Popping to the fly

[Cy and Kerrin Taylor]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with fly fishing for big GT.

Has anyone had any attempts at converting interested GT from a hookless surface lure to a fly?

I'm interested in getting a 12 weight rod for casting big flies & heavy leaders for this switching technique.

Thanks for any info!

Cy Taylor

[Geoff Volter]

Hi guys, have tried teasing big GT's a few times in weipa and christmas island. and I know there are a few others here whom have a bit of experience with it on nomad. hopefully they'll chime in. Basically i think its doable but it relies on having a good supply of horny G's and a masochistic attitude.

Most of my experience has been with a big popper hooked or not (they swam better with hooks). It seemed to me that the GT always wanted to belt the popper more than the fly even when the popper was dead in the water. Where we did have some success was when the GT's were in a pack, or REALLY angry ie had missed the lure a few times on the retrieve. It was best when it was almost dark, I dont know if it was because the GT's were angier then or just that they would hit anything that was moving that they could see.

You will have trouble casting something that bloops big enough with a flyrod, I havn't totally given up on this idea yet. I am now looking at teaming up some floating heads for the flies like the cam sigler ones, but its hard to cheat physics. The same things which make a good popper make a shit casting fly. Have you noticed that more of the GT hits on poppers are 50+m from the boat?

The small success I have had so far has been using flies with flat sides and really slapping it down on the water- Right next to the GT. and getting a reaction bite.

Two of my mates have hooked and lost what were called for big GT's whilst fishing deep over reefs, once was berleying for wahoo and the other was targetting GT's that were sounded deep and one angler was trying to get them to the surface with a popper. Its hard to know whats really going on down there...

Best way to tease GT's on the flats is to run around in a circle when you are wading a reef edge flat and throw a few bits of coral around. true story.

[Janelle O'Connell]

Hi Cy,

I am guessing also if you are going to chase big GT's a 12wt might be OK across sand flats but if there is any structure a 14wt would be better.  The advantage of the 12wt though is you could use it for other things.  The boys would be better able to advise on the wt of the rod than me but I just know that the talk has been all 14 - 16wt rods for their planned GT on fly trip to Bugatti.  There will either be great GT stories or lots of tears after the anticipated tackle carnage.

Janelle

PS Geoff is the coral tossing, lunatics running in circles story fit for forum consumption?

[Travis Heaps]

...PS Geoff is the coral tossing, lunatics running in circles story fit for forum consumption?

I think it would work, however if a "naked" plus "beer" element was added I would begin to wonder if it was forum fit (PS if those two elements are involved I  may know a forum where the story will be relevant  ...just throwing it out there....

Cy and Kerrin, please let us know if the GT fly story takes off!! Very interesting plus it will make a good change from your typical qld fishing monthly reports...

[Geoff Volter]

Travis, tell us more.

Janelle, its a fair dinkum story and although I am the first to concede that sometimes i have been known to tell a seedy story, this one is clean and real.

Cy, I always like reading your QFM reports, you fella's live in a beautiful, fishy place. I love that lagoon in the middle of town.

Its probably situation specific, but i dont think a 14 or 16 rod is going to save you many fish that the 12 would have lost. And were you hoping to fish IFGA legal? It would be nice to have that many shots available.

[Cy and Kerrin Taylor]

Hi,

Thanks for all the interesting info & advice.

The 12 weight sounds like a nice size rod and we think it should have enough power to pull up big GT. The GT structure in the Whitsundays is quite easy to land fish from. The fish usually just head off the edge and into the deep water when hooked-up. We never seem to loose much fish - unlike areas like Shoalwater!

There is also huge fish which we sometimes spot on the island's clear sand flats which look over 40kg. They are fairly rare though. We'll probably use the rod for sight casting too.

Can anyone recommend any brands or models that can stand large fish?

P.S We're glad you like the QFM articles. We'll update any GT on fly activities in future reports!

Thanks,

CT

[Jonas Holmsgard]

[Geoff Volter]

Jonas,

I spoke to a guy at Christmas island who'd done some guiding in the seychelles for flycastaway, that place sounds insane!!

Please keep us informed on the release of the DVD, an where we can purchase it from.

Thanks,

Geoff

[Andre van Wyk]

Most of the picsI've posted on hear ae from Cosmoledo and Farquhar Atolls in Seychelles with GT's taken on Fly by myself and a few others... the biggest on our trip pushed 40 kilos....

But Cosmo, and I'm sure Jonas will agree, is a different kettle of fish..... its Nirvana.... I did one of the first exploratory trips with Fly castaways, befoe the need for teaer rods.... 8 ANglers took over 200 GT's on fly in a week, all sight casted to on the flats..... Its nuts...

You guys must get Greg Burt to burn you a copy of the DVD's I sent him if you wanna see how nuts the place is....

GT's are super fun on the fly, but personally, once they have eaten the fly, its all over... the long fly rod is no where near as much fun to fight a fish on as a spinning stick... my opinion anyway... but its a blast watching a 25 kilo plus GT inhale your home tied fly 10ft off the rod tip in 1.5 ft of water!!!! 

[Chris Young]

BUN......Can I have first copy

[Greg Burt]

BUN......Can I have first copy

No worries Crusty, I havn't seen the 'Fly' DVD's yet still watching the spinning ones when possible, stock up on heart pills

[Chris Young]

BUN......Can I have first copy

No worries Crusty, I havn't seen the 'Fly' DVD's yet still watching the spinning ones when possible, stock up on heart pills

Allas... the heart is strong , the body not so

[Aaron Concord]

Bun,

I'll take autographed copy #2 please!!!!!

[Jonas Holmsgard]

Hi Aaron,

And I would love a copy of the DVD you filmed when we met at the exploratory trip to Shoalwater in February 2006.
Remember the two swedes who came for their first GT-encounters?? 

/jonas