Topwater Caranx Ignobilis: Giant Trevally (GT) > Tackle & Techniques

Tackle for Oman

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Brandon Khoo:
Guys, there is a slight edge to some of the posts here.
Just a reminder to keep it civil - we don't want this topic to deteriorate

Mark Harris:
Peter... really good advice there and James, you would do well to take that on board. 12 to 14 kgs of initial drag and a palming approach should be manageable by anyone who considers themselves fit enough to fish for big GTs.

Sami, you are a big strong man but that's not the case with many GT anglers  ;) . Thank you for clarifying in your replies to Peter what you meant by locked drag.

I think this topic is an important one as it's an area where I have seen less experienced anglers come very unstuck.

For what it is worth (pure personal preference, and others might disagree with this), the rough guidelines I try to use when GT fishing are:

- 10-12 kgs of initial drag in deepish water or areas where the terrain is not a big issue
- 12-14 kgs (or a touch higher) in shallower waters

And then be prepared at all times to palm the spool when necessary.

Obviously, that is a very rough personal guide and there are other factors to take into account, such as the gear you are using. For example, even with a brutal rod like Wild Violence 83XH, the manufacturer's maximum drag rating is 16 kgs at 45 degrees. That's a long way short of the locked drag pressure put down by most reels used for GT fishing.

Brandon Khoo:
James, can I make a few suggestions. Don't take any of this as gospel and feel free to disregard what you want.

One - you do have a choice in terms of outfits and you are not limited to PE10 only. The simple reality is that if you are only physically capable of fishing a PE8 outfit, why would you commit to buying a PE10 outfit when that outfit will be heavier, will be inferior from a casting perspective and will tire you out faster?

Two - there is no doubt that if you can handle the heavier outfit, it will give you some marginal advantage in fish stopping power but please understand noone simply stops a big GT dead. If you had a reel that had infinite drag (that is, no ability to give line), then as you point out,  you will either end up water-skiing or losing the outfit.

Three - I have no idea on what kind of GT fishing experience you have. If you're experienced, forget the rest of this paragraph but if you are relatively new to the sport, you are going to find the physical experience extremely demanding and you will find that an outfit that you can manage to fish for the duration of the trip far preferable to one that you can barely manage for a few hours each day.

Four - the MH80H is not a light rod. It may be rated an RF40 like your CV and it may be regarded as a heavy PE8 to lighter PE10 rod but it is a significantly more powerful rod than your CV79. You will want to be sure you can manage this before you commit to the purchase.

Five - with the lures you use, pick ones you know you can pop effectively. You are much better off using 120g poppers if you can pop these effectively than push the barrow with heavier poppers.

I haven't been to Oman but it sounds like you are going to lose a lot of gear. Good luck!




--- Quote from: James Wang on May 13, 2012, 11:35:08 PM ---Thanks for all the information. Seems like i have no choice but to commit to a PE10 setups. Fishing lock drag or anywhere near 30lb is definitely a no no for me. It's either the angler going overboard or the GT swimming ard with my setup showing off to its buddies, "see what I've got this time".
Will start to lookout for used set. How is casting with the MH80H with lures at the 100-140g range? Btw for jigging, a pe3-5 rod paired with a 10k reel, loaded with pe5 line enough to use there?

--- End quote ---

James Wang:
Brandon, thanks for ur advise. Let's put the MH80H aside. I would not be comfortable going there with just 1 rod and reel. Could u guys suggest another rod. Endless passion 82/38, is it just like my CV but 5" longer?

Jon Li:
Hi James ,

EP82/38 is EP85/36 less 3" , no relation with CV79/40RF at all .

Jon .

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