Mr Wang from China returned for his third trip fishing with us chasing big GT’s in Kirinda. The group had some incredible action on their last trip over to Sri Lanka and were ready to go again.
We started off by trying an area which we knew was holding fish and immediately went into some amazing action, an unbelievable 14 fish for 46 bites!! The guys missed 34 fish and some huge GT’s. Line breaks on the reef and hook pulls mostly were mostly to blame and this shows just how hard it is to land big fish, even on a great day.
With so much GT action the guys wanted to mix up things a bit by trying some lighter tackle fishing. We didn’t need to go far as just few miles from shore we ran into a school of sardines being harassed by large Spanish Mackerel. Averaging 15-18 kg in weight, the bigger boys get up to 30 kg and over in these waters. They’re known for screaming runs and their ability to leap out of the water. We’ve nicknamed them the “Sri Lanka Tax” for their ability to bite off lures. Thing heated up from the second cast and we saw some intense action for about 30 minutes. On PE3 gear they scream off at unbelievable speed.
With the group having a lot of fun they decided to try light jigging for a full day in a few new potential hotspots. The decision was a good one and we had another great day fishing with many different species caught including GTs, Spanish Mackerel, various types of Groupers and Emperors, a nice Rainbow Runner and Barracuda. There is just so much to do on a single fishing trip, you never have enough time to do it all.
The next target was Big GT only. We made a plan to hit the deeper spots with big lures and heavy gear. We had a good morning session with plenty of action. 3 fish to 20 kg landed, one huge bite missed when the hooks pulled and 12 bites in all for the day.
The next day we continued targeting big GT in the same way. Again we lost a huge GT and landed 7 GT’s averaging about 18 kg each and another huge Spanish Mackerel that took a popper cast by Mr Wang. For these past few trips, the best seems to have been saved for the last with our clients getting all the chances but not converting till the very end. The first GT of the day was a nice 30 kg (125 cm length and 94 girth) and a personal record.
Most clients on their first or second tropical fishing trip tend to overdo things on day one and two as the body and the muscles are not used to it. Towards the end of the trip they are used to the fishing and can keep going, which is why we like to advise clients to ease into the fishing week. Mr Wang and group promise to be back next time and they assure us they will be better equipped to try and land some of the Sri Lanka GT’s having spent a considerable amount of time preparing for it in the gym.
Video clips coming shortly.
Till next time,
Tight lines
Team GFA
Recent Comments