25 Jun 2009

Cheap Flights - Flight Specials - Air Pacific

$863 -- Fiji from Los Angeles (Roundtrip), incl. Taxes* new

Fares to Fiji from Los Angeles have been slashed to an amazing price of $863 roundtrip, including taxes. This fare is available for travel June 10 - Dec. 30 on Air Pacific to Nadi on Fiji's the main island of Viti Levu.

This sale ends July 14.

Click here to purchase tickets directly with Air Pacific. Look for the "Get Packing" fare at a base fare of $565. Final price will include approximately $298 in taxes and fees.


Cheap Flights - Flight Specials - Air Pacific

24 Jun 2009

THE INVITATIONAL INTERNATIONAL GAME FISHING TOURNAMENT 2009

THE INVITATIONAL INTERNATIONAL
GAME FISHING TOURNAMENT
2009


SPONSORED BY VODAFONE FIJI LTD
In association with Fosters Group & Shimano

The International Game Fishing Club is proud to announce that the Invitational International Game Fishing Tournament is to take place on 24th-28th June, 2009 at Club Oceanus - 1 Atoll Place, Pacific Harbour.

3 days fishing, daily weigh-in, prize giving luncheon and events.

Team entry (4 anglers) ONLY $400 Additional anglers (max 2 per team) $100

Contact Rebecca on 9422380 or 3450 498 to secure your place in Fiji's most prestigious game fishing event!

International Game Fishing Club Fiji

23 Jun 2009

World Record !

Day two of our ultra-light tackle World Record hunting quest turned into a day to remember when we found the first wahoo pack....
With three rods set and a Boone Sundancer teaser run down the prop wash, carnage ensued when the wahoo pack mass attacked. Three reels instantly lit up and a seriously mauled teaser flashed a mayday as it was repeatedly struck by multiple wahoo. We didn't stand a chance as one after the other, we got bitten off. With such a large pack right under Bite Me and lines cris-crossing the surface waters, anything moving got chomped...including leaders, swivels, plaited doubles...
So, we re-tie doubles, re-set with new leaders and lures and off we go again...
At around 12.00 we run over another wahoo pack and once again everything lights up. This time though its curtains for the teaser as its is again repeatedly struck by one wahoo after another. Deckie Joe hauls it in as fast as he can watching one wahoo after another tear in for a bite. Just as the teaser clears the water the last wahoo screams in and launches at the teaser in mid air. For a second I thought the fish was going to clear the transom and land in the cockpit but it missed the corner by a couple of inches and landed beside the boat, along with the disintegrated remains of half the teaser...
Probably a good job too what with us being connected to three wahoo on 4kg at the time...not exactly what you want flipping and snapping about the cockpit floor !
Now we got lucky...with Tim on a rod, Bill on a rod and Matava Resort Director Richard on a rod and each wahoo steaming off in a different direction, something had to give. Richard's wahoo headed back to the pack and 'chomp' went the pack on Richard's lure, leader, swivel and double.
The other two however headed away from the pack - Now we have a chance !
Tims fish seemed to not be able to make up its mind where it actually wanted to go and we almost got an early shot at the leader but just a few feet shy of Joe's grasp the fish finally came to a decision and headed off left and down deep. Meanwhile Bill's fish stayed shallow but headed right...
Hmmm...Interesting dilema for a skipper... Go backwards hard for a shot at the shallow fish and probably at best lose a lot of line to the deep fish...or stay put and keep that deep fish in range.
We didn't know which was bigger so we sat still. Now it was down to angler skill for a while.
For the first half hour Bill's fish just cruised the surface as Bill fought to turn its head or coax it into a circle towards Bite Me. Tim's fish just crept line off the spool as Tim applied the maximum pressure he dared with a little extra finger pressure on the line. At one point Tim had upwards of 500 yards of line out and Bill a good 400.
The next half hour was pretty much a stalemate with me gently nudging Bite Me backwards whenever I could help the anglers make some line. At about the 50 minute mark Tim's fish finally started to tire and after Tim managed to just get the head angle up a fraction he began to slowly plane the fish upwards in gentle circles.

Here we go, we probably have one shot at this as the wahoo circles in towards Bite Me. Everybody on board is holding their breath as they see the big wahoo dorsal and tail break the surface and circle in towards us. Tim steps back, Joe takes the leader and Richard goes in with the gaff....and nails it perfectly. Textbook !

Cameras flash
When we see the wahoo's head come over the covering board Tim's realises that not only did he just hook, fight and land a good wahoo on 4kg...its a VERY good wahoo...in fact its possibly a World Record wahoo !

A World Record smile !
I have never seen a grin that big before ! Lots of high fives and cameras flashing but hang on - Bill is still hooked up !and his fish is starting to tire...and Bill is now making line back on the reel...He works the fish till Joe calls "Colour !" and BANG ! The little Shimano TLD 5 spool implodes under the extreme line pressure.. $#$$ !! Unfazed, Bill grabs the line off the rod tip and with fingertips keeps the pressure on and the fish is still coming up...a birds nest of line at his feet....a minute later, Joe grabs the leader and Tim goes in with the gaff..Success ! 2 wahoo landed on 4kg line class and some serious bragging rights earned for the resort bar happy hour.
Bills excellent wahoon on 4kg complete with birdsnest line and wrecked spool
Bills fish looked to be over 20kg but Tim's fish was bigger and had us all guessing. With the existing World Record standing for the past 10 years at just over 25kg we knew we might well have done it...but nobody wanted to celebrate yet.
We carefully put the wahoo in a kill bag with the lure and leader and over 50ft of line attached and floored it for Matava Resort, an IGFA Weighstation.

The fish weighed in at 31.60kg and is now a pending new IGFA World Record.


Yeah Baby !

22 Jun 2009

World Record Hunt - Day 1

Its that time of year again when I take a few days off, join with a couple of friends and have some fun World Record hunting for trophy gamefish on ultra-light tackle. I was once again joined by Tim Simpson, Editor of BlueWater magazine and world renown biologist and photographer Bill Boyce, both of whom are experts in the field of ultra-light gamefishing.
We began the hunt on 4kg (8lb) IGFA Line class tackle trolling small Halco & Bluewater F18 minnows for wahoo and Zacatack skirted lures rigged with Pakula Katana hooks for Pacific sailfish. We also ran coke can & daisy chain teasers for the sails and a big pink Boone teaser down the middle for the wahoo.
It wasn't long before we raised the fist sail. Bill fought this feisty sail for an action packed 15 minutes as we charged around backwards after the leaping billfish. Fortunately for us, the sail stayed on the surface and we were able to pounce on the leader after just 20 minutes.

The Sail comes on board with Bill's 4kg tackle in the foreground

Bill with his new Fiji National Record on 4kg line class

Bill landed the fish using a Shimano TLD5 spooled with Platypus Pre-Test line on a Daiwa Saltiga 24kg jig rod.
The sail earned Bill a new M-04 Fiji National Record weighing in at 31.40 kg.
Not an hour later we raised the next sail. With a record fish already on board this fish was always going to be tagged and released, even if it was bigger (which it was !)
Tim did a superb job as we once again charged Bite Me around backwards at every opportunity to gain back line. When Joe finally took the leader, Bill threw on a mask and some fins, grabbed his camera and was over the side like a shot. We tagged and released the fish as Bills' camera fired of shot after shot. I have had a sneak preview of the photos (they are awsome !) and will post a couple once Bill has sorted through all his pictures from this week. If you can't wait, check out bill's website at www.boyceimage.com
We jumped off yet another sail later in the day but appart from a 70-80lb fish rocketing 20ft into the air right behind the boat, the wahoo were a little shy on day one.
Day 2 however...well, that's a whole different story...

12 Jun 2009

International Game Fish Association :: Wegmans Goes Marlin Free; Endorses Take Marlin Off the Menu C

Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. (www.wegmans.com), based in Rochester, N.Y., reaffirms its commitment to selling sustainable seafood by becoming the first supermarket chain to endorse the Take Marlin Off the Menu Campaign (www.takemarlinoffthemenu.org) and refusing to sell marlin, sailfish and spearfish at its 72 stores located throughout New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia and Maryland.

In recognition of Wegmans' commitment to not selling marlin, the Take Marlin Off the Menu Campaign, launched eight months ago by three leading marine conservation non-profits, wants consumers to know they can purchase seafood at their nearest Wegmans supermarket with the full knowledge that Wegmans is officially "Marlin Free." The Take Marlin Off the Menu Campaign was launched by the International Game Fish Association (www.igfa.org), the National Coalition for Marine Conservation (www.savethefish.org), and The Billfish Foundation (www.billfish.org).

As a leader in the supermarket industry, Wegmans urges other supermarket chains throughout the United States to follow its lead in not selling marlin, and helping to raise awareness among consumers that marlin populations are in serious danger due to overharvesting by commercial fishing fleets.

Supporting the Take Marlin Off the Menu Campaign is in keeping with Wegmans' reputation for innovation. Founded in 1916, Wegmans is recognized as a leader throughout its industry, distinguished for its innovative approaches to customer service. In 2008, Wegmans published its Sustainable Seafood Sourcing Philosophy, a policy that has been followed for many years and is promoted at all Wegmans stores, as well as on its website. Wegmans also posts a chart of items sold in its stores that are certified sustainable and those which are not sold due to sustainability concerns.

"As an industry, we have a great deal of influence in what Americans eat," says Carl Salamone, vice president of seafood. "Every day, in supermarkets across the country, consumers ask seafood professionals what's great to eat. That's when we can point consumers to fish and seafood that is flavorful and good for our environment. Because when the marlin are gone, we all lose."

The ultimate goal of the Take Marlin Off the Menu Campaign is, through education and political advocacy, to end the commercial harvest, sale and importation of marlin, sailfish and spearfish in the United States, according to Jason Schratwieser, conservation director for the International Game Fish Association (IGFA).

"This is a huge step for our campaign because Wegmans is respected by consumers for its commitment to customer service," adds Ken Hinman, president of the National Coalition for Marine Conservation, located in the Washington D.C. area, "as well as throughout the supermarket industry for its innovation. We applaud Wegmans for stepping forward among its peers in the supermarket industry and coming out on the side of marlin and other billfish."

In addition to Wegmans, a growing number of restaurants support Take Marlin Off the Menu, including Wolfgang Puck Companies, which operate some of the most well known restaurants in the world.

The challenge facing the Take Marlin Off the Menu Campaign is drawing awareness to the plight of marlin and other billfish, says Ellen Peel, president of The Billfish Foundation. Unfortunately, many Americans are not aware that marlin have suffered a dramatic population decline. According to a national Harris Interactive consumer survey of 2,078 consumers conducted on February 25, 2009, and sponsored by the Take Marlin Off the Menu Campaign, 93 percent of American consumers were unaware that the populations of marlin have declined 80 percent from their peak several decades ago, before the advent of large-scale commercial fishing worldwide.

"However, according to our national consumer survey," Peel added, "when consumers become aware of the plight of billfish such as marlin, 78 percent of American consumers say they won't order or buy marlin. With this insight, we know that our job is to increase awareness of this issue and to persuade restaurants and seafood retailers to embrace our cause."

Marlin, sailfish, and spearfish are collectively called "billfish" because the long extension of their upper jawbone looks like a spear or bill. Marlin, the largest of the billfish species, have powerful muscular bodies, can weigh as much as a ton, and roam throughout the oceans feeding on smaller fish and keeping marine ecosystems in balance. As apex predators in the ocean, they serve the same role as lions, tigers and wolves on land.

About IGFA

The International Game Fish Association (www.igfa.org), based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is a not-for-profit organization committed to the conservation of game fish and the promotion of responsible, ethical angling practices through science, education, rule making and record keeping. Founded in 1939, the IGFA is internationally known for maintaining and publishing world records for saltwater and freshwater catches, and for maintaining the world's most comprehensive fishing hall of fame and museum.

About the National Coalition for Marine Conservation

The National Coalition for Marine Conservation (NCMC), based in Leesburg, Va., was founded in 1973 by conservation-minded anglers and is dedicated exclusively to conserving ocean fish and their environment. NCMC works to prevent overfishing, reduce fish bycatch and protect habitat for a wide variety of ocean fish. The group specializes in identifying problems and finding solutions; educating the public; developing proactive conservation strategies; and networking with like-minded fishing and environmental organizations. For more information about the NCMC, visit www.savethefish.org.

About The Billfish Foundation

The Billfish Foundation (TBF) is a science-based, non-profit organization dedicated to conserving and enhancing billfish populations worldwide, working through research, education and advocacy. TBF's comprehensive network of members and supporters includes anglers, captains, mates, tournament directors, clubs, and sportfishing businesses. TBF provides support to regional groups by contributing expertise in science, socio-economics, education and fisheries policy to help find solutions to billfish threats so fishing opportunities will remain available. For more information about TBF, visit www.billfish.org.

Website: http://www.takemarlinoffthemenu.org
Website: http://www.igfa.org
Website: http://www.savethefish.org
Website: http://www.billfish.org

International Game Fish Association :: Wegmans Goes Marlin Free; Endorses Take Marlin Off the Menu C

8 Jun 2009

Traveller Reviews - Peaceful and Relaxing - TripAdvisor

Matava is a tiny eco resort with room for only about 22 guests.

All guests eat together and we made some great friends this way. The staff are unique and funny. The location is so lovely, by the sea and very remote so it feels like a real adventure to actually be there.

Great snorkling and I wasn`t bored at all just soaking it all up. Fill up on the real fijian experience!

Kadavu Island: Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort - Traveller Reviews - Peaceful and Relaxing - TripAdvisor