The First GT

[Greg Burt]

I caught my first GT today and what a thrill , so I thought a bit of reminiscing on losing you GT virginity would be interesting .

[Greg Burt]

They might have been small but when it came together my "YAHOO" could have been heard for twenty miles.
 I fished some reef areas and a bommie off Caloundra Queensland, Gary Howard and Neil Griffith had mentioned held GTs, after about two hours of positioning and casting I hooked up on a popper at the back of the bommie, caught the second one at the same spot having one cast for the road about an hour later, and used the auto pilot to get me away from the reef.
What a thrill, after taking in info from this site, as I had never done popping before, using my own made twisted leaders [thanks Bernie] and just me and the auto pilot.
 STILL SMILING, now for the big ones.

PS: Didn't weigh them but measured for quick release, 1st 580mm 2nd 600mm

[Jon Li]

Greg ,

You are " hooked for life " now with GT popping !

Jon .

[Brandon Khoo]

it's a hard one for me because I cannot honestly remember when I actually caught my first GT. I caught stacks of them over the years on bait and metal spoons and slices before starting to fish for them on poppers but we never caught the big ones (20kg+). A 10kg fish was an absolute beauty. On poppers, I was fishing for these using 10-15kg mono in the mid 80s. I have a vague recollection that we were using Shakespeare reels back then which were similar in colour and shape to the Stella today.

I suppose my first decent fish on a popper was around that period when I landed a GT that would have been around the 16-18kg mark. The fish took me something like half hour to land. A lot of broken reels and popped spools over the years!

I generally don't regard a GT as a real GT until it is about 20kg in weight. YOu can hardly call something giant when it weighs two kilos!  

[Brandon Khoo]

Greg - btw, congratulations on your first GT. It's a good effort to drive and catch a fish at the same time. It's great to have put everything together yourself and gotten the fish!    If there are fish of that size around, there is a reasonable possibility of a much bigger fish there.

[Jay Burgess]

How do the single hooks on your poppers go Greg?

[Greg Burt]

[Stephen Polzin]

nice catch, I'm often surprised with how hard even the small ones can pull, and have been bricked by 3kg GT's using 60lb braid more than once at the reef. 

The first decent GT I caught was on bait.  Around 25kg on 20lb mono and an ABU 7000.  Fortunately in fairly open water.  Fought it for about half an hour including following it in the boat for a couple kays.  The next day I picked up the ABU and the spool had popped from the built up preasure of the mono.   

[Jon Li]

Hi Stephen ,

I have a popped spool on my ABU 10000CA , any info. where I can source this spool ?

With GT popping , use my technique " NO LINE OUT " ! 

Jon .

[Cam Foley]

CONGRADULATIONS you no i would of came with you if still in the country.

[Greg Burt]

[Stephen Polzin]

Hi Stephen ,

I have a popped spool on my ABU 10000CA , any info. where I can source this spool ?

With GT popping , use my technique " NO LINE OUT " ! 

Jon .

Don't know Jon, spose you could probably order one through your local ABU dealer.  I just held onto the pieces until a second hand spool popped up in the trading post. 

steve

[Cam Foley]

Yip thats the buggers BUN ,mine were even a bit smaller but great fun on the stradic and weapon combo will check out maxium distance post.

[Peter Lowe]

Well done Greg, they are nice trevor's -  I think I heard you on the radio, bragging  ? were you out yesterday ?

I think it is very rewarding and a great feeling when you apply all the gathered theories into your own efforts and come up trumps with a quality GT .........  RESPECT




 

[Greg Burt]

Yeh Peter, chatting on21 to mates on the game boats off the cape and the banks,
most seemed to be having a quiet day, I must have let it slip  ::)that I had caught my 1st GT.