Fishing
Location
Fiji’s two largest islands are separated by a fertile strait known as the Vatu-i-Ra Passage. In this region, the South Pacific is squeezed through a maze of reefs, shoals, and seamounts with edges plunging hundreds of metres down into inky darkness. Where sea and structure collide, strong currents nourish a bountiful food web, supporting more than 1000 fish species. It is here that Ra Anglers operate across thousands of square kilometres. Fair to say there’s plenty of room for visitors!
The Main Event
With a massive range of species to choose from, it might seem hard to pick a target, but if you’ve ever hooked a giant trevally—known locally as saqā—you’ll understand why they are at the very top of our list. Most of the fishing we do is aimed at enticing GTs to crunch topwater lures. This is one of the ultimate adrenaline pursuits, and we are lucky enough to enjoy it year-round!
The Supporting Cast
When chasing GTs, we encounter many other species that equally enjoy a topwater offering. These include bluefin trevally (saqāniva), red bass (bati), coral trout (donū), Spanish mackerel (walu), barracuda (ogo), groupers (kawakawa), and the infamous Napoleon wrasse (varivoce).
The Lucky Dip
Deeper areas offer exciting opportunities for jigging. Microjigging or slow pitch jigging around bommies in 40 to 60 metres of water is a proven method for tangling with coronation trout (varāvarānitoga), large-mouthed nannygai (rosinibogi), amberjack (saqavatoga), green jobfish (utouto), rusty jobfish (pakapaka), coral cod (kasala selagi), highfin grouper (kasala-votose), chinamanfish (tevulu), and dozens of other species. Heavy jigging is more specifically targeted at dogtooth tuna (yatu), which hang near pinnacles year-round and feed most actively at dawn and dusk. Though not always hard to find, they certainly are hard to stop!
Sensational Shallows
There’s plenty of fun to be had on the coral flats at high tide. Packs of brassy trevally (saqā bui dromo) hunt the skinny water for baitfish. Titan triggerfish (cumu) are dream targets for sight fishing. Black-banded snapper (kake sailoa) compete aggressively and fight well above their size. Emperors dominate, with longnose (dokonivudi), yellowlip (kacika), spangled (kawago), and thumbprint (kabatia) varieties for starters. Dropoffs are patrolled by torpedo scad (salala), paddletail snapper (bō), and still more exotic prizes like pennantfish (tina ni kaikai) and buffalo emperor (sabūtudamu). Truly a sportfishing playground!
Prized Pelagics
Moving between reefs, we regularly cross paths with marauding schools of skipjack tuna (yatusewa), rainbow runner (drodrolagi), and queenfish (votonimoli). Though these species can be taken on the troll, it is generally more fun to cast at workups. The rush is multiplied when a solid yellowfin tuna (yatunitoga), dolphinfish (maimai), or wahoo (wau) hits your lure at speed!
Our Vessel
Ra Anglers fish in comfort and safety aboard our 35ft aluminium centre console powered by twin Suzuki DF300 outboard motors. The boat was custom designed by Noah Thompson and constructed by Cobra Boats as a sportfishing weapon. Two anglers can fish from the elevated casting platform on the bow, with a third casting from the foredeck in front of the console. This is the ideal configuration for chasing GTs, and a fourth angler can be added if they are happy to cast from the smaller aft deck behind the console and T-top. Many groups choose to rotate positions throughout the day.
When steaming between fishing spots at 20 knots, anglers can rest on the cushioned bench seats at either end of the console or the horseshoe seat at the bow. We can roll out a shadecloth to cover the foredeck if the sun is particularly intense or fold down the clears during tropical downpours. Padded rub rails run along the inner gunwales, with nonslip U-DEK flooring on the casting platform and tube matting laid over chequer plate decks to ensure a secure foothold when hooked up. The vessel is fully licensed and certified by the Marine Safety Authority of Fiji, with a Raymarine Axiom GPS and sounder, marine radio, life jackets, flares, and first aid kits in case of emergency. You’re in safe hands.
Hall of Fish
Our boat has some great mojo. Below is a slideshow of some notable catches that have come through her tuna doors. All were caught on casting lures, and all except the mackerel and wahoo were carefully released after a quick photo. Here’s hoping yours is the next to be featured!
