Land-based GT work - a plea for some advice.

[Mark Harris]

I have decided that I want to go hard for a decent sized land-based GT this coming Season (October to May) and would love some advice from the Hawaiian guys or any other experienced land-based GT hunters!

As background........ I am very lucky in that there is an excellent ledge, just about the only suitable one on the little island group where I live, which is only 10 minutes walk from my door.  I have fished this ledge a lot already but always using PE2-3 gear targeting smaller trevallies, jobfish and other reefies, plus the odd passing small pelagic.  This is GT ground though and several decent sized (30-40 kg) fish have been caught from boats casting over the same reef as is targeted from the ledge.

I will not be buying any new gear but will utilise my existing Endless Passion 88/35 and pair up with PE8 and sometimes PE6 for some extra distance.

My key concern is landing the fish and that is why I have steered away from targeting large GTs at this site until now.  The ledge is 3-4 metres above the water line and it has a significant overhang structure (typical limestone ledge - see picture).  I am worried that there is no way I could single-handedly bring a large fish up either by hand or with a tele-gaff.  Any advice on that please?



I also thought about using exclusively de-barbed singles and the possibility of de-hooking the fish while it is still in the water using a long telescopic gaff.  Is this is a realistic thought or am I dreaming?

Fish care is paramount in all this of course.

Any advice would be very gratefully received.

[Sam Morrison]

How much more under-cut is there on that ledge beneath the water line Mark? I have fished a similar style ledge here in NZ and every time a fish is anywhere near the ledge they take the leader under the under-cut in the rock, a decent line angle is impossible. It's a nice flat ledge however so with some foot work and unusual rod work.... 

Barbless hooks and some kind of pole with a Y or a J on the end to de-hook? You won't have any other option.

[Mark Harris]

Good point about the under-cut Sam and I had not thought of that. I can just see a GT doing exactly that!  Something to be aware of for sure.  As you say it is quite a civilised ledge with a large flat area which should facilitate some swift rod/foot work.

Amazing response to the request for info elsewhere... bowled over really.

For the benefit of others who might be interested, several key points are emerging:

1. With the best will in the world, one person physically lifting a large GT vertically for 4 metres through thin air will be very, very hard. In any case, a lip gaffed fish lifted that far will almost certainly be fundamentally damaged, so I have pretty much ruled out this option.

2. A telescopic de-hooker may well work some of the time.

3. Back up to the de-hooker could be a simple knife on a pole tool for cutting the leader close to the lure. Sacrifices the lure of course but, hey, so what!  With a barbless single, the expectation would be that the fish would easily get rid of the lure.

4. Be bloody careful when fishing for GTs from a ledge. What you can do on a boat does not translate to a dangerous unprotected ledge. Be very aware of how much drag you can handle and set initial drag way lower than you would use on a boat.

Leaving the fish in the water definitely seems to be the option.

If anyone has more advice, please post it!

[Sydney Neal]

Hi Mark,
When fishing off an old jetty a few years ago now when mono was king and overheads ruled, Team work was the only way to land big fish, espeacialy for release.
I used a collaspable crab pot with Trawl net as netting with a decent drop rope and would lead fish, trevs up to 15kg into the net and haul them up, remove hooks and lower back into the water for release.
Gaffs were used only on fish for the table.

[Aaron Arizo]

Mark, out here in Hawaii a lot of guys use what we call a barrel gaff. Its made to slide down the main line and leader and then grab on to the split ring. You can then pull the fish up with a rope thats connected to the gaff. It will not hurt the fish. The problem might be releasing the fish from such a high spot safely.

[Leigh Turner]

Top looking spot. Is the area where the ledge juts out from, the same height off the water? Leigh

[Alex Jordan]

Big drop net may do you

[Mark Harris]

Aaron - someone else mentioned the barrel gaff and it is a neat design.  I am very concerned though that pulling up a fish 4 metres through thin air will result in physical damage to the gill plate hinges, backbone or internal organs

Thanks Alex! Not sure it is achievable with a drop net except with smaller fish?

Leigh, unfortunately not. The ledge pictured is about 2-4 metres lower than the main part of the headland.

[Cameron Mundy]

Is there not a spot near by you could walk the fish to? In SA the rock and surf guys catch massive sharks of much higher ledges once they have turned its head and have the upper hand they'll steadily make there way to a gully or lower ledge to land the fish.

[Charles Cintron]

Howzit Mark,

Using a barrel gaff like Aaron said would bring it up without gaffing it but will probably still do some damage like you said if its a big fish, but its a great option for the smaller ones. Ever try making a net with a long piece of bamboo? I'm with Cameron a spot like that your best bet might be just walking it to where you can handle it by hand. One of the first things I look for when fishing cliffs or ledges is if I fall in where am I going to get back on land and where is the current going to take me if there is any. Once you find that spot maybe you could use that for your landing area. Also fishing with a buddy would be best too. The GT's I have landed from shore has been while casting with bait but I always fished with a friend and usually the other guy handles the fish when in tough areas unless you have a place where you can lead them in.

I've scaled down cliffs timing waves to land a buddies fish and successfully released it but dangerous stuff unless you know the area well, landing them was just as exhilarating as catching them and the catch was a crew effort which made it even sweeter.

[Sydney Neal]

 A ring net

[Charles Cintron]

Awesome shot Sydney, that's one Hamma Fish!

[Sydney Neal]

Not me mate,
That's the current all tackle record caught off the walls in Tokara in japan.
Just posting up the use of the drop ring net similar to my colaspable crab pot net.

[Mark Harris]

I wonder who many people it took to get the fish up though?  and it is tail roped.  and it looks dead.

Not the outcome I am looking for.  Single-handed and fish swimming away is my objective.

[Sydney Neal]

Hi Mark,
The tail rope was for weighing the fish not for hauling it up, it weighed around 160lbs. Yes this fish ended up dead and became world record for the angler
I was trying to show a pic of what I used to land my fish when I used to chase them off high jettys, like I said earlier its team work that lands big fish for easier release,      rod man guides beaten fish to pot and mate/mates haul up the fish, pull the hooks out, lower back down to water let fish have a rest and then it swims off.