Former rugby league player and keen fisherman Andrew ‘ET’ Ettingshausen is lured to West New Britain in Papua New Guinea to chase big-fighting bass, but he is equally captivated by the vibrant culture and volcanic wilderness.

PNG fishing grounds

The surface lure touches down in an eddy beside an upturned tree. It bobs gently for a moment.

Then there is an explosion of water as it is taken, and in a heartbeat a giant bass is heading back to its lair.

I lock my thumb onto the spool and lean back hard on the rod, applying all the pressure I can. The bass, with its tail half out of the water, thrashes like crazy as it pulls my rod dead straight, a position you never want to be in.

‘The fish, under extreme pressure, kicks again.’

No rod flex means I have no control as the big fish surges towards the safety of the upturned tree. I hold on tight and finally get a small wind on the reel.

The fish, under extreme pressure, kicks again, but this time I am able to get a bend in the rod. After five short pumps and winds, I have her head pointed the right way.

Pressure

Andrew Ettingshausen with his prize

Another dive sees the big fish bury into weed. It is now or never as my guide, Riccard Reimann, motors his long boat towards the fish.

I keep maximum pressure on her and after a 30-second stalemate the huge fish is only a couple of metres away.

I yell for the net and amongst a scoop of weed the giant bass slides part way inside.

Half the fish is hanging out of the net, so we have to cradle her thick tail, but that is enough to bring her on board. We yell and scream as if we have won lotto and just stare in disbelief at the big spot-tail bass lying before us.

A couple of quick photos are taken before I ease the 18-kilogram fish back into the water. It doesn’t take long before she builds up the energy to kick away, back to her river home to live another day.

Now that’s one PNG encounter I’ll never forget.

Adventure

Reimann has guided me many times at his Baia Sportfishing Lodge. Each time, the adventure has been one to remember.

We have flown with Air Niugini all the way from Brisbane, via Port Moresby to Hoskins Airport in West New Britain, to get to the lodge.

Joining me on this adventure are some mates who have never been to PNG before, so I am excited by what I know will unfold on our week-long fishing trip.

This article is an abridged version of a story that originally appeared in the March/April 2018 edition of Paradise, the inflight magazine of Air Niugini. For more, see airniuginiparadise.com.