As the days wore on the prospect of finding some decent GT action on topwater would wane. The fish were just not around as we suspected they were congregating to breed. None the less we had to plug away against the strong winds and big seas with the heavy gear and flashy lures...
 |
| The omnipresent Coral Trout made up for the lack of GTs, big ones were a handful as they are as dirty fighters as the come... |
 |
| They were pretty willing on the loud FEED PIN popper... |
 |
| Red Bass were also present as they took over the reefs from the absent GTs. Big poppers like the PIN were readily smashed... |
 |
| No hesitation with the FEED PIN... |
 |
| A smaller Coral Trout on the FEED PIN... |
 |
| More Red Bass fooled by another PIN popper... |
 |
| The only Green Jobfish of the trip on topwater. Not big but a welcome change anyhow... |
 |
| The 'bleeding' FEED SLASH stickbait did the job... |
 |
| Coral Trout weren't exempt from the hungry Sharks... |
 |
| PIN caught Red Bass... |
 |
| The BELL popper also by FEED also got its share of the action... |
 |
| No shortage of Red Bass on this day... |
 |
| They weren't afraid to attack large baits like the biggest SLASH model... |
 |
| FEED BELL and Red Bass... |
 |
| It wasn't difficult to find them on sinking stickbaits like the SLASH... |
 |
| Floating stickbaits like the FCL Labo CSP caught some too... |
 |
| Throwing a large lure gets the attention of this decent Trout... |
 |
| The biggest SPP by FCL Labo does the trick... |
 |
| It also manages to find a juvenile GT... |
 |
| Anchorage on previous evenings were fishless but at this particular one we found some willing Trevallies with the ultralight outfits and the king of light lures, the DUO Ikakko... |
 |
| Not to be outdone is Jackall's micro magic - the Mametai jig... |
 |
| These decent Island Trevallies went hard like all others within the family and were a handful on the light gear. Maximum fun... |
 |
| Here's another on the IMA Gun Peki jig... |
 |
| With schooling bait aft of the boat the predators were hovering around... |
 |
| A large Slender Queenie which went really hard... |
 |
| It got fooled by the slow IMA Ichimatsu jig... |
 |
| We were soon joined by some Gold Spot Trevs, and good ones too... |
 |
| IMA Ichimatsu does the trick again... |
 |
| A really large Hardtail Scad is a rare encounter indeed in these waters. It took a Xesta Afterburner mini jig... |
 |
| The school of Island Trevally had taken residence under the boat and it didn't take long for an IMA Ichimatsu jig to find one... |
 |
| We then started getting spooled by some big monsters on the light gear and after many lost fish we finally get lucky with this bruiser Gold Spot on the ultralight KG Lights rod by Major Craft... |
 |
| It took the tiny IMA Gun Peki jig and somehow stayed pinned... |
 |
| Unfortunately all other monster Gold Spots were lost but there were still some decent fish to be caught on the ultralights... |
 |
| When the smartened fish fish stayed away from jigs we had to improvise with micro lures... |
 |
| And one of the best is the new IMA Survivor 50 minnow... |
 |
| Next morning we get a surprise in the form of a small Blue Maori Cod on the DUO Ikakko lure... |
 |
| Strong winds made jigging tough but this Xesta Flap jig found a nice customer... |
 |
| A pretty Estuary Cod for a satisfied angler... |
 |
| Macks were abundant too and only one didn't make off with our jig. This Fisherman Andaman jig scores... |
 |
| Between Trout and Bass we got the odd Yellowfin Tuna on the big lures we were chucking. The SLASH gets another YFT... |
 |
| Then follows it up with another Trout... |
 |
| Hard to resist a passing SLASH with its slinky action... |
 |
| Another Yellowfin hits the deck courtesy of the SLASH... |
 |
| Amongst a topwater frenzy of Tuna this FEED SPEAR is hit hard and it results in a great capture... |
 |
| A twenty odd kilo Spanish Mackeral is easily the biggest we see this trip... |
 |
| These were the culprits feeding off the surface... |
 |
| SLASH with one... |
 |
| SLASH with the other... |
 |
| Oddly we didn't see many Bluefin Trevally either. This could be the only one of the trip, on the big FEED SLASH... |
 |
| Averting a bite-off from one of these saltwater speedsters requires a stroke of luck. This good Wahoo is another to add to the species list... |
 |
| As usual it is the SLASH stickbait that does the stellar job... |
 |
| And it continues its run with another YFT... |
 |
| The SLASH nicely pinned... |
 |
| Then another capture for the SLASH's variety's sake. The colours are just awesome... |
 |
| A handsome bull Dorado... |
 |
| This SLASH has seen better days as it sports the battle scars from quite a few encounters... |
 |
| Another nice Coral Trout bagged... |
 |
| Then it was back to the Red Bass... |
 |
| On the FEED SLASH of course... |
 |
| And there's more yet... |
 |
| The 'bleeding' SLASH feeling used and abused... |
 |
| As the trip draws to a close we find another fat Mack... |
 |
| The FEED SLASH found its mark and lives to swim another day... |
 |
| We then cast around offshore Fish Aggregating Devices and found some small Yellowfins on the good ol' Major Craft Giant Killing light offshore lure rods... |
 |
| This one fell for the small FEED CONE25 popper... |
 |
| FADs weren't complete without Dorados, and they were there in numbers too... |
 |
| Jackson Pintail Tunes are awesome at this task... |
 |
| They were all of decent size and were magnificent fighters on the light Major Craft Crostage offshore rod... |
 |
| This one fell for a Jackson Muscle Shot Magnum lipless lure... |
 |
| The Pintail Tune finds a small Mack Tuna amongst the feeding Dorados... |
 |
| And throwing a mini jig like the Xesta Afterburner around the FADs turns up a juvenile Almaco Jack which went hard on the Major Craft KG Lights stick... |
 |
| The SLASH gets a final hurrah as we make for home... |
 |
| The weather had turned good but the trip had ended by then... |
 |
| But even at the marina we didn't pass on the chance of more fishing. Here's a small Spangled Emperor on the DUO Ikakko... |
 |
| Followed by a small Snapper on the Ikakko... |
 |
| Not an everyday catch, the Ponyfish on the DUO Ikakko is officially the last catch... |
 |
| The sun sets on yet another expedition. This one left a lot to be wanting but that's fishing, and even the most exotic locales can have tough days... |
For enquiries please email