Kadavu GT Popping Update

We had an unusual summer of popper casting for GTs with the La Nina weather paterns making for unfavourable conditions and sometimes a very poor bite by our standards.
On a normal summer season day with a couple of anglers popping we expect around a 10 GT average and 15-20 on a hot bite day. This season we averaged about 5....

One after another, summer tropical depressions came by to the West of the Fiji Islands on their way South. Normally they sink by us to the East. These tropical lows sent some sizable South Westerly swells that churned up the inner lagoon water...which emptied out of the passageways. They also stalled the current that normally sweeps along the outer barrier reef bring clear oceanic waters. So coloured water emptied out of the lagoons...and just stayed there with little or no current to clear it away.
The solution aboard Bite Me - Stickbaits !
In a normal year we generally catch 75% of our GTs on poppers...This year we landed at least half the GTs on stickbaits.

The Nomad Wahho & Dogtooth stickbaits were very effective

Also the Orion Bigfoot in Fusilear colour

The best poppers this season were still the Cuberas, Craftbaits, Buffalo, Orions and of course if you have the cash..FCL and Hammerheads...

Cubera / El Toro still produced

Even so, some late summer season anglers did get some reasonably good GT fishing with most fish averaging 15-20kg and a few bigger ones around the 25-30kg.

Now that's a seriously long pencil for a Bluefin Trevally !

September GT Popping

John and Angela from Manchester England recently stayed with us at Matava Eco- Adventure Resort. The reason for their stay ? To get married on holiday. The REAL reason for their stay - to fish !

Even though we are out of the normal GT Popping season, we managed to find some nice GTs. They were both very experienced fly fishers with many tarpon, bonefish and Pompano under their belts but this was their first proper go at GT popping.

Big bruiser head on this fella

The weather was a bit ordinary and the wahoo were thinning out so we spent most of our time popping. Big waves outside the barrier reef made the best GT spots a little tricky but the seas were beautiful inside the reef.

Tricky casting conditions

GT Heaven

Anybody fancy a swim ?

Nope.... Too busy catching these...

...and these...

25kg Narrow Barred Mackerel on a Heru Cubera popper

A smaller GT showing black colouration

Even the grouper were hitting poppers

Congratulations to John and Angela !
(oh, and the wedding thing as well.....)

Busted Cubera Popper

Here is something you don't see every day. A Nomad Cubera 150 Popper (also sold in the Far East as an ' El Toro" ) with a centre swivel letting go on a big GT.
To be fair, This popper took a battering all week aboard Bite Me and Tease Me, it did let go on a very big GT and its the first time I have ever seen it happen.....
Just goes to show, the big GTs here can break anything !