GTPopping.com - Giant Trevally, GTPopping, Topwater & GT Fly-Fishing Resource
General => General Topwater & Jigging Discussion => Topic started by: Andrew Cox on June 30, 2011, 02:57:21 PM
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I have been very lucky to get aboard a 14 day adventure next year to the Chesterfield Islands, they are located around 600km west of the northern tip of New Caledonia, we will have a full 9-10 days out there jigging, popping and trolling for monster doggies, GTs and many other species I would imaging.
The big question is has anyway been out there ? would love to hear from anyone that has.
Cheers Andrew
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Steve from Swordfish Marine in Auckland has been. I am part of a group going next year also, can't wait.
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Steve from Swordfish Marine in Auckland has been. I am part of a group going next year also, can't wait.
That's who I am going with, what trip are you on, someone from this forum must have been they but it is rather remote, cant wait to get stuck into those big doggies !
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Andrew,
We are going 24th August.
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Hope you have good weather otherwise it is going to be hell on earth getting out there!
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Hope you have good weather otherwise it is going to be hell on earth getting out there!
Lets just say we are not looking forward to the 40 hour ride out, all I can think about is the 9-10 days fishing we have out there and what is waiting for us when we get there ;D
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Andrew,
Looking at the chart there is some really interesting reef structure on the way to Chesterfield. Including what looks like a rock that comes up out of 2000m. Hopefully we can have a flick or a drop there too.
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Andrew,
Looking at the chart there is some really interesting reef structure on the way to Chesterfield. Including what looks like a rock that comes up out of 2000m. Hopefully we can have a flick or a drop there too.
Hi Stu
From 2000m ;D I would hate to think what might be hanging of that, would be good to jig, troll and pop that for a few's hours to break up the trip if the weather allows, I am sure we will pick a fish or two up on the way.
I am on the trip before you guys so will give you a full report as soon as I get back to Aussie in case you need more gear in a hurry !
Cheers Coxy
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out of control, are there any spots left on any of these trips? Who do I get in contact with? There was a trip trying to get off the ground for earlier this year and it didn't get off the ground, but it was at a bad time for me anyway....would love to get out there and fish it, so remote
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Steve from Swordfish Marine in Auckland is the guy to talk to. www.swordfishmarine.co.nz (http://www.swordfishmarine.co.nz)
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out of control, are there any spots left on any of these trips? Who do I get in contact with? There was a trip trying to get off the ground for earlier this year and it didn't get off the ground, but it was at a bad time for me anyway....would love to get out there and fish it, so remote
As of last week we still had one spot free, if interested PM me for more details.
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Are there any reports from the chesterfields? They sound very remote. Do they get pro fished?
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Damon and I contemplated barging past Kenn Reef for the Chesterfields in a red-wine induced map gazing session in 2006.
I thought, since we needed Passports to enter this French area would be as easy as calling my French missus back in Oz.......yep......drunk isn't the word for our grandiose ideas that night :)
The fact that is IS so far out just taunted us..........I have never seen any reports of recreational trips out there though we figured what we were catching/filming around Kenn/Fredrick/Marion reefs would be a pretty good idea on species..........as for sizes and quantity, who knows until you've been???
Any one seen a rec.report done on this place??
Cheers
Aaron.
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Any one seen a rec.report done on this place??
I have ;) Tried digging it up but haven't been able to find it.
Was mainly a trolling trip from memory, but some absolutely mammoth sized doggies were tamed :-[
Sounds like an epic place to fish 8)
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Found an article from Matt Watson when he went there in 2007.
http://www.fishing.net.nz/index.cfm/pageid/57/view/yes/editorialID/691 (http://www.fishing.net.nz/index.cfm/pageid/57/view/yes/editorialID/691)
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There is not much info out there apart from Matt Watsons report, I dont think to many have been there as it is a big mission, a few photos below from there, I think its going to be rather insane fishing out there.
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii111/Coxy10_2007/Tonydoggiewebsz-1.jpg)
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii111/Coxy10_2007/MikeDoggie1websz.jpg)
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii111/Coxy10_2007/Mikesdoggieweb1-1.jpg)
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii111/Coxy10_2007/MarkGT2-1.jpg)
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii111/Coxy10_2007/MalcomYFT3websz-1.jpg)
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Ahh.. those are the doggies I was talking about 8)
And that is a very respectable GT too ;)
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Pretty sure this is from that Chesterfeild trip mentioned already.
If they are coming up for skipbaits like that you would expect them to respond well to poppers and sticks.
http://youtu.be/nFqFPrAjGQs (http://youtu.be/nFqFPrAjGQs)
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NICE!!!!!
And the Ultimate Lady would be a hell of a rig to fish there too.
It's one of the few boats getting around designed for long sea hauls.
It's no caravan on water which makes you spew with the first hint of swell like most motherships!!!!
Brett,
I'm glad you put the Youtube clip up because I was about to ask the question "has anyone seen the footage Matt shot here for this story"...............the clip says it all!
Dogtooth........they are wicked animals!!!
Aaron.
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Jay, thats the doggies I am after, 70-80kg those bad boys, I was told the GT estimated at 50kg was caught at anchor ;D
Brett you said you were planning a trip next year how about this ? this was the trip I emailed your work about, sounds ok doesn't it ;)
Aaron, we are not doing this trip on the Ultimate Lady, I dont think I would see any change out of $20,000 if we were.
I wish the trip was this year and not next !
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Pretty sure this is from that Chesterfeild trip mentioned already.
If they are coming up for skipbaits like that you would expect them to respond well to poppers and sticks.
http://youtu.be/nFqFPrAjGQs (http://youtu.be/nFqFPrAjGQs)
Seems like such a waste to go to such an awesome destination and troll skipbaits ???
Each to their own, I guess.
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That you tube footage is sweet, how good is that footage of the fish coming sideways at the bait, opening its gob and just smashing it in there!
I had a decent one come up and follow a stickbait all the way to the boat at Bligh, still makes me tingle. Dammit, why wouldn't it eat!!
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Me too Aaron! It's been on the list of a long time but back then you needed French Skipper apparently, and of course, to pretty much do an immigration check just to fish there!
The place does get comm fished - mainly for Yellowfin. I'm sure there would be some other harveting going on there unfortunately :( But it's lucky it's remote 8)
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Jay,
I guess the footage reflects perhaps how they felt they "needed" to fish to get the filming scenes in finished.
I too, feel that it's a loooooooong way to go to then pitch a bait over the transom!
Also, the UL isn't the smallest vessel to cast poppers out of. It hasn't the casting aptitude of a 25 Contender or 255 Boston Whaler......maybe they were stuck with this method as opposed to how most of us on this forum would like to do in a place like that.
Certainly, if there was only one half keyed up GT fanatic onboard, even back then in 2007, anyone who had been lucky enough to see how deadly a stick bait is on dogtooth, they would have probably had at least one person doing that and they would have gotten awesome footage.
At Marion Reef, a heap of doggies went out of their way to cream GT Gammas within 10m of the boat so there is certainly places where doggies will feed so close, the camera man on the deck gets wet from the attacks! I should know ;)
Andrew,
It was merely a remark on the type of vessel that, if money was no issue, I'd go on in a blink!
I realize 99% of the forum members do not have that money to blow on a single trip, so more affordable and (lets be honest!) less sea-kind boats are our mode of transport.
Scott,
Admittedly, it's been a few years since I have eyeballed a doggie, though it did frustrate at times their moodiness, or lack thereof. Those olive torpedoes show now mercy initially, only to wise up and head back to patrol the "kennel entrance" from where they came from.
No fish has surprised me with their learning nature as much as dogtooth have.........period.
Luke,
Yep, there were hoops galore back when Damon and I had one too many reds and figured on storming the place in Odyssey.........that's why we wanted to go.......it was faaaar out. Beyond the scope of most boats.
Aw well........I need to get this back of mine a bit better before I charge off the face of the planet just yet anyway, so as long as its just a bit of light longlining, hopefully it will still be in good nick when I CAN get there!
My only concern is if this Federal waters frigging Coral Sea debacle really makes an impact on the Coral Sea Atolls for access........well, you know where the pressure will head to..............
Aaron.
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Jay, thats the doggies I am after, 70-80kg those bad boys, I was told the GT estimated at 50kg was caught at anchor ;D
Brett you said you were planning a trip next year how about this ? this was the trip I emailed your work about, sounds ok doesn't it ;)
Aaron, we are not doing this trip on the Ultimate Lady, I dont think I would see any change out of $20,000 if we were.
I wish the trip was this year and not next !
If I had some more coin I would be all over it like a fat kid on a cupcake coxy. 80kg Doggies and 50kg GTs is tempting but just cant afford it at this stage :(
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Years ago there were articles in Australian Fishing World written by David Green about trips out to Kenn, Fredrick, Saumarez Wreck reefs. They were in a converted commercial boat that was based in central queensland (Gladstone or Yepoon or Mackay?) that did trips out there regularly with groups of recreational fishos.
I remember reading about one trip out much further than these reefs where they were in french waters because they had to get permission and maybe visas etc. I can't remember exactly what reefs they were but i do remember reading about constant problems with sharks.
Looking through this list of Coral sea reefs;
http://www.oceandots.com/pacific/coralsea (http://www.oceandots.com/pacific/coralsea)
I notice the Chesterfields and nearby Bellona reef as being the only canditaties that sit in french territorial waters. I'm not sure how comprehensive that list is but i therefore gather that the article i am thinking about was most likely written on that Chesterfield area.
If you wanted more info you could follow up on that lead by looking for David Green.
The above info is my memory of what i read from over a decade ago, so there is likely to be some inaccuracies - take it with a grain of salt and if someone knows more feel free to correct it...
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I'll have a chat with Roley from Top Catch Tauranga next week Andrew, he was there last year.
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Thanks for the info Max.
Sounds good Greg, he may have been on the boat with the boys im going with next year.
Cheers Coxy