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Topwater Caranx Ignobilis: Giant Trevally (GT) => Reports & Expeditions => Topic started by: Angus Hulme on December 09, 2009, 11:10:42 AM
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G'day fellas,
As many of you may recall, I have been making some lures for a trip to the Whitsundays. Well, the oft-mentioned trip has been and gone, and my brothers and I have just got back. I thought I'd better give you a rundown of what happened......
My specific mission was to give my latest home made lures a good swim, and hopefully knock over a few GTs along the way. On previous trips, we had seen and hooked some quality fish, but due to inadequate gear and inexperience, we could not land them. However, having obtained a Stella 10000FA and GT Special outfit for this mission, I felt we now had a better chance than ever.
From our point of view, we had unprecedented success, both in terms of fish landed, and the apparent efficiency of my lures. All up, I think we had 17 GT hookups, for 9 fish landed. Most fish I estimated were around 15kg sort of class, a couple bigger, and one smaller. Not big by GT standards I know, but you must bear in mind that (a) we are relatively new to the GT game, and (b) most of our fishing is done from the rocks, which makes landing fish even more difficult.
Interestingly, we discovered a fighting technique through trial and error that certainly contributed to our success, and this was to let the fish run away from the rocks on hookup, then when the fish was a bit more clear of the close bommies, we would suddenly pour on the pressure on the fish through massively increased drag, and aggressive rod work. This seemed to almost stun the fish into submission quite quickly, and most fights were brutal tug-of-wars, lasting less than 5 minutes.
Of the 17 hookups, 12 were on my home made lures, but the best fish of the trip and my PB, a beast which I estimated to be 30kg plus, took one of my sinking fusilier imitation stick baits underneath some feeding spaniards. Beats me why the spaniards left my offering alone, but perhaps the heavy twisted leader may have been visible in the gin clear water. After a protracted battle of 20min, the fish and I were in need of a rest, however, both of us recovered well and the fish powered off strongly after a quick boat side revival. Good result all round.
The land-based action was bloody unbelievable, with lots of fired-up fish hitting lures repeatedly until the hooks actually found their mark, and often the lure was only a rod length away from the rocks by the time the hookups occurred. Seeing charged up GT's with mouths agape actually inhale your lure at such close quarters is something you don't quickly forget! The sound of the hit, the jolt of the line snapping tight, and the shuddering scream of the drag all add up to highly addictive fishing!
What was also interesting was that we found the GTs at the same rock shelf for about 4 afternoons in a row leading up to the full moon, this was despite there not being any significant bait holding structure in the location. However, there was a bit of a 'wind eddie' where the Northerly wrapped around the island we we staying on. I can only assume the fish wanted to escape the wind as much as we did?!
We were plagued by strong and persistent Northerly winds, which confined us to our land based pursuits for large chunks of time, but this in turn taught us some valuable lessons about how to approach the fishing.
My brother Ric became known as the mountain goat, due to his sure-footed efforts in landing fish for others, he would hop from rock to rock in hellish oyster-encrusted country, with the leader in hand to extract solid fish from the water. Top work, and many of our fish would have been lost without his brilliant efforts.
Cheers
Angus
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Some mighty fine captures there Angus.
Surely, some of those images and lures themselves will be framed as a significant milestone for your work?
As for fighting technique - sounds like you've got it all worked out on the rocks. Mind you, a majority of GT fights rarely last more than 5 minutes depending on depth or water and environment. Usually won or lost in the first 60 seconds.
Luke
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Thanks Luke.
Surely, some of those images and lures themselves will be framed as a significant milestone for your work?
Yep, for sure....some images will be framed. As for lures, a lot of the better performed lures are now in a big blue fishy grave. ;) One stickbait I made that looked like Nemo, lasted 2 casts before it was monstered by a jet black 30kg GT! A number of my blooping poppers also never returned, but that's GT fishing I guess? I once heard a comment regarding GT lures, and that was to never get too attached to your favourite lures, because they won't be lasting very long. :D
As for fighting technique - sounds like you've got it all worked out on the rocks. Mind you, a majority of GT fights rarely last more than 5 minutes depending on depth or water and environment. Usually won or lost in the first 60 seconds.
yeah, you're right Luke, the 30kg fish I landed from the boat was a drawn out affair, but I could afford to go more easily on it as the boat angles meant I always had the upper hand. Land based fights are more lock down, drag out situations, I guess.
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Nice one Angus, I was wondering when your report was coming through!
Great to see your lures worked well, bet your stoked with that.
I had some luck yesterday with my own lures as well. ;)
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Hi Angus
Well done on what sounds like a really good adventure and some nice fish to go with it
there is so much to fish at around those islands its hard to get bored.
did you acutually fish the cumberlands nearer mackay or the whitsunday islands themselves ?
I am going on fri and sat to some islands between those 2 for some exploration
your report has got me all fired up ;D
It must be extremely satisfying to make your own poppers and stickbaits and then catch some great fish
on them well done !!!
cheers John
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Nice work angus,well done,some nice fish there!! ;D
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Congratulations Angus, I had no doubt your lures would catch fish, great landbased action too. Mission accomplished mate. ;D
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Hi Angus
Well done on what sounds like a really good adventure and some nice fish to go with it
there is so much to fish at around those islands its hard to get bored.
did you acutually fish the cumberlands nearer mackay or the whitsunday islands themselves ?
I am going on fri and sat to some islands between those 2 for some exploration
your report has got me all fired up ;D
It must be extremely satisfying to make your own poppers and stickbaits and then catch some great fish
on them well done !!!
cheers John
Thanks John, yeah I gotta say it is pretty satisfying to get some results on my own creations, and certainly saves money losing them instead of Ebipops/Cuberas/Dogtooths, etc etc!
We actually fished around the Sir James Smith Group of islands.
I had no doubt your lures would catch fish, great landbased action too. Mission accomplished mate
Thanks Chris, I know my lures are not a patch on your beautiful creations, but I doubt the GTs care too much! I might just have to to take a Fullscale Kong next time to see how it goes too. :)
Thanks also Nath and Warwick
Woz, I will swing through an email to you shortly regarding the lure finishes.
Cheers
Angus
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Hey Angus
Thats were we are going on fri for 2 days looking to fish some of the more isolated little shoals and
rocks to the east of the group but its good to know there are fish amongst the islands it all looks good
on the maps so fingers crossed....
cheers john
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I'm sure you'll find some fish there John.... plenty of rock outcrops, headlands and corners where the current works up a head of steam. If you find bait in these areas, GT's will be in attendance for sure. Eddies seem to be worth a few casts too.
We fished the lead up to the full moon, but anytime the tides get to 6m or so should be good for GTs.
Need a trip report from ya too mate!
Cheers
Angus
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Thanks for the tips Angus, i just spoke to my mate thats taking us and i had it wrong, we are fishing the lindeman group to the north of there, the smith group is definately on the radar though, maybe if weather
permits we might still sneak down that way but it looks like the southern part of the whitsundays will be
the target this time, oh well just means i will have to go again :)
cheers john
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I've been fortunate to fish many of the islands from just south of Mackay to the top of the Whitsundays and there are literally hundreds of places scattered throughout. A general rule of the bigger the tide the more fun applies. I havn't cracked the magic 100 pound mark yet but i've hooked them and seen them around these islands. Yes I have my favourite spots but they are spread throughout the islands pretty evenly.
Have fun!!!!
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Angus...maaaaate you must be satisfied now...well done mate.
I know how hungry you have been to knock over some GT's and on your own lures it must be even better..!!! 8) 8) 8)
Great to get some landbased to mate...awesome.
Cheers,
Pete
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Awesome work Angus. For whatever reason I haven't popped the Whitsundays yet, looks awesome by all reports though.
Very satisfying catching fish on your own lures, congratulations. That big one is a great catch, how long did you let it sink under the spanos for? Also that landbased action is some nice work indeed, what leader system were you runnning?
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G'day Pete and Travis, yep, I was absolutely gunning for the trip, so to come away with some decent results (in my books anyway) on my own lures is very satisfying. Obviously, one feels a little disappointed about lost fish, but that's what keeps us coming back for more, I suppose?!
Trav, the capture of the largest fish involved letting the stickbait sink for about 10 seconds before commencing the twitch & draw retrieve. That particular stickbait doesn't sink like a stone, it just wafts down gently, so 10 seconds of doing nothing would probably only get it about 4 or 5m down.
Leader system was just 120 lbs Jinkai twisted leader (rod length about 7-8ft), and if I felt like it, I doubled a foot of the leader back on itself to create a bite leader, which I nail knotted twice or thrice. I don't know if this system is the best actually, because a couple of the fellas did get rubbed off at the leader, so next time I might look at a more suitable material and bigger breaking strain? Happy to hear suggestions. ;)
Cheers
Angus
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Leader system sounds fine for the rocks Angus - getting rubbed off at the leader like that is just part of land based i'd say. Only way to increase durability would be heavier mono for your twisties. Did you get any strikes from the spanos at all?
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yeah, one strike on popper and 2 on stickbaits. None actually hooked up for more than about 2 seconds. :( Some good teeth marks though. I wonder if the teeth dig in too much and stop the lure pulling through the mouth to find the hook point. The spaniards simply let the lure go when they realize it's not edible?
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I think Spano's are notorious for tail biting then coming back for seconds, perhaps the initial strike is as simple as bite once and let go then return to eat.
Another explanation for poor hookup rates on them is that they are quite soft so heavy drags will result in pulled hooks. Its a shame too because I welcome them as a by catch! Only takes one big one to fill the freezer :)
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I think Spano's are notorious for tail biting then coming back for seconds, perhaps the initial strike is as simple as bite once and let go then return to eat.
Another explanation for poor hookup rates on them is that they are quite soft so heavy drags will result in pulled hooks. Its a shame too because I welcome them as a by catch! Only takes one big one to fill the freezer :)
Yeah pulled hooks is very common when hooking Spaniards on GT gear... I think my strike rate is only about 1 or 2 landed for every 10 hooked! Also, they have a tendancy to swim back towards the boat once hooked making it extremely difficult to maintain pressure and with barbless GT hooks they inevitably fall out.
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Some good looking fish there - congratulations.
On the leader - you could shorten the twisty a couple of feet and double uni or crimp 30 inches of 250lb (or heavier) on as a bite leader.
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Thanks Dave, does the connection between the twistie and the heavy bite leader section become quite bulky and visible? Or doesn't it matter?
Found a couple more pics. These are 2 of the factory produced lures that copped a bit of punishment (admittedly the broken hook was a Decoy Cutlass, so maybe next time I should look at the Owners?) .....
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Thanks Dave, does the connection between the twistie and the heavy bite leader section become quite bulky and visible? Or doesn't it matter?
For heavy popping it is fine. The join is usually out or above the water a majority of the time and has negligible effect on casting distance etc. Obviously, if you are fishing lighter, you may intentionally want a lighter more finesse leader system.
For stickbaits, I personally would steer clear of crimps/twisties and opt for single strand leaders.
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Awesome!
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Thanks Graham
Luke, ta for your suggestions. We were using a twisted leader for both poppers and stickbaits.......do you think a twisted leader becomes too visible for underwater presentations? If so, do you change your entire leader system every time you switch from a popper to a stickbait, or do you fish multiple rods in any given session to allow both leader systems?
Thanks
Angus
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....or do you fish multiple rods in any given session to allow both leader systems?
STOP!! You don't to know the answer to this Angus...it = expensive :D ;)
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Thanks Graham
Luke, ta for your suggestions. We were using a twisted leader for both poppers and stickbaits.......do you think a twisted leader becomes too visible for underwater presentations? If so, do you change your entire leader system every time you switch from a popper to a stickbait, or do you fish multiple rods in any given session to allow both leader systems?
Thanks
Angus
Hi Angus,
I do errrr when using twisted leaders for stickbaits. However, there will be times when it simply doesn't matter - but when it does, and the fish are fussy/timid - I will stick with the single strand leader system. And yes, I have a multitude of rods rigged for specific lures and presentations :)
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Hi Angus,
I've been running a 200lb twisty's double uni'd to a 300lb bite leader for my last few trips for stickbaits and poppers - these have been trips where the GT's seemed to be on fire so maybe I haven't come across GT's in a more difficult mood yet ;D
Tight lines Dave
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Nice one Angus, great pics. What do you think of the Medalist gloves?
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Absolutely fantastic stuff Angus... incredible fish and fishing, and on your own home made lures is just magic mate, a HUGE congratulations my friend, I cannot even imagine how great it must feel!!
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Dave, yeah, when the fish (& not just GT fishing) are a bit more shut down is when you learn more about what works and what doesn't, hey? Not just leaders, but lure selection, colours, etc.
Ta Steve, yeah, more than happy with the gloves mate....as you know, I wasn't after anything fancy, just something cheap that did the job. And they were fine.
Thanks Andre, pretty good feeling, I must admit. Your encouragement has been much appreciated since you first saw the lures, so cheers mate!
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Angus,
You obviously had a stonker trip!
GT's off the rocks on your own creations?????
How does it get better???
Cheers
Aaron.
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That's the stuff of dreams Angus - thanks for sharing.
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Cheers fellas.....another pic came through, again on one of my lures. :)
Was very happy with how this particular hook configuration worked, it kept the action of the lure at it's best, and didn't seem to affect the hook up rate at all. I had 2 lures rigged like this, and both were eventually wiped out by monsters.
Cheers
Angus
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Man it just gets better and better!!! That smile in the last shot says it all!!!
Fantastic buddy!!! When you starting on custom orders?!?!?! ;)