A grand total of 330 islands, sprawled out over 500 square miles of Pacific Ocean, makes up the magnificent Fiji group. For many years it's been well documented in fishing magazines that these islands not only produce an amazing variety of tropical gamefish, but also that the fish always seem to come in exceptionally large sizes.

My trip to Fiji last year, which I covered in BlueWater, not only provided excellent fishing, but also confirmed what I'd heard and read about the place. The huge black marlin and enormous wahoo we ran up against were enough to convince me that the potential for records there is virtually untapped!

The success of that particular trip sparked plenty of interest, and I must admit that I couldn't wait to get back over there myself. Editor David Granville also displayed a keenness to have a look at the place, and we started negotiating a trip with Xtasea Charters, which is based at Pacific Harbour on the Coral Coast of Fiji's main island Viti Levu.

These guys specialise in light- and heavy-tackle gamefishing and offer daytrips and extended trips down to the beautiful island of Kadavu - about 70 miles south of Pacific Harbour. There, they operate from a couple of pretty little resorts that are only a few miles from some real hotspots - such as an enormous sea-mount and a 1000 fathom canyon!

With the assistance of the Fiji Tourist Bureau, the owner of Xtasea Charters Capt Brad Cupid and his right-hand man Rob Krause, were able to put the trip together for David and me back in July. Accompanying David was his charming wife Robyn - a keen fisho herself, who made our plan of targeting some line-class records even more interesting.

As we found in Fiji last year, the wahoo in particular are surprisingly large, and the prospect of both a men's and women's claim to world recognition was a real possibility!

TO YOUR LEFT, PARADISE
I rendezvoused with David and Robyn at Nadi airport, where we boarded a domestic flight down to Kadavu.

The view from the plane gives you a fair idea of the mass of islands in the Fiji group - many are blessed with large fringing reefs and gorgeous deep blue lagoons.

Kadavu is a massive island surrounded by miles of reef, and lagoons with wide, deep openings to the sea. Most of the passages are big enough for a large vessel to get into the lagoons in any kind of weather, and they certainly offer great shelter.

As we made our approach to the Vunisea airport we could see Xtasea's new 40ft vessel Wai Tadra anchored in the calm lagoon waters awaiting our arrival. This was David's first surprise for the trip, as he was unaware that the new vessel was ready for its maiden voyage to Kadavu.

The Australian-built 40ft White Cap is the same vessel that David Lockwood tested in Sydney and wrote about in BlueWater. As we found out on this trip under all kinds of situations, the words written about this great boat were spot on. A better 40-footer to fish off would be damn hard to find!

Our first destination was Cape Washington on the southern end of the island, and here the unique tiny Denham Island and Nagigia Resort lies dwarfed by the massive Mount Nabukilevu. This little island resort is a popular surfing destination, but since Xtasea's been coming here the guest lists are starting to even out somewhat by fishermen.

The protected lagoon anchorage for the boat is only a stone's throw from a sharp, deep drop-off; and as we found out, every morning the baits were usually smashed by wahoo or tuna within two minutes of throwing the mooring ropes.

SOLEMN BLESSING
On our arrival at the Nagigia Resort we were greeted by the manager Harley Jones and his friendly Fijian staff, and we learnt of another surprise they had in store for us: Xtasea's new addition to the Kadavu fishing grounds was to be blessed and accepted by the chief from the nearby village! It was a unique ritual, and we were very lucky to witness it.

After the formalities on the vessel were completed, we were also treated to a traditional song and dance display at the resort by the youngsters from the village. Along with the other guests, we were truly spellbound by the spectacle.

Next morning it was down to the serious stuff. Our plan was to start with a light-tackle assault and see whether we could find a wahoo big enough to weigh. The 16lb (8kg) world record in both the men's and women's sections was to be the target, and with 100-pounders often encountered here we only needed some luck to achieve that goal.

Having never fished here before, though, I think David was a little sceptical about the average-sized wahoo we'd told him about - but when the ratchet on one of our new little Shimano 16 Tiagras screamed and didn't stop, his uncertainty soon changed.

The first bait presented had been pounced on while we were still running out a second line, and Robyn was quick to take the strike. The long, sizzling run stripped 400 yards of string off the reel in seconds, but as quickly as the fish struck, it was gone!

At first we thought the line might have parted, but when the trace came back chewed to shreds, we knew what had happened: another wahoo had grabbed the snap swivel as it flashed through the water. This is a problem you have to live with when fishing for the razor gang. Even reduced swivel sizes or just a simple knot connecting the trace to the mainline is enough to be attacked at times!

SECOND BITE AT THE CHERRY
We circled back around with two baits out, and as soon as we reached the same deep drop-off one of the baits was smashed. Robyn took the strike, and while I quickly tried to clear the other outfit another big wahoo climbed on the bait.

The flashes of colour across the wake when these things take off are absolutely amazing - both fish bolted in different directions, crossing up the lines.

My line unfortunately cut Robyn's fish off and I had over 400 yards out before I knew it. After an exciting 20-minute fight we had a 45-pounder in the boat. Only just an average one, I told David.

The next strike, David also felt the power and speed of one of these superbly proportioned bullet-shaped fish, and after spending over half an hour pulling in a 50-pounder he came out with the observation that a lot of guys don't realise about wahoo: on lighter tackle, these things give a very good account for themselves, and many anglers tend to not give them the credit they deserve.

In many places they're mostly the by-catch on heavy tackle when marlin fishing - but try a solid one on 12–20lb line!

We worked the prolific edge close to Cape Washington till the bite shut down; then we put out a spread of big lures on the 80s and trolled to the seamount a mere five miles off the island. These grounds are quite amazing when you study the chart of the area, and there's a huge expanse of reef with peaks and drop-offs covering a 20-square-mile area.

The depths range from the 1000 fathom line to 70 fathoms up on the shallowest peak. As soon as we got close to the first steep bank, the birds materialised and the ratchets
started howling.

Big wahoo and 30lb school yellowfin tuna were feeding on the surface everywhere, and the sounder indicated clouds of baitfish mid-water as well. After catching a bunch of fish for the village and the resort, we persevered with small lures to try and catch a jelly-bean-sized tuna for a live bait.

CHASING THE DRAGON
The thought of that 900lb black marlin we got here last year was still very much on our minds, but all the yellowfin we caught were far too big to troll for a bait. A nice-size rainbow runner was the only suitable fish we caught, and it was bridled up on a circle hook - but they don't seem to work that well as a livie.

We soon went back to the big lures and had a shot from a nice-size blue marlin around the 400lb mark, but the damned hooks didn't stick. The excitement of the bite gave us the incentive to try the deep water the next day for a blue, and it paid off.

We were trolling the 600 fathom line to the south of the island when we spotted a couple of majestic-looking frigate birds hovering over what looked like tuna. As we got closer, there were mutton-birds and gannets as well, working a huge school of skipjack and school yellowfin.

The fast-moving tuna made the livebait option out of the question, so we worked close by with four big lures. Half an hour later the left rigger was smashed by a 250lb blue, which gave our good mate Harvey Probert a great 25-minute tussle on stand-up 80. The marlin was tagged and sent on its way.

TWO SIZES FIT ALL
The following day we headed north to the Great Astrolabe Reef, where it seems the wahoo only come in two sizes - big and bigger!

Last year on these grounds we experienced 100-pounders and were lucky enough to catch a Fiji record going 91lb on 20lb tackle. The fish averaged around the 60lb mark and, naturally, we were hoping for a repeat encounter.

David was even going to try his luck on the 8lb line and I couldn't wait to see the outcome of that light tackle on these line burners!

The northern end of this island is also magnificent, and the long, fringing reef skirts deep, calm lagoons that go for miles and miles. Many of these inshore lagoon waters along the Great Astrolabe Reef are off limits to fishing, and permission must be obtained from the village to wet a line.

The deep outside edge of the openings are okay to troll or spin though, and before we ventured into the quaint little Matava Resort we chucked a few poppers around the washes. Giant trevally (GTs), blue spot trevally and big red bass were eager to hit the lures, and they tested the 16lb threadline tackle to the limit.

Trying to get the fish out of the sharp coral was a challenge, but David and Rob managed to catch and release a couple of nice fish. The story goes that many parts of these inshore waters are lousy, with big mangrove jack - and when you look at the mangrove-studded bays and creeks, I'd say those rumours would be spot on!

Our overnight stay at the pretty Matava Resort was also a wonderful experience, and here traditional thatched Fijian bures set among the lush, hilly rainforest offer magnificent views of the lagoon and fringing reef.

There are no roads here, nor electricity; only solar power. And the only way into the resort is by boat.

The area offers superb shallow reef and deep-wall diving for the scuba and snorkelling enthusiasts, and the resort also caters for sportsfishing for wahoo, tuna and sailfish. With fishing becoming so popular around Kadavu, the manager of the resort, Adrian Watt, told us he was looking to add a 30ft gameboat to his fleet of runabouts.

SWOON-WORTHY LAGOON
The next morning we were on the water early, and the ride up the inside of the reef was absolutely spectacular. Parts of this deep lagoon wind down into narrow channels, and observing from the bridge I could understand why the divers that come here from all over the world rave about the place.

The never-ending expanse of beautiful, colourful coral is among the best I've ever seen in all my travels around the South Pacific. A snorkel here would have been fantastic, but the big wahoo were waiting - and on light tackle, we were going to need every hour of the day!

Once out through the opening a single garfish bait was presented on 16lb tackle, along with a couple of hookless teasers consisting of a daisy chain of squid and a large soft-head lure to stir up a bit of action.

Robyn was harnessed up and ready for action, and she didn't have to wait long before the bait was crashed in a ball of spray. The little Shimano's spool was a blur, and by the time she'd picked up the rod and the teasers were cleared, over 300 yards of line had been stripped off the reel.

Was this the record 70-pounder we'd been waiting for? No! It turned out to be a huge barracuda, and weighing in at 44lb it set a new Fiji record. What was an awesome looking animal!

We knew it was only a matter of time before a big wahoo would be raised, and Robyn had another opportunity to try and catch one. The strike on her second fish pushed the adrenalin button in everyone onboard, and these big, fast wahoo smash the baits with deadly accuracy.

The colour and spray on the strike was fantastic, and again the little Tiagra reel screamed its lungs out, not stopping for a full minute or so. Brad had the vessel backing up in hot pursuit, but there was little line retrieved for quite some time until the fish settled down.

Even after half an hour, the big wahoo was still a long way off - it headed away from the reef into deeper water. The thoughts went through my head of what happened here last year when our deckie Johnny Romeo caught his 91-pounder - Robyn's fish was following a similar pattern.

Even though the drag pressure was on the limit, the hour mark soon passed and we all had thoughts of the fish being a 70-pounder - if not bigger! It was an hour and 10 minutes before we got a glimpse of colour, and the size at first looked impressive.

When it finally came up, though, we knew it wasn't quite big enough - but at 60lb it was still an excellent capture on this tackle. The fish also smashed the ladies' 16lb Fiji record. Robyn, of course, was ecstatic!

LAST-CHANCE ENCOUNTER
David was now determined to give the 8lb tackle a run - and what a run he got just minutes after the bait went out. This too was a bloody big wahoo, and the spool on the Shimano TLD was an absolute blur as the line whistled though the guides at a frightening pace.

David had to back the drag pressure off real quick when the fish changed direction, but the huge belly in the line was enough to snap it like cotton. It's amazing what water pressure can do to light line when something attached is doing 55mph in the opposite direction!

While the 8lb outfit was carefully re-rigged, we set out a bait on the 16lb and the strangest thing happened. The bait was mauled by what seemed like a small fish, and there was weight for a few seconds... then nothing!

David started to wind up the mangled bait, but something grabbed it again. As the bait came into view we could see the culprit - a beautifully lit-up sailfish was hot to trot, following the spinning, half-torn bait toward the boat.

David grabbed the re-rigged 8lb outfit and tossed a garfish in the water, and the hungry sailfish pounced on it. The hook-up was a classic and all hell broke loose!

The sailfish exploded from the water and ran around in a huge circle, jumping and tail-walking at a hell of a pace. We weren't all that far off the reef edge either, and to our amazement that's where the fish headed.

During the chase the boat ended up in only 20ft of water and the fish was up in the shallows among the breaking waves. It sure would have made an interesting photograph had it jumped in the surf, and how the line never got caught up on the reef somewhere was a miracle. The sail finally headed back out into clean water and we all breathed a sigh of relief.

This turned out to be an excellent light-tackle encounter, and the estimated 70lb sail tried all the tricks to rid the hooks as it raced off into real deep water. These fish can also be tough and dogged to catch on light gear, and the fight went on for over half an hour before we finally had our first shot with a tag.

The short double appeared and Rob stretched with the tagpole - but the fish was just out of reach. The boat spooked the sail back into action, and all of David's hard-won line disappeared off the spool once again.

It was 15 minutes later that Johnnie finally got the chance to grab the trace, and the fish was released to fight another day. It sure topped off an exciting trip!

Box Story:

THANKS & CONTACTS
Many thanks to the Fiji Tourist Bureau and Air Pacific for their assistance.A special thanks to Xtasea Charters for getting its new vessel ready in time - these guys really went out of their way to organise the perfect trip!

For charter details, contact Rob Krause at Xtasea, PO Box 400, Pacific Harbour, Fiji Islands, tel +1 (679) 345 0280 or +1 (679) 992 7124, email info@xtaseacharters.com or visit www.xtaseacharters.com.

The two resorts we stayed at on Kadavu were the Nagigia Island Resort and the Matava Hideaway Resort. Visit the resorts' websites at www.fijisurf.com and www.matava.com respectively.