Hi Guys,
Thought i would put up a brief post on my recent trip up to the Swains Reefs. I went on a 7 day charter out from the port of Gladestone. The fishing conditions on the trip didn't start off all that well and by the end of the week were alot worse.
While we were out at the Reefs the Fishing was anything but good, we all fished really hard for near to no results. The fish were really off the bite ( even other Boats had troubles).
The only highlight of the trip was most afternoons the GTs would come out to play BIG TIME and in Numbers.
The first time we saw them at the back of the boat i got my poppers out and started casting for NO results what so ever. not even a look. but one of the other guys got out his Penn international and put on a flesh bait on and Bang zzzzzzzzzzzz on within 5 seconds so i stopped popping and watched him get his GT in. It was a nice fish around the 25kg mark but it took him a while to get it in so it put my off the idea of trying to get one next that day anyway.
On the thursday again in the afternoon the GTs were at the back of the boat in numbers again but this time they were in the company of sharks and lots of them. So once again i got out some poppers and started casting for no interest at all. but as soon as the flesh baits hit the water the GTs would be on. On this occation i too put out a flesh bait and i was on to a good fish for 4 seconds before i was busted off, So i rigged up again with a bait to get on too a big fish that was not as good as the first and this duel lasted about 10 seconds before the GT won. Hopeing for a third time lucky i rigged up again only to hookup a shark for about 3-4 second before i was busted off. After that i gave up and the other fellas hooked up on a nice GT too lose it underneath the boat wrapped itself around the mother boats prop. So close yet so far.
On the second last day the boys were out in the dories and fishing for trout and getting absolutely smash by the gts everytime they got onto a fish. needless to say the GT's didnt let them get too many fish into the boat
that same arvo we put the flesh baits out but this time i put on my 20000 spool with 100 pound tufline instead of the 75 pound Varivas. This time i got onto a nice GT that got a heap of line out and just as i started to get it in close a bronze whaler shark smashed it and peeled off a lot of line. Once the shark was on it took 8 guys in turns to get it in, by the time we got the shark in everyone was so stuffed or Drunk we decided to have dinner and call it a night.
the next day we fishing for afew hours for no results so we started to head back to port on the 18 hour trip in REALLY REALLY rough condition.
All in all a pretty bad week of fishing on the GBR. the worst any of the boys had ever seens and the same was said by our and all the other skipper's for that week. BUT it was good to get a taste for GT fishing and now i know how hard guys really do it when they get in a Big GT.
Over all it would have been alot better fishing trip if the winds had stayed away and the sea were abit flatter, But that fishing, and a bad days fishing beats a good days work
