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History of Game Fishing

It’s a little difficult to say, now: probably some chap in a pith helmet standing in a lap-strake dory in what is the hub of the South Pacific, somewhere among Fiji’s 332 islands. Of course it could have been the nation’s legendary chief Lutunasobasoba, dragging a line behind his voyaging canoe that, according to tradition, was the means the islands were populated in the first place. But that wouldn’t have been game fishing – it would have been part of the effort to feed people aboard the giant double-hulled canoe.

It would appear that some of the first attempts at Game Fishing were made by the Harbour Master in Fiji’s old capital of Levuka about 1918. His name was Captain Sanders and it is interesting that the top prize in the annual Fiji International Game Fishing Tournament is the Captain Sanders Game Fishing reel, now mounted in a glass case.

Other well-known identities were to follow in his wake, usually in the same area between Ovalau island (where Levuka is); Wakaya Island (which has wild deer and where the German raider Baron Von Luckner was captured during Second World War) and the former lepper colony of Makogai Island.

Fish move through the group on migratory tracks, giving anglers year-round fishing activity as the fish move through and back again. Since there aren’t any long coastlines to monitor fish migration, and because of Fiji’s mid-Pacific geographic location, the problem is in knowing whether these pelagics are migrating north or south – coming or going – or whether they’re just visiting to feed. But a little sleuthing around by the fishing experts during other world-class fishing contests – in New Zealand, Cairns (Queensland), and Kona (Hawaii) – has indicated that Fiji’s winter months of June, July, and August produce the best catches of Striped Marlin (Tetrapturus andax); that Blue and Black Marlin are taken practically any time of year (Makaira migricans and Makaira indica) and captures of over 900 pounds are not uncommon. Sailfish (Istophorus platypterus) have been hauled aboard every month of the year.

Some game fishermen come to Fiji only for the Wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri) which is such a common catch from May to August that it has become synonymous with the nation’s game fishing programs; and for tuna species of Yellowfin, Big Eye, Dogtooth, Kawakawa and Bonito.

Yellowfin tuna occur from November to March and migrate back through the group from May to August, in schools with Skipjack and Kawakawa. The start of the season seems to coincide with the blooming of the ‘flame tree’ Poinciana (Delonix regal). Big Eye tuna are usually caught on the live bait at depth, when fishing for Yellowfin or Marlin. Dogtooth, too, seem to prefer the deeper depths and are fished with down riggers or drop lines near ridges and sea mounts.
Shipjacks are easily caught, often used as lures and the biggest specimens occur during the sinter months; Kawakawa or Mackeral Tuna occur about passages and large areas of lagoons, often where they feed on herring, squid and crustaceans in less than clear water.
Dolphin fish (Coruphaena hippurus linnaeus), often called ‘mahimahi’, are abundant most of the year, attain an average adult weight of 19kg and are still occasionally taken on Fiji’s traditional ‘viavia’ lure, a plant which has a silver shiny texture and is rolled around the hook and trace.

Other common catches: barracuda (a world record for agrioposphyraena barracuda caught in Fiji waters exists, the fish weighing more than 100 pounds) but averages about 30 lbs.; mackeral, scomberomorus, (known locally as ‘walu’ and a highly-priced item in markets as the basis of Fiji’s traditional raw fish delicacy known as ‘kokoda’, which occurs in numbers from February to July.

All species of trevally, Caranx, listed by the International Game Fishing Association (IGFA) are taken quite regularly, but the giant of them all Caranx ignobilis, has been recorded in Fiji weighing 150 pounds (it was not a world record) and can be taken when spinning from a beach, pier, wharf or boat.

The IGFA list of other Fiji gamefish includes freshwater largemouth bass; rainbow runners; bonefish; hammerhead; thresher and tiger sharks. Existing and previous world records for Fiji gamefish include Barracuda, Pacific sailfish, Kawakawa, Dogtooth tuna, giant trevally and wahoo.

If Fiji’s very first game fisherman is a little unclear, the country’s most prominent fisherman (and fishing family) is pretty well understood. Albert Threadingham, Fiji’s IGFA representative for the past 22 years has fished the group extensively and competed in such big-name fishing events as the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournaments; Bay of Islands Billfish Tournaments and game fishing tournaments in Australia. Presently a governor of the Hawaiian International Billfish Association and the Pacific Ocean Research Foundation, Albert founded the Royal Suva Yacht Club Game Fishing Association in 1974 and is currently in his seventh term as Commodore of the Royal Suva Yacht Club.

But it is his son Melvin who holds the national all-tackle record for billfish in the Fiji Islands, after Melvin landed a 447kg Pacific Blue Marlin on 37kg tackle in January of 1997. Pauline Threadingham is a previous world-record holder for her capture of a 30kg giant trevally a few years back. It’s truly a fishing family.

Now, there are six active game fishing clubs in Fiji – located at the Royal Suva Yacht Club, Pacific Harbour, Taveuni, Savusavu, Musket Cove and Lautoka, nicely representing many of the Fiji Islands.

Fiji enthusiastically carries out tag-and-release game fishing, introduced to this island nation a decade ago, a conservation measure that helped enhance the knowledge of some of these magnificent species.

IMPORTANT DATABASE OF ALL THE FISH WITH IMAGES – https://igfa.org/game-fish-database/

1998-Gamefishing-Symposium

The History of Game Fishing in Fiji

Fiji Fishing Competitions

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