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Topwater Caranx Ignobilis: Giant Trevally (GT) => Reports & Expeditions => Topic started by: Peter Morris on July 12, 2011, 02:28:46 PM

Title: Small, but awesome light tackle fun in S.E.Q
Post by: Peter Morris on July 12, 2011, 02:28:46 PM
South East Queensland would have to be having one of the best Trevally runs of all time throughout our Rivers and Estuaries.
Juvenile GT's,Big-Eye Trevally,Diamond Trevally,Golden,Cale Cale Trevally,Longnose and Tea-Leaf Trevally are all in the mix providing for some fantastic entertainment on 4 and 6lb gear.

The special captures for me are the Diamond Trevally and not only are these fish pretty stunning to look at,but they go like hell on light gear and give a very serious account of themselves.They are still one of the rarer Trevally Species but enough make an appearance to make them a viable target.That swear word 'Soft Plastics' accounts for most Diamonds and I havent heard of any taken from the surface unfortunately.

Few pics from this winter so far.

(http://i340.photobucket.com/albums/o326/PeterMorris_Photo/Noosa%20River%20Four/WoodsBay28-05-11002.jpg)

(http://i340.photobucket.com/albums/o326/PeterMorris_Photo/Noosa%20River%20Four/WoodsBay28-05-11004.jpg)

(http://i340.photobucket.com/albums/o326/PeterMorris_Photo/Noosa%20River%20Four/1.jpg)

(http://i340.photobucket.com/albums/o326/PeterMorris_Photo/Noosa%20River%20Four/2-1.jpg)

(http://i340.photobucket.com/albums/o326/PeterMorris_Photo/Noosa%20River%20Four/WoodsBay18-06-11002.jpg)

(http://i340.photobucket.com/albums/o326/PeterMorris_Photo/Noosa%20River%20Four/5.jpg)

(http://i340.photobucket.com/albums/o326/PeterMorris_Photo/Noosa%20River%20Four/6.jpg)

(http://i340.photobucket.com/albums/o326/PeterMorris_Photo/Noosa%20River%20Four/4.jpg)

(http://i340.photobucket.com/albums/o326/PeterMorris_Photo/Noosa%20River%20Four/WoodsBay09-07-11001.jpg)

(http://i340.photobucket.com/albums/o326/PeterMorris_Photo/Noosa%20River%20Four/7.jpg)

(http://i340.photobucket.com/albums/o326/PeterMorris_Photo/Noosa%20River%20Four/WoodsBay09-07-11004.jpg)

(http://i340.photobucket.com/albums/o326/PeterMorris_Photo/Noosa%20River%20Four/9.jpg)

(http://i340.photobucket.com/albums/o326/PeterMorris_Photo/Noosa%20River%20Four/WoodsBay10-07-11001.jpg)

Cheers,
Pete
Title: Re: Small, but awesome light tackle fun in S.E.Q
Post by: Travis Heaps on July 12, 2011, 03:51:29 PM
Nice one Pete, looks like great fun - i've wanted to catch a Diamond for a long time now, interesting to know they are around in relatively decent numbers down there.  Few questions - is that a hairtail?!?  Third from the bottom - juvenile diamond?  What's that popper in the close-up...awesome prawn imitation.
Title: Re: Small, but awesome light tackle fun in S.E.Q
Post by: Peter Morris on July 12, 2011, 04:08:26 PM
Hi Travis,

Yes, Hairtail....They too have been around in numbers on the Sunny Coast this year.

Third from the Bottom is a Cale Cale Trevally....funny looking fish with a pronounced bottom Jaw.
Great little fighters.

The little Popper is a Zipbait ZBL popper.

They seem harder to find than a Gamma.

Pete
Title: Re: Small, but awesome light tackle fun in S.E.Q
Post by: Scott Maybury on July 12, 2011, 04:39:26 PM
Mate that is some awesome light tackle fishing there, great stuff....it makes heading to Botany Bay for some bream down here in Sydney downright depressing  :(
Title: Re: Small, but awesome light tackle fun in S.E.Q
Post by: Travis Heaps on July 12, 2011, 05:14:14 PM
Third from the Bottom is a Cale Cale Trevally....funny looking fish with a pronounced bottom Jaw.
Great little fighters.

Cale Cale hey - you sure?  Looks like the bastard love child from of a tryst between a Diamond and a Silver to me  ;) ;D
Title: Re: Small, but awesome light tackle fun in S.E.Q
Post by: Mark Armistead on July 12, 2011, 06:10:25 PM
Very nice photos Pete
Title: Re: Small, but awesome light tackle fun in S.E.Q
Post by: Ladd Yoshimura on July 13, 2011, 06:32:09 AM
Awesome light game action!
Title: Re: Small, but awesome light tackle fun in S.E.Q
Post by: Sam Owen on July 13, 2011, 08:16:37 AM
Hey Pete,
Awesome photos and top fun on the ultra light gear! Those diamonds are beautiful fish to look at and go great on the light tackle! I caught one flicking small plastics in the harbour for frigates in Wollongong! Must have been somewhere at the southern range of their distribution?
Cheers.
Title: Re: Small, but awesome light tackle fun in S.E.Q
Post by: Brandon Khoo on July 13, 2011, 08:43:10 AM
Sam, for guys like you and Pete who are going to be in Bugatti in August, the light fishing there can be absolutely amazing. Pete can tell you how many varieties they got in a day when they went out one day to only fish light tackle specifically
Title: Re: Small, but awesome light tackle fun in S.E.Q
Post by: Peter Morris on July 13, 2011, 09:53:15 AM
Sam, for guys like you and Pete who are going to be in Bugatti in August, the light fishing there can be absolutely amazing. Pete can tell you how many varieties they got in a day when they went out one day to only fish light tackle specifically

Brandon is very easy to talk into a day of light tackle fun.....just as I am..

Sam, the light tackle stuff is pretty awesome as there are just so many different species on offer.

I think our list was Bludger,Gold spot and some very respectable GT's on light gear.
Shark mackeral,Spanish mackeral,Mack Tuna,Longtails,Pennant fish,Spangled Emperor,Green Jobfish,Cod,Longnose Emperor,Trout  etc etc.....

Pete
Title: Re: Small, but awesome light tackle fun in S.E.Q
Post by: Brandon Khoo on July 13, 2011, 12:45:38 PM
It's a great idea to have the light tackle with you because you can then have a lot of fun during the slow periods for GTs. The variety of fish on the flat when the tide is up can be amazing. The only difficulty is dragging yourself away from that when it is time to fish for GTs again!
Title: Re: Small, but awesome light tackle fun in S.E.Q
Post by: Jay Burgess on July 13, 2011, 01:29:59 PM
It's a great idea to have the light tackle with you because you can then have a lot of fun during the slow periods for GTs. The variety of fish on the flat when the tide is up can be amazing. The only difficulty is dragging yourself away from that when it is time to fish for GTs again!

When you say 'light' tackle, Brandon, exactly how light are we talking?
Title: Re: Small, but awesome light tackle fun in S.E.Q
Post by: Peter Morris on July 13, 2011, 01:41:45 PM
I think 20-30lb out there would be as light as I dare.....you just dont know what you are going to hook thats the prob...
I got my bum kicked pretty badly by red bass in Vanuatu using 30lb but I did stop a couple.
PE 3 for me this trip.

Pete
Title: Re: Small, but awesome light tackle fun in S.E.Q
Post by: Warwick Joyce on July 13, 2011, 04:03:11 PM
Sweet light tackle Pete.
I think the whole trev population has moved south this winter, conditions have been perfect here on 2 trips and not a word of a trev anywhere :(
Title: Re: Small, but awesome light tackle fun in S.E.Q
Post by: Sam Owen on July 13, 2011, 04:19:07 PM
Brandon, Pete

No ones going to have to twist my arm to hard for some topwater light tackle fun! Friends and I had a go at chucking stickbaits on PE3 (Yamaga 75/4 - 5000SW) to the masses of 30 odd kg sbt's the other week down bermagui was awesome fun! Got some pretty cool video of all the action will have to bring up to show you guys at bugatti  :D
Title: Re: Small, but awesome light tackle fun in S.E.Q
Post by: Brandon Khoo on July 13, 2011, 05:52:23 PM
I use 30lb, Jay. I still get completely wasted but if you get lucky, you can land some pretty respectable fish with it. Last year, I got a nice GT in the 26-28kg mark. Red bass tend to do terrible things to you.  :(


It's a great idea to have the light tackle with you because you can then have a lot of fun during the slow periods for GTs. The variety of fish on the flat when the tide is up can be amazing. The only difficulty is dragging yourself away from that when it is time to fish for GTs again!

When you say 'light' tackle, Brandon, exactly how light are we talking?
Title: Re: Small, but awesome light tackle fun in S.E.Q
Post by: Jay Burgess on July 13, 2011, 08:28:45 PM
Red bass do terrible things to me on PE10 at times!

I use 30lb, Jay. I still get completely wasted but if you get lucky, you can land some pretty respectable fish with it. Last year, I got a nice GT in the 26-28kg mark. Red bass tend to do terrible things to you.  :(


It's a great idea to have the light tackle with you because you can then have a lot of fun during the slow periods for GTs. The variety of fish on the flat when the tide is up can be amazing. The only difficulty is dragging yourself away from that when it is time to fish for GTs again!

When you say 'light' tackle, Brandon, exactly how light are we talking?
Title: Re: Small, but awesome light tackle fun in S.E.Q
Post by: Aaron Concord on July 13, 2011, 09:08:12 PM

(http://s4.postimage.org/xmfyeg10/DSC_1737.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/xmfyeg10/)

A file shot of a typical red bass from the 04 heavy tackle marlin season.
Taken on PE 2.5 ..........the twisted 60lb fluorocarbon saved my sorry butt a few times :)

Aaron
Title: Re: Small, but awesome light tackle fun in S.E.Q
Post by: Aaron Concord on July 13, 2011, 09:11:57 PM
Peter,

The trevors are usually going nuts down the Goldie at night at this time of year.
Depending on their mood, it's either plastics to get down to them, with another rod rigged with a popper to capitalize on their surface blitzes.

Light tackle is way cool  8)

Aaron.
PS.......do you normally see that many diamonds???? There are a few times of the year when they are around down here, though they are far from commonplace.

Aaron.
Title: Re: Small, but awesome light tackle fun in S.E.Q
Post by: Ryan Theyer on July 13, 2011, 11:05:14 PM
Those diamon trevs look unreal. Good fun on light gear too no doubt. Well done mate.
Title: Re: Small, but awesome light tackle fun in S.E.Q
Post by: Peter Morris on July 14, 2011, 03:24:17 PM
Peter,

The trevors are usually going nuts down the Goldie at night at this time of year.
Depending on their mood, it's either plastics to get down to them, with another rod rigged with a popper to capitalize on their surface blitzes.

Light tackle is way cool  8)

Aaron.
PS.......do you normally see that many diamonds???? There are a few times of the year when they are around down here, though they are far from commonplace.

Aaron.

Hi Aaron,

This year has seen the biggest Diamonds I have ever seen in the river.
They usually are smaller fish around the 40cm mark but this winter there have been some very nice fish in the 65-75cm range.
They are still one of the rarer Trevally in the river.This winter I know of ten fish caught.

Pete
Title: Re: Small, but awesome light tackle fun in S.E.Q
Post by: Aaron Concord on July 14, 2011, 09:18:21 PM
Peter,

Perhaps the increase in Diamonds has been due to the La Nina/excessive wet we've had?????

August/September is prime time down the Goldie for them so here's hoping that they turn up in droves!

Some of the ones I have been connected to have been around 1m in length, though the rotten places that they hang out means only the tiddlers get caught!

Aaron.
Title: Re: Small, but awesome light tackle fun in S.E.Q
Post by: Dale Ianna on July 17, 2011, 08:24:44 AM
Nice catch Peter, pretty good variety of fish in that area there. Some things never change, that area always come up with the goods. Just from interest were all those fish caught in the the same day, week, month time frame?
Title: Re: Small, but awesome light tackle fun in S.E.Q
Post by: Peter Morris on July 17, 2011, 11:40:21 AM
Nice catch Peter, pretty good variety of fish in that area there. Some things never change, that area always come up with the goods. Just from interest were all those fish caught in the the same day, week, month time frame?

Hi Dale,

All from the last two months....The Trevally action has been very consistent this winter.

Pete