You know you're in for a rough ride when the plane
you're in sits 13 and is barely larger than a mini-bus!
PLUS you literally share the captain's cockpit.
Anyhow it took us 3 days before we saw the sea and smelt
the salt. Our contingent was a motley crew of anglers from
a few corners of the globe and this was our trip in pictures
and a few short words...
Soon after landing the plane would depart, disconnecting
us from the outside world for the next week...
We wasted no time in shrugging off the jetlag and gettingthe gear prepped. Having Mr. Yoshitaka Tsurusaki on
board meant many new products from his FCL Labo stable
to test...
The live volcano set the perfect backdrop for a story aboutfishing in a truly wild and remote area...
We got a chance to get excited with some new conceptsand approach towards fooling fish...
The ride was long so we had to keep amused...
Stopped by an FAD on the way out but all we got was
probably the world's smallest Dorado on lure! This guy
fell for a Xesta Afterburner...
We then hit a patch of reef but bad timing meant we
would while the time by going after small fish like this
Peacock Hind on a prototype lure...
Another FCL prototype, the inchiku scored this nice Red Cod...
This small Reef Jobfish on the Xesta 12g jig...
The highly territorial Trigger had other ideas about this
intruding lure...
Xesta Afterburner was great for working the reefs for
dwellers like this Coronation Trout...
Another Lunar-tail hits the deck...
A small Emperor, just to show the variety of life on
these reefs...
The Majorcraft KG Lights rod goes everywhere and catches
everything. So does the DUO Ikakko lure...
When the tides changed it was time for more serious stuff,
and this nice Dogtooth Tuna was a lucky first hit on the FCL
CSP 200S sinking stickbait...
Action was short-lived after a few misses so it was back to
chasing reefies like this White-lined Cod with the small
Pintail 35 cast with the Poseidon Ocean Hunter...
As the day progressed the GTs became more co-operative
and this small guy on the Maggy Gara GT stickbait was
a welcomed sign...
The FCL Labo Ebipop would prove an invaluable tool for this
trip and it got out of the gates firing...
This beautiful Flowery Cod was a pleasant surprise for
the day and a prize for any angler...
Maggy Gara GT stickbait proved irresistable...
Another small GT on the Ebipop...
FCL CSP in slinky new black colour = yums!
More GTs on the Ebipop...
A nice one on the new black CSP and FCL 80EXT rod...
Beautiful Bluefin Trevally on a prototype
FCL Labo creation...
Ebipops don't escape Barracudas!
GTs love them and they showed it...
The FCL Labo 81EXT was the rod of choice, light and easy
to cast all day with a variety of popper types...
A small but feisty GT on an FCL prototype popper...
A decent GT on another prototype lure...
We were starting to encounter better fishes as the day
wore on. This nice GT took a prototype sinking stickbait...
There was always time for light tackle fun, though you
may argue that GTs on such gear is anything but.
New light pop test rod did a good job with this
Ebipop-munching fish...
Good ol' FCL SPP always a reliable GT lure to fall back on...
Not many Red Bass were encountered but this guy liked
the chartreuse Ebipop EXT quite a bit...
With the smaller fish we downsized with lures like this
FCL SPP Tuna which has tremendous casting potential...
This nice GT was the result of a new and improved pre-
production version of the ever-popular CSP260...
Much as we like the big stuff, all aboard always looked
forward to the light tackle reef bashing. Red Throat Grouper
on Jackson Pintail 35...
Peacock Hind on the Pintail 35...
Honeycomb Cod on the Pintail...
Baby Red Bass on DUO Ikakko...
Peacock Hind on the Ikakko...
Chequered Snapper on the Ikakko...
Red Bass on IMA Gunpeki 12g...
All the way into the sunset...
Early morning workout with a GT on Fisherman Andaman
worked with the Evergreen Poseidon...
Black Jack took a liking to the Sevenseas Anatahan...
For calm conditions there was only one choice of lure,
the FCL CSP260 shone in tough tough conditions...
When the winds picked up the Ebipops started to get
hammered...
Mini IMA Guns pulled out some weird reefies...
Doggies of this size were commonplace, and Andamans
were doing the damage...
Nice Coronation Trout on the light gear and IMA Gun 12g...
Greedy Wrasse on Gunpeki...
Amidst some surface turmoil this Rainbow Runner took
the big CSP260 much to our disappointment...
Here's another take from the same melee but it was a better
fish and the prototype FCL rod was put through its paces...
A happy angler indeed, and a solid catch in very
trying conditions where the surface was too calm and
the fish stayed deep...
That's a popper to be looking out for on the shelves soon,
if it makes it to production...
Meanwhile the CSP continued to score...
Here's a nicer GT which took an Ebipop...
Proud angler with his prize after a workout...
Though the surface fishing was getting tough, jigs
were readily smashed and the guys were having a
ball with fish like these two GTs taken on FCL and
Fisherman jigs...
Tsurusaki-san was really proud of his new creation -
the FT Jig and swore by it throughout the whole trip...
Another decent Doggie on FCL SL Jig...
Amongst the schooling fish were some bigger ones and it
didn't take them long to find our jigs. This GT went for a
Fisherman Marado that got past the smaller fish...
In the mid-thirties it was a welcomed sight for all, but the
Poseidon Spin Jerker PE-4 wasn't pushed and was asking
for more...
Next drop and a smaller GT latched on to the Marado...
to be continued in Part Two...
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