gt in fiji

[redfisha]

i am goingto fiji in 2 weeks my a buddy of mine for some gt action. has anyone ever fished there before? also anyone know of a source to get gt poppers from?

rob

[Brandon Khoo]

Hi Rob and welcome to the site.
We have a number of members who have fished in that region before including a few who live there. I am sure they can provide you with some guidance. With regard to the GT poppers, are you asking about their availability in Fiji or where?

Finally, if you don't mind, could you please amend your profile and use your real name for the site. We request that of all members here. Thank you for your cooperation

[redfisha]

thanks for the reply. i would like to get some poppers delivered to the usa. i am going to tanzania in march so id like to get some in between trips.  what is the terrain like in fiji, steep drops, huge coral heads, etc?

[Brandon Khoo]

Rob - you might try a PM or e-mail to Sachin Chaudhry who lives there and fishes regularly for GTs. I'm sure he will be able to give you some good advice.

[jerry dollar]

i have found several sellers of large poppers on ebay, all based in australia. in the saltwater lure category, put in keyword "trevally" and the  available lures will pop up. i have ordered 2 different batches and they all made it to the US in less than 10 days. prices are cheap enough that even if they fall apart after 2-3 fish, they are still worth it( although they seem to be fairly well made). i did replace the treble hooks with heavier, larger ones. you will find sizes from 90-200 plus cm., 1 to 10 ounces. i am taking a bunch to New Caledonia in 2 weeks and won't mind it if i lose most of them- just means i get bit a lot!!

[Luke Wyrsta]

Fiji has some good popping available for 20lb - 60lb fish with the odd bigger one thrown in. Good place to stretch the arms but certainly doesn't see as bigger fish in the same frequency as destinations such as the Coral Sea and New Caledonia - not to say that they don't exist there! To really get results i believe you would have to travel to the far north of the islands or extremeties to find bigger fish in numbers - Pat Victorino is going there at the end of the month - are you going with him on that trip?

Check out some of these reports....

Popper smashing Fiji Islands (Report)

FIJI REPORT - JUNE 17, 2007

Also check out Jim Sier's operations: http://www.fijifishing.com/

[David Noble]

Hi Rob,

If your on the main island then I have fished on the Coral Coast (halfway between Nadi and Suva) at a place called Mango Bay Resort.
The owners are a American guy, Bret and an Aussie guy, Danny.  Bret has a serious fishing charter set up, and is ever enthusiastic to get amongst GT's, reefies, pelagics and game fish.  He has 2 boats and his crew/deckies really know there stuff..  I would definitely look him up if I were going over there (which I am  ) 

Google mangobayresort or sportfishingfiji and I think you will find them.  Had a few magazine articles praising them seen over here also.

Alternatively if you want to go remote, then look at the outer areas, but that takes a bit more time and research to find a good set up.

I made it over to Kadavu last october and Fiji was experiencing an awful month of weather and pumistone choking the waterways.  Fishing was not good by there standards.  Hopefully this summer will be great.

cheers Dave

[Sachin Chaudhry]

Hi Rob. I think you are on to some good advice from Luke and the gang on this site. You can get decent GT fishing in most places in Fiji however please pick the right moon phase which in my opinion is 3 to 4 days before the full moon and 2 days before and after the new moon. We tend to find that during these phases we raise the biggest fish. Try Solo Reef off Kadavu Island for some real arm stretching.
You can get poppers at the following stores.
Bobs Hook Line & Sinker (Harbour Centre Suva) - Surecatch POP GTs which I use a lot.
Hop Tiy (Renwick Road Suva) - Halco Roostas & Haymakers (I find it a bit more tiring to use but man does it raise some monsters. So far we have landed 3 fish on them and lost 5 to fish that were simply huge  ) and Cotton Cordells (very reasonably priced for all gear)
I hear good things about Mango Bay and intend to give that place a running over soon. My boat is out of the water for some work so I have to resort to charters.
Jim Siers is THE doctor for GTs in Fiji. Not cheap so please pick good weather and the right moon phases for your trip with him.
Last weekend a couple of guys went out to one of their spots about 20 minutes out of Suva Yacht Club where I keep my boat and came back 45 minutes later with 2 GTs. One was 18kg and the other weighed in at 42 Kilo.
I suppose the good think about Fiji is that you can get a decent fish in most places.
Hope I have been able to help.
Sachin