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