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Rob Powell

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Taveuni Fiji - Jan 2015
January 11, 2015, 09:08:13 AM
I have just finished up a 7 day trip in Taveuni, Fiji fishing with John Llanes.

I'll let the pictures do the talking, however suffice to say the reefs are healthy and the fish are there but most predators had lock jaw and we were unable to crack a consistent feeding pattern for the week. John is an absolute legend of a skipper and knows these waters and their reefs and pinnacles incredibly well, including favourable tides and conditions for each. This was the difference between really struggling and having some awesome sessions!

We finished the week with 50-60 GTs to 60lb and 35 Dogtooth to 80lb. Plenty of bycatch also, red bass, coral trout to 20lb, bluefin trevs etc. We were smoked by at least two GTs in the 80-100lb+ range (John calls the big girls 'Pamela'!). We also lost a couple of large doggies.

We jigged for Dogtooth with PE8-10. Standout lures were the shimano butterfly's. For GTs we used PE6 and 8, standout lures were Sebile StickShadds, GT Icecreams and Orion Big Foot and Nambas.

We stayed at Makaira Resort run by John and his wife Roberta. The accomodation is fantastic, comfortable and clean with million dollars views and hospitality Hawaii/Taveuni style that can't be beaten! John is a great cook also and we had a couple of unforgettable meals of sashimi and lobster. Lots of banter at the dinner table and on the boat with the boys, John and crewman James. A few 'cane toad wars' occurred after some beers also..

John's boat is a new 28ft Islander which He has modified for sport and gamefishing. When casting we fished one angler up the front and another two in the cockpit. When jigging we all fished the cockpit with ample room to operate. The boat is powered by a 150hp Yamaha 4 stroke, so it runs quietly and with no fumes. A comfortable and practical rig for these waters. John has a removable game hair and outriggers if fishing for marlin takes your fancy (there are big fish lurking here!).

In summary this is a great operation and the fishery here is incredible, we just picked an off week for the fish! Taveuni has produced many big 100lb+ GTs for John, along with dogtooth to 150lb and plenty of big marlin. If you want a 150lb class yellowfin on a stickbait then look no further also, Taveuni is pretty well untapped!!! We'll be back for round 2!!!

Rob Powell

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Re: Taveuni Fiji - Jan 2015
January 11, 2015, 09:54:32 AM
Pictures to follow soon.

Saltywater Tackle

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Re: Taveuni Fiji - Jan 2015
January 11, 2015, 06:11:32 PM
Hi Rob,

I fished with John in Taveuni long ago and the guy is definitely sharp and know his water, however at that time the boat was small and lacks all sort of electronic, is that issue been solved now and does the new boat have the right electronic to mark depth and structure ??

  Tight lines
    Sami

Rob Powell

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Re: Taveuni Fiji - Jan 2015
January 12, 2015, 07:57:11 AM
Hi Sami,

The boat is better setup now. 28ft with a cabin and very comfortable for conditions there. One caster on the bow and two in the cockpit worked well.

The new boat has a sounder which did the job for us marking pinnacles and drop offs to around 200m which was as deep as we fished. The doggies and bait showed up on the unit when schooled up below. John is upgrading the sounder very shortly also to a Furuno unit, the boat has a few more modifications to complete in the next couple of months.


Rob Powell

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Re: Taveuni Fiji - Jan 2015
January 12, 2015, 08:28:02 AM

















































Rob Powell

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Re: Taveuni Fiji - Jan 2015
January 12, 2015, 08:30:59 AM
I will add some more pics later once they are available.

Saltywater Tackle

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Re: Taveuni Fiji - Jan 2015
January 12, 2015, 09:11:06 AM
Very nice Rob! it sure look promising now  ;)

   Tight lines
   Sami

Khai Huang

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Re: Taveuni Fiji - Jan 2015
January 12, 2015, 11:33:31 PM
It's a beautiful area, nothing like those blue skies, big fish and lobster for dinner!

Levi Nupponen

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Re: Taveuni Fiji - Jan 2015
January 14, 2015, 08:57:08 AM
Good summary Rob.

I was on the same trip... It was my first ever crack at popping for GT's and Jigging for Doggies...... I've done plenty of fishing (lure, fly, etc) but this was my first trip on the heavy weight casting/jigging gear. If only i knew before the trip what i had learned by the end of day 1 alone!
We were pretty gear heavy, I think we were a bit unsure as to what we wanted... so took extra :))
On our return trip we can easily consolidate and take a more specific offering... sell a few lures I didn't like.... and then likely add more new things to try no doubt.

The scenery is amazing out there, and John took us out to some really incredible grounds way off the beaten track. It was actually a slow bite on all species over the period we were there, though the local expertise salvaged the trip by getting us onto the right locations (at the right time/tide) even when the bites shut down. Plenty of good doggies to 80lb (and a few massive dustings!) along with medium size GT's (up to 60lb) and a smoking by a couple of Monsters on both PE8 and PE6... sometimes the luck goes the way of the fishes!

Love this new style of fishing, very much man vs fish stuff, and totally rewarding when it all comes together, and i really loved the physical aspect.. at the end of the day i felt not dissimilar to a big day on the dirt bikes... crashes included!
If it were more accessible to me, I think i could give up most other forms of fishing... well, ok lie... maybe reduce them a little :)

 Couple of key take outs for me were the following:
- Having a good captain and local knowledge is amazing... John's knowledge was sensational and his personality definitely enhanced the experience! 
- Being fit is a huge help,  worth keeping in shape prior to a trip like this
- PE6 gear is awesome fun! The big lures and PE8 is cool... and being loaded up on PE8 is kind of the ultimate.... however having decent GTs stripping line on PE6 is hilarious!
- Jigging and popping sessions alternated break up the muscles groups used and get you through a 12hr day easier than popping or Jigging alone.. plus side is your whole body hurts equally after this!
- My motorcross/Enduro gloves were way more comfortable, cheaper and easier to obtain than the specialist fishing items.... IMHO
- Sebile stick shads (PE6) and Orion bigfoot/Nambas (PE8) were real stand outs on this trip for me. For a newbie like myself they were easy to cast, easy to work and took an absolute flogging by the GT's... sadly non of my Orions made it back... so i should buy more!
- Lure choice. Ok, so this is just my opinion (As a newbie). We caught them on everything, stick baits, poppers, surface, subsurface, PE6, PE8. The one thing that stood out head and shoulders for me across the board was this- Can you cast it well (relative to gear you are using)? and can you work the lure properly (relative to prevailing conditions)? If the answer was yes to these 2 questions, then fish on! When you get really flogged, it often paid to go to a lure that is easier to work (e.g not a 150g+ popper) to get back onto the fish for a 'break' from casting :)

Anyways, thats the outlook from a virgin GT fisho.. well and truly hooked, can't wait for my next dusting! Will add a couple of pics too.

Cheers,
Levi


Mathieu Laforest

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Re: Taveuni Fiji - Jan 2015
January 15, 2015, 02:47:02 AM
Nice report ! Thank you
I'm going to Taveuni in one month. I will try to go at least one day with John and I'll try to find a local around to go few more days.
Mat

Anthony Dimech

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Re: Taveuni Fiji - Jan 2015
January 17, 2015, 08:05:02 PM
A few more pics. Tough trip but we had a great time with good mates. I'll definitely be back...
Last Edit: January 17, 2015, 08:07:04 PM by Anthony Dimech
Check out my fishing videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/dimech007