Your best bit of advice

[brian jones]

Hey guy's I am off next week for a two week trip to the Chesterfields, I have never caught a GT before so this will hopefully be a baptism of fire, I have prepared well I have the finest lures a selection of the finest rods and all the other bits and pieces i will need. My question for you guys is what advice can you give me to help me land the monster of my dreams?

[Chuen Fan]

Don't go too hard too soon! Pace yourself so you can last the whole trip. 

[Ben Rivers]

Stretch!!

[Mark Harris]

Relax, don't try too hard and above all, enjoy yourself.

[Luke Wyrsta]

1. Learn a castable knot/leader setup that you can tie with confidence. You will simply waste your time if your connections are not adequate.
2. Learn to load your rod(s) with a pendulum style cast before your trip starts. The further you cast, the higher your chances will be.

[Jay Burgess]

Some lucky anglers will land the monster of their dreams in half a dozen casts and some will spend an entire lifetime with all the best reels, rods, lures, line & leader and never find that fish... my best advice is to go there with an open mind, don't set your expectations too high and have an amazing time 

[Kasey Leong]

If it looks like death.... cast in there! 

[Kamalu Charlot]

All good advice I would add to not getting frustrated and keep at it.  I hear people say 'the fish of a thousand casts'.  I fish from shore and seem to  cast a good deal more than that but I work each casted lure like it was my last... Main thing is to have fun.

[Barry Kurten]

Hi Brian,

Best bit of advice i can give .. Start saving a stash of "GT" cash ... that first GT smashing your popper is going to cost you PLENTY cash in the years to come 

Seriously though .. Biggest thing for me was learning when to strike, try to focus on waiting to feel the fish pull on the road before striking. It is all easier said then done because it all happens so fast. The initial smash is most often so impressive that we tend to strike out of excitement.

Lastly ... Try not to take your focus / concentration off your lure .. A smash can happen at absolutely anytime ! 

Tight lines and all the best for your trip

[Scott Maybury]

If it looks like death.... cast in there! 

Agreed 

And pacing yourself, especially on a long trip, very important.

[Mark Harris]

If it looks like death.... cast in there! 

I like that Kasey . And seriously, it is a good rule-of-thumb.

[Brandon Khoo]

Well, you've gotten about a dozen best bits of advice for you to concentrate on now, lol!

Don't base your trip around expecting to connect to and land a monster. Just because you are going to a really remote atoll is no guarantee that you will encounter big GTs. You leave yourself too much room for disappointment.

Just focus on enjoying the experience and giving yourself the best chance of success by getting the fundamentals right - like as Luke says, ensuring your knots are as good as they can be and that you can cast compentently before the trip.

[Ken Best]

If you don't have a lure in the water, you won't catch a fish.....cast, cast, cast.....

[Doug Terry]

Thanks for the advice lads. This will also be my first trip after a GT, going to Aitutaki. If I can land one regardless of size I will be a happy chappie.

[Daniel Wong]

be prepared to get owned and then get right back up an sacrifice another $80 lure! 

good luck mate!