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Targeting BIG GT's

Targeting BIG GT's

Every year I try and get out on Big Cat Reality fishing the barrier reef and one of my favourite species to target is the Giant Trevally. I thought I would provide a few tips if you get the chance to target these very powerful and exciting fish.

Firstly one of the most important things to remember is that GT’s love a bit of run in the water. You may have heard the expression ’no run no fun’ and that certainly can be the case with these fish. Targeting GT’s close to the full moon and new moon will definitely provide more run in the water with larger tides and GT’s seem to be far more fired up to smash surface lures during these tides.

 

 
Another thing to look for is pressure points where the current hits a reef edge or perhaps structure under water to create a large up current. They are pretty easy to see and you will mainly find them on a particular side of a reef depending the direction of the current. These are GT hot spots and drifting up to these spots from about 70 metres away, casting as long as you can to the edges of the current line, produces heaps of quality G-Bangers.


One of the most important thing to look for when you're cruising the reef is large schools of fusiliers (small bait fish) flicking on the surface. Obviously much easier to spot on calmer days, if you see these schools of bait fish on the surface occasionally freaking out, chances are they are being harassed by GT’s. A long cast right into the middle of the school can often lead to an instantaneous surface strike on a popper or stick bait so its important to click your bail arm over before your lure hits the water to avoid any slack line and a missed opportunity.


Lastly, make sure your gear is up to the task. 80-110lb braid with a 100-130lb leader to start on a PE8-PE10 popping rod and appropriate reel with a decent amount of drag pressure will do the job. These are very powerful fish and can get you into the reef in seconds if you don't have the gear to stop them. Make sure all your split rings are super tough and the hooks you are using can handle the job. Not many lures out of the box are geared up to handle these fish so upgrading hooks and trebles to heavy BKK’s for example will be necessary.

Tackle you'll need:
Split Rings: Owner Hyper Wire Stainless Steel Split Rings 10

There are so many more things I could go into here but I think I will leave it to one of our upcoming Youtube videos showing all the info to help you on your next GT endeavour.

Tight Lines, Bergie

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