Fishing Gear Reviews

Lure Test - BFG

It's about 22 inches in length (depending on how you trim the skirt) this lure is an absolute MONSTER. It’s the biggest lure we run on Bite Me here in Fiji and is in fact even larger than some of our teasers.

When we fish heavy tackle and troll lures for marlin, this is our automatic ‘go to’ selection for the short corner position. It’s a pusher style concave face lure which really punches its way through the water and repeatedly dives well under the prop wash. Its serious weight and length makes it stable in all weather conditions and therefore easy to run. No fiddling about trying to find the working tow height and drop back length just put it where you want it and it will smoke a big and I do mean BIG bubble trail up and down through the wash. Not only is it a screaming grander lure, its also a great big teaser for those days when there are just little blues about.

There is some debate as to what BFG stands for. I believe it stands for ‘Big Friendly Giant’ though most of my guests, upon seeing it, substitute a rather more colourful word in place of ‘friendly’.

Position: Short Corner
Rigging: 2 x 12/0 hooks on 500lb wire
Leader: 550lb Marlin Hard Moimoi, length depends on wind-on leader if used
Best colour: Match the hatch – what baitfish are around ?
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Lure Test - Mother-in-law

About a year ago, Bite Me Gamefishing Charters at Matava was asked by Palm Fishing & Outdoors Australia to test and comment on a whole range of new skirted lures and bibbed minnows manufactured by Lurestreet in China. Palm Fishing was interested in stocking the best lures from the range and needed some field testing.

My deckie Joeli and I were happy to oblige and a number of lures proved particularly successful.

Lure Test - YahooWahoo

About a year ago (2006), Matava Resort Gamefishing was asked by Palm Fishing & Outdoors Australia to test and comment on a whole range of new skirted lures and bibbed minnows manufactured by Lurestreet in China. Palm Fishing was interested in stocking the best lures from the range and needed some field testing.

This of course gave my deckie Joeli and I the perfect excuse to jump in the inshore fishing boat on a quiet day with a fist full of new lures to have some fun….Sort of busman’s holiday you might say.

Over several months, we tried out everything from GT poppers to blue water skirted lures and a few of the lures impressed us sufficiently that they are now firmly part of our Gamefishing vessels available onboard lure rolls.

Tips On - Wahoo - Lures That Work Here In Fiji

From May to October, packs of wahoo congregate along the Great Astrolabe Barrier Reef. The average size of wahoo is about 50lbs with a good fish weighing in at 75lbs. Each wahoo pack usually has a fish of close to 100lbs. We almost always use lures when targeting wahoo however we often get jumped by fish when bait & switch fishing for sailfish. If your teaser is rigged with mono…wave bye bye to the end of your daisy chain….

The biggest problem we encounter is a mass attack, wahoo porpoising in at break-neck speed, every rod in the spread going off and then multiple bite-offs as other wahoo attack lines or swivels cutting through the water. We combat this by trolling a full spread until we find a pack and then switch to towing just two lures. Often, just a garfish (ballyhoo) on a two hook rig with a small pink skirt on the nose. Trolling speed is usually around 6-7kts. Most wahoo skippers around the world troll faster. Here, higher speeds do not increase strike rates. Last week on the Kadavu Seamount, we were feeding a skip bait back to a small blue marlin and a 60lb wahoo hit a Lumo green Pakula Sprocket that was only doing about 2kts.

All lures are rigged on at least 4 feet of 124lb 49 strand wire. (Longer if we thing sails are in the area) At this time of year, if it isn’t on wire, it isn’t coming back….