New Great Barracuda Record

Tim Simpson, Editor of Australia's prestigious BlueWater magazine recently visited Matava Eco-Adventure Resort to co-host a couple of episodes of Bill Boyce's new show IGFA Saltwater Adventures. This show is soon to be aired on the WFN in the USA.
In between a bit of general gamefishing, Tim found time to run a couple of his ultra-light outfits and tested a couple of the new Fin Nor reels spooled with Platypus Pre-Test 3kg line

Tim is more concerned about his potential M-03 Fiji Record as Bill checks out the footage

Safe aboard !

This new pending Fiji National Record Great Barracuda was tempted by a Halco Laser-Pro, our favored lure choice when hunting for IGFA World Records.
On Tim's last visit he landed the new and still current IGFA Wahoo World Record on 4kg line with a Halco Laser Pro 190.

The new pending Fiji National Record Great Barracuda with Tim and outfit used

IGFA Saltwater Adventures at Matava Eco-Adventure Resort

Matava Eco-Adventure Resort staff and villagers from Kadavu Village put on a traditional Meke for the WFN Network "IGFA Saltwater Adventures show". Presenter Bill Boyce is given the low-down by Maggie - Matava's Guest Services Manager.


Meanwhile....Tim Simpson, Editor of Australia's prestigeous BlueWater Magazine gets stuck into some deepwater Opakapaka fishing....

TIM'S World Record

Hi Guys,

Thought you may be interested to know you made the Gold Coast press with Tim’s wahoo catch.

Cheers,

Renee Rogowski

Sub-editor

BlueWater Boats & Sportsfishing magazine  

BlueWater Publishing Pty Ltd

PO Box 1456, Runaway Bay

Queensland, 4216 Australia

Tel: (07) 5501 5410

Website: www.bluewatermag.com.au

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 !

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

More Fiji National Records fall to Bite Me !

This week I had the pleasure of that renown angler, author and editor of BlueWater magazine, Tim Simpson fishing aboard Bite Me.

Tim and I get together every July and troll ultra-light 4kg line class for Kadavu's annual run of big wahoo and Pacific sailfish fish that gather along the barrier reef slopes. This ultra light fun fest is timed to coincide with the start of the season thought this year we were a few days early and the bite was just firing up at the end of the week. Its what I call 'my annual week off' and we just go out there to have some fun and target a couple of IGFA World Records.

I run Avet SX reels on custom Stickfacewrangler all roller 4kg rods and Tim brought a couple of his Shimano TLD15s on Daiwa and Custom rods.This year we were trying out the new orange Platypus Lo-Stretch IGFA line which proved to be excellent for visibility and sensitivity. Tim brought a bag full of Halco minnows and Williamson skirted lures which we took great delight in sacrificing to the hungry yellowfin that plagued our every move.

The small schooling fish of about 15-20lbs were hours of entertainment but we finally skirted the little ones and Tim hooked up a more respectable yellowfin that dived for the depths and challenged us with a stubbornness that only yellowfin do so well.

Calling for some investigative boat manoevering to find the direction the tuna was happiest with and 50 minutes of gaining line inch by inch only to watch it scream off again, we finally boated a new M-04kg Fiji National Record Yellowfin Tuna. Weighing in at 14.6kg (32lbs) it was not a massive tuna by any standards but significant on 4 kilo line class and tastey to boot!

Not content with a yellowfin record, we then proceeded to hook up some lively little mahi mahi which cavorted across the ocean waves in typical mahi fashion. The largest of which weighed in at 7.2kg (16lbs) setting a new record for Fiji mahi on 4 kilo line class.

Fishing 4 kilo line class in Fiji waters is entirely beyond the comprehension of most local anglers. Fish are generally caught here for food not for sport. Most local anglers consider 10 kilo line class to be 'light tackle' and look on in horror when I pitch up at the Pacific Harbour 3 day International tournament with a plethora of 4,6 and 8kg outfits.

Last year (2006) we took 2 National light tackle Records and our anglers walked away with thousands of dollars in prizes, much to the chagrin of some of the 'old guard'!

This week, the yellowfin were so prolific that it was common to have multiple hook-ups, even when trolling right beside the barrier reef. Deckie Joe frequently found himself clearing second and third rods with yellowfin attached. I often had to run down from the bridge to clear rods as Tim and Joe had their hands full of speeding tuna.

One morning, whilst trolling a mixed spread for wahoo and sailfish, we got jumped by yellowfin in the usual manner. (lots of shouting and screaming reels). Tim selected a rod and Joe then selected the next.

Out on the rigger however, the skipbait garfish with Pakula Fluzy rigged on the nose simply sat quietly and slowly began to sink as I nudged Bite Me to a stop. No problem there I thought, these were only very small tuna and Tim was already making headway with his fish coming under control. Jut leave the skipbait out there - its well clear of the props and the anglers lines.

Suddenly the rigger clip pops and the reel gives a short sharp ratchet blast. Tim starts yelling "Strike on the rigger" but I'm not so sure. Its not that deep here and that skipbait might just have sunk deep enough to snag coral. (Oops..Darn).

A second later the reel starts to tick over and Tim calls me down from the bridge to grab the rod. I'm still not convinced its a fish.... By now the two little tuna are coming on board and Tim pops up to the bridge to drive on the fish I don't think I have. Moments later all doubts are dispelled as the bit of coral I envisage on the end of my line barrels off seaward in a long thumping run.

Hmmm... What eats a sinking skipbait in 40 meters of water right next to the reef....Dogtooth tuna ? shark ? Oh oh, was that skipbait rigged on wire leader for wahoo or mono for a sail ? Sinking feeling...I can see this all ending in tears...but after 10 minutes, I am still connected (Phew! wire rig)

So, anyhow, long story short...from gain a bit / lose a lot to gain a lot / lose a bit we finally get colour and all eyes are on the fish to try to see what it is just in case it busts us off on the home stretch and we don't identify it. (Don't go there - its a painful experience) Lo and behold up comes a very grumpy Giant Trevally. Now, we normally release GT's but this one turns out to be a new Fiji National Record on 4 kilo line. I have to say I was quite chuffed at landing a GT on 4kg line after an hour long fight so close to the reef as these bruisers are notorious for spooling or 'reefing' anglers even on heavy tackle so I elected to weigh the fish which set a new Fiji record of 10.20kg (22.5lbs). Very nice, Thank you. Beers all round!

The wahoo and sails just didn't cooperate with us this week as the water temperature hovered at 26.6 but all the other species here kept us busy with screaming reels and busted lines. Tim had a definite world record wahoo on but the line mysteriously parted about 15 minutes into the fight. Probably got bit by another fish. He also fought a sailfish for over 5 hours and my colleague Richard fought a yellowfin for over 4 hours. More on that later.

To all you heavy tackle anglers out there, the next time you skull drag a mahi or wahoo in on your 130lb marlin gear, imagine how much fun it would have been to fight that fish on 8lb line.....4 hour chair fight on a big blue marlin?

Pah. Try a 50lb yellowfin on 8 pound line. Now thats what I call a fight. Any takers?

Welcome to casualangler.com

Subject: Re: Welcome to "casualangler.com" - http://casualangler.com/phpBB3

Hi John,

Not too bad but the wahoo bite has just started in ernest and the sailfish packs are starting to show now so all the fishing for the next few months will be light tackle for those guys.

Just spent a week fishing 8lb line class with Tim Simpson (BlueWater magazine) on Bite Me for wahoo & sails which can be a bit risky round these parts what with all the yellowfin. Fought one yellowfin for 4 hours and 5 minutes and we were just beginning to win when the Shimano TLD reel exploded under the line crush strain. Blew the ratchet clean out of the boat and the spool imploded.

Lost a possible world record sailfish after a 5+ hour fight. We were still fighting after dark and the deck lights attracted squid...which attracted a pod of dolphins...which bumped into the line and bust us off.

Took some Fiji National Records though so all not on vain.

Got IGFA Anglers Digest coming in a week or two to film some shows for the Sportsman Channel and the big Fiji tournament coming up so the next few months should be a lot of fun !

Best regards,

Adrian

Cpt Adrian Watt

Director, Matava Resort Gamefishing,

Tel: + (679) 3336 222 or 3336 098

www.gamefishingfiji.blogspot.com

www.matava.com

From: webmaster@casualangler.com

To: 'Adrian at Matava.com'

Sent: Sunday, July 08, 2007 1:49 PM

Subject: RE: Welcome to "casualangler.com" - http://casualangler.com/phpBB3

Adrian,

I am doing a bit of redesign and will have you back up by tomorrow morning or sooner. I hope you like the new look and feel I have been working on.

How has the fishing been in the islands?

John Kessler

Casualangler.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Adrian at Matava.com [mailto:Adrian@Matava.com]
Sent: Friday, July 06, 2007 7:44 PM
To: webmaster@casualangler.com
Subject: Re: Welcome to "casualangler.com" - http://casualangler.com/phpBB3

I looke at the website and couldn't find anything ?

----- Original Message -----

From: webmaster@casualangler.com

To: 'Adrian Watt (Matava)'

Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2007 2:37 AM

Subject: RE: Welcome to "casualangler.com" - http://casualangler.com/phpBB3

Adrian,

I added you site to my featured sponsors. Take a look and see if you are OK with what I did www.casualangler.com

John Kessler

Casualangler.com