Adrian Watt

We had an unusual summer of popper casting for GTs with the La Nina weather paterns making for unfavourable conditions and sometimes a very poor bite by our standards.

On a normal summer season day with a couple of anglers popping we expect around a 10 GT average and 15-20 on a hot bite day. This season we averaged about 5....

One after another, summer tropical depressions came by to the West of the Fiji Islands on their way South. Normally they sink by us to the East. These tropical lows sent some sizable South Westerly swells that churned up the inner lagoon water...which emptied out of the passageways. They also stalled the current that normally sweeps along the outer barrier reef bring clear oceanic waters. So coloured water emptied out of the lagoons...and just stayed there with little or no current to clear it away.

The solution aboard Bite Me - Stickbaits !

In a normal year we generally catch 75% of our GTs on poppers...This year we landed at least half the GTs on stickbaits.

The Nomad Wahho & Dogtooth stickbaits were very effective

Also the Orion Bigfoot in Fusilear colour

The best poppers this season were still the Cuberas, Craftbaits, Buffalo, Orions and of course if you have the cash..FCL and Hammerheads...

Cubera / El Toro still produced

Even so, some late summer season anglers did get some reasonably good GT fishing with most fish averaging 15-20kg and a few bigger ones around the 25-30kg.

Now that's a seriously long pencil for a Bluefin Trevally !

Fish Species: Giant trevally
Bait Used: Stickbaits
Tackle Used: PENN
Method Used: Popper casting
Water Depth: 15ft
Water Temperature: 28C
Wind Direction: SE
Wind Speed: 15
Fiji GT Popping
Fiji GT Popping

Fiji GT Popping
Fiji GT Popping


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Adrian Watt

About The Author: Captain Adrian Watt

Company: MV Bite Me @ Matava, Fiji

Area Reporting: Fiji Islands

Bio: Adrian was born on the island of Cyprus and graduated to his first rod & reel at the age of five. Having fished around the world from the Arabian Gulf to the North sea and English Channel, he finally settled for the tropical waters of the South Pacific around the island of Kadavu, Fiji Islands. Director of Matava Resort Gamefishing, he skippers 'Bite Me', the resort's 31ft DeepVee Gamefishing vessel and thoroughly enjoys exploring the light and heavy tackle fishing around the island and Great Astrolabe Barrier Reef. An IGFA Certified Captain, he advocates tag & release and is a keen supporter of the IGFA and the Billfish Foundation. Adrian Watt, IGFA Captain info@matava.com http://www.matava.com http://www.matava.com/pages/game-fishing/fishing-home.htm http://www.gamefishingfiji.blogspot.com/

679-333-7222
Click Here For Past Fishing Reports by Captain Adrian Watt