Xstreem Fishing Fiji

Sunday fish in Fiji

2009-11-09T06:30:00.004+12:00

I am a little late on this post because of computer problems. Now that those are fixed I can share our last trip out.

I took three friends out for a Sunday fish. The weather was frightful to say the least. Blowing 20-25 knots and threatening rain.

Since I am getting used to fishing in that kind of weather it is no big deal.

First one on board with a nice Bluefin Trevally was Paul.

From Nov 1st Serua reef Paul, Vinod, John, Callan

Next up was John, he and I share the retail store space. He catches a little Bluefin also.

From Nov 1st Serua reef Paul, Vinod, John, Callan

Then Vinod lands a nice GT.

From Nov 1st Serua reef Paul, Vinod, John, Callan

At this point Paul's arms are getting tired from casting a 50lb rod and a big River2Sea dumbell popper. So he gives me a try while he drives the boat. I soon hook up to a nice GT and boat it for a quick photo session.

From Nov 1st Serua reef Paul, Vinod, John, Callan

That was enough for me and I give the rod back to paul who then catches a big Long Tom.

From Nov 1st Serua reef Paul, Vinod, John, Callan

All in all we landed 5 fish and dropped 5. Not bad considering these guys are beginners and the weather was crap.

Until next time.

Tight lines

Blocked ISP

2009-11-06T05:46:00.002+12:00

This is just a quick notice to all of my blogging friends. For some reason my ISP will not allow me to view your blogs or any blogs for that matter. I can use a proxy server but it does not let me comment. So, I am visiting but you will not see me comment until this is figured out. Sorry for this but I will start commenting as soon as I can.

Tight lines

Seeing the future and catching fish.

2009-10-30T06:18:00.002+12:00

The other day I received a link to a site that gives you the best fishing days according to moon phase and tidal predictions. It said Sunday the 25th of October would be no good for fishing. Being my only day off to fish I decided it did not matter I was still going out. Sometimes you have to buck the trends.

We leave the jetty about 12:30 pm and head out to Serua reef. The wind is blowing like hell (25-30) and the tide is starting to fall.

With Captain Charlie at the wheel and Rosie at the stern and myself on the bow, we start the routine of casting and retrieving.

It is not long before I hook up to the first fish. It gives a good accounting of itself and soon is in the boat for it's picture.

From Oct 25 Serua reef

It is hard to tell but it was a pig of a Bass. Very fat and strong.

Soon after Rosie hooks up on a Bass also. A little smaller but a nice fish none the less.

Sorry no picture of that one, she declined.

She then followed the bass up with a nice Bluefin Trevally.

From Oct 25 Serua reef

I then proceeded to get rocked by another big Bass. Although I managed to get my lure back it won its freedom.

Things go quiet for a little bit then I hook up on something different. This time on top of the reef. I see the flash of white and then my line pulls tight. As the beast shoots through the water I am still wondering what it is. Then it exits it's water home to show off its aerial prowess. Low and behold it is a Greater Barracuda. A big one at that. After a spectacular display out of the water Rosie leaders it into the boat for a nice photo session.

From Oct 25 Serua reef

With a smile like this you better watch your fingers.

From Oct 25 Serua reef

All in all we did 4 for 5 in a two hour session.

Not bad for a day that was supposed to be bad for fishing.

I don't think I will be going back to that website.

Tight lines

Popping video, how to

2009-10-19T13:34:00.002+12:00

Here is a short video on casting and popping technique. It is my first attempt and more will follow.

Total Xstreem Fishing, a tackle store in Fiji

2009-10-15T21:29:00.003+12:00

Well my fishing tackle store has been open now since August 1, 2009. I thought it time that I share a few images of it with you all.

From Store photos

The store is not that big but I am slowly getting it packed. I am carrying a lot of products that are not stocked in Fiji.

So far the response has been good, but time will tell.

A good day popper fishing after a long break.

2009-10-06T08:51:00.012+12:00

Well, after a bit of a forced break from fishing we finally got out on the water. It was a beauty of a day, blowing like hell but still gorgeous. We got a bit of a late start but still made it on the water by 9 am.

I decided to fish a spot that we had not fished. Charlie was at the helm Rosie at the stern and myself up on the bow. With the wind blowing a good 20-25 knots the bow was a bit tricky but manageable.

With in 10 minutes I had the first fish on board. A nice Emperor. Standing on the bow you get a great view into the water. This Emperor was fighting 3 other fish for my lure and won. This was a sign of things to come.

From Rosie Charlie Callan Oct 4 Serua Reef

Next fish on was a little Bluefin Trevally.

From Rosie Charlie Callan Oct 4 Serua Reef

Now at this point Rosie is none to happy. She has yet to get a strike, but that is about to change. Suddenly the water around her lure explodes and she is onto a really nice fish. It is fighting like a GT but when it comes to the surface surprise surprise, it's a big pig of a Red Bass.

From Rosie Charlie Callan Oct 4 Serua Reef

Now that Rosie is smiling she decides to turn up the heat and put some fish on in the boat.

She proceeds to catch about 8 more Bass while I catch a few also.

We are fishing around the low tide and concentrating on the drop-offs and coral heads.

Rosie decides to cast out into the deep and try her luck. She is rewarded, after a good clean fight, with a really nice GT.

From Rosie Charlie Callan Oct 4 Serua Reef

The action continues to stay hot and we are boating fish every couple of minutes.

From Rosie Charlie Callan Oct 4 Serua Reef

Now here is a lesson about keeping your eyes on the prize.

I see what I think is a large turtle and cast my popper to the left of it by maybe 30 meters. As I look back to Charlie and Rosie and yell for them to see the turtle, Charlie yells back at me and my rod loads up and is almost pulled from my hands. By the time I compose my self maybe 50 meters of line is already gone and my line goes slack. I reel my popper back in and ask Charlie what the hell was that and he say he has no idea. He thought it was a turtle also until it toreout after my lure. Here is a picture of my lure when I got it back.

From Rosie Charlie Callan Oct 4 Serua Reef

Notice the front split ring and hook are gone and the rear hook is opened up. We still do not know what it was.

Oh well back to fishing and Rosie catches a nice Job fish. For those that have never caught a Job fish, the fight a bit like a trevally, hard and dirty.

From Rosie Charlie Callan Oct 4 Serua Reef

This is follow by more Red Bass.

From Rosie Charlie Callan Oct 4 Serua Reef

Then from out in the deep Rosie pulls a beauty of a GT.

From Rosie Charlie Callan Oct 4 Serua Reef

You can tell by the way she is holding it that fatigue is setting in on her. After so many fish she was getting tired, but not slowing down.

I want a break and am getting hungry so I give my rod to Charlie to have a bit of a fish. What happens next is what fishing dreams are made of.

Charlie hollers out that there is a big GT on his lure. As his rod loads up and 50 lb braid melts away he is hooting and yelling for joy. Then from behind me I her Rosie yell GT and then hear here drag start to scream in protest to the speed at which line is being taken. We have a double hook up on big GT's. Rosie makes her way to the front of the boat with Charlie and I start filming.

I will let the video tell the rest of the story.

From Rosie Charlie Callan Oct 4 Serua Reef

Not a bad morning. We finished fishing at around 1:30 pm and headed home.

Tight lines

Charters, Money and Fish

2009-09-27T07:57:00.002+12:00

So here is the low down on what has happened with my charter business. Here in Fiji it is only proper to go and ask permission to fish in a villages waters. As you saw in earlier posts I did this with a couple of villages already and all was fine. In fact on even asked me if I would help look after their waters, I said yes of course. So after many attempts to meet with the chief of Na Waisomo, Raviravi and Lalati, one person by the title Tui Raviravi, he agrees and gives me about 2 hours to get out to Beqa island where he is. We arrive there and present our Yanqona. We explain our intentions about running a guiding opeation and how it will be catch and release and so forth. Tui Raviravi then sits back and says, lets get right down to business, we want $5,000.00 dollars upfront and for you to write a letter of intent. After I pull my jaw up off the floor I tell him that is a lot of money and I need to think about it. Truth being, there was nothing to think about. No way! $5,000.00 for what? Why? What are you going to do for me? Well the answer to those questions is a resounding, Nothing. So Tui Raviravi and his entourage says they will let me think about it for a week and then call me for another meeting. They never call and I decided I will hold off on the charters for awhile. Too bad, but I will focus on my tackle shop and fish for myself and friends.

Now onto a fishy subject. We got out on the water the other day and it was a beauty of a day. Rosie wanted to go and do some bait fishing with her aunt Adi and sister Lou. So off we go, out to the reefs to drop anchor and bait. Now for those that know me, they know I hate bait fishing, mainly because I suck at it and I seem to catch the fishes house a lot. This day proved to be no different. My first fish was a cracker of a fish.

Luckily the day was awesome and we were having fun.

We caught all sorts of fish. From small to really small.

We had a great time with lots of sun and laughs.

Tight lines

Fishing in Fiji with Josh, Ryan and Jimmy on August 24th

2009-09-01T19:43:00.005+12:00

Lucky for us this trip was planned and executed with no surprises. Josh, Ryan, and Jimmy had come into the shop and wanted to go fishing. They said for me to pick the day with the best weather. Which is always iffy at best.

I decided Monday the 24th was the day and spent Sunday getting ready.

We met at the boat at 7:30 am and were on the water in no time. I had a game plan all worked out and was feeling pretty confident. All of that was about to change.

As we headed out to the first spot the weather started to decline rapidly. The sky turned dark and the wind picked up. On top of that not even a bite. By the second spot I was sure it was going to rain and still no bites.

From JoshRyanJimmyAugust24

I worked the grounds hard for these guys but to no avail.

Luckily it never rained on us but the bite was not happening. We decided to try spot number three. We even trolled on our way over to it and didn't get a bite.

Before we got to the third spot the weather cleared and the wind died. It was going to be a nice day after all.

From JoshRyanJimmyAugust24

We arrive to the third location and it looked fishy enough as it always does. By now the guys are using a lot lighter tackle. After what seemed like an eternity, Josh catches a small Coral Trout. He follows that up with a fish I have yet to ID. If you know what it is let me know.

From JoshRyanJimmyAugust24

Then he adds a nice Job fish and a small Trevally.

Things slow down again and it is time to move on to what I am hoping will be a fishy spot at the bottom of the tide.

From JoshRyanJimmyAugust24

About three casts into this spot Josh is on again, only this is a little better fish. It turns out to be a Bluefin Trevally.

From JoshRyanJimmyAugust24

Picture time and then a quick release.

From JoshRyanJimmyAugust24

Now by this time Ryan has not boated a fish.

His determination is only matched by his level of fitness in his ability to cast the whole day.

Jimmy is not on the board either. Although he is nursing a really bad motor cross injury. So casting is only done occasionally.

Josh then catches a nice GT, while Jimmy jumps in for the leader and tail grab.

From JoshRyanJimmyAugust24

Now it is Ryan's turn. He gets into a nice Emperor. This is followed by a Black Trevally that gives a good accounting of it's self. And I might add he deserved it. He never gave up and it paid.

From JoshRyanJimmyAugust24

What started out as a dark and gloomy morning with no fish turned out to be a nice day with a few nice fish and a great bunch of guys.

From JoshRyanJimmyAugust24

Tight Lines

Gavin,Steve,Lindsey and Peter Aug. 21st Fiji fishing

2009-08-23T07:15:00.005+12:00

With our shop open six days a week and all the other things that keep life interesting, we have not been out fishing a lot lately. Somehow we just can't find enough hours in the day to get everything done. The saying feast or famine truly applies to our situation.

So again Rosie and I are sitting in the shop working on some display when a group of guys that are visiting from Australia and doing some work for the schools and hospital come in. The first The first thing they say is, "Do you wanna go fishing?" Now haw can anyone turn that down. Of course we wanna go fishing. I ask in my most professional tone, "When would you like to go?" To which they reply, in unison I might add, "Now!" I swallow hard and say give us a few minutes to go and get the gear ready and we will come back to the shop to get you.

So off we go. It is around noon and the weather looks threatening but all of our spirits are high.

We arrive to our first spot and some quick instructions are given. Then the lures are flying. Not long after our start, Gavin is onto a nice fish. A good solid fight and Rosie give it a lift into the boat.

From gavinlindseystevepeteraug21

This is Gavin's first Red Bass, and after a few picture and some video it is back into the water and back to fishing.

Lindsey was using the 30lb rod and after a while of no bites, decided he had enough for now and would become the videographer for the gang.

From gavinlindseystevepeteraug21

He willingly turned his rod over to Peter. Peter then started casting like there was no tomorrow. Before long he was onto a nice fish. After a good fight and a little coach from Rosie, a Job Fish, first for our boat, was brought on board for it picture taking session.

From gavinlindseystevepeteraug21

Now there was one fellow who at this point was still not on the board, Steve. He was up front with a 50lb rig and doing everything right. He could cast a bloody mile, and his retrieves were perfect. For some reason the fish had lock jaw when it came to his lure. I have to say he persevered for the entire trip. Never faltering and never giving up. He must have had a million casts. I would give him a location and he would cast there, nothing. I would say cast out at 2 o'clock, he would and nothing, not even a bite. Then towards the end of our session with the tide ripping, he cast to a small coral head and had the mother of all strikes. The sound was massive and a hole opened up all around where his lure was. But alas it was not to be. The GT missed the lure and left Steve with the knowledge of what is out there.

From gavinlindseystevepeteraug21

Steve in action with one of many casts.

All in all we had a great time out. These guys were a pleasure to spend the afternoon with and I hope they come and fish with us again.

Tight lines

August 5th Fiji fishing charter

2009-08-06T21:16:00.004+12:00

I was sitting in my new tackle shop dreaming of all the money I was not making from all of the customers I didn't have when my mobile phone rang. I looked to see who it was and saw my good friend Captain Charles' name. I answered with the usual "Hello Captain", to which he replied,"you wanna go for a fish this afternoon". Now usually when he says that it means he wants to eat fish and will drive the boat while I get to fish. Not this time. He says, "I have a couple of guys that want to go for a fish, do you want to take them?" I ponder this for exactly 1.5 seconds and respond sure why not. After all I was not rolling in customers.

Within 20 minutes I was at the jetty with all the gear and meeting my guests,

Denis and Christina Kay

From august5charter

Theo and Youlla Eriunidis.

From august5charter

As we pull away from the jetty, Capt. Charles is at the wheel and I have taken over as deckhand/host. Rosie, who usually does this job had to stay and watch the store.

It is about a 25-30 minute ride out the the reefs we are going to fish, so I sit down with my new angling friends and go over a few things about safety and not hooking me in the back or head with a lure.

We arrive at the reef and I give a few casting lessons and put Denis up at the bow and Theo at the stern. Lucky for me these two fellows are quick studies and are casting like pros in no time.

Unfortunately the fish gods were not shining their grace on us. Between a full moon and 25 knot winds we did not see a lot of action.

Denis landed a nice Bluefin Trevally on 30 lb.

From august5charter

We kept up the chatter and never lost hope. These two fellows put in the casting time and deserved more fish but it was not to be. The wind was relentless but every time we moved the boat Denis would get out on the bow and do a Leonardo DiCaprio "Titanic" impression, only his Kate Winslet decided it was way to rough to be out there so he did it alone.

From august5charter

In the end we had a good time despite a lack of fish as told by Theo's smile.

From august5charter

I hope to see this group again as it was quite enjoyable.

Tight lines

After Noon Quickie

2009-07-30T07:33:00.003+12:00

We have been working on opening up a fishing tackle store here in Fiji. Boy is it a heck of a lot of work and the doors are not even open yet. We found a shop that is in a good location and a good price and split the space with a friend named John. He will be opening a meat and specialty food shop. We are calling it "Pacific Harbour Fishing Tackle and Meats".

The other day we were inside painting and cleaning up the pig stye that the previous tenants left and finished up around noon. The weather looked ok and I said to my partners in crime, "why don't we go for a fish?" Of course there was a resounding, "sure what time?" To which I replied, "let's go home grab the gear and go." So we did.

I always leave the boat ready to go. It is cleaned fueled and watered. That way all I have to do is jump in and turn the key and go fish.

It is now just after noon and as we leave the shelter of the break wall it becomes obvious that the wind has picked up out of the SW and there is a rain squall coming our way. We put the hammer down and pound our way out across the channel to Beqa Lagoon.

Soon the clouds part and the sun comes out, although we are still contending with a 15-20 knot SW wind, it turns into a beauty of an afternoon.

Ok I need to back up a bit here and tell you that John has been out with us before but the weather has always been crap and he has declined to try popper fishing with the boat pitching in all directions. Not that I blame him. So this time it is just John, Rosie and myself out and John is at the rear with Rosie out front. After a few quick casting lessons John is popping like a pro.

Not long after we start really fishing, Rosie gets smashed by a beauty of a Long Nose Emperor. These fish fight like Mack trucks. They hit the lure and head straight for any structure they can find. and with a big fat tail propelling them they can move. After a good tussle Rosie brings it to the boat so it can have it's picture taken.

Xstreem Fishing Fiji

Sunday fish in Fiji

Blocked ISP

Seeing the future and catching fish.

Popping video, how to

Total Xstreem Fishing, a tackle store in Fiji

A good day popper fishing after a long break.

Charters, Money and Fish

Fishing in Fiji with Josh, Ryan and Jimmy on August 24th

Gavin,Steve,Lindsey and Peter Aug. 21st Fiji fishing

August 5th Fiji fishing charter

After Noon Quickie

Fiji Fishing, Bad Weather and GT's

Fiji Fishing report for first week of July

Fiji Fishing report for second week of June

Fishing report for first week of June

Fishing Report May 26, 2009

Finally got my fishing mojo back

Fishing Report May 21,2009

Yanuca sevusevu, Fiji

The Ride Home

Yanuca Fishing, Sea bass and Bluefin Trevally

Fijian Sea Bass

Fishing Frigates Passage in Fiji

Untouched in the water

Anglers Paradise fishing trip