ROCK EXPEDITIONS "FRONTIER REEFS"
Wild Reef Camps May 2014 Trip ReportLouisiade Archipelago, Papua New Guinea
INFORMATION PACK: [email protected]The dream of landing a big dogtooth tuna on a jig is something that opened my eyes for an adjustment but still made me feel itchy every single time, as I failed on many occasions while trying to achieve to land that trophy fish.
This is a mission that I was never been able to accomplish in the past and it really bothered me deep inside but I always had a feeling that sooner or later it is going to happen and of course at the right time and in the right place with consistency, pressure and effort.
I left on a long journey with lots of hopes and I was eager to get the job done as I had a project in mind and my time was limited. The whole aim for this trip was to catch a descent size Doggies on the OBX-300 prototype rod, in contrary to what we?re famous for and to the kind of rod we design and produce to target big fish.
I once decided to give a go for the lighter longer without losing power to allow me to bounce jigs and present them better for those finicky days when 1 bites count.
Luke contacted me last year to join his expedition to Papua New Guinea but I was already tide up with other fishing trips and I couldn?t join him. He gave me all the details and it looked to me that he did his homework well on finding the ultimate paradise. He sure came back from his first expedition with some amazing results that I couldn?t hesitate for a second to sign in for the next opening. I choose to join his trip in May as it really worked with my schedule and it was easier for me to come to Australia from my visit to French Polynesia.
The group consisted of Luke, Jono and Amr. We all met at Cairns airport and took the flight together to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. We got picked up at the airport and off to the hotel for the night to be transferred to Misima Island on the second day where we started our fishing adventure.
After long journey we finally made it to our first fishing ground and we got greeted with a beautiful welcome ceremony from the locals.
I am going to minimize the details of the trip as my time is really limited and I have work to catch up to.
In general the popping bites were a bit slow but the jigging bite was on fire. At any time when I had a chance to drop a jig I was rewarded, whether I landed or not - was not the question but at some point I could not think of what I was about to hook.
For once this was the time when my heart was pumping and my legs were shaking knowing what I was about to expect, the scary part was not hooking but going through the dilemma of losing the fish.
I have fished in many places around the world but I had not experienced that jigging bite that I encountered on one of those evening. I dropped 4 times and I get smashed on every time I hooked a fish.
I was dropping at a depth of 200 meter and working my jig up encountering the bites from the range of 120 meters to 100 meter. They?ve been some big fish hooked up on that day and rest assured when I say big I mean big. The Stella was singing the blues and the boat was in full power running to the deeper water with no success.
Those fish made fool of me and managed to reef me in deep water, I had to retie my leader 4 times before a storm came through and we had to call it off for the day for another reason.
I was so happy to have such an encounter and I know it is not about the landing but to have such an opportunity like that and to hook the fish of that size is a bonus to me. My mission had accomplished in many ways and I had a great time with the locals and the long night that Luke and I made sure to be shorter.
The local chew on Betel nut and you should see what that thing does to their teeth and gum - their teeth are destroyed and colored in red and black, they basically peel the nut which is green and they pick the seed from the inside and start chewing on it, at first it is bitter but they then pick a minced white powder and mix it with it and right away it turns into red followed by a small piece of fresh mustard root, that white powder is basically coral that was picked up and put up on fire, it is crazy but according to them they get a kick out of it to get high, I had to try it just for the heck to find out and it did nothing to me except coloring my gum, I guess they have the Betel nut in Papua New Guinea and the Qat in Yemen, I looks like the whole world is looking for an excuse to run from reality!
I definitely recommend PNG for any keen jigger looking for his life time trophy fish and I would come back in the future just to jig this water. None of the guys had any jigging outfit and I am pretty much positive they missed a lot, however I know that when the topwater bites was turned on it was so special.
I had a great time with the guys and it was absolutely a different experience. We simply slept on the beach next to the fire only to wake up in the early AM from the humidity. All I have to say that it was different but worth the long journey to make it to that part of the world. I would say it is a must just for the heck of the experience without mentioning the fishing part.
Luke had done some amazing job to make it happen and this is not easy especially in this part of the world where you try to secure couple of gas barrels and the closest civilization is 100km away from you. It is raw with a lot of potential and I am sure it is only going to get better. So a big congrats to Luke and for those that made that extra step and effort to make it happen.
If anyone is interested to fish this part of the world I suggest you to get in touch with Luke directly.
Tackle used:
Rods: Carpenter, Fisherman, FCL LABO, Race Point, OBX-400, OBX-300 Prototype
Reels: Shimano Stella STL 18000SWBHG, STL 20000SWBPG, STL 14000SWBXG
Line: Power Pro Hollow, Shout Sasame, YGK
Leader: Saltywater Tackle system leader for casting, Seaguar 150lb and 170lb for jigging
Lures: Carpenter Gamma, Hammerhead, Shell Shaping, Craft Bait, Siren Bertox
Jigs: Hot?s, Marine Bait, Haoli, Shout, CB One
Tight lines
Sami
Jono with the first GT on the trip taking on the first day
Dogtooth tuna on topwater
My first hook up on the first day in the afternoon, literally 200 yards from our camp
OBX-400 in action matched with a Marine Bait prototype jig
My first trophy after many years of trying
