GTPopping.com - Giant Trevally, GTPopping, Topwater & GT Fly-Fishing Resource

Topwater Caranx Ignobilis: Giant Trevally (GT) => Reports & Expeditions => Topic started by: Anton Vogiatzis on December 08, 2011, 03:05:05 PM

Title: Montebello GT Popping video and a "hello"
Post by: Anton Vogiatzis on December 08, 2011, 03:05:05 PM: Hi guys,

Thought I'd say hi as I'm new to this forum but after my last trip to the Monties in North Western Australia I must say am well and truly hooked (excuse the pun!) on GT popping.

I was fortunate enough to fish aboard Blue Lightning Charters with 7 great mates and tackle all manner of reef species on a long range live aboard charter to the Montebello Islands. As with most trips the weather was against us and kept us on the lee side of the Islands for the first few days so we were limited but over the week we did manage a variety of fish, way too many species to list here but some were Coral trout, Chinaman fish, Rankin Cod, Spanish Mackerel, Jobfish and the mighty Giant Trevally.

Wind that never gave up, sharks, cuts, bruises and losing the equivalent of a tackle stores inventory of jigs and poppers to reefs and mackerel and I tell you, I can't wait to go back!!

Here is a short clip of one of the fish caught by good mate Kyle, I hope you like it! :)

JAKS GT Fever - Montebello popping action at its finest (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCZfvpEeXm0#ws)
Title: Re: Montebello GT Popping video and a "hello"
Post by: Mark Harris on December 08, 2011, 03:19:23 PM: Nicely put together video Anton - well done.

Crikey that was a small boat for so many anglers on board!
Title: Re: Montebello GT Popping video and a "hello"
Post by: Anton Vogiatzis on December 08, 2011, 03:30:43 PM: Thanks Mark, glad you liked it.

That boat in the clip was a Boston Whaler CC aptly named "Heartstarter". We would only fish 3-4 anglers at a time while most of our fishing was done from the 55 foot ex Cray boat mother ship "Blue Lightning"
Title: Re: Montebello GT Popping video and a "hello"
Post by: Chris Webster on December 08, 2011, 04:32:55 PM: Thats awesome.
Thanks for sharing.
Watching that gets me even more excited about my Blue Lightning trip next year.
Wish it wasnt so far away!

Cheers,

Chris
Title: Re: Montebello GT Popping video and a "hello"
Post by: Mark Harris on December 08, 2011, 05:07:00 PM: Quote from: Anton Vogiatzis on December 08, 2011, 03:30:43 PM
Thanks Mark, glad you liked it.

That boat in the clip was a Boston Whaler CC aptly named "Heartstarter". We would only fish 3-4 anglers at a time while most of our fishing was done from the 55 foot ex Cray boat mother ship "Blue Lightning"

Good stuff Anton.

Heartstarter looks a bit tight even with 3 or 4 of you on it.

Did you get into any bigger GTs out there?
Title: Re: Montebello GT Popping video and a "hello"
Post by: Anton Vogiatzis on December 08, 2011, 05:14:12 PM: I think we totalled 17 GT's for the trip. The biggest one would have been 45-50kg but and one around 40kg most would have been in the 15-25kg bracket. I only managed one around 20kg's but it was land based!:) I lsot a cracker of a fish due to the ceramic tip on my rod being cracked...:(
Title: Re: Montebello GT Popping video and a "hello"
Post by: Kyle Stacey on December 08, 2011, 10:25:26 PM: Was a great trip, a little slow compared to last year where we got 17 Gts in one session but was great jigging and light tackle placcy chucking etc. Anton your video skills are second to none buddy. Chad from blue lightning always puts on an excellent charter.

I look forward to this trip a year out and collect new bits and pieces over the year just for the trip. It seems that everyone is trying to outbling each other each year with SOM spools and high end rods like carpenter and fisherman and stupidly expensive lures and it boggles the mind what will be the next big thing next years trip!
Title: Re: Montebello GT Popping video and a "hello"
Post by: Raymond Yong on December 09, 2011, 01:34:47 AM: Nice vedeo! i like the part that the fish took the lure, that's awesome ;)
Title: Re: Montebello GT Popping video and a "hello"
Post by: Jay Burgess on December 10, 2011, 02:42:47 PM: any pics of the big one Anton?
Title: Re: Montebello GT Popping video and a "hello"
Post by: Alex Stuart on December 10, 2011, 02:44:22 PM: Nice vid mate!
Title: Re: Montebello GT Popping video and a "hello"
Post by: Anton Vogiatzis on December 10, 2011, 05:35:04 PM: Here tis! I hope i uploaded correctly

(http://s8.postimage.org/lbgzoto01/IMG_3512.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/lbgzoto01/)
Title: Re: Montebello GT Popping video and a "hello"
Post by: Son Pham on December 10, 2011, 06:52:09 PM: top notch...
Title: Re: Montebello GT Popping video and a "hello"
Post by: Mark Harris on December 10, 2011, 09:25:31 PM: With all due respect, and it is difficult to tell form an angled shot like that, and it does not really matter, but that fish does not look 45-50 kgs to my eye.
Title: Re: Montebello GT Popping video and a "hello"
Post by: Anton Vogiatzis on December 10, 2011, 11:04:21 PM: It is always hard to tell a fish's size by photo's, smaller fish look bigger and big fish can sometimes look smaller. Without weighting the fish it is only an estimate of weight and that was a bloody big GT in my eyes!

Here's another photo on the same fish.

(http://s7.postimage.org/alxp512iv/IMG_3517.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/alxp512iv/)
Title: Re: Montebello GT Popping video and a "hello"
Post by: Mark Harris on December 11, 2011, 12:39:27 AM: It's a very nice fish for sure Anton and well done. That's a much better photo :)
Title: Re: Montebello GT Popping video and a "hello"
Post by: Les Maunder on December 12, 2011, 09:26:35 AM: Anton those videos are great and are close rendition of what it is actually like out there.

Kyle - a challenge for you. See if you can locate a Carpenter Sea Frog popper and you will certainly be head of the "next big thing" brigade for 2012. Oh, if you can find one, get one for me too please.

Cheers

Les
Title: Re: Montebello GT Popping video and a "hello"
Post by: Kenny Koh Kee Koong on December 12, 2011, 11:06:23 AM: Super catch
Title: Re: Montebello GT Popping video and a "hello"
Post by: Tony Warnett on December 15, 2011, 11:51:36 PM: Nice work Anton,

We were there around the first week of October was that you guys up around alpha island around that time.

Cheers Tony.
Title: Re: Montebello GT Popping video and a "hello"
Post by: Anton Vogiatzis on December 16, 2011, 08:09:34 AM: Quote from: tonywarnett on December 15, 2011, 11:51:36 PM
Nice work Anton,

We were there around the first week of October was that you guys up around alpha island around that time.

Cheers Tony.

I believe we did spend a bit of time around Alpha Is but we were there from the 5th November to the 14th. Chad may well have been there that time
Title: Re: Montebello GT Popping video and a "hello"
Post by: Anton Vogiatzis on December 16, 2011, 08:12:42 AM: Here's another clip I made featuring Les "The Bling King" Maunder and Kyle. Kyle's fish was a Black Spot Trevally

Fit for a King - Extreme GT popping Monties style (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6XV24QNCc0#ws)
Title: Re: Montebello GT Popping video and a "hello"
Post by: Sachin Chaudhry on December 18, 2011, 05:59:54 PM: Around 25 -28kg. Still a good fish.