I’ve recently returned from a fantastic week away sportfishing Ono island, Fiji. I was accompanied by Brent Delaney (Modern Fishing), Mark Kitteridge (NZ Fishing News) and Sydney angler/photographer Kerry Wilson. All top anglers and really good guys to share the experience with. The angler’s lodge is a quality sport fisherman’s ecolodge and we enjoyed superb food and great facilities, did I mention the resort masseuse was very good also!

The fishing turned on quality and quantity! On poppers we caught GT’s, yellowfin tuna, red bass, maori wrasse, bluefin trevally and longnose emperor to name a few. Plenty of highlights, including coming across a school of yellowfin on our boat transfer from the Kadavu airport to the resort! I quickly rigged up and was hooked up to a feisty YFT within 30mins of stepping off the plane. What a welcome!

The next morning Kerry got a 25kg GT on one of his first casts of the trip! We also enjoyed a triple hookup on GT’s in the shallows, with all fish landed. Mark wasn’t as lucky only half an hour later when a big GT hit his popper and powered back over the shallow reef break and into the lagoon. The video footage we got of the fight is quite something!

On jigs we caught dogtooth tuna, red bass, XOS GT, pukapuka (red snapper), mangrove jack and more. The jigging we experienced was as good as the popping. Each session had it standout event!!

I’m really looking forward to reliving the experience in the upcoming magazine articles, keep an eye out for these! Till then, I have some great memories, awesome photo’s and some pretty tragic poppers and jigs to remember it by.

David Noble