Spent a week fishing at Matava with some friends. Although in some respects 'basic' I found the facilities to be more modern/adequate than their website indicated, which meant I was pleasantly surprised.
The real magic of the place is the location and service. All of the staff couldn't have been more welcoming, helpful or friendly. Add to this a pristine and amazing location, great food and a nice atmosphere and you have the ingredients for a perfect holiday destination.
We had great weather and Adrian and Joe (the fishing crew) really know their trade and are a great pleasure to fish with. Each of the 3 of us caught new personal bests, some of us in multiple species. I still can't wipe the smile off my face.
We were sharing the resort at the time with a group of 18 divers, and they were absolutely loving it as well.
If you are into diving, fishing, other water activities like snorkeling and kayaking, or just in to relaxing without the need to be pampered in a 5 star resort, this is a place you should visit. I am already planning my return.
Magic - Review of Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort, Kadavu Island, Fiji - TripAdvisor
24 Jan 2010
Magic - TripAdvisor
23 Jan 2010
Fantastic - Fishing Trip of A Lifetime - Review of Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort, Kadavu Island, Fiji - TripAdvisor
Two friends and I stayed here for a week whilst fishing with Adrian, one of the owners of the resort. The fishing was world class, and we all agreed it was the best fishing trip we have done.
Fantastic - Fishing Trip of A Lifetime - Review of Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort, Kadavu Island, Fiji - TripAdvisor
17 Jan 2010
Monster Dogtooth Tuna Day
We have just had a monster day jigging aboard Bite Me for Dogtooth Tuna....
Scott, Dave and Tim from Australia didn't know what they had let themselves in for when they broke out their jig outfits and asked "Do you get Dogtooth Tuna here ?"
"Er...Yes" I said..."Want to catch one ?"
We landed a few amberjack, small grouper and several small doggies from 5 to 25 kg then at at 11.45 we found the big ones..... Scott and Tim loaded up with fish that just melted line off their Stellas like they were attached to a couple of freight trains. As Bite Me moved ahead to keep pace with the unstoppable fish, Dave brought his jig up shallow and got nailed by a 25kg wahoo....
Now we have a tripple hook-up with a wahoo steaming around on the surface and two big dogtooth making for New Zealand down at 200m..... This just got interesting....
Three jig outfits loaded upSo...we knock off the wahoo first whilst keeping pace with the big dogtooth tunas...
Dave's nice Wahoo on the jigAfter about 20 minutes Tim's Doggie starts to tire and Tim steadily works his fish to the surface...and what a cracker doggie it is....around 55kg..
Tim's first monster DoggieThen after half an hour Scott's fish begins to tire under relentless pressure and Scott manages to haul his fish out of the depths. This doggie is even bigger, later weighing in at 63kg (around 138lbs)
Fish of a lifetime for Scott on the right... We try to revive the fish for a release but to no avail...its just too tired. Its not suffering from barotrauma so we don't want to drop the fish down with a release weight, release, and not know if its ok.
Swimming a big dogtooth can be tricky
Keep you hands and fingers well clear !
That's quite a haul for a tripple hook-up ! But we were not done yet...the day was young....we had not even had lunch yet !
Down go the jigs again and Wham ! Scott is straight into another small doggie around 25kg (later released) but Tim is bent over the gunwhale desperately clinging onto his rod as line peels off his reel again...muttering "oh no...oh no..." whilst Dave takes pictures of Tim's look of horror as he watches his spool empty.
Tim's second big Doggie
The sheer width and bulk of a big Dogtooth Tuna is mindblowingIt was at this point ( I am very happy to say) that the guys decided enough is enough... Three huge doggies on deck is enough fish for anybody. We didn't want to risk not being able to release any more fish. We ended our couple of hours jigging session with 10 Dogtooth Tuna and managed to release 4 of them. We pulled up sticks and went back to the GT popper casting....
What did you do today ?The GTs Just Keep Coming
Another good day for Scott, Tim and Dave. Perfect popper casting weather...
Scott ponders his next GT hole
Tim loads up his HOTS Gipang 79XH
Dave set to release another GT2 GTs on One Popper !
Anthony & Doug from Australia had some fun with Kadavu Island's big GTs but topped the fishing off with something that not many people have done. Doug had several GTs fighting over the same popper and managed to hook up two on the same popper....at the same time....
Doug fought them to the boat and presented deckie Joe with a tricky problem....how to slide in two GTs through the transom door at the same time whilst Doug pondered on how he was going to hold up two GTs at the same time !
Unfortunately, or fortunately, one GT flipped off the hooks just as Joe hauled them gently in...
Anthony with one of many Kadavu GTs
A healthy looking Red Bass
11 Jan 2010
Today's best GTs
Just finished our first day of poppering with Scott Maybury, Dave and Tim from Australia. Bit of a quiet morning but we got some nice GTs after the tide turned.
Scott landed the best GT of the day of at least 35kg on a black Hammerhead popper.
Scott with the best fish of the day - not easy to hold 35+kg after a big fight !
Tim with a healthy GT
Dave's best fish todayWeather forecast for tomorrow looks perfect...
4 Jan 2010
Greenfish - By Anglers - For Fish
Introducing Greenfish - By Anglers | For Fish
We are a group of passionate saltwater and freshwater anglers who promote conservation and are concerned about the sustainability of our fisheries and the future of our sport. We are pro-fishing, but against over killing and we know we are not alone.
While many recreational anglers practice some form of catch and release and promote conservation today, we still feel there is much more action needed. By influencing other groups to conserve, raising awareness about declining fish stocks and bringing more attention to the conservation efforts that the fishing community is involved with, we can make a difference. We at Greenfish believe that fishing and conservation can go hand in hand and the Greenfish brand represents this intersection.
The Greenfish Mission & Pledge to Our Planet
It is our mission to be the premier lifestyle brand which helps improve our marine environments and reduces over-fishing while promoting and protecting the sport of recreational fishing. Greenfish will create the movement and drive a cultural shift to becoming more responsible stewards of our waters and fisheries.
Greenfish - By Anglers - For Fish
