# French Polynesia



## Lamarsh (Aug 19, 2014)

Headed there in a few months. Staying at a few different islands, each on the water (actual hotel room on the water). Definitely bringing a few rods and some gear because my wife likes to sleep in, and likes just laying in the sun, which I can't stand, I have to always be fiddling with something or trying to catch something lol. Planning on bringing my usual stuff I use in the keys, jig heads for shrimp if I can find it there, bucktail jigs, berkley gulp shrimp, some tubes, jerk baits, maybe a float rig if I can get a hold of larger bait fish when I'm there, etc. 

If anybody has some local experience there though, and can give some advice, I would greatly appreciate it! Otherwise, I'm just going in blind and hoping for the best with the aforementioned gear! Thanks!


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## Decoy Hound (Apr 21, 2018)

I’ve been to Tahiti, Bora Bora and Mo’orea, didn’t do any fishing but did a lot of snorkeling under our room. Be prepared all the women are topless on the beaches and beach side restaurants and bars. Kinda caught us off guard our first day while having breakfast, a mother and daughter walk in topless. Did a lot of sightseeing, shopping, snorkeling, food is fantastic!! Had a blast!!


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Sounds like you need some nice reflective sunglasses to go along with the gear. 

I know it's a totally different place but along the gulf coast of Florida I threw white jerk baits and gulp shrimp. I did catch fish on them but nothing like real shrimp. They ate the crap out of live shrimp on a circle hook, with a fluoro leader and barrel swivel, with an egg sinker above it. The most important thing was the tide. I only caught fish near high tide. Like an hour on either side. Sounds like you kinda already have it down though with keys experience.

My wife is like yours except the sleep in part. She sits on the beach and I fish. Going all that way to saltwater and not taking every opportunity to wet a line seems wasteful.


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## Lamarsh (Aug 19, 2014)

Decoy Hound said:


> I’ve been to Tahiti, Bora Bora and Mo’orea, didn’t do any fishing but did a lot of snorkeling under our room. Be prepared all the women are topless on the beaches and beach side restaurants and bars. Kinda caught us off guard our first day while having breakfast, a mother and daughter walk in topless. Did a lot of sightseeing, shopping, snorkeling, food is fantastic!! Had a blast!!


We're bringing our own snorkeling gear with us. Wife doesn't know I'm bringing my fishing stuff yet, but it's happening. I've never heard about the whole topless thing, but it's fine with me! 



sureshot006 said:


> Sounds like you need some nice reflective sunglasses to go along with the gear.
> 
> I know it's a totally different place but along the gulf coast of Florida I threw white jerk baits and gulp shrimp. I did catch fish on them but nothing like real shrimp. They ate the crap out of live shrimp on a circle hook, with a fluoro leader and barrel swivel, with an egg sinker above it. The most important thing was the tide. I only caught fish near high tide. Like an hour on either side. Sounds like you kinda already have it down though with keys experience.
> 
> My wife is like yours except the sleep in part. She sits on the beach and I fish. Going all that way to saltwater and not taking every opportunity to wet a line seems wasteful.


My FL fishing experiences have been the same as you say, and I was so far just planning on applying the same tackle mentality. Hoping I can find some fresh shrimp out there tho!


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Lamarsh said:


> We're bringing our own snorkeling gear with us. Wife doesn't know I'm bringing my fishing stuff yet, but it's happening. I've never heard about the whole topless thing, but it's fine with me!
> 
> 
> 
> My FL fishing experiences have been the same as you say, and I was so far just planning on applying the same tackle mentality. Hoping I can find some fresh shrimp out there tho!


In Hawaii I bought and used shrimp from the grocery store. Worked better than artificial stuff, but then again it was a honeymoon so I mainly fished snapper. Caught some really small fish there in the minimal time I wet a line but everything stripped the hook clean really fast. Encountered much larger fish near the beach in the gulf than Hawaii. So in the absence of live, might try uncooked or even cooked shrimp.


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## Decoy Hound (Apr 21, 2018)

Lamarsh said:


> I've never heard about the whole topless thing, but it's fine with me!


Well it’s just like France, all topless beaches!


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Last time in FLA was Tigertail beach on Marco Island. There was one young woman topless about 30 yards away to the right. I can still picture it lol. Every time I glanced to my right, my wife was staring at me. She must have thought I was sneaking peeks


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## Decoy Hound (Apr 21, 2018)

Which islands are you planning on going to?


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## OH-YEAH!!! (Jun 18, 2009)

You should check with the resorts. There are many in which fishing on the grounds is prohibited because they’re I marine preserve areas. 

However, you should easily be able to hook up with local outfitters or be driven to areas where you can fish. 

The Fly Shop our of California ran trips for bonefish, milkfish and giant trevally out of Moorea. I’ll try to find their link. 

A friend who has been all over the world described Bora Bora as the place the other beautiful tropical islands in the world hope to be when they grow up. 

“Is it really beautiful?”

“There should be an adjective all it’s own to describe how beautiful. Very special place.”


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## OH-YEAH!!! (Jun 18, 2009)

It looks like The Fly Shop stooped their Moorea area packages. Here’s some discussion about what you might experience. 

https://www.washingtonflyfishing.com/forum/index.php?threads/87319/


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Check with Milanmark. I believe he fishes down there (on fly gear). Might have some info.


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## kingfisher 11 (Jan 26, 2000)

Decoy Hound said:


> I’ve been to Tahiti, Bora Bora and Mo’orea, didn’t do any fishing but did a lot of snorkeling under our room. Be prepared all the women are topless on the beaches and beach side restaurants and bars. Kinda caught us off guard our first day while having breakfast, a mother and daughter walk in topless. Did a lot of sightseeing, shopping, snorkeling, food is fantastic!! Had a blast!!


We need pictures or it didn't happen!


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## Northernfisher (Jul 29, 2010)

My guess is most if the natives are using nets or slings - nearshore at least.

Never fished there - only dove.


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## kroppe (May 7, 2000)

@Lamarsh How did the trip go?


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## Lamarsh (Aug 19, 2014)

kroppe said:


> @Lamarsh How did the trip go?


It was great. To be frank, 2 days in Tahiti, 4 in Moorea and 7 in Bora Bora was too much time and I eventually got bored. My wife didn't, as she is fine just laying in the sun. I have to constantly be doing something, so after I caught all the fish I could and check most species off what I thought was the list, I started to get bored. Fishing was mostly (supposed to be) prohibited in almost all areas I was, but I just did it anyways and never had a problem. Because there seemed to be zero pressure, the fishing was easy. I was catching trigger fish, lots of jacks and what appeared to be some type of hog fish. Had plenty of mystery break offs, presumably sharks. The most fun was the fact that our over water bungalows had lighting systems that illuminated the water below, which attracted schools of horse mackerels every night, which although only 6-10" would hit my fly every time I put it in the water, but they fight like absolute devils, it would feel like you had a 18" trout on. But what was best was the fact that those nightly schools of horse mackerels would attract trevally jacks, mostly about 20" long, but there would be a few huge ones from time to time, and MAN WERE THOSE A BLAST. Talk about burning out drag. I've caught plenty of jacks, but never a large trevally like these. Some took 20-30 mins to land. That was a blast. One night a security guard caught me landing a large jack, and he actually helped me hoist him over the railing I was fishing off of, and I thought he was going to tell me to stop, but what he really wanted was to BBQ the fish lol. I cut my bucktail jig off that I caught the jack on and gave it to him, and the guy acted like I just gave him $100, he was ecstatic. 

The food mostly sucked, even though we stayed at the best hotels. I knew this going into the trip. Even food that you'd think would be super fresh there, like tuna that is caught right off shore there, was not fresh. I assume this has to do with a poor supply chain of bringing fresh catch to table. It must just suck there, because they have tons of tuna there, it's a mainstay of the local people, yet even at the Four Seasons the sushi sucked.

The best part may have been the people, who were the nicest, most polite and happy people I've ever met, across the board too.

That all being said, unless I went back to FP for something like a fly fishing trip to catch a bucket list fish like a GT, I probably would not go back. Not because it wasn't fun, but because once was enough.


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