Bali GT fishing reports

[Mark Harris]

After the ridiculous conditions associated with Cyclone Narelle, the seas have the complete opposite in February to date - very flat. Those are very discouraging GT fishing conditions over here, but with the new moon likely to be turning the current on, I ventured out to Batu Abah again today.

It turned out to be not a bad decision . Two double hook-ups, a PB for my great friend Roly, and a GT for me that was as big as any I have caught in all my years fishing this site.

Fourth cast of the day produced a double hook-up. We were both fishing chuggers and both fish hit hard. Roly's came off quickly but mine came all the way to the boat only for the ST66 5/0 to SNAP as the leader was lifted out of the water. A nice solid fish circa 25 kgs.

It did not take long for the first fish to arrive at the boat though as we both picked up nice solid examples within the next 20 minutes.

Then there was a real lull at the high tide slack water, but boy how it changed back again when the tide started to fall. A couple more good fish landed before I picked up a fish that turned out to be as big as any I have caught here. Absolute brute of a GT caught on a black ASWB 185 gram using Carpenter DJ83MH paired with an old Saltiga Dogfight.  Took a huge amount of line and the fear of a spooling was very real.  However, about 10-12 very painful minutes later, the fish was on board.  The ASWB 185 is a monster of a lure and a great option for casting into a big wash with strong current as it sits tantalisingly  just in the sub-surface.

The day finished of with another double strike and this time both fish got the boat. Roly's was a very fat fish and a PB for him.

Gear used:
Carpenter DJ83MH
Carpenter Coral Viper79/40
Carpenter Monster Hunter 80H
Ripple Fisher GT82
Various Stellas and an old Dogfight.
Successful lures: ASWB 185, Adhek Venus, Craftbait GT3 150, Bigfoot 170

A great day of fishing. Hope you enjoy the pics.

The first double strike:


Nice solid GT on a GT3150:


Snapped brand new ST66 5/0:


Roly's first fish on an Adhek Venus:


Another solid fish on a Bigfoot 170:


Absolute brute of fish - as big as any I have caught at this site:


Carpenter DJ83MH taking the load:


ASWB 185 - a big lure which is very effective in choppy water:


Roly's PB:


Double strike:


Double strike on board:

[John Cahill]

Oh mark, you truly are making me 'homesick'  ;)well done brother!!!!!!!

[Mark Harris]

Thanks JC. Missing you over here bro. Your name came up several times today on the boat.

[John Cahill]

Thanks JC. Missing you over here bro. Your name came up several times today on the boat.

haha that is not necessarily a 'good' thing

[Andrew Smith]

Great fish Mark & fantastic markings. Well done!!

Very interesting that the brand new Owner snapped at the end of the weld. Heat stress in manufacturing maybe?

[David Noble]

Very nice Mark, top fish & wicked looking country!

Cheers Dave

[Andy Rowe]

Fantsatic results there Mark, what a good day. And of course congrats on that nice Slab of a GT, he's a beauty.

[Mark Harris]

Thanks David and Andy R .

Andrew - I have never had an Owner ST66 completely snap like that. It may have just been one of those freak things.  As you say and as the picture shows, the weak point was the end of the welded part of the shank.

[Peter Morris]

Great read Mark...

Not to long...easy to read.....and top pics to go with it.

And of course A TOP FISH...!!

Well done.

Pete

[Mark Harris]

Thanks Pete and pleased that you enjoyed.

Trying to keep it real with both the word and pictures.

[Jonathan Yeh]

Fantastic report. Awesome rod bending....

[Garry Wong]

Marky,
Surely you are the man for Bali GT
I've fished Bali a couple of times with either cheap jukung and the more expensive speed boat, none was actually a great experience and since then I just decide to ditch Bali as my fishing destination.
But after seeing you nailing some good quality fishes after fishes and season after season, I started to re think to try my luck in bali once more.
I really surprise to see such quality fishes has been captured in good numbers there considering how much pressure has been put in that area, not to mention many local anglers still kill all their catches.
I guess it shows you that the area is still actually hold a healthy numbers of Big GT, it's just the matter of working out where is their playing ground in different time and condition, and I think over there no one knows better then adhek since he is the one that started exploring the area and he tasted both good and bad times over there

[Mark Harris]

Good to hear from you Garry and hope all is well.

Along the same lines as you, Brandon said in another recent post how great it is that a place like Bali can still produce GTs like this. It surprises me also - despite all the pressure, the Batu Abah site still holds a lot of big GTs.

As for Adhek, the man is just a legend. He understands the water better than anyone I have ever fished with.  Every time I am on a boat with him I learn something new.

Anytime you fancy giving it another go over here, give me a shout .

[Hwee Guang Phang]

Those are some amazing catches Mark, Bali is surely one of the best options for anglers in southeast asia. Not to mention having the chance to fish with Adhek and his great lures. I am trying my best to squeeze in another trip for this season!

[Mark Harris]

Thanks Hwee Guang. If you do get another trip in, please let me know as we may be able to meet up.