked up to a dancing sail, Bill cranked in a minnow at full drag to clear it and just before it reached the transom, another sail raced in, gobbled the lure and sped away. 'Crack' went the line. The look on his face was just priceless, not to mention the ensuing colourful Californian West Coast string of verbal observations. It was a whole lot of fun. I can't wait to do it again.

See some of Bill's awesome underwater photographs at www.boyceimage.com

Catching your own bait is economical and can be great fun

By Ron Brooks, About.com

Finding bait, other than at the tackle shop of course, is not always the easiest thing to do. We can spend the twenty or thirty dollars for a variety of live bait in a variety of bait boxes and not worry about finding any, but lots of us have a better use for that money.

That is why I carry a cast net and a good supply of Sabiki rigs on my boat. The cast net I use for the bait that is inshore in relatively shallow water. The Sabiki rigs are for the bait we catch offshore.

In the summer, baitfish normally can be found in or close to the surf break along the beaches. They include menhaden shad and mullet, and when they are present, they are easy to catch with a good eight to ten foot radius cast net. In the Intracoastal Waterway or the creeks, a smaller cast net is required, and we catch smaller mullet, mud minnows, and shrimp.

Once we head out and the water is deeper than fifteen or twenty feet, a cast net is essentially useless. It can’t sink fast enough to capture the bait before they swim out from under it. I have watched many a novice throw a five-foot cast net over a school of bait swimming in ninety feet of water. It simply will not work!

In the deeper water we use a Sabiki rig. Made by a number of companies, they consist of a six-foot length of monofilament to which is tied six to eight branches of line with a very small hook on the end. These hooks, from a number 4 to a number 10, have a small piece of tough Mylar tied to them and they do well imitating small shrimp or fish.

As I said, a number of tackle companies offer these rigs. The one I have been most successful with over the last year has been the Daiichi “Bleeding Hook” brand. It is made the same as other brands, except it uses their trademark red hooks. Even as small as they are, these hooks are extremely sharp, and the red color catches more bait than other rigs. I proved it myself several times over this past year.

While two of us catch the bait, the third and fourth angler removes the bait from the hooks and tosses them into the live well or if a bit too damaged into the bait box. It is a well-orchestrated affair that consumes less time than all four anglers catching bait. With the Daiichi Bleeding Hook rigs I would invariably come up with six or baitfish – on eon every hook – while my partner brought up two or three. We even traded rods to see if it was the Daiichi rigs or me. Much as I want to say it was me – it was not. Those red hooks won out. In fact, I have even moved to the bleeding hooks for most all of my terminal tackle. Simply put - they work.

Cast nets can run well over a hundred dollars for a large one, and around fifty for a small one. Bait rigs run around three bucks apiece. While the cast nets can be used for years if you care for them properly, the bait rigs are only good for one trip. The hassle of trying to wind up eight very small, very sharp hooks without tangling them is not worth the fight in my book. Someone needs to come up with a way to store them for use again another day!
Even with the initial costs, if you fish a lot, catching your own bait is far more cost effective in the long run. If you only fish occasionally, buying your bait is obviously cheaper. The problem is a lot of the bait we catch is unavailable in tackle shops.

Heck, it’s actually fun to catch your own bait. On a recent trip that netted only a handful of fish, my party told his wife we had caught over a hundred fish. I was puzzled until I realized he was including the bait! He had as much fun catching the bait as he did anything else!

The Right Bait By Ron Brooks, on Saltfishing.About.com

Info on Gamefishing

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Anglers ready to fish at Denarau’s first International tournament

Anglers ready to fish

The Denarau Game & Sports Fishing Club is hosting Fiji’s largest ever fishing tournament and Denarau’s first International tournament.

The tournament started yesterday with registration and captains briefing followed by a Calcutta and the fishing proper is scheduled to begin this morning and continue until Friday, August 8th with one rest day in between.

The official prize giving ceremony will be held on Saturday, August 9 at the Cardo’s Steakhouse.

The event is hosting twenty fishing boats, with at least 120 anglers (recreational fishers) participating in the tournament – local anglers will mix with competitors that are traveling from as far a field as Texas, Brisbane, Sydney, and New Zealand.

Over $30,000 worth of prizes are up for grabs, including Fishing Rods & Reels, assorted Fishing Gear, Holiday Packages with Airfares, and a host of other prizes.

The competition will be run from Denarau Marina, which was selected due to its close proximity to deepwater fishing grounds and world class facilities.

Members of the public are invited to come along to the official ‘weigh-ins’ that will be held each afternoon of the tournament. During the ‘weigh-in’ each competitor presents their catch for the day, the fish are weighed and each team is assigned its score.

The ‘weigh-ins’ are an exciting way to follow the competition and to witness the variety of fish that can be found in the waters of the Mamanucas.

The weigh-ins also have a festive atmosphere with live music and a bar. The weigh-ins will be held at 5.30pm on Monday, August 4 to Friday, August 8 (excluding Wednesday, August 6), on the deck of Cardo’s Restaurant, Denarau Marina.

The prize-giving ceremony will be held on Saturday, August 9 at 12.30pm (lunchtime) at Cardo’s restaurant. Members of the public are invited to witness the culmination of the competition for free.

Tickets to the prize-giving lunch are also available from the tournament desk at Cardo’s Restaurant Deck at Port Denarau from Sunday, August 3 onwards.

For further information log onto the Denarau Game & Sports Fishing website at www.dgsfcfiji.com or contact Marc McElrath on mobile 9997 230.

For media queries contact Craig McElrath on mobile 9997 235 or Nicky Thomson on mobile 9923 182.

TOURNAMENT SPONSORS:

The tournament’s main sponsor is Riviera Fiji.

Other significant sponsors include Air Pacific, Pacific Sun, Island Hoppers, McDonalds, Gamefish Fiji, Marine Power, Terry Allen Construction, Cardo’s Steakhouse, Mokosoi Soaps, Asco Motors, Marshall Sails, Tourist Transport of Fiji, Savusavu Hot Springs Hotel, Uprising Resort, Sofitel Resort & Spa, Awesome Adventures, Kilwell NZ, NZ Fishing News, Wellesly Tackle, Pacific Harbour Gamefishing Club, Coca Cola Amatil, Saltwater Real Estate, Demar Fishing Ltd, Imported Marine Accessories, Xtsea Fishing Charters, Biz Clothing, BP Aviation, Lawhill Wines, Fiji Daily Post, Ice Man, M Recht Accessories, SK Davey Ltd and Fiji Gas.

By NICOLA THOMSON

Fiji Daily Post News - Anglers ready to fish

Bite Me Mystery Guest of the Month

Clues:
This mystery guest hails from the sunny West Coast of California with a sunny disposition to match.

A world renown photographer, his underwater and gamefish pictures are eagerly sought by magazines around the world.

Marine bilologist, writer, expert angler and now award winning TV show presenter and producer, you have probably seen him on TV.

The one and only Bill Boyce

Check out Bill's extraordinary photographs at www.boyceimage.com (you will be blown away by his pictures). Read his entertaining ramblings in the pages of BlueWater magazine www.bluewatermag.com.au or see him in action presenting one of his award winning shows at www.igfaanglersdigest.com

The 29th Annual TELLY Awards | Press Release

Matava was the recent star on one of IGFA Angler's Digest who won a couple of Telly Awardsfor the episodes!

The Telly Awards honor the very best local, regional, and cable television commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions, and work created for the Web.

29th Annual Telly Awards Winners Announced
Telly again proudly honors the very best commercials, videos, films and internet work
www.tellyawards.com

New York City, NY -- (June 24, 2008) The Winners of the 29th Annual Telly Awards have been announced. With 13,500 entries from all 50 states and around the world, this year’s competition has been one of the most competitive and successful in the long history of the Telly Awards.

Founded in 1979, the Telly Awards is the premier award honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, the finest film and video productions, and groundbreaking web commercials, videos and films. Winners represent the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators, and corporate video departments in the world.

This year’s Winners include companies, agencies and organizations of all sizes, from large multinational media companies to small ad agencies and local production houses. A sample of Silver Telly Winners includes AMC, American Heart Association, Chicago Tribune, Chick-fil-A, Clear Channel Creative Services Group, Comcast, Disney Destinations,LLC., Eagles Television Network, ESPN, FamilyNet, Film House, Inc., Gaiam, Inc., Golf Channel, Harpo Studios, HBO Latin American Group, JWT Team Detroit, Kohl's Department Stores, Lockheed Martin, M&C Saatchi, Macys North,

NASA Television, NBA Entertainment, NBC Universal Global Networks Italia s.r.l., Outdoor Channel, PBS, PGA Tour Productions, SCI FI Channel, Sports Illustrated, The Boeing Company, The Christian Broadcasting Network, The Weather Channel, Time Life, Time Warner Cable, TV Guide Network, and Warner Bros. To view the complete list of Silver Telly Winners for the 29th Annual competition, please visit www.tellyawards.com.

A prestigious judging panel of over 40 accomplished industry professionals, each a past Winner of a Silver Telly, the top honor, judged the competition, upholding the historical standard of excellence that Telly represents. Judges evaluated entries to recognize distinction in creative work - entries do not compete against each other - rather entries are judged against a high standard of merit. Less than 10% of entries are chosen as Winners of a Silver Telly, our highest honor. Other outstanding work is awarded a Bronze Telly.

Chairman of the judging panel, Richard Friley, the Emmy and Telly Award winning President of Friley Productions noted, "As judging chairman, our judges are honored to have evaluated such an incredible body of work. The diverse pool of entries represents the best of traditional and online video and was an inspiration to us all. The quality of work exceeded our expectations, even in this challenging overall market and it is a true accomplishment for our winners”

To find out more about the Telly Awards, please visit our website at www.tellyawards.com.

The 29th Annual TELLY Awards | Press Release