First GT Popping Trip Advice - Sabalana Atoll, Indonesia (near Komodo)

[Julian Oon]

Hi all,

After reading so many great trip reports on this forum I have decided that it's time I do a dedicated GT Popping trip. One of the options I have come across is a trip to the Sabalana Atoll which is north west of Komodo Island in Indonesia. Trip will be in Oct/Nov which I'm told is during the dry season and presents the best water conditions and will be a mothership type experience.

Just wondering if anyone has ever heard anything about the region? I know Komodo itself is legendary but speaking with various people I have also heard that it is heavily fished these days and is starting to suffer from the pressure. I have also heard stories about 'blast fishing' and the use of cyanide in these waters.

The atoll itself is an overnight boat trip from Komodo so I'm hoping it is far enough away to be relatively untouched by heavy fishing and will have plenty of big GT's and other species swimming around?

If anyone has any information about the fishing in this region, any help would be greatly appreciated. Similarly if anyone knows anything about the relative safety of these waters (I know there are 'dragons' in the area but do pirates exist also???) as it does seem quite remote.... Sorry for all the questions but I would like to get a better idea of what to expect before I commit and it seems like this forum presents my best opportunity.

Thanks
Jules

[Jon Li]

Hi Jules ,

We have been there in 2003 with Mogi group , the place is not too good for GT fishing , we started from BIMA and went all the way north until 60 nmiles from MAKASSAR and did not find good spot for GT popping , most of the reefs suffered illegal fishing method ( bombing ) .

As for Dragon , if you are referring Komodo giant lizard as such , they only exist in Komodo , Rinca and south west part of Flores islands .

In my opinion it's not worthwhile to go to Sabalana Atol , better concentrate in Komodo n the other islands in the east and west , specifically the south coasts .

Jon .

[Julian Oon]

Thanks for the feedback Jon, much appreciated. The same operation did a tour to Alor at the start of this year and got stuck into some decent GT's and Yellowfin Tuna. Is Alor a much more productive area for this region?

Are these reefs still subject to illegal fishing methods currently? With Mogi on board during your trip was anything of note caught on the jigging front? Any big doggies or were all the reefs devastated by explosive fishing techniques?

Thanks again for the information mate.

Jules

[Jon Li]

Thanks for the feedback Jon, much appreciated. The same operation did a tour to Alor at the start of this year and got stuck into some decent GT's and Yellowfin Tuna. Is Alor a much more productive area for this region?

Are these reefs still subject to illegal fishing methods currently? With Mogi on board during your trip was anything of note caught on the jigging front? Any big doggies or were all the reefs devastated by explosive fishing techniques?

Thanks again for the information mate.

Jules

Hi Jules ,

Alor is certainly a better location to try nowaday , jigging there has produced some monumental catches such as 70 kg doggie earlier this year . Popping in Alor has been less successfull but this is one area where a few have managed to hook into big dogtooth on surface lures . Andy Rowe is the guy who should participate in this thread , he has been to Alor twice .

As for that Sabalana trip , from memory I think Mogi's group only cought a few red basses and blacktip shark , they finished off catching sizable GTs near Bali for that trip .

All the reefs are still being bombed or poisoned except those near the center of populations where the the perpretators are affraid to be caught by the coast guard or the villagers who are naturally unhappy their fishing grounds being destroyed .

Jon .

[Narc]

Forget about the Doggies in Alor.
You can still get some but the bite rate has dropped drastically due to a lot more local boats chartering in that area.
Some of these boats take as many as 10 or 11anglers on 1 trip and fishes were ice-boxed.
Short sighted.
Now the leisure charters are turning their hammering onto ruby snappers, very much a source of income for the local fishermen, seems to each its own is the way things go around here.

Gt fishing is also affected.
From the hay days of 15strikes average a day, it has within a short 1season since more charters came in and dropped to something like 5 to 7strikes a day.

I would look elsewhere.
Purely my own observation and opinion.

[Andy Rowe]

Quite sad to hear that the situation has deteriorated so badly within a short time frame. I was hoping that more local operators were getting educated on c&r. Seems like there is much work to be done on that front. We did get decent sized doggies on poppers along with some very good sized and powerful gt's, I hope this area is allowed to recover.

[Jon Li]

Quite sad to hear that the situation has deteriorated so badly within a short time frame. I was hoping that more local operators were getting educated on c&r. Seems like there is much work to be done on that front. We did get decent sized doggies on poppers along with some very good sized and powerful gt's, I hope this area is allowed to recover.

Personally I still in the opinion that those dogtooth tunas will not survive when jigged from the depth but when popped on the surface , they fare better .

Jon .

[Narc]

Dont disagree with you Jon.
Its not so much the doggies that gives me the pain, but the mentality of either the charters or the anglers have going into the operation and trips thats pathetic.
I also grief for the GTs that got reeled in after getting in the way.

It doesnt represent anything, probably just my own thoughts.

[Jon Li]

Dont disagree with you Jon.
Its not so much the doggies that gives me the pain, but the mentality of either the charters or the anglers have going into the operation and trips thats pathetic.
I also grief for the GTs that got reeled in after getting in the way.

It doesnt represent anything, probably just my own thoughts.

Hi AhGu ,

As you know in the past I wrote a scatching letter to both the same charter operator and his Singapore agent when they kill those six gill sharks in Makassar's offshore fishing ground , unfortunately the same pattern is happening with them in Alor and you would know better having your boat down there . I certainly support CnR all the way , be it in saltwater or freshwater and refuse to join any group which will not CnR their catches , for that reason my jigging outfits are all sold and one that remains is used for bottom fishing , catching baitfish using sabiki !

Jon . 

[Narc]

I understand what you mean.

Usually its we reap what we sow... unfortunately its goona be what we sow, our future generation will reap now.

Guess all we can do is to do our part for sustainability.

[Hemant Liem]

Its not so much the doggies that gives me the pain, but the mentality of either the charters or the anglers have going into the operation and trips thats pathetic.
I also grief for the GTs that got reeled in after getting in the way.

Well said, but I'm curious about your opinion on charter anglers killing 90 undersized amberjacks in Taiwan and selling them for profit?

http://www.fishingouting.com/forums/f57/jigging-trip-taiwans-disputed-islands-may-2010-a-3821/

[Narc]

Its not so much the doggies that gives me the pain, but the mentality of either the charters or the anglers have going into the operation and trips thats pathetic.
I also grief for the GTs that got reeled in after getting in the way.

Well said, but I'm curious about your opinion on charter anglers killing 90 undersized amberjacks in Taiwan and selling them for profit?

http://www.fishingouting.com/forums/f57/jigging-trip-taiwans-disputed-islands-may-2010-a-3821/

I will give you a reply once you have earned some credits to this nickname you have just created.
 

[Anthony Dillon]

Hi Julian,

responding to Jon's initial reply on Sabalana , I fully concur with his info. I went up to the Atolls north East of Lombok ( North os Sumbawa ) which is the start of the chain  in 2008 by Phinisi to fish what I had heard was pristine waters for monster fish.

We arrived to find the huge reefs completely devoid of life, having been bombed and netted to death. After an interesting 17 hour journey to get there in the biggest seas you have ever seen this was a real shocker and an expensive lesson.

I have fished on the Exteme Ulua boat around Komodo and South Rinja and found they ran excellent outfit . Lots of fish landed and boat is practical and well suited to popping. As John has said the crew is very experienced and put us into lots of fish.

Happy hunting.

Regards

[Jon Li]

Hi Big Man ,

How about starting a thread on your Sumba trip last week ? Get Roy to burn you all the photos and tell us the " blow by blow " account of the jigging n popping actions of the trip , thanks .

Best : Jon .

[Julian Oon]

Thanks again for the invaluable first hand feedback Ah Gu and Anthony, really appreciate it. Shame, trip sounded great and it's terrible to hear that over fishing and unsustainable acts have devastated what seems like such an isolated and pristine area.

Cheers.
Jules