GT fishing
Submitted by turts on Sun, 2010-12-26 09:55
gday guys being from interstate (SA) although we are blessed with our snapper and whiting fishing it is a long way to travel in search of GTs.
i need some help determining the best places to consider for GT fishing. im aware of xmas island and nomad charters off the east coast but unsure if they are the best options around.
willling to travel in order to find these magnificent fish but wanna give myself the best opportunity.
look forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences for the best places to come across these fish. as mentioned, happy to travel and board a charter and have a bit of gear ourselves.
cheers
turts
turts
Posts: 118
Date Joined: 16/09/09
sorry just realised i posted
sorry just realised i posted this twice
DazSamFishing
Posts: 1518
Date Joined: 19/08/09
plenty of places to fish for
plenty of places to fish for GT's - try googling GT popping. I'd highly recommend Coral Sea with Nomad.
I consider the fishery of Christmas Island to be best for big tuna, sails & wahoo, however, GT's are also very prolific. If you're not after size, you won't have a problem finding them in a handful of destinations.
STEVE231
Posts: 1443
Date Joined: 05/01/10
Agree with Daz, Coral Sea
Agree with Daz, Coral Sea for sheer numbers and probably New Calendonia for size.
turts
Posts: 118
Date Joined: 16/09/09
cheers guysforgot about new
cheers guys
forgot about new caledonia!
i spose for a once off you would be after the big ones so will suss out new cale for some info
captain camaro
Posts: 3
Date Joined: 23/12/10
GT's
Hey Turts, A trip to Xmas Island would open your eyes to some awsome sportfishing. If you do it ,you want to get in touch with Mark Rochfort of Shorefire Charters/Shorefire tackle.
He is a gun at putting his clients onto big GTs, dogtooth ,YF Tuna, Wahoo and billfish.
However i have been fishing the Exmouth region since 1988 always with the main target of GTs. It has so many options to offer. Landbased can be good at times ,but you do need to know a bit about the times of year to get the biggest ones . From a small boat opens up the best options as they can be found on both the back of the entire Ningaloo reef and also up in the laggoon side. The Murion Islands to the north are awsome in and around the various reef systems and lagoons.( beware of the sanctuary zones and know the boundaries).
Also the Exmouth gulf with its many islands and coral shoals can be good at times too. If you want to target the big boys, heres what we use.
Calstar GF 700h custom with Saltiga 6500 or ,Ryobi safari 5000 metaroyal (titanium geared version) . Recomend 80-100lb braid w/120-150lb wind on leaders ( and we still get taken to the cleaners).
Big!!!! bloopers like Black Jacks, River to Sea and Fisherman all are our favourites, also large stick baits are great too.
There is 100lb plus Gt,s at Exmouth year round, you just need to be prepared to explore all the possibilities up there.
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
Not really sure what you were
Not really sure what you were sold, but there was some hype about a ti-deposition finish on the metaroyals, but never heard of actual ti gears. Not even sure it's really a good material for gears over alternatives.
captain camaro
Posts: 3
Date Joined: 23/12/10
In 99 Matt Gates ( of
In 99 Matt Gates ( of tackleworld Exmouth) and myself at Scarborough ordered 2 of the original metaroyal 5000 Safaris to try for Big Gt's. They have a 6mm Titanium main shaft. Ti osscilation and drive gears too. They came with 2 spools and 2 handle knobs ass well.They were totally built in Japan. Retail for those reels at the time was $1149.00 from memory.
I have always fished it hard with 80 and 100lb braids and its had a lot of huge sambos too and it still feels as good today as the first time i used it. I do service and look after all my reels pretty well.
There has been a re release of Safari metaroyal 5000A in the last 2 years but they are made in china with cheaper internals but apparently the spools and bodys are from left over Japenese parts. They dont come with the extra goodies but do have a jigging style handle knob. I did get a small Black and a good sail switchbaiting on my cheaper version with 20 lb braid recently and it performed fine.
PilbaraBrad
Posts: 3628
Date Joined: 16/05/07
there ar a lot of options
there ar a lot of options around mate but it really depends on weather or not you are going to tow a boat or not. Both the places you named are great options if you want someone to put you on to fish. Nomad will even go as far as lending you some gear. There are many international options check out ocean blue fishing, or LPB in new Caledonia. they will not necessarily provide you with gear
Christmas island is good but not really a big GT destination. I mean you can get fish to over 30kg's there but you have to get past the pack of 20KG males, im sure Dazz will vouch for that
western australia is great again but not really to many charter companies that specifically target GT's alone. Heaps of GT's in the Pilbara and Exmouth but unless you know where you are going your probably going to struggle for a little wile until you suss them out. It has taken us years to figure this place out.
I think if you are willing to pay for it and have never fished for them before i would lean towards a nomad trip mate. You wouldnt regret it and you can pretty much guarantee you will land some great fish in a pristine part of the world
DazSamFishing
Posts: 1518
Date Joined: 19/08/09
Yep, Brad, many rat GT's, but
Yep, Brad, many rat GT's, but good fun for someone getting into the sport. Big tuna are the go at C.I. It's a great fishery nonetheless, especially, if you're fishing with Rocky.
Shouldn't you be double checking you have packed everything for Fiji Brad?
Kasey L.
Posts: 1390
Date Joined: 02/03/06
I think alot of ground has
I think alot of ground has been explored these days and we really are quite spoilt for choice. I would say it would depend on your priorities - are you simply after stacks of fish, or is cost an important factor? Are you after just one big one and willing to cast all day just for that 1 big bite?