Quick trip Curtis Island

[Graham Scott]

Unlike the reports from major expeditions with lots of photos and amazing stories, most of my GT fishing is 30mins jammed in somewhere during a trip for other reasons.
One such trip was last Wednesday when we went for a run to Yellow Patch on Curtis Island, mainly just cause the weather was nice. Left Yeppoon at my usual start time in winter...11:30am.
Anyway, after lunch and a swim and look around, I had a chance to chuck a few at the rocks.

Second cast a decent Spanish Mackerel took a flying leap at the lure...I go a bit easy on these guys as they won't go for the bricks, but are pretty soft aound the head. Based on the photo I underestimated this one. Had 2 more throws for zero so moved about 300m.  First cast a nice GT around 95cm from a bit of a submerged bommie. This one was really quiet and gave up quickly. 2 more casts for zero...so that was the end of my Gt popping trip and back to mucking about. Didn't attach photo of small GT as nothing special.

Gear used was all top line of course;

Gt Special. 2nd hand, thanks Warwick
Daiwa Sealine Bull....still won't break
100lb tuffline
ebipop extreme, 2nd hand, thanks Aaron

[Matt Kilpatrick]

Nice work Graham, keeping it real!    Great spano.

Matt

[Nathan Cefai]

wicked spanish mate

[Doug Lindsay]

Hey, 95cm GT is about 95 cm bigger than the GT most of us caught this week! Well done mate, keep the "quickie" trip reports coming

[Aaron Concord]

Graham,

I'm pleased my 2nd hand Ebipop returned on your monetary investment 

Real nice spanish mate.........I'm still somewhere around 30-0 on those buggers. My GT drag is too heavy for their soft gobs 
Still, a Brisbanite would consider a leaping mackerel a blessing in this frigging Melbourne-like weather we've been having.

I'd take a short casting spell with a spanish/GT victory anyday right now!

Congrats,

Aaron.

[Nathan Green]

good fish mate, classic report. 10 casts for 2 good fish while the rest of us have been flogging the water till its frothy! ha ha

[Graham Scott]

Hi Aaron,

Spanish are a bit of a pain. I back off a lot as soon as I know its not a GT. This one was hooked by 1 barb in the fleshy cheek on the outside of the mouth so he/she would have been long gone on 12kgs of drag.

Hi Nathan,
I work on the theory of 1 good cast (or maybe 2) in the right spot then forget it. I don't think I have ever caught a GT on anything after the third or 4th cast to 1 spot.
2 even shorter trips earlier this year were 3 hook-ups from 3 casts (2 lost 1 landed) and 2 from 2 (both landed). At one stage I think I was 6 hookups from 12 casts over a month. However if I do a whole day GT fishing, I don't catch that many, maybe 5 or 6 as I don't have limitless supply of spots, maybe 10 spots 2 or 3 miles apart. Plus I'm not up to chucking stuff all day. I just try to be at the right spot at the right time, get my GT fix and head off. I am also pretty wary of getting dogged at local spots by some of the local dickh...s that would figure out a fish recipe for GT's and load up. It's happened before up here. Queenfish have been heavily targetted.
 One of my regular deckies was offerd $500 cash to steal 1 red jew mark.

I fish spots I know (generally) and if I hook a GT, the most likely cast is the first. A bit like getting Ricky Ponting out. Your best chance is first ball, before he works out whats going on.

[Travis Heaps]

Cracking Spano Graham!

[Brad.Bell]

nice work, are there many GT's around curtis? 

[Graham Scott]

Brad,
I don't fish Curtis much, but there should be GT's wherever the habitat is OK. I Imagine the points and bommies from Curtis down to Bustard Head should hold GT's. Where I caught these couple of fish is a small spot so would not hold more than a couple of residents I think. Curtis/Rundle Island does get a good run of very large Spanish Mackerel during winter which are worth a shot.

[Max Grimbacher]

nice work, are there many GT's around curtis?

well i'm not the expert on curtis island - never been there! but i have a bit of info. Check out fishing dvd number 22; http://www.fishingdvd.com.au/shop/product.php?productid=280

They filmed there and caught a large GT (they estimated 30kg) around some rocky islands while targeting them on popper gear. i think it was off the northeast corner . The map shows a few different groups of small islands. The ones they poppered were just rock and had some height to them (ie. not low flat sand cays) some bait and some current.

So there is at least one decent size GT around Curtis island.

[Graham Scott]

Hi Max,

Yeah seen the footage. That bloke must be 7 foot tall if the GT's 30kgs....or I'm getting my sizes wrong.

I recognise where it was caught, but I' won't spoil your fun searching out new GT territory.Its not where I was fishing so theres at least 2 GT's at Curtis. I have caught fish in the same area as the DVD.  If you like local DVD's buy Johnny Mitchells Mackerel DVD, its excellent.

[Max Grimbacher]

Yeah seen the footage. That bloke must be 7 foot tall if the GT's 30kgs....or I'm getting my sizes wrong.

Yes! Funny you say that. When i was watching the video i thougth the 30kg call was a bit optimistic too. still a good fish for us amateurs.

[Brad.Bell]

not a hope of being "well over thirty kilos" but good to see anyway