104lb GT

[Luke Wyrsta]

i havent seen too many 50kg fish in my life, but i reckon its a big call to look at a fish and speculate (judging by the story of this capture i dare say this fish was certified).

i see many tricky lense work photos, and this honest pick like this is the best gauge, IMHO, side by side... regardless of apparent fish stretching. dont forget the flesh density of sea creatures is probably less than land animals. i think get a scale out (using a sling) and back it up before you lay claims, be you a bass fisherman or a gt freak.

if we asked most fisherman all our p#nises are atleast 8inches long!   

to add on to my rant, just think... how many of your girlfriends and wives weigh less than 50kg?  if you dont have a 50KG to pick up try picking up two 20kg rice bags!

may i say also that is an awesome fish, a shame it died, and they cheated in using bait!

The comment was made based on the merit of handling fish for their survival.

[Scott Maybury]

Mine is 12 inches long 

Big fish, great landbased capture (even using the stones as a gimbal), that rod he was using is out of control, but....did it need to die? Unless they ate it (unlikely) or it was a major record (dubious justification) that is too magnificent an animal to cop that treatment

Just my view

[Tri Vi Ton]

LOL at johnny (maybury) holmes, new meaning to stick bait yes? wot technique do you use? sink it subsurface, or poppin on top?

yea she looks pretty dead to me.

people fish for different reasons i suppose, i think this thing was caught, carted off to a certified scale, and its scalp an honour to its captor. old skool hunting mentality. so any criticism of handling on their behalf would go in one ear and out the other.

anyhow i guess the main point of my replies in this thread are... yea i agree many so called 50kg fish are indeed midgets, filled with the weight of fisherman bravado   

[Peter Morris]

I think the only thing to sy after watching that footage is...

Holy $$hit.....

[Mark Gonsalves]

Aloha once again and Happy New Year.

Here in Hawaii most Ulua (GT) are consumed.  This fish was weighed on a certified scale.

If you want to view 100lb GT captures in Hawaii go and visit the Hawaii Fishing News website and check out the 100lb club.  Majority have photos included.  100lb GT are the ultimate capture for shore casters here. Many of us here in Hawaii are now involved in tag and release for this species.  I will still keep an occasional one for sashimi or to bake or fry, delicious.

Mahalo
Mark

[Scott Maybury]

Well even though I would release a big fish like that of any species I don't personally have a problem with anyone keeping fish if they are going to eat it

I am just amazed you guys eat them...you dont have ciguetera virus over there? And I had always been lead to believe GT's (or Uluas) particularly the big ones, were not very good eating anyway....?

[Sachin Chaudhry]

I have seen 2 weighed in at 49.6 kg and 52kg. Blokes that caught them kept them for food. At that size there is only one word to describe them. BIG.

[Gavin Ng]

What a great fish and top effort. That's truly a fish of a lifetime!

Yes a shame it had to be gaffed but what a lot of people don't realise is that a fish off the stones is worth 10 from the boat. Don't be surprised if he had to hike 10kms, scale a 30ft cliff, get to the ledge at 3am to get bait and and when he finally hooks up, fight the fish from land after pulling a all-nighter.

A landbased angler has every right to gaff a trophy fish off the rocks, the moment needs to be captured and it's almost symbolic because it's the result of years of hard work and perseverance; not going on the net and booking a holiday/charter and relaxing. The fish definatley did not die in vain and it had a chance to fight, in which case he lost. Fishing land based is also a lot less productive, they're not exactly exterminating the entire fish population.

[Luke Wyrsta]

What a great fish and top effort. That's truly a fish of a lifetime!

Yes a shame it had to be gaffed but what a lot of people don't realise is that a fish off the stones is worth 10 from the boat. Don't be surprised if he had to hike 10kms, scale a 30ft cliff, get to the ledge at 3am to get bait and and when he finally hooks up, fight the fish from land after pulling a all-nighter.

A landbased angler has every right to gaff a trophy fish off the rocks, the moment needs to be captured and it's almost symbolic because it's the result of years of hard work and perseverance; not going on the net and booking a holiday/charter and relaxing. The fish definatley did not die in vain and it had a chance to fight, in which case he lost. Fishing land based is also a lot less productive, they're not exactly exterminating the entire fish population.

You are entitled to your opinion, and it's a fair one (keeping the fish), but in case you hadn't noticed - the opposite is the spirit of this website.  That being, we participate in a sport where catch and release is the accepted methodology.

I disagree with some points out of your last paragraph but as long as he is fishing within the bounds of law - then he is entitled to keep whatever he likes.

As for this kind of discussion, I hope we don't see any more of it in the future.

[Brandon Khoo]

I posted this capture so people could get a good look at what a real 100lb GT looked like. It was not intended to start a debate on the rights or wrongs of killing a fish of this size. In many countries, GTs are food and we have no right to tell another person what they should or should not put into their mouths. That said, this site is for sportfisherman who pursue (and release) GTs. The philosophies of this site should be very apparent but I am sure Luke and I can establish a charter if it is necessary to make them more transparent.

Gavin, this site is not the place to have a debate on the rights and wrongs on killing GTs. As Luke wrote, you're entitled to your opinion but please respect the fact that this site is all about catch and release.

With regard to your comment that most people don't realise that a fish off the stones is worth ten times that from a boat, I would only respond that most of us here grow up fishing from the rocks. We're more than well aware of the challenges involved.

What a great fish and top effort. That's truly a fish of a lifetime!

Yes a shame it had to be gaffed but what a lot of people don't realise is that a fish off the stones is worth 10 from the boat. Don't be surprised if he had to hike 10kms, scale a 30ft cliff, get to the ledge at 3am to get bait and and when he finally hooks up, fight the fish from land after pulling a all-nighter.

A landbased angler has every right to gaff a trophy fish off the rocks, the moment needs to be captured and it's almost symbolic because it's the result of years of hard work and perseverance; not going on the net and booking a holiday/charter and relaxing. The fish definatley did not die in vain and it had a chance to fight, in which case he lost. Fishing land based is also a lot less productive, they're not exactly exterminating the entire fish population.

[Gavin Ng]

hey guys I totally agree with what you're saying, and I'm a catch and release guy myself, its brings out the true spirit of fishing because it shows you're truly in it for the fight and nothing else, not to mention it's a lot more satifying when both angler and fish come ot on top. Just thought i'd bring the other side of the arguement as alreay mentioned there's always different ways of doing things, and within the law, they're all right ways. In no way am I trying to glorify killing the fish.

Cheers

[Stephen Polzin]

I thought I'd put up a picture of what a "real" big GT looks like. This fish was caught in Hawaii and apparently weighs 104lbs (47kgs) so it isn't even 50kgs. It sure makes a lot of so-called 50kg fish I've seen look like midgets!   


Good call Brandon, After taking some scales out in my boat a few times I'm often left scratching my head at the alleged weights of fish in some pics.  I think adrenaline adds a few kilos in most cases.  This is a true beast! 

[Brandon Khoo]

Stephen, you get to spend more time out on the water than just about any of us and no doubt, you must have seen some real beasts out there at times. They big ones really are scary sized - a really big GTs is longer than I am tall - just huge!!

[Tri Vi Ton]

I thought I'd put up a picture of what a "real" big GT looks like. This fish was caught in Hawaii and apparently weighs 104lbs (47kgs) so it isn't even 50kgs. It sure makes a lot of so-called 50kg fish I've seen look like midgets!   


Good call Brandon, After taking some scales out in my boat a few times I'm often left scratching my head at the alleged weights of fish in some pics.  I think adrenaline adds a few kilos in most cases.  This is a true beast! 

as i said... scales...      fisherman will be fisherman