Global GT Hotspots

[Sachin Chaudhry]

Hi Adrian. Your side of things sound a lot more interesting. Solo has a few sections where I have seen and hooked very big fish. Seems to fish very well for big GTs a couple of days before the full moon. Has also been very good for jigging.
I gather the reefs around Gau Island host a fair number of monsters too but a 70 mile run is not within the capability of my boat.

[Adrian Watt]

Yes, the 'wild side' of Kadavu is the best fishing but winter weather can make it tough. Like you say, jigging is excellent at Solo, especially if you can fish the wild side or the Durville Channel. Wahoo packs there in winter, best place this season was the NE corner.
Gau definately looks promising. If you can't make Gau, can you make the Golden Mile on the SE side of Beqa lagoon or Cakau Lekaleka ? Some great fishing there. The Coral Coast game boats usually work the bluewater but get in close for some good GTs and dogtooth on the zero droppers.

[David Noble]

Adrian that sounds awesome.  If you can get permission to fish those waters and do an exploratory trip I'd be on it in a flash...
1 week doesn't sound nearly long enough does it!!!
Google earth and Oceandots tend to miss a few of those good looking areas east of Kadavu, much better to see it from sea level anyway..

Cheers David

Hi Sachin, Yes, we get big GTs here but I have yet to properly explore all of the Great Astrolabe Barrier reef. The whole section from the bottom end on down to Cape Washington is totally unexplored. Our divers did some explore dives on the Great Sea Reef and came back talking about huge GTs hanging under the dive boat on the surface intervals. Every time I head out to the seamount to fish heavy tackle I go past miles and miles of awsome looking reef. Starting to get annoying. This Jan-Apr I am hoping to do some exploring down there. Interesting you like Solo, there are much better places  but its a good option if the weather is bad. 25kg YFT ? we use them as bait   
David from oceanblue is hoping to make it over some time, perhaps we can co-ordinate and do some serious exploring. Drop him a line, I'm up for it.

[Sachin Chaudhry]

Hi Adrian. I do a bi of jigging at East Beqa but do most of my popper fishing closer to Suva where some places still hold good numbers of big GTs. Nasilai Reef is also good but the big swells there don't entice me to popper fish there any more. The jigging there is goods though especially in the winter months.

[David Noble]

ps, Sachin and Adrian..  $108 Fiji buys $100 Aussie dollars right now. Any bets on dollar for dollar within a month? 

gulp....

[Adrian Watt]

Holy Cow ! That's outrageous !
1.08 I am sure it was about 1.5 just last month. Makes a Fiji GT a bit pricey for an Aussie. How can a bunch of FX traders believe that the mighty industrial and resource rich nation of Fiji is almost as wealthy as Australia. The world has gone mad. I'm going fishing.

[David Noble]

Holy Cow ! That's outrageous !
1.08 I am sure it was about 1.5 just last month. Makes a Fiji GT a bit pricey for an Aussie. How can a bunch of FX traders believe that the mighty industrial and resource rich nation of Fiji is almost as wealthy as Australia. The world has gone mad. I'm going fishing.

Not really, with Virgin doing flights @ $550 return including taxes, Fiji is still one of the most affordable places in the Pacific to visit and fish.  With the quality of fishing you have I can't see it stopping too many people booking holidays.  Lets face it, a shared fishing trip to Kadavu is cheaper than the cost of a quality popper combo's most people own 

ps, lucky bastard...

Cheers Dave

[Adrian Watt]

 
Say, that's pretty good flights.
Get on a plane mate. I have a number of 50kg GTs here just waiting to trash your Stellas.
Or are you too busy with all those New Cal monsters.....

[Staffan]

David from le Poisson Banane and Damon Olsen from Nomad Sportfishing talk of the Chesterfield Islands in awe. This is a tiny island group that is in the Coral Sea between the edge of Australian territory and New Caledonia. Apparently, the islands themselves are tiny but the coral lagoon is the size of New Caledonia. David said he has had some friends who have been out there on commercial vessels and it is everything you expect of some place so remote with no fishing pressure.  Damon has obviously done his research too. The Odyssey could hypothetically get there as well if refuelling could be worked out.......... 

David can't get there in the Antares - its just too far.

I was there four years ago but whitout popping gear :(lots of fish but also lots of agressive sharks, they where even biting trolling lures. Fished mainly for billfish and they where plenty too. Seems like places that never been fished and therefore holds enormous amounts of fish the sharks become a big problem.