Fiji

[Bansh1]

Hey all, just after peoples opinions on the tackle requirements i need for an upcoming trip to plantation island. I just realised today that ill be heading over there in just under 2 weeks. I was planning on taking over a 3-5kg raider rod with a 2500 stradic, a 4-8kg squidgy barra spin rod matched with a symmetre with 15lb braid and maybe my tld25. Ive also quite a few different types of plastics, metal slugs, rapalas, vibes but still looking for more choices. Any help at all would be appreciated. Even some charter suggestions if people no of any. Thanks heaps.

[phatty]

your pretty limited to ur choices in the plantation area. the charters(which are on often to all the islands within the manamucas) imo are pretty pricey for what they are on there success rate.. and most of them are just game charters that travel a fair distance to get to bigger fish. i stayed at treasure island about 20mins boat trrp north of there but never took any gear but i got a pretty idea of the gear i would take if i went back. your med/light outfit is good for where ur going. in the late afternoons bait schools tend to push up into the shallow water at the beach front and bluetrevally school and give them a hammering. and with trevally follows your big gt's. i even witnessed 50kg+ GT hit a 60cm(approx)m bluefintrev. it was amazing. those blue trevs would be great funn on that light gear.

[Pistol_P]

You had better up size your gear mate...

I am heading over there shortly and am taking one very heavy popping outfit with 80lb and 100lb braid for the big GT's.

Even the smaller stuff in the shallower water....(bluefin trevally,longnose,cod,trout etc etc)....will bust you in quick time using that light gear you suggested.
I used 30lb in the shallow lagoons last time and I wouldnt have liked to have gone any lighter...There is coral & reef everywhere and the fish no how to play dirty.

The TLD will be ok for trolling etc out wider for mackeral,wahoo.tuna etc.....But I would be going 20-30lb mono as a minimum on that also.

Pete

[bdowdy]

hi bansh1 i recently got back from plantation island,,, fishing is very limited...TIP NO1.... THERE IS FREE FISHING TRIPS DAILY OFF THE REEFS WERE YOULL CATCH HEAPS OF REEFYS...BOOK AT THE OFFICE AS THESE TRIPS BOOK OUT QUICKLY,,,I BOOKED THE WHOLE WEEK WHENEVER THERE WAS A FREE SPOT 10 MINS AFTER GETTING MY GEAR INTO THE BUNGALOW AS I HAD ALREADY MISSED THE NEXT TWO DAYS FISHING DUE TO BEING BOOKED....THIS IS BAIT FISHING,BUT I USED PLASTICS AND BAIT...THERE IS GAME FISHING ALSO AVAILABLE BUT NOTHING HAPPENING WHEN I WAS THERE.???? WELLL NOBODY CAUGHT ANYTHING FOR THE WEEK.......TIP NO2 AND THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE IS ASK FOR BIG JOHN HE TAKES THE SURFERS OUT TO THE REEF BREAK DAILY AND TOOK ME AND ANOTHER KEEN FISHO OUT THERE FOR 40 FIJIAN DOLLARS EACH WERE WE CAUGHT BLUEFIN TREVALLY AND HUGE GTS SMASHED US UP AT THE BREAK THERE WAS ALSO AFEW YELLOW FIN BUT THEY WERE SKITTY...HOPE THIS HELPS IF YOU WANT ANY MORE INFO JUST PM ME ILL BE GLAD TO HELP,,,AS I WISH SOMEONE HAD TOLD ME SOME INFO BEFORE I WENT...CHEERS BDOWDY..BRETT... p.s theres heaps of willing zebra fish and small bluefin that patrol the shoreline i caught on poppers mainly at night but take the aeroguard..

[bdowdy]

heres a few photos.. the big guy is your bloke find him and youll catch fish,, its a top spot hope to read your story when you get back..the reef fish are all kept buy your boat driver they take everything to eat so dont be surprized... cheers bdowdy..brett[ATTACH]sum[/ATTACH]

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[Bansh1]

thanks for the help guys. So Im thinking now it may be wise to take a heavier spin outfit, maybe a spheros 14000 or similar, any ideas on a rod 2 match it too? Prob limited to $500 all up. Any suggestions on lures as well? sizes? colours? Thanks heaps

[Hodad3230]

Gday I've been to Fiji a couple of times, spearfishing and surfing, and if you want to troll or travel to fish then the best advice I can give is to go buy about 20 spools of 30/40lb mono, (cheapish, like jarvis walker), a heap of 80lb+ plastic coated wire, a couple of cd18's or similar, some handlines, a few big boxes of 4/0 and 7/0 hooks and a box or two of swivels. Go and see Big John, and/or a few other local blokes after some discreet enquiries, and hand over half your stash. Pay the going rate to fish out of local blokes boats, anywhere from 60-100 FJ for 4-6 hours depending on how far you go. Hand out the rest of your geat to the bloke that puts you onto the fish. You've got to get to good spots like the reef passes where the surfers go, like around Namotu, or other drop-offs or deep channels.
Gotta say though that I know nothing about gt fishing.

The resort organised fishing trips are a rip-off and the local crew get bugger all for it. If you go the local route you'll more than double your fishing time for the same money. I've been to Plantation before, and man the locals are awesome people. Enjoy.
Ian

[Bansh1]

another quick question guys, whats the best way of joining say 50lb braid to leader then to the popper. Leader of a about 100lb ok?

[Pistol_P]

another quick question guys, whats the best way of joining say 50lb braid to leader then to the popper. Leader of a about 100lb ok?

Various methods used to do this.

By far the best is to do a Bimini in the braid then used a twisted leader (do a search on them).
You connect the two via a loop to loop connection and the big advantages of this are...1. a nice long leader....2. Most importantly a VERY fine connection is created which is ideal for casting as it passes through the runners on your rod with ease.

If you use any other methods such as an albright knot,slim beauty etc.....the connection is still quite chunky and bashes through your runners when casting.
This in turn weakens the knot.

The only other alternative is to run a very short leader which sits outside your rod tip when casting.

Pete

[tiges]

I just got back recently too. Trolling wise your tld should be fine for y'fin, wahoo etc. Gun trolling lure while I was there was the river to sea Killer Vib's. I persisted with 190 Halco's etc, but got all my good fish on Killer Vib's.

Like Pete says, you want some serious threadline gear to chase Trev's, Jobbies etc. I had a pretty lean time on surface popping this time. But managed 1 real good Jobbie. I was fishing 30lb braid with 80lb Penn 10X leader, and the thing dragged me over a coral ledge and ran to the deep. How I got him in I'll never know with the amount of abrasion the line had to endure, but I was pretty stoked when I got him onto the little dock I was fishing off. Braid was Nitlon PE, and only further enhanced it's standing in my eyes.

I join braid to leader with an albright knot, no double. Other people may have a preferred knot, but that one works for me.

Can't really help you with advice on the area you're going. I was on an Island off Kadavu, which is about 60nm S of Viti Levu. But look after the local blokes with a few lures, and they'll look after you.

[Pistol_P]

Awesome stuff Tim.

Great wahoo....I am off to Fiji on the 6th October....!!!..Cant wait.

No GT;s...??.....Why do you reckon that was..?

Did you get anything else popping...??

Pete

[dog tooth]

Banish
check out the shimano gt special
call a mart, they are having a special on t-curves for $150
dont know if you will get the gt special though for 150 though

cheers
dog tooth

[ffejsmada]

Hey Tim, that looks like a GT in that barrell, swimming into the spit!

Sounds like you a top trip mate.

Cheers, Jeff.

[tiges]

I bet you're amping Pete, where you staying?

Didn't really put in the time popping. Was there mainly for surfing, and was keen for pelagic action so trolled mostly. There's plenty of Trev's there, heaps of blue's. They're mainly around the washes, but the local boys could never position the boat right for me and got impatient.

If you went there on a hardcore fishing trip it would be insane. I was there with the missus, so had to do keep her happy too. Between surfing and cruising with her, didn't have a lot of time for fishing. But got good results every time.

[Pistol_P]

I bet you're amping Pete, where you staying?

Didn't really put in the time popping. Was there mainly for surfing, and was keen for pelagic action so trolled mostly. There's plenty of Trev's there, heaps of blue's. They're mainly around the washes, but the local boys could never position the boat right for me and got impatient.

If you went there on a hardcore fishing trip it would be insane. I was there with the missus, so had to do keep her happy too. Between surfing and cruising with her, didn't have a lot of time for fishing. But got good results every time.

Hey Tim,

Yeah amping is right...

We are staying over on Tavenui....Super deep water over there and hopefully home to some monster GT's.
Those Bluefin Trevally are beautifull fish...I popped up quite a few last trip...amazing colours.

I would love to get a hoo like that....thats a great fish.

How was the surf..?
I thought of you blokes last trip....I was popping at the back of a quite a big break....You and Benny would have been frothing over it.

Pete