Leader sizing for GT's

[Brett Carter]

Hey all, I'm heading up to the Coral Sea in 6 weeks for the first time to do some big GT fishing around the Bugatti reefs. I just got a custom 700h calstar built which i will be running my saltiga expedition on with 8PE braid. I have most of my gear ready and sorted but had some questions to anyone that could lend some advice... Leader sizing and which leaders to use? I want to buy some fluro carbon leader and not sure what size to run or type. Also not sure if i should be running a single leader or twisted? I've done heaps of jigging in the past years but not much popper fishing so this style of fishing is still a big learning curve for me. Any info would be much appreciated.

Cheers,

Brett.

[Jon Li]

Hi Brett ,

Forget about fluorocarbon leader , just use mono leader and if you are using single leader , my guideline is 1.5 x the PE line breaking strain ( max ) so in your case assuming a PE8 line will break at 100 lbs. then the mono leader should be no more than 150 lbs. . I prefer single leader over twisted leader , others probably can fill you in on the twisted leader .

Too thick a leader will affect your casting distance and do take care of the knot betwen PE n mono leader to be as small as possible , if you can feel the knot hitting the guides of your rod then either the knot is too bulky or your guides are too small due to the fact your rod is a custom made one .

From time to time i use heavy fluorocarbon leader as " bite " leader which I crimped on both ends and use split ring to the eyelet of the lure and tie the mono leader to the other end .

Good luck in Bugatti !

Jon .

[Brett Carter]

Cheers for the advice Jon. I ended up getting the rod built with the last two guides and tip with size 16's to allow for larger knots if need be, not sure if this was the best idea or not but the rod builder agreed it would be a good idea for the knots passing through. What are the most common knots used for connecting the leader to main line in popper casting that everyone is running?

[Jon Li]

Hi Brett ,

I use MidKnot and find it to be consistence but others may differ in this subject , there are a few knots which can give you good results nowaday , the key is to use mono leader which the PE line can " bite " into it and for added security , I burn the end of the mono so if the knot slip , the rough edge of the burn will prevent it from slipping further . If nobody smoke ( I don't ) , just squeeze the end of the mono using plier to make it flat , this works too in preventing slippage .

Make sure when you tighten the knot to pull the PE at an angle to ensure the PE line to " bite " into the mono leader , wetting the PE line helps to lay the PE criss cross onto the mono leader better and prevent the PE line bunching on top of the other thus preventing it to " bite " onto the mono leader .

Jon . 

[Luke Wyrsta]

[Brett Carter]

Ok thanks heaps for the help guys. I now have my friday night plained... Learning how to practice some new knots

Cheers,

Brett.

[Brandon Khoo]

which charter operator are you going out to Bugatti with, Brett?

[Brett Carter]

Hey Brandon, i'm going with a company called Reel Deep Charters on a boat called the Norkat 2, Its a mixed fishing/spearfishing charter with 12 of us heading out.

[Brett Carter]

Got another question about knots guys, how do you's rate the PR connection knot for GT fishing? I've used it a bit for jigging kings and its a pretty streamline knot which i thought would work well for casting. How does it compare to the mid knot?

[Brandon Khoo]

I know an angler who uses the PR for popping with great success. It may be a longer knot than the midknot but it does not seem to have any impact whatsoever on his casting ability. It's like with any other knot. You need to tie it properly and if you do, it will hold.

[Aaron Concord]

Brett,
Having filmed out at Bugatti on NOMAD,(YES THAT IS MAINLY MY FOOTAGE ON THE NOMAD SITE), I have seen both single and twisted leaders work fine.
I use 150lb twisted Shogun/Jinkai/Yamatoyo(what ever is in the cupboard!) with a wire bite leader.
The average fish is a tad larger than the 15-18kg Great Barrier Reef models....ran into fish up to 50...average was 18-23kg with quite a few around 30...and big spaniards.
#16 tips are great....can get away with 10's with a twisted leader since the biggest knot is your bimini!!
Saw every Japanese knot fail....Konishi was about the only guy I saw who didn't have knot failure on a fish....still had the odd one snap off during casting....
Using a big blooper or stick bait, a big GT doesn't care...it just wants to kill!!!!

[Jon Li]

Saw every Japanese knot fail....Konishi was about the only guy I saw who didn't have knot failure on a fish....still had the odd one snap off during casting....

Mr. Konishi is probably the only one who is not in the state of alcohol intoxication while doing the knot after each day's fishing , he only drink tea and water while Mogi , Tahara , Murata , etc. all drink beer like fish .

Mr. Konishi is a deliberate person when come to do anything , this reflects in his products and catch results unlike other Japanese characters who are in the same trade .

Jon . 

[Aaron Concord]

Jon,
Konishi IS the guru on doing all of this...he is a very humble and centred man with a great awarness as to what his gear needs to be to get the best out of it...his reputation revolves around results.
Yes! the other guys were probably more "relaxed by social lubricants" such as beer during the day and red wine at night...still didn't make them feel any better when they lose a GT or doggie over 40kg due to tired braid or a poor knot...and their knots could take 15minutes to tie!!!

Aaron.

[Brett Carter]

Brett,
Having filmed out at Bugatti on NOMAD,(YES THAT IS MAINLY MY FOOTAGE ON THE NOMAD SITE), I have seen both single and twisted leaders work fine.
I use 150lb twisted Shogun/Jinkai/Yamatoyo(what ever is in the cupboard!) with a wire bite leader.
The average fish is a tad larger than the 15-18kg Great Barrier Reef models....ran into fish up to 50...average was 18-23kg with quite a few around 30...and big spaniards.
#16 tips are great....can get away with 10's with a twisted leader since the biggest knot is your bimini!!
Saw every Japanese knot fail....Konishi was about the only guy I saw who didn't have knot failure on a fish....still had the odd one snap off during casting....
Using a big blooper or stick bait, a big GT doesn't care...it just wants to kill!!!!

Cheers for the info Aaron, sounds like we are in for a pretty dam good trip then as long as the weather plays nice for us. I'd be so stoked even to catch a few 20-25Kg GT's let alone a 50Kg one! What other species of pelajics are we likely to encounter out there... Many Wahoo and Doggies around the Bugatti area???

[Aaron Concord]

Brett,

Bugatti is NE of Hamilton Island 100nm off the mainland...it's the widest part of the GBR, not including the Swains area.
GT's were the dominant pelagic....the current out there is phenomenal.
We had Nomad IN REVERSE and STILL doing 9knots FORWARDS...she can rip with the big tides through those passages!!
The corners where eddies or less current ran would be packed with fusiliers....GT FOOD!!!
Spaniards, Shark Mackerel, Longtail & mack tuna were around...if the weather wasn't 30-45SE we would have had a crack out wider for Doggies...we were stuck there on the way to Marion Reef with Konishi/Mogi etc for the first Marion trip.
The GT fishing was hotter at Bugatti than Marion!! Marion was FULL of Doggies instead 
Other critters at Bugatti are the usual reefies like Trout and Red Bass...though GT's were the most common fish. Wahoo would be out the front edge with the doggies for sure!

Aaron.