Papua New Guinea’s remote situation means the islands are pristine and the waters we visited are only fished about three weeks a year. anyone else fishing. The reefs are as virgin as you can get, and Luke says there are a maximum of four recreational fishing charters operating in PNG. We did not see any commercial fishing of any form while we were there. The second island had no facilities at all and a tarpaulin was erected over some trees and dead branches for our shelter. There we slept on the beach with the boats moored right in front of us. How much more do you need? We fished various atolls and drop offs for the next four days catching a variety of fish. As with all angling, you work for your fish and have hot and cold spells, but when it’s hot, it’s really hot. According to Luke, this area is only fished for about three weeks out of an entire year. It is pristine. I don’t know many places on earth like that. The crew that came up with us were amazing and helped whenever possible, and they all spoke English which was a great help. We travelled a great deal over the eight days and ran 62 • SKI-BOAT May/June 2018
out two 44 gallon drums of petrol. Eventually we sadly had to break camp and head back to the first island. I fished with Bob and Luke again on the last day. I was jigging with a Stella 20 000, 100 lb braid and a Blue Rose rod when I went vas. I thought I had hooked the bottom as I couldn’t lift the rod at all, then suddenly the bottom started to move. Unfortunately this story didn’t end well; ater a solid 45 minute fight, applying as much pressure as I could muster, I was spooled, but that just means I have to go back. What a way to end a trip, with the fish showing us who is boss! The last night was spent reminiscing about the trip over a few beers and rum. If you are into adventure, angling, isolation and untouched beauty, this is a must do trip. • For further details contact Luke on <info@rockexpeditions.com> or contact the author on +27 82 654 4553.