It's been a long time

It's been a long time since we went fishing. Luckily it is like riding a bike you never forget, especially after the first bite.

Rosie and I took out our little tinny for some exploratory fishing.

The morning was looking very promising, so we headed out to a reef nearby. Now when I say nearby I mean maybe 5 miles or so by water.

Just as we get to the reef the westerlies start blowing and the swell starts swelling and our little tinny starts bobbing around like a cork. That signals the end of deep water fishing so we find a little cut in the reef and end up fishing about a 200 meter stretch all day.

The area looked fishy enough and and it was not to rough.

We start our drift and start fishing. It was not more than two minutes when there is a huge splash on my popper. Line starts to peal away slowly and I can feel the weight of the fish. After what seems hours, but really seconds the fish realizes that it

is hooked and takes off. Now I am using 30lb braid and my drag is tight and line is melting away like I am in free spool. Almost at the same time Rosie has the same thing happen to her. Luckily for me her fish throws the hooks allowing her to start the motor and give chase. After a good five minutes the giant whatever (pretty sure a GT) finds his way to the coral and wins it's freedom.

After that start it was pretty much fish on or a really visual surface strikes with every pass.

We took a few home to eat and let a lot go to fight another day.

I had hoped these fishing grounds would prove to be good and so far I am very impressed. Considering the water depth was maybe 2 meters at the most and the biggest fish in the boat was 5kg, I am happy.

Here's a few photos of some of the fish, hope you enjoy.

A Long Nose Emperor

From Mar 18, 2009

Rosie with a nice Coral Trout

From Mar 18, 2009

A Bluefin Trevally

From Mar 18, 2009

Nice big Jack

From Mar 18, 2009

From Mar 18, 2009

Tight lines and screaming drags

A great morning fishing.

The weather has been outstanding finally. Dead calm in the mornings and a little breeze come noon time. This can only mean one thing, time to fish. As we head out on to the water the anticipation of a good day fishing is all we can think of.

Things start out a bit slow, a few looks but nothing in the boat. As we drift over water so clear you feel as though you are floating on air. We can see myriads of small reef fishes and colorful coral.

The first fish comes to the boat in a flurry of splashes and short but strong runs. It is a Bluefin Trevally. Trevally can fight no matter the size. The big ones can dictate the fight and the little one just wont stop, even when in the boat they just jump and thrash around.

The next fish to the boat is a little Mangrove Jack. They can pull like a freight train and never give up.

The next fish is a first for me. It’s a parrot fish and I watched it take the lure right below the boat. Check out that protruding mouth.

Sometimes I wonder what fish are thinking especially the little ones. The lure was almost as big as the fish. The leather jacket has eyes bigger than its stomach.

Finally I pull a nice little Giant Trevally. They are called Giant Trevally because they grow to 50+kg, that’s over 100lb. Let me tell you these fish fight with no holds barred. If you don’t get the upper hand right away then you never will.
Various other fish were caught throughout the morning, including a large Long Tom that ended up with a little bling for his efforts. If the weather holds then we will be back at it. Fingers are crossed.

Tight lines and screaming drags

"Tools of my trade" or "Weapons of choice"

I have not been out fishing for a couple of days but I got to thinking maybe I should share with you the gear I use. Let's start from the early days of my saltwater fishing here in Fiji. My first set up was a Cabela's Salt Striker SS30. With 8lb braid and a 7ft grafite rod, it was an adequate set up that would be blown away by large GT's. Next I went to a Quantum Boca BSP30BTS spooled with 10lb braid. It was and is a good reel but just not up to the task. The big fish gave the little reel a work out and it just could not keep up. I also own a Quantum Cabo CSP60PTS spooled with 30lb P-Line Spectrex IV braid matched to a 7 1/2 ft graphite rod. I can not fault this reel as it has never let me down. It is just a bit big for everyday use, but it will knock over a nice size fish. Using braid it holds a lot of line and with plenty drag, I have taken out a wahoo and some big GT's.




















I finally made a trip to Australia for a vacation and decided it was time to get a new reel. This time the choice would be a Shimano Symetre 4000FI spooled with 15lb P-Line Spectrex IV braid and matched to a 7 ft graphite medium action spinning rod. Now this set up has been a really good work horse for me. I catch a lot of big fish and have put as much as 5kg of drag on the reel and it has never failed. I have had it for over a 18 months and use it exclusively in the saltwater without a problem. The beauty is I can catch smaller fish and it is still a good fight. I normally use about 2.5-3kg of drag and with that setting even a small Mangrove Jack can put up a good fight.

If I am going outside the reef to fish for the big ones then I have a Shimano Tiagra 30 2speed spooled with 30lb mono and matched to a Shimano T-Curve rod. What can I say this is a great rod and reel combonation. It feels great in your hands and works flawlessly. It costs a bloody fortune but it is worth it.

There are a few other bits and pieces I have come to swear by. The Lindy fish handling glove is a must if you do not want to get poked by spiney fish. I usually use a left one as I hold my rod with my right hand. I am not going to debate the left or right handed fishing technique now. I will also carry a right hand glove in the boat incase someone else gets a really big fish and I need two hands. The other must have is a good pair of stainless steel needle nose pliers for taking hooks out.

Well there it is, the basics of my fishing gear. In a future post I will show step by step how to service a spinning reel. Any questions post them in the comments.

Tight lines and screaming drags

Trevally and Jacks in Fiji

The morning was calm. The clouds were not angry anymore and the sea was like molten glass. I could see blue sky and a small rainbow. I had a good feeling about this fishing trip, after all the last one ended with me being stung by a Sting Ray so anything would be better.

We set out with the electric trolling motor, just cruising along at a nice leisurely pace, Rosie and I casting poppers casually from side to side. We had a few lookers but no takers.

The water was a tinge of swimming pool blue and so clear you could see forever. We were slowly cruising over a series of coral heads in about 5 meters of water when Rosie looked down and saw a nice 2+ meter Bronze Whaler just lying on the bottom. With the most nonchalant flick of its tail it moved on and we resumed fishing.

We decided to skip our first fishing spot, a series of coral heads and rocks in a fast moving tide channel with a sandy bottom. Instead we went straight to another fishy spot where a small river comes to a little bay, known for holding nice Jacks and Trevally.
The water in this bay was a bit murky due to the rain and I was not having any luck with the poppers so I switched to a small dark X-Rap diver with loud rattles.

Rosie persisted with a small dark popper, and a really nice Trevally was the reward. After about a minute the fight ended with the front split ring being pulled straight. She upsized her popper and was back in the water in no time.

As we rounded the back of the bay my diver was absolutely smashed. The fight was dirty from the start, hard deep runs with a late run that made the drag scream in pain. Soon the telltale head thumps told me the fight was almost over. When we finally saw color, it proved why the fight was so good. A deep sided 4kg Trevally was netted and in the boat like clock work.

Things then quieted down for awhile. As we moved out of the bay, the water started to become clear again and we were fishing a deep drop off known for really big Trevally. I switched back to a popper and Rosie moved up to a 30lb spinning outfit. She was taking no chances of a bust off this time.

I was still bragging about my fish and not paying attention to my lure or retrieve when a nice little Emperor took my static lure for a run. These fish can fight. They were described to me by a friend as catching a freight train that wants to go home. This little fish proved it ten times over. Nevertheless, my braid proved victorious in the end.

A few minutes later and my popper was taken again by another nice Trevally. The water was so clear we watched the entire fight from take to finish. One of the bonuses of surface fishing.

We fished on a bit further but things got quiet. There was no surface activity and no bites so we decided to make our way back.
There was a lot of talking going on when all of a sudden off the back of the boat a huge Spanish mackerel launched itself into the air. We both stood there with our mouths open as this massive fish rocketed more that 5 meters into the air, turned around and shot straight back into the water.

If you have never seen this, let me tell you it is a remarkable sight. A big toothy grin and bold stripes gave away the species as well as the free jump.

Now, being a couple of true anglers Rosie and I immediately fire off a couple of casts. Within seconds the mackerel has launched itself out of the water again only this time it has my lure in it mouth. This is where all the years of experience comes into play, no steel leader and a small spinning reel, and a really big toothy fish, I am cut off before it even pulls tight. Luckily my little popper floats up right next to the boat and I retrieve it easily.

Rosie is undaunted by my ordeal and continues to cast out towards the general area. Within a couple of casts she has a massive strike that turns out to be a really big shark. She is still undaunted and continues to cast out there eventually enticing another massive strike from the shark. Now I think it has turned personal and she casts again followed by a white water explosion and as her line pulls tight and her rod loads up the shark proves that when fishing for toothy creature you need steel leader. With her popper now being worn as shark bling we get back to the business of fishing for obtainable fish.

On our way back we fish the little bay we started in. It starts out quiet so I switch to a diver in hopes of another Trevally. Rosie continues with a popper and after a few casts I hear the unmistakable boof of a Mangrove Jack. The fight is dirty by both parties. If you do not turn the Jack quickly you lose. She does it like a textbook fight and before long a beautiful Jack is in the boat.

A perfect end to a great day of fishing.

Beginner popper fishing

Poppers are one of the most heart stopping, adrenalin pumping, and visually exciting forms of fishing there is.

Almost every type of fishing uses poppers from fly fishing to spinning, bait casters, trolling, and even hand lining, inshore, offshore, lakes, streams, rivers, and estuaries.

The variety of fish species that can be caught on poppers is only comparable to the shear number of lure styles. Poppers are possibly one of the most versatile lures you can have in you tackle box. They come in sizes as small as 1cm and as large as 30cm and every imaginable color scheme, from clear to reflective holographic scale like imagery.

The first step to using and being successful with poppers is to make the commitment to give it a go. I mean a real go. It may take awhile for you to break the popper code. Going out once and casting a popper around for 20-30 minutes and giving up because you did not catch anything is not going to cut it. You have to put in the hard time. I have taught many people to fish using poppers and not a single one caught a fish their first time out.

The saying “big bait big fish, small bait all fish” holds true. I started popper fishing with a 5cm Sure Catch. I bought them in every color I could find. I fished them every time I went out until I cracked the popper code and could catch fish consistently by changing colors and retrieves. Then I started to buy different kinds and sizes of poppers. I learned to read the bait fish for size and color. I also learned to change colors and retrieves with the weather.

It has been said that one fish on a popper is equal to seven fish caught almost any other way. The surface strike is one of the most exciting things to see. It can be compared to the thrill of switch baiting for large game fish. You see it all happen right in front of you. Once you catch your first fish on a popper you will be hooked.

For the sake of space I will assume you have an idea as to the kind of fish you want to catch. I will also assume that you have caught them before using other lures such as divers, soft plastics etc. If you have not then you will need to do some initial research before you try fishing with poppers.

I have found the Uni Knot to be one of the best and easiest to tie. You can leave a loop in it or pull it right down. It tests close to 100% in most applications. “The strength of the Uni-Knot isn’t diminished when the line is broken with a jerk,” Vic Dunaway. When taking big hits from Trevally you need that kind of insurance. I also use a lot of offshore snap swivels, makes it easy to change lures. I have only ever had 3-4 fail in many years of fishing. The Uni Knot also works with braid. I usually tie a Bimini Twist in my braid and then use a Double Uni Knot for my connection to the leader and then a Uni Knot to lure or snap. I have also found the action is not lessened much without a loop. That being said, if it is very calm and water is clear then I would usually go to a loop for presentation purposes.

The general rule is the darker the day the darker the color the brighter the day the lighter the color. I use the water color also, if the water is very green I lean towards a greener colored lure, brown water towards darker brown with loud rattles.

If you look at the front of a popper it has a cupped shape to it. When I say pop, I mean for you to pull that cupped face through the water with a rapid but smooth jerk using the rod tip or you can give a very quick turn of your reel. This action will make your popper go pop in the water and also throw a little splash out the front. Depending on the size of the popper as to how hard to pop it, also the style and type of fish you are chasing. If you have a lot of chop you will need to create a bigger pop so you can be seen and heard where as if you have a glassy day your pops do not have to be that big and aggressive.

The retrieve is one of the key elements to successful poppering. Different fish respond to different retrieves. I find Jacks and Emperors prefer a pop with a long pause followed by another pop and long pause. Sometime you will need to ad a little wiggle in if there is interest but no bite. When fishing for Trevally I use a rather steady pop and retrieve. If there are bites but no takers then I try a flat out retrieve, still nothing then long pauses and erratic retrieves.

Bream can be a bit tricky, as you need to place your cast spot on, usually under an overhanging branch or over the top of a partially sunken log or in the middle of some oyster racks. Let it sit for about the count of ten then start your retrieve one pop followed by a long pause and so on.

When fishing for Barramundi it is much the same as bream a slower retrieve and maybe a few wiggles added in for good measure.

As with all fish trial and error and matching the hatch. Sometimes the only thing working is a clear lure and other times it might be a black and orange one.

It is going to take practice to get the kinks worked out of your retrieve after all Rome was not built in a day. You will get the line wrapped around the rod tip, the hooks will be fouled, and even the occasional birds’ nest on a spinning reel is not unheard of.

Be sure you wind on the down stroke after you pop. Pay attention to your spool, if the line is getting slack on the spool make a long cast and wind back with out popping to get your line laid down tight. If you pop too hard you will find the lure jumps out of the water and will usually foul the hooks.

While you are still learning go slow and expect to have many foul-ups. It is a new style of fishing for most and will take time to get it right.

In no time at all the thrill of your popper disappearing in a sudden explosion of foamy water will have you hooked and coming back for more.