After hearing about us for a long time, Daniel, who does a lot of fishing in Australia, and Emad, who is relatively new to the sport in Dubai, decided to experience big GT action in the Andamans.
Our popper board display, along with a selection of photographs of anglers with their big GTs, was the focal point for our new friends as they walked into the guest house. After a quick lunch that didn’t seem to draw their attention away from the photographs on the board, both of them got busy pulling out their tackle. Emad had some new vertical jig lures which he was quite eager to feed to the fish and Daniel had done his homework and brought along famous stickbaits and poppers that we had recommended.
With the north-east winds blowing at a little over 10 knots, the sea was going to be choppy and with their first day starting off a bit late in the morning there was not much fishing to be had on day 1.
The following day was a different story altogether, with Emad’s first experience fighting a medium sized GT. It tired him out pretty soon and I reckon he will be putting in some time at his local gym before he visits us again. Daniel, on the other hand, fished like a boss and hooked himself a nice 30 kilo fish. He tamed the GT pretty soon and brought it alongside our boat while Emad hooked into a nice Grouper. The count was 15 fish before their day ended, with a couple of Jobfish adding to the variety.
Day three was more productive in terms of big fish and Danny got slammed by a monster GT in under five metres of water. His experience came into play and he did well to keep the fish off the rocks. The take was what GT fishing is all about, with a huge wake behind the popper and an explosion on the surface that gets your heart racing as fast as the line disappearing off your spool. He did well with that 40-kilo fish which had every opportunity to cut him off on the rocks.
They were not the luckiest with the weather but our crew ensured that they came back happy each day. That’s the charm of these islands, with numerous fishing spots close at hand. With the next two days of hits and misses, great big fish being seen around bait schools and fish coming up on every drop while jigging at some spots, the boys were a happy lot.
The fish had a farewell party planned for Danny and Emad though. On their final day, the biggies followed their poppers and stick baits all the way to the boat but wouldn’t bite. The party was exciting with big fish all over and the guys trying every tactic possible to entice a take but that just didn’t happen. Clearly the GT were there only to say farewell to our friends. Fifteen fish did come aboard Rampage to get unhooked later and to keep that favourite number going.
The fish aren’t aware that both anglers are armouring up for their next visit. See you soon, Danny and Emad; it was great having you guys over.
Tackle Used
Rods: Race Point 150, Ripple Fisher F stick GT79 Reversal, Ripple Fisher Final Spirit GT 79H, Daiwa Saltiga Jigging Rod, NS Black Hole Pioneer 2-4PE Jigging rod and Outer Banks 300 BFT Jigging rod
Reels: Daiwa Saltiga Dogfight 7000, Daiwa Saltiga Expedition 8000, Daiwa Saltiga 4500, Daiwa Certate 4000, Shimano Saragosas 10000 and 18000
Lures: Cubera 150 & 180, Patriot Designs Master Bomb, Sebile Splasher, FCL labo Ebi Pop EXT, Daiwa Bubble Maker, Bobara 180, FCL labo CSP, Tuna and Shimano pencil, and Craft Bait.
Line and leaders: Jerry Brown hollow braid 100lb,150 lb, YGK PE5 & PE3 braid, Power Pro 80 lb braid, Varivas 200lb leader, YGK 130 lb leader and Black Magic 80 lb leader
Species Caught: Giant Trevally, Bluefin Trevally, Dogtooth Tuna, Bluefin Tuna, Grouper, Coral Trout, Green Jobfish, Rusty Jobfish, Rainbow runner and Bonito
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