# The Ultimate Fishing holiday, plan B and whats involved



## Dave73 (Dec 3, 2006)

I'm supposed to be on a remote Fiji island right now, getting surface strikes off GT's, reefies, trolling for yellowfin, mackeral, dropping jigs over pinacles and working the flats and mangroves for etc etc... 7 days of it, ultimate dream holiday. The area is pristine, fish plentiful, planned for 9 months and timing perfect...

Well not so, I cancelled the night before due to tropical lows (cat 2 cyclone) and rough seas..... Didn't want to chance it so played it safe... ouch.
Didn't lose too many $'s but pondering what could have been a bit now... I admit to being pretty bummed 

Plan B is rescheduling for the same area or elsewhere. Lately a few AKFF'rs and mentioned lashing out on one of these trips either Northern Aus or overseas, a liveaboard is an option. It is something I intend to do and I am *inviting others* who are interested in the same.  Lets face it,it's more fun sharing the experience and it only really happened if someone else saw it!

My rough idea of action includes casting poppers etc over reef for average GT's, coral trout etc. Depending on season and location include wahoo and a host of manageable and unmanageables! It's not all heavy braid and getting stretched to the limit, though it does really test angler and tackle. I had packed my little rat kingy outfit 20lb braid and soft plastics, but also some serious popper gear also. 
It's not a barra trip nor is it a hit the reef for a week and come back with 100kg of fillets each :shock:

Info I already have include.
Looking at going for about a week in may/june/july
Planning to spend a few thousand $ on trip alone (excl gear, flights)
Full or new moon best (new moon best if your after dogtooth tuna)
BYO gear, think of the investment cost
Flight specials, book early can save big $'s
2-3 people ideal for small day charters or 5-8 for liveaboard

Fiji (Kadavu) cant go wrong
New Caledonia, seriously big fish territory 
Northern Australia, Darwin or Qld. many options.

Anyone keen, crazy or have any advice on this!

Cheers Dave


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

Yes I am interested. I've been trying to rustle up a few mates for something similar in April/May/June this year but so far it's only me and one other mate who are keen. (Its my 40th in May so I have the leave pass).

So far I've been looking at Nth Qld (Weipa / Aurukun area) and also mothership trips out to Swains Reef. The main problem is the cost but I've found one operator who is fairly reasonable (approx $2000 for a weeks live aboard charter to Swains Reef) - plus airfares and beer.

Fiji sounds great, as does New Cal, so maybe we can get an idea of who's interested then all catch up for a coffee/beer/chat somewhere in a few weeks to work out a plan.

ps. Bummer about Fiji.    ..What is it with cyclones there at the moment, my sister and bro-in-law were evacuated a few months ago due to a cyclone in Fiji - is this normal?


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## Dave73 (Dec 3, 2006)

Davey G said:


> Fiji sounds great, as does New Cal, so maybe we can get an idea of who's interested then all catch up for a coffee/beer/chat somewhere in a few weeks to work out a plan.


Good idea Dave, glad your keen!
I know how to do Fiji on the cheap with flights and accom and still use top charters.
New Cal is an unknown to me however Ocean Blue bookings (look them up) send clients to Vanuatu and New Cal also all over Nth Aus. I rang them the other day and emailed them for prices. Will see what they say!
I know NC would yeild some monster fish and would be very excy $.
If you want to Google Fiji fishing Kadavu, you'll get some hits on where I stayed last time and was booked in to return to.



Davey G said:


> ps. Bummer about Fiji. ..What is it with cyclones there at the moment, my sister and bro-in-law were evacuated a few months ago due to a cyclone in Fiji - is this normal?


No I wouldn't say, usually summer is warm and still and great for fishing. Except with a tropical low bearing down on you.
We are experiencing El Nina conditions, and this is reflected in the recent rainfall over Xmas Jan in Qld etc. The outlook is higher than average rainfall expected over summer and expected to continue till April. (Fiji meteorololy)

speak soon

Dave


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

Cool. Fiji sounds like a plan.

Ocean Blue are top operators but very exxy. I spoke with Anthony Pisano (owner) about their Cape York trips and they work out at close to $800-$1000 a day. CAn only imagine what their overseas trips cost..

Lets hear from who else is interested...


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## Dave73 (Dec 3, 2006)

Yeah, I only got a taste of it's potential last time round. I think flying in to a place every 6 months even if it is for 3 days or so could go be the go!  
So could selling body parts to pay for it :shock:

The lagoon photo is my screen saver, and is motivation to get back there.

(In a parallel universe I am there *now* with a big smile and shaking with adrenalin :lol: )


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## Rstanek (Nov 5, 2007)

WOW! You guys are soooo lucky to be able to do this trip!

I don't know anything in regards to Fiji, but I went to New Cal on exchange for two weeks in October 2006. I didn't get to do any fishing because my host family only read my 'intrests' profile on the day I got there  ! The father of the host family worked for the navy and was a very keen fisherman, but he had too many work committments to change in a hurry. However, on the one day off that he did have, he took me and my non-fishing mate from Noumea, up the coast and over the mountains to Yaté, and back again. Once you get out of the city (which is a bit of a ghetto...) The areas you experience are pretty much untouched.

On pretty much every bit of coastline we saw, the host would tell us about the range of fish he caught - Giant Trevally especially. He also showed us a few areas where he catches bonefish on fly, without seeing another person for the whole day. He said he'd also done charters out to the edge of the reef surrounding the island and caught some serious fish!

We also visited a waterfall in the middle of nowhere that had a pool filled with fish that were about 40cm long and lookde alot like jungle perch, but I'm not sure exactly what they were. This was in an area that people still lived in what can only be described as more modern huts! I'm sure there'd probably be other freshwater options aswell, just for something different...

I suppose what I'm trying to say is that if you want a beautiful, untouched area to fish, then I'd pick New Cal. It's got a variety of fishing styles and species available. I think the best bet would be to organise the charters separately through the local charters over there, and just stay in a hotel or something close to wherever they launch. I googled the subject and found this website; http://www.rocket-guide-newcaledonia.com/fishing.html

Good luck wherever you decide to go!

Rowan.


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

kraley said:


> Anyone else up for a whitsundays adventure, tho?
> 
> Pro's - cheaper -and we can get our own kayaks up there (OTE would arrange transport ex-sydney)
> Not so many croc's as NT!
> ...


Yes, good option. I've bareboated up there 3 times and its a great experience. Doing it on a 40 foot cat for a week and specifically looking for fishing spots would be awesome. Catamaran hire rates work out at around $1000 per day so if we did a week long charter and there was 5 guys it would be approx $1500 each (plus airfares plus food) - so for under $2500 you could have a sensational week in paradise. If we could get the yaks up there (or hire some locally) it would be even better!. Hmm. too many options


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## Peril (Sep 5, 2005)

kraley said:


> I am keen for Fiji (where was that resort that rented hobies????)
> 
> Anyone else up for a whitsundays adventure, tho?
> 
> ...


Don't discount self-guided as a con!

Am interested if the timing is right. Like Davey, I have a watershed birthday this year (but not the same as Dave's) and should be able to get permission for a little extravagance


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## sbd (Aug 18, 2006)

Peril said:


> I have a watershed birthday this year


You're going to love 30 Dave.

I'd love to go to Fiji, but will need to work out an appropriate way to break the news. Noncommital at this stage.


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## L3GACY (Sep 2, 2007)

Just browsing through, the whitsundays idea sound bloody great. One of the cheaper options and it is an excellent spot up there. The fishing was certainly "worthy" too. I think we got 3 or 4 tuna a few spanish mackerel all over 10kg and some coral trout in one days fishing (with a guide though). So surely you guys could find something worthwhile in a week. I'm hoping to get over there some time next year, no yak though .


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## Pauly (Jun 28, 2006)

last time we looked at the Whitsundays I priced up a 10 day trip inclusive of yak transport ex syd, flights, general food and booze on a 43ft cat for $1575 staying the first and last night at airlie beach..(lots of fun)... for those interested we should discuss this over lunch (6/2/08) and i'll price up a trip..Keen for a trip in the last week of may (my B'day) would be a good way to spend it..


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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QlpoOTFBWSZTWTTRTnsAAA1XgAAQQAEIABQAN/feoCAAdQ1TymjxEyBp6aQap+k0Jkaepp6mgyE64cuuMQUSRmF706naypAkHutIBCXrfxqJx6wY+bwmFMLx42B04jWUtnUym0IjTBr3l6WKxXE2jUJESyLuSKcKEgaaKc9g


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## Dave73 (Dec 3, 2006)

redphoenix said:


> The whitsundays option is damn tempting. Could also be up for fiji.. depends on dates and stuff though.


Mate you'd be mad not to!!...Seeing that its just up the road from you now 

Dates for me will be the new moon in June or July. I'm leaning towards going to Fiji seeing I know what is on offer and I have a credit to use with Virgin, will propose a date soon and ask for definite numbers.

Let me know when the Whitsundays are happening, thats on the list also.

cheers Dave


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## Dave73 (Dec 3, 2006)

New moon is July 3rd, this would be a pretty good time for an overseas trip. I am suggesting leaving late June and fishing the 3 or 4 days either side of that, say till the 7th July!?

Still gotta check cheap flights.

Ideas?


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## MangoX (Feb 18, 2006)

Fiji  yes.

Whitsundays  yes.

Am keen for either, also depends on dates.

How much are we looking at for a Fiji trip ?


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## Dave73 (Dec 3, 2006)

Guys,

I'm heading overseas tomorrow for a few weeks so will miss all the reports and necessary banter only AKFF provides.
Still no definite plans for this fishing holiday but anyone seriously interested in either Nth Qld (Hinchinbrook offshore liveaboard), New Cal or Fiji then let me know. Anyone can throw some ideas around, or PM me. I don't mind doing the research and planning, but this is the kind of trip which needs to booked months in advance.
If we can muster up 4 - 6 people we can get some good value liveaboard charters. If its less numbers we can get great day trips from resorts anyway.

(very) Rough idea of costs would be around $2000 - $2500 for 5 days plus flights, plus your own tackle. A shorter trip is of course possible also.

Will have a catch up in a few weeks with anyone else keen.

cheers Dave


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

I'd love to do either but am leaning towards sailing a cat around the whitsundays. The option of also taking kayaks has tipped the scale in favour of staying in Oz.

I'm a 100% starter on this and will be looking to do it sometime in May so if theres anyone else who's a definite then lets get it organised. If Pauly can still work his magic and get yaks up there then great, otherwise we may need to look at hiring them in Mackay or Proserpine/Airlie Beach...not sure if theres anywhere up there that rents them out?

I reckon 4-6 guys, 4 yaks and 7 nights would be ideal (any more yaks and towing/storage would be a hassle). As mentioned, Sunsail Charters(who I've hired from before and are terrific) would work out at around $2000 for 7 nights on a 43 foot catamaran (based on 6 people). That price includes airfares, food and charter fees.

Anyway, theres a few who've expressed interest. Who's in?


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## Pauly (Jun 28, 2006)

I'll take care of transport and can look after $$$ Boat hire (cheaper) PM you tonight Davey.. i'm in for this one.


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

On The Edge said:


> I'll take care of transport and can look after $$$ Boat hire (cheaper) PM you tonight Davey.. i'm in for this one.


eeeexcellent smithers.... 8)


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

----

QlpoOTFBWSZTWWXt81EAAB/XgAAQQIczIpyAP3/foCAAhCJ6U9GpqHqeUNPU8piY0QGqfoQaJA9QBpoB6QNMh5xO0tDaGnHSsFtgH2V5ASeWtyB5wkkUNUn2pglZ+jchUqUPHz8cVZkGA2Ylmpfa3Debl4ojunJl96TxiCQTYhqtq+zvCCs2ByFCMnSREaDTzAOfw23i8cUIk9DwVd42XXXBpIBGdlwSpStnCz08OrD+LuSKcKEgy9vmog==


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## MangoX (Feb 18, 2006)

Ditto

I think I'll wait for after SWR to break the news... :? 
I know.....what a wuss


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## wigg (Jan 6, 2007)

Just got back from 2 weeks in Fiji
Only went out once but did get 2 nice dollies
the current line was like day and night
30 degrees one side 36 0n the other
we got 11 in total between 5 of us (not bad in 4 hours)
it was a bit rough and 3 of us got sick
Had a great time even if the last 4 days were in a cyclone

Cheers

Wigg


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