March 2011 GT Popping - More Pics

Some more pictures from Mario, Allan and Marinco's GT Popping trip to Matava Eco-Adventure Resort on Kadavu Island. Fishing aboard Bite Me Gamefishing Charter's inshore popping boat Tease Me. Pics courtesy of Mario. All fish released of course after a quick photo.

Best fish of the trip for Allan

Marinco, Joe and Mario

The weather was sometimes a bit choppy but that didn't bother the boys

The best lures that week seemed to be the black Buffalo D or the Hammerhead in purple / Silver

Late March GT Popping Report

Returning regular popper casting angler Le returns for another crack at the Kadavu GTs. This time with fellow fisho Matt from Australia.

Matt with a nice Kadavu GT

The weather was a bit average, some swell, a day or two of thundery rain showers...

Made an interesting back-drop view from the outer barrier reef slopes

The bite in general was a bit slow on some days with some unusual current directions and coloured water closing down some of our favourite stretches of reef but an improvement in the weather meant access to some rarely fished areas. (Joe's secret spots) At the right tide time the bite was good.

Matt leads in a GT aboard Tease Me

Le with a darker colouration GT

Just some of the boy's weaponry

Best fish of the week was this nice GT over 30kg for Matt

GT Popping madness fishing, Kadavu in Fiji Islands

Fun Day on Bite Me

Claudia & Ben's first double hook-up

Claudia & Ben and Dang & Mary recently had a fun day of gamefishing aboard Bite Me. We fished the North Astrolabe Barrier Reef with 15kg trolling gear and soon found some nice Yellowfin Tuna.
They were holding deep not feeding on the surface so we couldn't throw poppers at them but the deep diving Halco Laser-Pros proved deadly.

Mary's first Yellowfin

On the way home we stopped off at one of my little GT spots so that Ben & Dang could throw some poppers.....

Ben released this nice GT over 20kg

Dang then landed and released this lovely GT well over 25kg caught on a Buffalo Popper

Everyone caught lots of fish and had a great day out....and to top it off we were all very popular with the other resort guests when we presented fresh yellowfin for dinner that night !

Matava wins Environment/Local Sustainability Award at AON Fiji Excellence in Tourism Awards 2010

Matava wins AON Fiji Excellence in Tourism Award 2010

Matava has been awarded the Environment/Local Sustainability Award at the AON Fiji Excellence in Tourism Awards

KADAVU, FIJI ISLANDS – 26th February 2011 – Matava – Fiji’s Premier Eco-Adventure Resort is proud to be announced as the winner of the Environment/Local Sustainability Award at the AON Fiji Excellence in Tourism Awards 2010 for its policies on environmental sustainability and the environment.

The annual Fiji Excellence in Tourism Awards night sponsored by AON was held at the The Warwick Resort and Spa on the Coral Coast on Friday 26th February 2011, and attended by Matava Director, Stuart Gow. Many local tourism operators and business people attended the evening presentations. This year there were over a thousand nominees in the 12 categories. This glamourous event was Red Sea Rig & Cocktail theme, welcoming guests with a 3 course dinner, an awards ceremony & fantastic live entertainment with a turn out of over 400 guests.

The Environment/Local Sustainability Award recognises efforts to preserve the environment & local communities for the benefits of locals & visitors alike in developing & fostering both environmental & national conservation. It also assesses efforts to support cultural initiatives and promote public awareness and education in support of “Fiji Made” products by reducing their carbon footprint.

Matava was proud to be nominated in 3 categories, and was chosen as a finalist in all nominated categories at this year’s AON Fiji Excellence in Tourism Awards. Bite Me Gamefishing Charters and Mad Fish Dive Centre were recognised as finalist in the Fiji Experience Award, and Matava – Fiji’s Premier Eco Adventure Resort was a finalist in the Quality Accommodation Award as well as winning the Environment/Local Sustainability Award.

“We are extremely proud to win this award. We have been lucky to win overseas and global awards for our environmental policy in the past year, but it is especially gratifying to be recognised at home by our colleagues in Fiji.” said Mr Stuart Gow, one of Matava’s Directors.

Richard Akhtar, Managing Director of Matava – Fiji’s Premier Eco Adventure Resort said “At Matava, we are of course both happy and proud to receive this prestigious award. We find it even more important that the industry, by rewarding environmental efforts, choose to take a stand for the environment we depend on. We also see it as an important continuing signal to the community which at the same time can serve to inspire the numerous individuals and companies who have been doing so much, and continue to do even more in the field of environmental enlightenment and conservation. This award has highlighted Fiji’s leading role and efforts in this regard especially.”

About Matava – Fiji’s Premier Eco Adventure Resort:

Matava – Fiji’s Premier Eco Adventure Resort, is an eco adventure getaway offering you a fun and unique blend of cultural experiences and adventure activities in the environmentally pristine and remote island of Kadavu in the Fiji Islands. Matava – Fiji Premier Eco Adventure Resort is a PADI 5 Star Dive Resort as well as a Project AWARE GoEco Operator. With more than 14 years experience in the Fiji Islands, Matava is recognized as a leading educational dive centre. Matava offers accommodation for up to 22 guests in lush tropical surroundings in traditional thatched Fijian ‘bures’ with hardwood polished floors, louvre windows and private decks offering privacy, comfort and superb ocean views.

About AON Fiji Excellence in Tourism Awards:

The awards which have been in existence for 14 years, honour those who have made a significant input to Fiji’s most important industry. The prestigious awards are given to individuals, groups and companies in a broad range of categories; covering accommodation, restaurant and dining, tours and transportation, environmental and local sustainability. Winners were chosen as part of a nomination process which began late last year and closed in January. Recipients of the various awards have proven dedication, active participation and innovation in their fields of speciality, and have thus merited the esteem of the industry. Over the years, the AON Excellence in Tourism Awards has grown in prestige and now not only bestows recognition but serves as an incentive for individuals and companies to aspire to greatness in the sector.

www.Matava.com

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Matava wins Environment/Local Sustainability Award at AON Fiji Excellence in Tourism Awards 2010

GT Popping on Tease Me

A few pics taken GT Popping aboard Tease Me sent to my by Jayson. Along for the ride, Steve from Florida.

Jayson's best fish which would have been well over 35kg

Wild Fishing Anglers: Fiji Kadavu

L'arcipelago delle Fiji nel mezzo dell'oceano pacifico davvero l'altra parte del mondo

Il lungo volo intercontinentale che collega L'Italia alle isole Fiji ci trasporta in una realtà entusiasmante sotto molti aspetti, un oceano pacifico ancora vergine che si infrange sulle enormi barriere coralline delle isole, il colore verde intenso della vegetazione in molti tratti impenetrabile, lagune coralline brulicanti di vita autoctona; non si può fare a meno, a primo sguardo, di notare l'intensità dei colori di una terra così lontana un impatto che difficilmente si dimenticherà.


Il piccolo volo interno che ci proietta in poco più di un'ora di volo nella più meridionale delle isole Fijiane Kadavu

Decidiamo di formare una spedizione di 4 pescatori appassionati di tropico per testare questi mari con le moderne tecniche del vertical jigging, popping tropicale, e spinning blue water, sarà l'isola di Kadavu, la più meridionale dell'arcipelago, a ospitarci per l'intero arco del soggiorno, il nostro punto base il Matava ecoresort, immerso nella fitta vegetazione fijiana che da qualche anno è anche importante charter di riferimento per la pesca tropicale nel Pacifico avendo ottenuto ottimi risultati.


Il nostro Bite me la barca di Adrian che ci accompagnerà per tutto il viaggio

Avendo scelto l'inizio di giugno come periodo di pesca, sapevamo di essere alla fine dell'estate australe e all'inizio della stagione invernale e dei venti che da sudest interessano questa parte di pacifico molto esposta, l'abilità dello skipper ci ha comunque permesso di pescare sempre in grande sicurezza e di provare tutte le tecniche di pesca che ci eravamo prefissati prima di partire.


Andrea Prende una cernia su un fondale di 60 mt vicino al nostro Matava resort

L'immensittà degli spot non ha disatteso le nostre aspettative, forse un po' più di clemenza del tempo ci avrebbe fatto comodo, ma col senno di poi ci ha permesso i vedere l'intera potenzialità del luogo.


Anto fa subito un bel Gt a vertical sull'astroble great reef di Kadavu

Gli spot di pesca:
Il Great Astroble reef, un enorme banco corallino che circonda la metà a sud l'isola di kadavu e di Ono, è dimora dei grandi predatori tropicali come Giant trevally, red snapper, dog tooth tuna, squali di barriera; imponenti sono i suoi drop off che nell'arco di poche decine di metri sprofondano negli abissi del Pacifico, è facile intuire che lungo queste vertiginose cadute si possano trovare pesci di taglia considerevole.


Il big a popper della Vacanza fatto da antonello in alcuni spot del sud.

Caratteristica di questa barriera è il continuo frastuono dell'infrangersi delle lunghe onde oceaniche, anche più di tre metri di altezza, spesso causate dai forti venti che si scatenano nella vicina Nuova Zelanda; proprio in questi frangenti, dove spesso il reef affiora a pelo dell'acqua, sostano i caranx ignobilis per ossigenarsi pronti a tendere agguati ai pesci fucilieri loro preda preferita.


Spesso i predatori diventano prede come questo rusty job fish catturato a Jigging.

Non essendoci fortissime correnti la scelta degli spot di pesca sia per il popping e del jigging, cade molto spesso sulle spalle di reef e sui corner, altrove abbiamo riscontrato attività; molto più importanti invece le fasi di marea specialmente quelle ascendenti che abbiamo quasi sempre dedicato alla pesca in superficie sia con rumorosi boccalarga che con adescanti stick bait che in alcuni casi hanno fatto la differenza, soprattutto in risacca.


Persino i pesci trombetta attaccano i jigs da 200 g

Lo skipper ha, quando si pesca vicino al reef con la tecnica del popping un compito assai difficile, per non finire sulla barriera è costretto a compiere delle serpentine longitudinali sempre scrutando l'orizzonte per la sicurezza, in allerta nella ricerca dell'onda più alta che potrebbe causare il danno, e in caso di avvenuto attacco posizionare l'imbarcazione di poppa al corallo cercando di portare il prima possibile il predatore lontano dalle numerose insidie dell'acqua bassa.
Il pesce verrà salpato quasi sempre in tutta sicurezza in profondità superiori ai 50 mt


Raffaele cattura a jigging la cernia più grande della settimana

Continua.............

Wild Fishing Anglers: Fiji Kadavu