Solomon Islands Fishing

[Simonator]

Hi All

I've been quiet for a while as I have been posted to the Solomon Islands with work (I am in the AFP). Have finally managed to set myself up with a nice rig and am keen tog et amongst it, the fish here are incredible.

Has anyone fished the Solomons before? If so do they have any hints or tips?

Appreciate any advice anyone can give me

Cheers

Simon

[Hodgey]

Send Mariner 31 a PM, mate. He lives in Honiara and should have the good oil

Cheers

Hodgey

[pelican]

Hmmm do we tell him there is another member over there!!!?????

Nah Carl is probably why the AFP are still in country - Just joking Carl -

Pel

What is the update on your boat repai- going to be in the water for Christmas?

Edit - Hodgey must be faster than me on teh keyboard. Hie all the illegal stuff Carl the coppers are on their way.

Edited December 1, 2008 by pelican

[IWANNABROCK]

Is Mariner still on here? havent read any thing from him for a while?

[glennmreid]

It has been quiet on the Mariner front. Maybe he is busy with his boat reno.

[mrsswordfisherman]

He is still around - he was lurking here at 3.30pm this afternoon

[Davemmm]

It has been quiet on the Mariner front. Maybe he is busy with his boat reno.

Or maybe our friends from the AFP have had a crack down.

[glennmreid]

Or maybe our friends from the AFP have had a crack down.

[zen801]

Hi Simonator,

Mate i hear the fishing is excellent.

I might be heading over there shortly for work as well.

Quoting a job in Honiara. If i get it i will be fishing at every opportunity in between seeing the job out.

Mate is the situation stable over there ATM?

Post some reports when you get amongst the fish.

Cheers

[Dreamtime]

Hi all,

Yes I have been quite busy, it's that time of the year.

I just opened a new pool room last Monday and it has been overwhelming with triple the patronage that I budgeted for. Have been working 18 hour days since then

You were right Pel, I couldn't help myself with the container load of spare parts. There just happened to be enough space to fit in 12 pool tables.

The Mariner is now sporting new props, rudders, skegs and shafts. The flybridge is back on and my carpenters are presently finishing the interior paneling. New fuel lines have also been fitted. I will try and get some pictures - when I get time - I haven't even had a chance to see it for a couple of weeks.

Fingers crossed that it will be in the water in another 2 or 3 weeks.

Cheers

Mariner

Simon, you can email me on dreamtime@solomon.com.sb

Zenman, this time of the year it's a little unstable due to the vast numbers of people in the capital. School has finished for the year so there are plenty of "bored" students lurking about.

2 nights ago we had our house stoned by a couple of drunkards. About 20 large rocks were dispatched at our house and cars. Fortunately only 1 of the 6 cars in the yard were damaged. Unfortunately the damage was quite severe with 2 of the windows, a mirror and a couple of body panels receiving damage. The police arrived about 20 minutes after the fact, but credit to them on arresting one of the culprits.

[zen801]

Hi Mariner,

Sorry to hear you had dramas with local kids. Yeah school holidays all over the world are the same because of one thing - kids

Lucky you didnt get more damage.

Picked up the job to supply neon signage for the Anthony Saru Building in Honiara. Mate you wont miss this baby when she gets turned on.

If i come over in late january i would love some advice on charters etc

Cheers

[Dreamtime]

Hi Mariner,

Sorry to hear you had dramas with local kids. Yeah school holidays all over the world are the same because of one thing - kids

Lucky you didnt get more damage.

Picked up the job to supply neon signage for the Anthony Saru Building in Honiara. Mate you wont miss this baby when she gets turned on.

If i come over in late january i would love some advice on charters etc

Cheers

Congrats on getting the job. Only problem is that the local Electricity authority has no money to buy fuel to run the generators. We have been experiencing load shedding for some months now.

No need for charters, my boat will be available free and all gear supplied.

Can you give me a price for a neon sign - PM me.

Cheers

Mariner

[pelican]

Better make it solar powered "pool hall"

[zen801]

Better make it solar powered "pool hall"

Thats a good idea for places where power is an issue.

I did the first neon skysign solar powered a few years ago and the solar system cost more than the sign. Client loved it.

Mariner PM sent. Hope you got it as my computer is playing up.

[Simonator]

>Simon, you can email me on dreamtime@solomon.com.sb

Will do mate and thanks.

>Zenman, this time of the year it's a little unstable due to the vast numbers of people in the capital. School >has finished for the year so there are plenty of "bored" students lurking about.

>2 nights ago snip>

What night and which area was it mate, I will light a couple of fires under people and see if we can't improve the score.

Simon (yes I am with the PPF)

[jewgaffer]

Congrats on getting the job. Only problem is that the local Electricity authority has no money to buy fuel to run the generators. We have been experiencing load shedding for some months now.

No need for charters, my boat will be available free and all gear supplied.

Can you give me a price for a neon sign - PM me.

Cheers

Mariner

Sounds good to me Mariner. I'm sure Mike will give me a job. He'll need a good disabled worker who can at least put his foot - better make that one foot - on the base of his cherry picker to stop it from toppling over.

Cheers

jewgaffer

Edited December 6, 2008 by jewgaffer

[eagle ray]

Hi

I went island hopping with my GF in the Solomon islands in July.

It was unreal. I went fishing maybe 12 days out of 21. Mostly afternoon trolling sessions.

The makies were every where. Would normally get 6 - 10 makies in our 2 hour sessions, on 2 days we only got 1. Most were between 10-15 kg. Caught rainbow runners, yfin to 10 kg and got busted up by coral trout and gt's chucking poppers when land based.

Heaps and heaps of agressive sharks, they stole alot of poppers and would chases them right to my feet.

2 places I can recommend. Zipolo Habu resort at Lola Island. It got a write up in todays Sun Herald (the article was writen and published originally over a year ago). This place is very comfortable and the food is excellent however the fishing is a little over priced. I give it 3 and a half stars, it has a fantastic location on a incredible lagoon, surf in season, incredible food (chilli mudcrab / grilled cray fish / ruby snapper/ mackeral sashimi)and chances ae you will have the island all to your self ( we did).

Zipolo Habu Resort is nothing though compared to Tetepare Island. This place is wild. The largest uninhabitaed island in the pacific ocean. The inhbabitants left 200 years or so ago after an out break of disease. The island became taboo. Never logged this island is one of the true wonders of the pacific. With no permanent residents, a small research station , visiting scientists, part time rangers from neighboring islands. It has a massive coral lagoon that is protected from fishing, (catch and release alowed) it has 20 times more fish and large ones than other lagoons that i swam in. They have a pet barracooda 5 feet long that you can hand feed off the jetty.

At tetepare they have All fishing was done in a bannana boat about 4 feet wide and 12 feet long with a 15 hp 2 stroke. They had a bigger boat ( 6 metre tinny with 40 tohatsu) but it was used for fefrrying the local island children who were over for July school holidays.

We were there in july which is trade wind times and tetepare gets them pretty bad. They can bring in some pretty shit weather, we had 2 dead calm days , 2 days where you couldnt see your hand because it rained so much and a week of 10-15 knot se trade that was fine for fishing. I beleive that the trades stop in oct and the surf starts in november, I counted what looked to be 9 left hand point breaks over 1 1/2 hours of trolling. November there is also very little rain. I was told that febuary it often rained for 3 weeks straight. I give this place 6 stars, it is not flash, infact its very basic. It is cheap like 30 aud p/p/n including meals (you supply fish), you bring your own fuel I brought 60 litres. Bring some herbs, spices, vegetables and seasoning as they are much apreciated in this very remote corner of the sols. The food is local islander style not western style. The people are welcoming, every guest has there own personal ranger who accompanies them at all times to look after them and see if you need any thing or show you some thing , take you on a walk. This is included in the tarrif. You arrive at this place at awe of the forrest and the sound of the birds as you drive past on the boat. When you leave you cant help but feel stoked that you had the chance to spend some time there. Tetepare is a 3-4 hour banana boat ride accross open water from munda. We could only contact tetepare via ships radio as they dont have a phone but it was well worth it.

plus you can catch hump headed parrot fish in 2 meters of water on poppers only 30 seconds from the wharf.

[zen801]

Hey eagle ray,

Awesome feedback mate, sounds like paradise to me.

The wife and i are going to pack it all in within 5 years when kids are gone or just leave them with it.

Fiji etc are all good. Love the south pacific islands.

Gonna go feral.

Cheers