Cyclonic GT Session
As the title suggests, our most recent trip was affected by cyclonic conditions. By the time we reached Cairns, there were at least 3 low pressure systems threatening to turn into cyclones. So it happened, one to the south offshore at Mackay did turn into one.
The first day saw us cancelling our plans to head out to the reef due to 40 knots + gales. Instead, we decided to head north to a secret location of mine. In the past, i have had strikes from Cobia and GTs at this spot and was wondering if the big tide would really turn it on.
It did. Baitfish were getting smashed in the area sporadically, it was only a matter of time. Lobbing the big surface popper out some 80 metres saw my first and biggest hit only 10 metres from the oyster encrusted rocks. This threw up an extraordinary amount of water, the fish appeared brown in colour (the water displacement was that big we were wondering it is was at least several fish that attacked at the same time). I had orginally picked it for a Cobia or a big Whaler but the tell-tale headshakes of a GT soon appeared.
Zigzaging along the rocks at my feet through bommie and coral was worrying. He finally gave up in a little crevice, to my horror this was littered with sharp rocks and oysters. My fishing buddy (and mock client) managed to pull him up in a flash before we suffered abrasion to the mainline.
We had 2 subsequent hits from fish that failed to hook-up. These were big fish too. My fishing partner said that he had seen a 35kg+ fish with the first fish that i had caught.
Day 2 saw us motor out to the reef in superb (but not ideal) conditions. Not much current and little wind made things a little quiet. We managed to locate the odd bait school being terrorised and hooked up many times to sub 20kg GTs. We then motored to some outer reefs that were quite shallow. Ben rocketed two consecutive casts to big schools of baitfish...each time he was destroyed on the coral bommies beneath. These were no small fish either, estimated at well over 30kg+ (and that is being modest - one of these things looked like a dolphin!). Being a virgin popper, Ben took some valuable notes - max drag all the time, rerigging puts you out of action and don't loose expensive poppers!
Day 3 saw terrible weather. Despite the cyclone to the south which should've sucked up the bad weather, we had massive swells and winds. We only managed to motor out a short distance. Here we dropped jigs to small-mouthed Nannygai, Trevally and the odd small dogtooth tuna. Would've been a day better spent at the pub!
