FISH SEASONS

Black Marlin season runs from August to December with blue and striped marlin showing from March to August.

Sailfish are caught all year round.

Wahoo and dog tooth tuna are best from June to September but are caught all year round.

Yellow fin tuna show in large numbers from June to August but some remain close to the reef throughout the year.

Barracuda and Spanish mackerel (Walu) are present in large numbers from October through March but can be caught all year round.

Fishing outside the barrier reef is subject to reasonable weather conditions but fishing inside the reef is almost always available.

Billfish

Although billfish have seasons, the waters around Kadavu Island are so oceanic that billfish, in particular blue marlin, are caught year round. If there are tuna around, there will be blues around. the blue marlin fishing is relatively quiet around the month of April when the water temperature reaches its peak however a slight dip in the water surface temperature and the bite can turn on overnight.

From May to October, large Pacific sailfish gather in packs along the reef and we target these packs using light tackle gear. The average sail size is 80lbs with many going well over 100lbs.

Wahoo

The wahoo season starts in earnest when the water temperature drops down below 26 degrees.

This is usually at the end of May however the weather, in particular an el nino event can hold the water temperature up at 26.5 as late as June which results in a late start to the wahoo season.

It is possible to catch wahoo year round at places like the Kadavu seamount but from May to October, large packs of wahoo gather along the Great Astrolabe barrier reef. One of the best wahoo sites is just 15 minutes from the resort.

Yellowfin

Yellowfin tuna migrate through Fiji’s waters twice a year and are therefore present for most of the year. Generally the runs are Dec/Jan/Feb and Jun/Jul/Aug though many yellowfin are caught outside of these months. Most schools along the edges of the reef range in size from 12lbs to 50lbs.

The larger cow yellowfin up to 200lbs are generally found a few miles off the reef on the edge of the Kadavu trench. Sometimes the yellowfin come inside the lagoons and can be caught right in front of the resort.

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FISHING WEATHER

Kadavu has a typical tropical climate with the winter months being May to September and the summer being October to April.

Summertime is usually characterised by calm settled weather. Its calm, hot and humid which is great for spotting birds working tuna or finding current or weed lines for mahi mahi, tuna and billfish. The highest water temperature is about 30 degrees and the hottest month is usually March with the first cooling from the tropical heat starting mid-April.

Bite Me usually concentrates of the offshore heavy tackle fishing in summer months though the popper casting for GTs in the barrier reef breakers is also excellent.

In winter time, Fiji experiences the SE trade winds. These trades vary in strength from a light breeze to a 20kt blow and usually last about 5-6 days followed by a couple of days of light Northerly winds before the next trade starts.

A strong trade wind can limit the small game boat to fishing inside the barrier reef however the big game boat simply fishes the lee side of the island and barrier reef. The air temperature generally reaches a low of about 20 degrees in August / September with the lowest water temperature being about 24 degrees.

Winter is our big Wahoo & Sailfish light tackle season.

Click here to book your Game Fishing trip to the Fiji Islands today and see what all the pro's are raving about in the magazines about Kadavu, Fiji!!

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