"THE ALOHA STATE" GT FIGHT CLUB & ROCK Expeditions
GT FIGHT CLUB Lodge April 2015 Trip ReportHawaii, USA
Facebook Report & Photo Highlights:
http://tinyurl.com/n6dpbkcIntroductionGT Fight Club first came to attention a few years ago, doing some top-water fishing that many had thought was too difficult and time intensive in a fishery that is dominated by the deep water slide bait scene. One of the biggest GT mega spots in the world, there were still those that knew a sleeping giant lay dormant!
I caught up with the figurehead and founder of the movement, Charles Cintron, several years ago in Sydney he had extended a friendly invitation to come and sample some of the amazing fishing options Hawaii has to offer and to meet the other integral cogs in the machine that now make up the club. Key members come from all of the major islands. A bunch of cool dudes indeed!
The JourneyCharles got in touch last week and we made a lightning expedition to Oahu, Hawaii - booking flights, gathering some gear and making the relatively easy haul to the tropical paradise. Gazing outside the plane window, I could see conditions were near perfect and the morning sun blazed upon the infamous Waikiki beach.
Charles greeted me with a warm Hawaiian welcome and soon we were off for a few beers and my all-time favourite - Poke (raw Yellowfin tuna, dressed with an Asian influence mainly of light soy, sesame and also spring onions etc.) We quickly checked into the "GTFC" lodge - I was impressed with the preparations they had made for my arrival - all creature comforts one could want.
Sucking down some amazing Kona Brewery beers we had a whirlwind tour of some of the local beaches. Taking in all the sights and scenes and even a few locations where Yellowfin slash along the shore and legendary monster Ulua have washed ashore; perishing from natural causes and old age.
Heading back to the lodge we would spend the afternoon setting up rods and welcoming more of the GTFC crew from several different islands! Man, would this be an event and loads of fun!
First we welcomed Nate from the Big Island, an aqua-culturist by trade and GT aficionado by passion (although he did admit that he could retire happy only fishing for river trout...not sure how we all feel about that). He came with Nate, an Oahu local, Ladd; creator of local top-water offerings by the name of "Lunchbox Lures". Ladd presented me with one of his famous poppers doing the damage to the local GT populations.
We spent the next few hours chatting and feasting on even more Hawaiian Poke. I headed to bed early to balance out the equilibrium whilst the boys waited up for Grayson to arrive from Kauai. Grayson is the youngest of the GTFC crew but despite his young age, he is one of the most enthusiastic top-water anglers out there - having a great mentor in Pat Victorino. Grayson will go on to achieve some great land based and boat based captures; I'm sure of it!
As the weary heads performed their morning rituals before a big day of GT fishing to come - the smell of scrambled eggs and sausages wafted through the lodge. Chef Nate had set the bar very high indeed.
Charles pulled into the driveway with the GTFC truck and equipment and rods were promptly loaded into the tray.
Day OneThe conditions were slick and oily...you could see the turbulent current hitting the shallow ridge; as good as we could ask for on the full moon tide, any tide. The GT were roaming into the shallows under the added cover of low light - predation mode was set.
The motor clicked into idle and 2 giant top-water lures hurtled towards the horizon. Two sweeps of the rod and slab sided flashes and boils appeared on cue. 'Cue the GT!' Charles repeated and with that Grayson and I both got hit! Tentative hits, the kind where the fish barely breaches; almost like a Brown trout turning away from a dry-fly at last minute. It would only take another cast to rev the motors of the first Hawaiian GT for the campaign to be landed. There were several fish all over Grayson's 'Duva Special' stick bait, I sneakily laid up an enticer in his wake. 'FISH ON!' Sorry Grayson, one day...you will realise why I had to do this!
The fish buckled the Wild Violence with ease and applied power, I could feel the pincher like action of the fish's mouth crunching down on the lure as the thuds transmitted eerily through the PE line. The fish let go; something had gone wrong. The brand new lure was mauled... but not beyond repair. A quick adjustment and the 350mm stick bait was working a similar path another 30 yards along the shallow ridge. A significantly smaller fish, it was flipped like a proverbial pancake onto the deck. The first fish was monster, this fish easily placed into the 'freshman' category. Ugh. Can't complain, gotta keep on casting. A few quick snaps later we were ready for a new drift pattern.
The action came thick and fast. We must've tallied over 40 strikes for the morning session. Working the top layer for the first two hours and then working some of the pinnacles, ridges and caves that the monster Ulua retired to during the middle of the day. Grayson scored a beautiful, black-charged beast that inhaled his Duva Special. A well-earned fish and new personal best for Grayson. Boy, you got to love those dark horse specimens! Nate also took over commercial fisherman status sharing the lead at 6:6 with myself for GTs put on the deck. Baits of choice being Siren Deep Seductress in 220g, sinking onto the ridge and working back in a slight hurry - the GT literally answers the door by slamming it in your face! The hit is hard and unexpected and even tempting some of these fish right to the boat - there is a certain class of monster Ulua that has no problem taking you down to the depths like an anchor in many feet of water!
We called it a day and headed back to the lodge for beers and Poke! That afternoon we would meet Jay and Chris from the big island as they took turn to battle their first GTs from the boat, having spent countless hours on the rocks tempting Ulua with top-water poppers and stickbaits. It would be a baptism of fire for these blokes! Duane, another keen Oahu GT fisherman, would join them.
Days Two & ThreeThe next couple of days Ladd, Nate, Grayson and myself passed the time walking the flats of Oahu. Such an amazing fishery literally on the doorstep of suburbia. We came and we saw countless double digit Bonefish. Our stats went three takes, one landed, two pulled hooks and a multitude of downright refusals. Was it the full moon? Either way, they were feeding but simply we could not give them what they wanted. I recall a thumping bone, nose down onto my fly as he inched closer and closer to Nate and I, for yards and yards he was focused on that fly - how close was he going to come and would he just f*&^%&^ eat my fly!? The despair was frustrating. Pulling the hook on my solid bone, Grayson brought home the bacon with a respectable fish caught in one foot of water. I've got to come back for this again!
After returning to the lodge we heard even more tales of defeat but also of triumph. Chris decked the biggest fish for the week with a giant 51 inch fish. Fat and broad in girth - the photos truly don't do this monster the justice it deserves. Sorry Chris, you may not be upgrading that PB off the rocks for quite some time! Duane joined the fun and landed a solid specimen that well and truly blew the cobwebs out of his equipment. The morning bite saw two even bigger fish than Chris's hook-up but they all took Jay to the boneyard. Game over!
Day FourOn the last night we got to welcome back one of my long time GT friends and downright badass in the game - Pat Victorino. Still kicking ass and doing more GT fishing than most I know - he is humble and a generous guy to boot. This had been a long time coming. Jeana also joined him, and it was great to catch up with old friends - she casts a mean E-Cup and certainly knows how to handle a GT!
We replaced our leaders and ran careful eyes over connections, we enjoyed more of Kona's finest as we retold epic GT tales and lamented over our long lost Midway plans! Coming off the full moon and smaller tides the action certainly was not like the days prior. The fish were timid and hesitant to make their way to the top layer - it would be a deep-water bite today. Siren Deep Seductress, Carpenter Zeus and Pandora assumed the places on each rod. Charles took a quick drop and instantly came tight - the skipper making it look easy with a nice 40lb fish hitting the deck.
Pat and Jeana proceeded to hook-up on the deep drop. You could see everyone with determined facial expressions as they concentrated on the countdown - lay a little too much on the line and you'll be knocking on Mr Ward's door in need of more Sirens like myself! Pat and Jeana's fish graced the deck and quick photos ensued. Like clockwork, Captain Cintron quickly ensured the fish was suitably replenished with vital saltwater to the gills and was ready for release.
Hawaii was an amazing experience with even more friends made in this beautiful part of the world. Hawaii is no stranger to top-water GT fishing and GT fishing in general, however, it is now experiencing a resurgence as a club of talented guys apply honed techniques with the best equipment and baits money can buy. This is only the tip of the iceberg, with such a healthy, albeit deep, GT population - the payoff for a potential world record size fish is realistic and could be making headlines within the next few years.
Charles' hospitality was overwhelming - treating me like one of the family, not a stranger or a client. Simply a decent bloke that loves his GT fishing and has the right tools to make it happen. The lodge brings all modern comforts within ones reach and the GT fishing is literally on the doorstep - you can be tight on a pacific monster within 20 minutes of the boat ramp. The GTFC boys are a unique breed and I am sure we will be seeing more action from them in the years to come. Thanks you so very much for having me!
