Rarotonga/Aitutaki - Fishing Rarotonga

Fishing Rarotonga

Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Destinations
Forum Name: Rarotonga/Aitutaki
Forum Description: Rarotonga/Aitutaki destination and travel info, advice and trip reports here
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=76986
Printed Date: 29 Jan 2026 at 10:55am

Topic: Fishing Rarotonga

Posted By: chapy
Subject: Fishing Rarotonga
Date Posted: 21 Mar 2012 at 9:38pm

Gday guys just booked a holiday in Rarotonga and will be staying at Palm Grove for 11 nights over September 2012...
Im a keen lure and fly fisho and have fished many places and would like to know what the fishing is like around or near the Palm Grove? Are there many landbased options where we can walk the flats and sight cast fish (bones, trevs) etc or are they any reefs that you can wade out to and cast poppers, hards and plastics? We will prob venture over to Aitutaki at some stage for bones with a guide, but would like to know about the actual main island?

What type of fish can you expect to catch, im guessing trevally species and a variety of other reefies

Cheers guys
Mitch

PS:

gear ill be taking will include

stella 18000 outfit with 80lb

saltiga 4500 outfit

a light 20-30lb spin outfit

a 10lb outfit

and a 7weight fly outfit!!!

Again any info would be great...

Thanks again

Mitch

Replies:

Posted By: alan syme
Date Posted: 25 Mar 2012 at 8:19pm

Gday guys just booked a holiday in Rarotonga and will be staying at Palm Grove for 11 nights over September 2012... hi mitch, welcome to the forum, some answers in red
Im a keen lure and fly fisho and have fished many places and would like to know what the fishing is like around or near the Palm Grove? there are fish around palm grove, not big ones but bluefin trevally and inshore reef species. Are there many landbased options where we can walk the flats and sight cast fish (bones, trevs) yes in front of palm grove etc or are they any reefs that you can wade out to and cast poppers, hards and plastics? yes nearish palm grove in both directions, google earth: rarotonga, palm grove is on the middle of the south coast We will prob venture over to Aitutaki at some stage for bones with a guide, but would like to know about the actual main island? aitutaki fishing is better than raro fishing, hardly any bonefish in lagoon of raro, plenty in lagoon of aitutaki

What type of fish can you expect to catch, im guessing trevally species and a variety of other reefies yes

Also who would be the best charter to head out with (sportfishing) popper fishing GT's etc, casting stickbaits to tuna rather that just go out and troll around in circles for 5 hours like some of the companys may do. take your own gear as you are doing, none of the charters have much casting gear and none of them specialise or do this type of fishing regularly. have a walk at the wharf and have a chat to the different operators, tell them what you want to do. you will need to do a private charter or a charter with a smaller boat as the others will be in peak tourist season and will be trolling with group charters mainly for wahoo and tuna.
Any info would be greatly appreciated no worries

Cheers guys
Mitch

PS:

gear ill be taking will include

stella 18000 outfit with 80lb

saltiga 4500 outfit

a light 20-30lb spin outfit

a 10lb outfit

and a 7weight fly outfit!!! good selection of gear, not much available here in terms of lures, gear, tackle etc, only really limited game fishing gear at a few shops.

Again any info would be great...

Thanks again

Mitch

Posted By: Tipper
Date Posted: 26 Mar 2012 at 7:41am

remember not to eat the inshore fishies, or you may get very sick Cry

Posted By: chapy
Date Posted: 26 Mar 2012 at 8:06pm

Thanks for your feed back, much appriecated, ill def have a walk along and suss out what style of fishing will be best suited etc...

dont mind going out and trolling for tuna/wahoo but no doubt there would be good charters and bad ones, as there is anywhere.

Really just keen to catch a few fish on some lures. Small Trevs to 3-5kg would be awesome

I wont be eating any of the fish as i do it purely for the sport and enjoyment, nothing better than catching a fish then seeing it swim off shortley after a couple of pics....

Posted By: GrizzlyKiwi
Date Posted: 25 Apr 2012 at 9:04am

Im heading over to Raro in June and want to do a bit of fishing... id love to catch a GT and maybe some of the smaller game fish like wahoo and mahi mahi. Can anyone recomend a good charter company to go with?

Posted By: alan syme
Date Posted: 26 Apr 2012 at 8:37pm

pupuke robati for all species, ring him on +682 75783, he has a sign at the wharf.

if wanting to go spearing or gts kyle mathieson on bluewater adventures, he has a website, google search.

Posted By: Reefer1
Date Posted: 06 Sep 2012 at 11:21am

Hi Tipper are you talking about fish from in the Lagoon? and is it all fish or just some species you cant eat?

I'm looking at going over in Jan for the first time and we are hiring a house right next to the beach, I was dreaming of just fishing from the beach with a beer in one hand and surf caster in the other or is that not the done thing?

Posted By: Mike.Thomas
Date Posted: 11 Sep 2012 at 10:36am

Hi Chappy I put a report on my last trip to Raro here http://www.fishing.net.nz/asp_forums/back-from-raro_topic81410.html
Listen to Alan he lives there and knows what he is talking about. If you fish a small Gotcha around any reefy area, casting hard against the reef you will pick up lots of fish, mostly small but can be fun on a #7. If you fish the passages at the southern end of the island you will find more Trevs.
Reefer, no not realy, if you are sitting on the beach you will be casting in to fairly shallow water, but you can get out to the outer reef if its calm (and its always calm on one side or the other) and cast in to deeper water with your surf caster. You will need a very good pair of reef shoes and never take a step with out looking first, or you are risking a broken ankle at least.
Hope this helps.
All the best.
Mike