Striking the GT, is it necessary?

[Stu Hardy]

I have been watching videos of the expert GT fishermen, including Konishi, and have noted everyone seems to really strike the fish on the bite 2-3 times. Is it necessary or is the fish hooked at the bite? Coming from a kingfish jigging background in NZ I have not seen it necessary but have limited experience with GTs (1).

[Ryan Theyer]

Hi Stu,

I know that I have lost fish due to not striking properly as the GT has a tough jaw and sometimes the hook barely penetrates the jaw bone. I think some people just want to make sure theres a solid connection before they start leaning backwards to put pressure on the fish.

Cheers

[Christoffer Hansen]

Yes it definetly is. 2-3 times is not enough in my opinion. A large gt can pull 50m of line of the spool under 15kg drag and still only be biting down on the lure. They have enormous jaw pressure. Matsutani is the master of striking!

[Brandon Khoo]

 I have been fishing for GTs for a long time and the most honest answer I can give you is I haven't got a clue. I'm one of those who generally does strike quite aggressively at the fish but as to whether it actually achieves anything, I don't know.

What I suspect is that if a GT has a firm hold of a lure in its jaws, striking achieves nothing. The jaws of the fish are so strong that striking isn't going to pull the lures loose from the jaws and sink the hook in. I have lost count of the number of times I have very aggressively struck at a fish only to feel the line go slack a few seconds later.

[Mark Harris]

Another vote for "have not a clue".

I always do it, but am totally clueless as to whether it achieves anything.

One piece of advice I would give Stu is do not strike too soon. Let the fish take the lure and then strike.   I have seen many fish lost through the lure literally being ripped out of the GT's mouth by the angler before the hooks have had a chance.

[Sam Morrison]

Some interesting answers here...

Stu,

Only having caught a handful of GT's myself I don't have a clue. But what I personally noticed is my landed fish where hooked on the bite (at least I think so).

The fish that didn't hook up (and for all money you thought you where solid) would bite the lure and just hang on, I had a few take the lure pretty deep where I had to wait for 5-8 seconds for the popper to surface, striking would have achieved nothing IMO, as Brandon stated... When GT bite down, that lure won't move. As I was testing my own lures I was inspecting the bite marks/position etc... pretty closely, what I noticed is the GT's didn't "chew" on the lure, they just smash and grab...and lock down. If a hook hasn't found home at this point I don't think it will.

I don't have a clue is what I summarised and just kept on casting 

[Brandon Khoo]

One of the reasons why GTs clamp down on the lure and then rush away is that I supect they're trying to get away from the other fish in their school so they can find the instant they need to swallow the fish. Fish like GTs tend to attack the head as with bigger prey, I think they need to swallow their prey head first.

I have seen on a number of occasions where one fish has managed to snatch the lure from the mouth of another fish. Amazingly, I've seen much smaller fish manage to do this from significantly larger fish.

[Stu Hardy]

Thanks guys. My one GT was hooked on the bite and I therefore was interested in the experience of those more skilled. With Kingi's I have also felt both with jigs and poppers that they are either hooked or not on the bite.

[Sam Morrison]

One of the reasons why GTs clamp down on the lure and then rush away is that I supect they're trying to get away from the other fish in their school so they can find the instant they need to swallow the fish. Fish like GTs tend to attack the head as with bigger prey, I think they need to swallow their prey head first.

I have seen on a number of occasions where one fish has managed to snatch the lure from the mouth of another fish. Amazingly, I've seen much smaller fish manage to do this from significantly larger fish.

Quite correct Brandon, the competition between fish is pretty full on. Witnessed a few small snapper take on the big boy's too, I guess they have nothing to lose other than lunch.

What about "head butts" I had a few of these when a GT would try and stun the lure... I remember my guide Kurt yelling "Twitch,twitch,twitch" but either my twitch wasn't good enough or the fish got a better look at the lure? Who knows... Kurt mentioned it was common for them to head butt lures, sometime right out of the water.

[joe sciberras]

ON MY LAST TRIP I HAD QUITE A FEW STRIKES AND EVEN THOUGH I HIT AGGESSIVELY I STILL DIDNT GET A HOOK UP