“Yesterday the guys caught a 158cm GT in Southern Oman! Tomy was guiding the clients and they caught just the one fish for the day but it was a donkey! The fish must be close to 70kgs!!

I’m heading down with my Dad, Richard and Darryl next week so hopefully we might get a few chances at some big fish!!

cheers,

Nick”

Monster Oman GT caught by George Arnaud

Check out the below videos and stay tuned for a report and pics!

Masatate-San Fully Loaded in Tokara Whilst Fishing for GT - Photo by Luke Wyrsta

My trip to Tokara was a pilgrimage.  I was being drawn as a GT follower to reach the motherland, dreamed of by many, but visited by few.  These waters are the roots to the GT fishing movement, and just like the blues draws music lovers to the American deep south, Tokara is my Mecca.  What was to unfold was a journey rich in GT folklore, history and phenomenal real-time events.

A tanned, muscular forearm gestured from his body as he bowed. “Fukui-San!” I exclaimed.  His head rose back up swiftly with a welcoming smile.

This was the first time I met Kenzaburo Fukui, or, Fukui-San – a proverbial legend of Amami, Tokara and GT fishing worldwide.  His welcome was most comforting for a westerner who had made the pilgrimage to southern Japan solo, not even so much as knowing the names of his to be fishing companions for the next 10 days.  I made my introduction, bowed, and was quickly shuffled into the vehicle, complete with my 2nd family for the remainder of the trip.  It was certainly one of the most generous and warm experiences I have ever had abroad on a GT expedition, and things were to only get better.

The vehicle snaked through rustic, modest townships between expanses of sugar cane and breathtaking views of the coral fringed island of Amami.  Only harbour break-walls and headlands stood in the way –shores that have seen many a giant swim past their many points.

The GTPopping.com crew fishing on Big Dipper in Tokara - Photo by Luke Wyrsta

We travelled north along the single, humble road towards the northeast Cape Kasarizaki.  After a short trip we had reached Captain Fukui’s homestead –a modern home located stunningly along the beach break-wall with unobstructed views and access to the coastal beach and reef.   Who knows how many GTs have been caught from this beach alone over the years.   The day before, a 20kg specimen rolled upon Fukui-San’s Gamma as he cast from shore early in the morning.  Very cool.

It’s rare enough to see several Carpenter Gamma 160’s in a fisherman’s toolbox, but how about a whole room where each wall is floor to ceiling full of them?  There were Gammas of each and every size, shape, and variation ever made –new ones, mauled ones, pink ones, yellow ones, and some sporting the battle scars of GT’s over 50kg.  Amazing.  There are only a couple places

The beautiful and GT rich reefs of Tokara Islands, Ryuku Prefecture in Japan - Photo By Luke Wyrsta

in the whole world where you could see such a sight.  Then there were the roof rafters stacked to the limit with an assortment of GT fishing rods from over the ages, some bamboo, others crafted with copious amounts of fibreglass from the 80’s.  This was a GT fishing museum.

Rigging rods in anticipation of epic battles was difficult enough as we sat outside Fukui’s fishing cave.  I found it hard to resist perusing each and every variety of Gamma on the wall.  I even found one decorated with a Kangaroo and Aboriginal pattern, and thought, surely I must make an offer to Fukui-San on that bit of history next time.  I was admiring and reliving the moments of phenomenal catches framed along the wall – none more so impressive than a 100lb+ GT taken 20 years ago from a Tokara harbour breakwall on a homemade popper before all the technologically advanced fishing wares that us modern day anglers take for granted existed. There is little doubt of the value that Fukui-San has provided to companies such as Shimano and Carpenter in their quest to be the ultimate fishing manufacturers.  Sorting and analysing a variety of Tokara nautical charts, you could get lost in this place and never wet a line.

Captain Fukui’s boat, Big Dipper, is the ultimate fishing machine. The beast is 52ft long and powered by twin turbo diesel engines that hiss at a high pitch and can max 40 knots at full throttle.  That’s the best way to travel the 100km to Tokara from Amami when the sea conditions allow it.

Arriving at Tokara is akin to frontier explorers hacking through dense jungle up into mist shrouded mountains where ancient treasure awaits.  Substitute explorer for angler, dense jungle for expanses of remote ocean, mountains for active, smouldering volcanoes, and treasures for colossal GT and Dogtooth, and your scene is set.

It’s an amazing site to see a smouldering volcano anywhere let alone a remote fishing destination. You wake up from your huddle in the boat’s cabin, having passed time enroute.  Mintues later, the boat is going the way of the current, lurching and swaying along the island mountain topography. Looking up reveals a majestic rock face, and sites where small landslides dropped directly into the cobalt blue water.

Motoring towards the first island in diminishing light, several long and elongated rocky outcrops converged with the ocean, and current swept past furiously.  A flock of Carpenter Gamma stickbaits filled the air and showered the water as they landed, creating the ultimate attraction for GT in this area – a school of skittish, fleeing bait fish.

The most common lure used by Fukui’s patrons in Tokara is the Carpenter Gamma.  Large profile sizes such as the 160 and 250 are most common to match typically large bait patterns.  Lengths from 200 to 300mm create the perfect presence for GTs to acquire, lock and destroy the presented target.

Kenzaburo Fukui (Fukui-San) & GTPopping.com's Luke Wyrsta in Tokara, Japan - Photo by Luke Wyrsta

Fluid-like mending from front to side (like a sweep) gets this famous lure dancing.  Add a quarter second pause to get a slight head bob, and repeat.  A little bit of slack line whilst pulling the lure through the water in a wiggle-esq fashion is my hint for anglers to create their own Gamma magic.  It’s not easy to master, but with practice (and soft rod tip), success can be achieved.

Arm the Gamma with 6/0 trebles (160 size) and 8/0 trebles (250 size). These are Gamakatsu sizes, although I feel that one can experiment with 1 size up in Decoy trebles if desired.  The Gamma certainly deserves the hook exposure but do be careful not to ruin the extremely sensitive built-in action.

Carpenter Pandora sinking stickbaits are also popular when GT activity is quiet. The lure simply sinks to desired depth and is retrieved with a regular, constant wind. I also had success with the Orion Crazy Dog, nailing a healthy 25kg GT on the first morning.  Orion Big Nambas and Big Foot will also experience success in the appropriate conditions.

On this trip to Tokara it was evident that Flying Fish were more present than Fusilier (Gurukun). Flashy, metallic winged lures received the majority of attention.  When half a dozen Gammas entered the GT arena, it was easy to see that these flashy lures behaved in much the same way that small schools of flying fish would. The flying fish were densely concentrated and fluttered in a panic out of the water for several metres before making a commotion on re-entry.  With the lures being retrieved in such a fashion back to the boat in one group it’s no wonder they are such a powerful fish attracting magnet.  It’s interesting to note that little or no-flash lures received practically no attention during hot bites.

After a hard day’s fishing, the Big Dipper would retreat into the nearest safe harbour.  We visited 3 different islands during the trip, staying in a different guesthouse each night.  The variety was most welcome for a westerner wanting to soak up as much Tokara history as possible.  Shared lodging was more than adequate, a futon and a pillow being all that was required to rest weary bones and muscles after a hard day on the ocean.  Meals were homemade and nothing short of superb with no less than six individual and unique dishes including meat, seafood, and rice.  Seaweed made each meal something to look forward to, and the accompaniment of a Japanese beer (or six) helped me to relax even more.

We did not fish from shore during the night as it was not season for Flying Fish spawning.  Flying Fish spawn during the cooler months, entering the harbour breakwalls, attracted by big, bright floodlights.  GT are in turn attracted to this favourite fare of theirs like a magnet.  Throwing poppers and stickbaits through these breeding melee’s is almost a sure bet for encountering a big or even epic GT.  The current all tackle world record, 72.3 kg GT was taken from a harbour breakwall on the island of Takara.  I hope to take a shot at one of these occurrences in 2011.

Efforts during the main part of the day yielded little result.  The occasional Mahi and Bluefin Trevally would make an appearance but the GT remained rather elusive. Each day, it was not until the last hour of light that GT would come into their element and begin to hunt.  Each afternoon would see 5 important factors combine to create a prime hunting window: low light, current against tide, wind, swell/chop and baitfish high in the water column.  A submerged reef several kilometres off the island of Akusekijima was a proverbial boiling pot of GT activity.  The bottom could be seen in most instances, a depth rarely deeper than 15 metres. The Big Dipper would lazily, but safely, float over the biggest of unbroken swell and chop, allowing anglers precious time in the strike zone. Captain Fukui’s eye remained on the guard as pressure waves in excess of 6 feet made rogue appearances, prompting the twin engines to fire into action, and taking affirmative action to keep the vessel and her occupants safe and free from harm.

In fading light, the monsters could be seen stalking Gammas as they hopped, skipped, bumped and sometimes cut straight through the wavy washing machine.  Fish would rise through the swell, swipe or tail slap the lure as the unpredictable sea prevented the precision normally possible during more amicable conditions. The fish were lit with a deep, golden brown hue as their flanks came to life in displays of feeding and territorial aggression.  It was duly noted that the fish were holding in one area and preferred to attack at 90 degrees to the lure path – never directly behind or in front, and always seemingly from the one side.

There was high activity, but the commitment ratio was low.  Despite the rough conditions, Tokara anglers need to remain calm and keep their lure actions precise.  As the conditions worsened, it was like a gambling game, high stakes and risk.  My heart beat increased as one eye remained on the breakers to the aft of the boat and the other eye strained in the last remnants of light to identify the lure and possible attacking fish.  Breakers could be heard and felt spraying and rattling of the hull, but the cool and collected Fukui-San handled his vessel with ease and poise, and kept the boat in the safest position for the compromising conditions.

Despite all the that I have learnt over the years in respect to fishing in general and GT pursuit my gamble was identified and bluffed.  I had my shot at a pedigree fish, possibly in the 50’s.  All I could see was a walloping tail at the end of an attack, high in the air, waving vigorously as it re-entered the frothing mess.  Acknowledging the head-high spray from an impacting breaker, a few colourful words spoken out aloud in frustration, saw me take my eye of the prize for a moment and pay very dearly.  My fishing companions painfully described the size of the fish.  Bitterness followed. Tokara return ticket booked.

Dear GTPopping members

Carpenter is very pleased to be a sponsor on the GTPopping forum and I want to thank Luke and Brandon for their invitation to come here.

I see this forum as a great way to not only keep you all informed of our products but also for getting feedback from the users of our products. Carpenter has grown together with the GT anglers in this world and we would like to hear from our many customers. Our Integrity as a product manufacturer is very important to us and Carpenter will always be honest about any of the products we develop.

I would like to apologise for product shortages in the past, particularly in overseas market. We have been working very hard to improve our supply and I am confident we have rectified out past problems I am very happy to have a new distributor in this region, Tak Otsuka and Carpenter will make sure more products are available in the future in this region.

Finally, I would like to thank you all for your generous support of our charity efforts in supporting earthquake victims in Japan.

Kenji Konishi

with permission by Abdel Ibrahim.

When milestones in human achievement are described there’s often an accompanying, “nobody thought this was possible” to go along with it.  Such is the case for top water yellowtail fishing in Japan.

It’s not inconceivable that a yellowtail in the shallows would strike a plug on the surface, but until recently there was no identifiable targeting pattern, which was universally recognized in Japan. 

Part of the reason has to do with the spatial constraints on fishing vessels, which are designed for vertical methods like jigging or bottom bouncing.  Another, perhaps more serious, issue in Japanese waters is whether skippers are given access to areas that hold targetable fish in numbers.

Yellowtail Kingfish caught on Stickbait in Japan - Photo Courtesy of "The Angler - GPC"

The reefs dotting the Pacific coastline of Chiba Prefecture, known as Sotobo are a textbook case of how the need to innovate constantly drives Japanese anglers to figure out new ways to put fish on the boat.  To be brief, these grounds are a pressure cooker.  The amount of commercial and sport fishing activity in Sotobo is probably greater than any other place in Japan.  This in no way means that the reefs are fished out, but rather that the game fish that occupy them won’t bite at just anything.

Enter Captain Toru Yamaguchi –a Sotobo native, former GT guide, and world class lure angler.  Yamaguchi had already become the most popular jig game captain in the Kanto region and had for some time been the center of talented cadre of anglers who fished with him week in and week out.  He knew that large yellowtail occupied the shallows and could be taken on top water gear, but as a guide he needed to come up with a way his patrons could effectively cast for them.  After a short period of experimenting with several drifting patterns and varieties of plugs he hit pay dirt.

The winning technique is pretty sensible but somewhat unorthodox for Japan.  At most crowded points like those in Sotobo, regulations stipulate that all vessels face into the wind, deploy a spanker sail and keep their engines idling.  Instead, Yamaguchi sought points away from other vessels giving him the ability to cut off his engine and drift over points silently with the direction of the wind.  He also chose reefs less than 20 meters deep that were either too shallow or had currents too swift for commercial operators nets.  By Sotobo standards the results have been astounding.

Record Yellowtail Kingfish "Hiramasa" caught on topwater - Photo Courtesy of "The Angler - GPC"

Since 2008 when Yamaguchi began focusing on top water casting with equal or greater emphasis to jigging, his patrons have been gradually pulling up larger and larger fish.  The fall of 2009 saw sizes never recorded for lure anglers in Japan –the biggest being a 49.5 kilo yellowtail caught in early November.

Despite the sizes of catches increasing, Sotobo lure fishing is not a numbers game.  Timing and technique are crucial, and only anglers who know precisely how to use their tackle, and stay sharp get a fish on.  It’s game fishing approached like trophy whitetail hunting.

Ideal rods for top water fishing in Sotobo have three characteristics; short length for underhanded casts -a necessity due to the number of patrons on most vessels making overhead casting unsafe, strong butt sections for fighting fish that run straight for the jagged reefs as soon as they’re hooked, and a soft tip for finesse intensive retrieval of pencil baits.  An ideal length is between 6 and 7 feet.

In high pressure grounds like Sotobo the yellowtail are very picky about what they will strike at, and as such, regulars have come to put their trust in only one or two types of lures.  These are almost all handmade pencil baits in the 16-21 centimeter range.  Line wise, most anglers spool PE 4-5, but some have gone as high as 8 to have as much power to yank hooked fish away from the rocky bottom.

The long term effectiveness of casting for yellowtail over successive seasons has yet to be determined, but the last two years have been viewed by many as a new beginning for the Sotobo fishery.  Commercial fishermen in the area have on occasion pulled up fish large the 60 kilos from the same reefs, so it’s totally conceivable that at least a line class record is eminent.  The possibility of boating such a fish is likely to keep both Sotobo’s die hard veterans as well as new to the game anglers on their toes this fall.

We also have new information regarding Dogtooth and Amberjack aggregations that we will be focusing on with jigs and sinking stickbaits.

Map of Kiribati

extremely supple with noticeable abrasion resistance due to an advancement in additive nylon coating. The ice blue colour blends with the ocean and the knot tying abilites…well, knots are just snug and test extremely well – you can’t ask for anymore confidence than that…

Here’s some information from Prosele:

Next generation monofilament tuned for casting game. It has better knot strength than usual nylon monofilaments. Easy and firm tying for any kind of knots. Thinness and smoothness give you more casting distance. Visible Clear Emerald Blue is the natural material color. Abrasion resistance coating. Ultraviolet inhibitors combined. Very low water absorbing.

Class Diameter
35lb 0.462mm
50lb 0.547mm
60lb 0.610mm
100lb 0.826mm
130lb 0.944mm
170lb 1.069mm
210lb 1.185mm

Weight: 65kg weighed
Length: 161cm
Fight: 8 min
Lure: Carpenter Pandora
Reel: Shimano TwinPower 12000HG
Boat/Skipper: Big Dipper / Kenzaburo Fukui

Monster 65kg GT from Tokara, Japan - Photo by Kenzaburo Fukui

Onboard “Reelistic” and “Popping Mad”, exploring the Coral Sea becomes an extremely comfortable and luxurious affair coupled with knowledgable guides and skippers. Reelistic is decribed as “…48′ Riviera Platinum, offering quality comfort and luxury in abundance, perfect for catering for smaller groups…”, whilst Popping Mad, “lure casters dream, 21ft Contender capable of fishign just about any sea possible with confidence. Move 360 degrees around the deck for maximum fishing capability…”.

As the saying goes, we merely exposed the tip fo the iceberg in terms of fishing potential for this area. Multiple hook-ups on Dogtooth Tuna, Amberjack and Giant Trevally could no longer be counted crew’s hands combined! Although we only encountered mid-sized models of Dogtooth, it would only a be  matter of time and persistance to find the more dominant, PE exploding, bigger brothers.

A variety of Fisherman & Smith jigs in the 350g+ range were used to get to the bottom in depth averaging 110 metres. PE8 plus Shimano & Smith jigging rods were used, coupled with Shimano Stella 8000SW and 20000SW. Hooks used were Fisherman Siden 11/0 custom rigged with Varivas Kevlar Cord and Decoy/Owner terminals.

Several hours of jigging would see both boats settle for lunch before an afternoon popping and stickbait session for GT. There’s not to many places that personify paradise than mooring in the lagoon of a picturesque Coral Sea Sand Cay. Gourment sandwiches and sashimi were prepared by Cliff, the owner of Nothern Conquest Charters – it’s not too often that owner operators get involed to provide A1 service, a nice touch that added some extra polish to an already excellent operation. Expert fishing guide and one of North Queensland’s lure casting pioneers, mulled over charts and checked/re-tied knots of other guests…it’s great to know someone really wants to make sure you land the fish of a lifetime!

Luke Wyrsta with an Amberjack

Popping on the GBR is never dull. An almost endless supply of school GT never fail to be present to harass poppers and stickbaits. Tides, water temperature and bait all need to align in order to start seeing some more dominant reef donkey’s appear.

Lighter equipment such as 8ft, PE5-6 rods and reels such as the Shimano Stella 10000SW, make angling a joy and provide at least a sporting chance whilst duelling with “rat” GTs. It always pays to have PE8-10 in case conditions change and bigger fish become prevalent.

Tom Grubb with a Coral Sea GT

Returning from an afternoon’s frolicing over countless contours and bommies of the Coral Sea is only made better by the climbing Reelistic’s flybridge, where the world’s best sunset can be viewed with a can of Queensland’s own, Bunderberg Rum. Cliff can easily organise any alcohol or beverage requirements, making sure your comfortability and relaxation are second to none.

Spanish Mackerel

Coral Sea GT on Popper

About Northern Conquest Charters
Contact: Cliff – 0429 639 514
Address: Shop 6 – Breakwater Marina, Mariner’s Drive, Townsville, Australia 4810
Email: cliff@nccharters.com.au
Website: http://www.nccharters.com.au

The most exciting thing in the fishing world is now available in Queensland. Based in the thriving capital of North Qld, we can access The Great Barrier Reef from Lizard Island to The Whitsundays, Hinchinbrook, The Coral Sea and the beautiful Palm Island Group.

Townsville’s fishing diversity has never been experienced to its fullest potential and it boasts some of the best fishing in the country.

Townsville has an international airport with numerous flights from most capital cities daily.