Jakob and I had an awesome fishing adventure with Ocean Active in Southern Oman April 2012. With our mutual friend, Fred, who had never caught a GT before, we decided to book 7 days in april 2013. The trip was cancelled due to bad weather but Nick managed to rebook the seven days from October 31st - November 6th 2013.
We of course hoped to get some of the GT action we had last year and we also hoped to have some light tackle fun and to get some of the AJs that are around this time of year. We got it all though the number and the size of the AJs had already decreased from what had been there early October.
Each day of the trip is outlined below.
Oct. 28:
Travelling Copenhagen - Amsterdam - Muscat - Salalah.
Oct. 29: We were at the Juweirah Hotel at 5am. Took a few hours sleep and went into the pool.
After 10 minutes in the pool, I found my cell phone in my right pocket. DOH! Fortunately the sim card fitted in Freds phone so that I could call my wife who was taking care of our 6 months old son.
We fished for a couple of hours in the harbour but had no luck. There were mullets all over and we saw a shark.
The hotel is only a couple of years old and is really recommendable. It was nice to have a day to relax and adapt to the much higher temperatures than we have in Denmark this time of year!
Oct. 30:
We were picked up at the hotel at 8 am and drove to Shuwaymiah to be greeted by Nick and his group that was on their way home from Hallaniyat. We were also greeted by our beloved Captain Saud. A man who can make you smile no matter what state of mind you are in. The fishing had been a little slow which made us lower our expectations a tad.
We made the trip to Al Hallaniyat within an hour and were welcomed by Cameron Mundy, Kareem (Ashrafs son) and his team. We all got a room with AC. In the afternoon we went to the nearby rocks to have some light tackle fun and caught a couple of Sheris (spangled emperor).
We also had a bit of a chock when we came to a pool where a murray eel splashed into the water with maybe 6 or 8 other eels still lurking in the pool!
In the evening we started to set up our tackle for the fishing the next day. We had 2 set backs during the evening: We had brought a wrong charger for our camera and Fred broke his medium tackle rod... Fortunately, Cameron was so kind to let us borrow his camera AND a medium tackle rod for the week.
Oct. 31:
Our first fishing day. We started to try for the GTs. We had fished for an hour or so when my eyes caught a huge bow wave behind Jakobs Tobi. He casted again but the fish wouldn't bite. That was the first sign that monsters were around and our heart rate increased a little!
We went jigging for a while. No AJs around but we caught a couple of red bream. I got a blacktipped trevally and Fred got a spotted grunter which none of us had never seen before.
We had some great GT action before lunch and caught four GTs between 104 and 134 cm. I caught the smallest and biggest of the day - both on a Gamma 140 Fusilier. The biggest was a new personal best for me. From then I could relax a bit more.
Not much action in the afternoon but we saw some sailfish and one one them attacked Jakobs 70 gr Bigfoot but didn't hook up. When we were fishing for the sails Fred popped his light tackle rod in a cast - two broken rods in two days.
We had a beautiful ride home in the sunset with a school of dolphins.
Outside the camp we tried some GT popping. Fred hadn't caught a GT today but his day was made when a yellow dot trevally engulfed his 140 gr GT popper.
Nov 1:
Second day of fishing. We headed out early morning and capt. Saud was in the mood as always.
We caught 3 GTs today. I caught a smaller one around 7 kg on an Orion Bigfoot Light and 30 lbs gear which was awesome! Jakob caught two GTs up to the 124 cm mark.
We lost a couple of GT's and some of them were big. Fred had his first GT bite - it was big but it was gone in a few seconds.
In the late afternoon we spotted some fishermen putting out live sardines. We had some awesome hours in the setting sun catching loads of big eye trevally and yellowdots up to 11 kgs on light tackle.
Nov 2:
We jigged in the morning and I got a nice Sheri (Saud calls it "single Ambera"
).
We went fishing for GTs before lunch and Jakob got two smaller ones.
I had brought some home made floating stickbaits and thought I would try them out. Not many casts later, a big GT engulfed it!
happy to get a big Geet on one of the home made sticks. The fish measured 132 cm.
After many hours of carving, coating, testing, carving, coating and testing etc., I was stoked to see they could actually catch fish!
Nov 3:
We managed to boat two smaller GTs. One of them took another of my homemade sticks.
Before lunch we went in shore for some light tackle fun. I managed to catch a bluefin trevally . I was fishing barbless and when we had the fish leadered, it came of. I was a bit sad not to Get the picture as it was my first bluefin ever. Soon after, Fred caught a nice blacktipped trevally.
Nov 4:
By the beginning of day 5, Fred still hadn't caught a GT. His mood was "intense"... In Muscat Airport we all bought an Omani suit and hat. We decided to wear it for good luck on day 5.
You would think the suit would be warm to wear with its long sleeves and skirt but it actually has an inbuild cooling system!
Fred had been fishing hard to get his first GT. He continued on day 5 and suddenly his Skipjack was slammed big time! He fought the GT to the boat and when Saud lifted it into the boat we all screamed of joy. A well deserved GT. Freds first GT ever measured 140 cm!
Fred in his Omani lucky suit and 140 cm of GT
Within 30 minutes, Jakob and Fred had a double hook up. Unfortunately, Jakobs fish pulled the hooks but Fred managed to boat his second GT ever. It measured 137 cm!
Jakob hooked up to a nice 125 cm fish two hours later.
Fred and Jakob caught two Geets of around 110 and 121 cm respectively before we went jigging for AJs.
Jakob and Fred got a couple of AJs up two around 12 kg.
Nov 5:
Early morning we went popping for GTs. Capt Saud borrowed Freds rod but had no luck this time. When we were fishing with him last year in April, he borrowed Jakobs rod and caught a 135 cm fish in his 5th cast!
2690cropped Saud aiming for the sky.
The GTs were not in the mood to play along so we went to jig for AJs. Saud and Fred caught some tropical amberjacks - beautiful fish!
After lunch we went popping for GTs again. Jakob lost two and I managaed to boat one. It had its body 3/4 out of the water when it ate my homemade stickbait! It was a very strong fish that put me and my MH80H to the test. I thought it was bigger before it came to the boat. It measured 120 cm.
Nov 6:
Last day of fishing. Jakob caught a 120 cm in the early morning. No more GT action that day as we spent some time with the light tackle. 5 minutes ride from the marina, we saw a big shoal of smaller fish being hunted by mahi mahis. I rushed to get a rod with a smaller stick bait and I hooked up in the first cast. I had never caught a mahi mahi before and was very happy with the fish.
Late afternoon we went inshore. Jakob caught a couple of blacktipped trevally and soon after my stickbait was hit violently by what turned out to be a bluefin trevally. The fish was around 6-7 kg and I was very happy to get a picture of this one.
Finally the trip was over and we could sum it all up to 19 boated GT's with 4 over 132 cm, a couple of smaller AJs a some light tackle fun. The trip turned out to be all we had hoped for...
Gear used:
Succesfull lures:
Hammerhead Tobi, Skipjack 120 and 150, Gamma 140, Gamma 160H, Sebile Splasher, Craftbait GT3, Hammerhead I-cup, homemade floating stickbaits.
Popping rods: Carpenter MH79XH, MH80H, CV79/40, Saltywatertackle Custom CV79/40, Endless Passion 85/36, Racepoint 200, Westin popping rod.
Light-medium rods: Beastmaster 240H, KGS70MH.
Jigging rods:
Edge jigging rods (now Westin rods), Daiwa Catalina
Reels:
Stella FA, SW-a and SW-B from 6000 to 18000. Saltiga 4500, Daiwa Hyper Certate Custom 3500, Twinpower FB 4000, Stradic FJ 4000. Jigging Master conventional.
