Savusavu to Lautoka: When will the fishing stop?

Gary's condition is worsening.  Perhaps our last week heading from Savusavu to Lautoka might shed some light on just what I mean.

We head out of the amazingly sheltered inlet at Savusavu around the southern corner of Vanua Levu to the anchorage by Nasonisoni Island.  The trip was only about 30 miles and with our motoring average of 7 knots (there was no wind), it should have taken us just over 4 hours.  So, how could this trip possibly take 6 hours? Fishing.

We had been to a seminar by Culry, a local cruiser, on cruising the Fiji Islands and were told the Nasonisoni Passage was an awesome fish spot.  This was not good enough for Gary, he had put out the lures the moment we left the anchorage and made 90 degree turns away from course to investigate birds he saw on the horizon through the binoculars that might as well have been glued to his face.  

Luckily for me, he also managed to spot a pod of whales relaxing on the surface.   We tried to keep a good distance and watched their strange antics, popping their heads vertically out of the water as if they were part of a "whack-the-weasel" carnival game.

Our hopes for a successful fishing day soared when we came across a school of big Mahi Mahi chasing flying fish.  We watched as Mahi Mahi, about a metre long, skipped along the surface.  Unfortunately, our lures were just not interesting enough and the fish disappeared.  

We caught up with another school doing the same thing.  Gary went wild when a Mahi Mahi jumped out of the water chasing our lure, but again we were disappointed as it turned away at the last minute.

We turned our hopes to the Nasonisoni Passage, but came out the other side still fish-less.

We made the anchorage mid afternoon, whereupon Gary took off in the dinghy to try his luck through the passage again.  As dusk fell, he came back a very unhappy boy.

The next day we pushed onwards up the coast to Bua Bay, another 35 miles away.  Gary kept well on course, largely because there is only a narrow channel between the offshore reefs and the coast for boats to pass through.  We arrived on time, but again with no fish.

Day three, we crossed Bligh Water and headed for Nananu-i-ra anchorage on the northern coast of Viti Levu.  The weather had been slowly building the last few days, and we were on the wind in 20-25kts for the 5 hour passage.  

As we neared Nananu Passage on Viti Levu we were still without dinner.  Just when we were thinking about dropping sails for the pass, both lines screamed with yet another double strike.  We furled the jib and completely eased the mainsheet to slow the boat down, before reeling in our catch.  My arms ached as I pulled in the largest Yellowfin Tuna I have ever caught.  We kept both, on Gary's insistence, and headed into the bay with a full freezer.

We off loaded some of the catch to our friends from Confederate, who then treated us to fish dinner aboard.  

For the last four days I have been trying to cook the fish a different way each night: fish in Caribbean spices; fish in Creole fish fry; fish and veges in oyster sauce; and fish steamed in tin foil pockets with lemon juice, white wine and capers.  Unfortunately, the freezer isn't looking any less full.

With so much fish packed in the freezer, you would expect that our trips over those last four days to Lautoka would be "fishing-free".  Unfortunately, that is not the case.  I growl at Gary every time he puts the lines out, only to be confronted with promises of "catch and release".  We haven’t caught another fish yet and fingers crossed it stays that way until we have eaten our way through the last two!