The Fiji Islands are fortunate enough to enjoy Yellowfin tuna fishing pretty much all year round. The tuna migrate North past Fiji to the spawning grounds in the Indian Ocean and then come back through our waters on their return trip South.

They are voracious predators that specialise in balling up baitfish, then smashing into the tightly packed ball from below, often leaping clean into the air, such is the speed of their attack. Yellowfin maintain a higher body temperature than the surrounding ocean giving them the ability to display sustained high speed bursts and dogged determined hard fighting abilities. They have a relatively high percentage of dark meat as opposed to white meat which basically means they fight hard and can go on fighting hard for extended periods. Their dorsal and pectoral fins fold into slots on their body making them perfectly streamlined for high speed. Their dorsal & anal finlets are specifically designed for high speed stability and drag reduction. When you hook up to a Yellowfin you know you have a battle on your hands.

Yellowfin fight the way they feed. They smash a lure on the surface, put their head down and barrel off as deep as they can. They never fight on or close to the surface. (If one does, it’s about to be nailed by a shark)

Once you (or they choose to) stop that deep run, the battle of wills commences. The tuna will use all its power to keep its head pointing downwards and you have to get its head pointing upwards. I am sure the modern reel manufacturers had tuna in mind when they first produced a two speed reel with a low gear ration for hauling stubborn fish out of the depths.

We always fish using equipment that complies with the IGFA Rules. When out trolling for marlin or yellowfin using heavy tackle, we use a 9 foot double connected to a 19ft wind on main leader to the snap swivel. The lure is rigged on a 6 – 9 foot terminal leader, depending on the lure size. Terminal leaders range from 200lb Ande for tuna bullets to 500lb Moimoi Marlin Ultra Hard for the big marlin lures. Most of the tuna lures are rigged on 130 – 200lb leader. Try to go as light as you can. Yellowfin have excellent eye sight and will shy away from a heavy leader.

SHORT CORNER

1. Halco Laser Pro 190 minnow – Redhead

2. Lurestreet Raptor or Classic Minnow - Redhead

LONG CORNER

1. Yu-Zuri Bonita – Blue white or green white mackerel stripe with red nose or all red.

2. River2Sea Killer VIB – Any colour in range but redhead works best.

SHORT RIGGER

1. Wellsys Bullet Head #4 (Large) – Blue silver / Green gold (Evil).

2. Marlin Magic Kona bullet – Black/Red.

LONG RIGGER

1. Pakula Uzi – Yellow/green/ or Orange.

2. Joe Yee medium bullet– Blue white / Pink yellow

3. Hollowpoint Cabo Killa – Purple (Make sure it’s not running aggressively, just swimming quietly).

SHOTGUN

1. Wellsys Bullet Head #4 (Large) - Silver/pink.

2. Pakula Uzi – Orange/yellow or Black/red (wasp).

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

http://www.Matava.com

http://www.GamefishingFiji.com