nightstalker Posted May 6, 2010 Share Posted May 6, 2010 Hey guys, nightstalker clocking back on after having gone missing for a while. Mainly working, saving for this trip and fathering another little one. Back to serious fishing but. Turning 40 gave me a great excuse to go on a trip of a lifetime. Keeping it short, you fly to Hamilton Island (aka buggy world - the land of a thousand golf buggies which are the preferred mode of transport - some fully pimped ones too). Stay overnight at Hamilton, drink heaps and then get on a seaplane in the morning and fly 150-200km out to the outer edge of the reef named Bugatti Reef. Well, that in itself was an amazing experience but the fishing to come was also out of this world. The mother ship is a great 80ft cat and dont they look after you. After settling in, out you go fishing on either of 2 18 foot aussie whaler tri hulls or 24 ft Noble centre cab or 24ft Contender T-top. The weather, typically was crap with a combination of wind and rain at times, oh well, but in behind the reef it was still very fishable. They also reckon the fish were not fully on the bite with acres of whitebait having them switched onto different prey to the usual fusiliers. Anyway, we still caught GTs to 43kg,shark mackeral, bludger trevally, red bass, spanish mackeral, longtail tuna, coral trout, rainbow runners and a range of other reefies. Having not experienced GTs before, i was blown away. You buy poppers bigger than the fish you caught as a kid thinking nothing could eat them. Casting these lures on Yamaga rods, Stella 18000s and 130lb braid is a brutal workout and popping them is taxing, you still think nothing will eat this lure that sounds like a dolphin when all of a sudden a big GT puts his head and shoulders out of the water, smashes the popper in front of your face and then its on. They pull like freight trains. With leather gloves on i could barely pull drag off the reel but they are just smoking you up with 30m runs under ridiculous drag, then when they settle in its all you can do with both arms to pull the rod up enough to get one wind on the reel. Twenty or so minutes of this and its over but oh boy, its brutal, insane fishing. Personally i was lucky enough to score a GT somewhere over 30kg plus plenty of others, some good shark mackeral, bludger trevally that would attack smaller lures on lighter gear in packs of 20 all climbing all over each other to eat your lure, longtail tuna that go hard and bust up around you in football field sized schools. I also nailed 2 red bass that i really rate as hard core fighters. One was the first fish of the trip around 5 kilo and would pull a similar sized snapper backwards and the second one was an incredible almost 9 kilo fish that was just a beastly looking animal that ate my popper on the plunge, didnt even get one pop in before i was on. The trip is also made by the stuff you see, 300lb + groper at the back of the boat, fight 150kilo lemon sharks off the back of the boat, 40 squid in the lights at night just to annoy all you squid chasers from the harbour who chase them for hours. We also saw a flying eagle ray about 4 foot across fly about 10 metres, flying fish, longtoms chasing baitfish jumping out and chasing them 20 times in front of your eyes. Also saw 2 sharks chase a longtom for around a minute all around the boat. Had one big mackerel eat a massive popper on the way out of the water and come cartwheeling about 2 metres out of the water before our eyes only to leave me with a ravaged popper and no hookup. Had another big mack smash a popper before my eyes about 10 metres out only to eat the whole thing and bite me off. He sat there in full view trying to headshake the popper loose only to be smashed by a ten foot whaler in a bloodbath before our eyes. It was a fantastic trip, i recommend it to anyone and will be going again as soon as possible. happy to answer and questions about the trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregL Posted May 6, 2010 Share Posted May 6, 2010 Well done on some nice fish! Theres really not much to say until you personally experience a good live a board like that. It's a total experience and not just fishing that I like about them. 5 months to go before round 2! Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stippy Posted May 6, 2010 Share Posted May 6, 2010 I'll have to remember to bring a wakeboard if I ever take up GT fishing, those fish would tow me no worries. Looks like an amazing trip. Adam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregL Posted May 7, 2010 Share Posted May 7, 2010 I'll have to remember to bring a wakeboard if I ever take up GT fishing, those fish would tow me no worries. Looks like an amazing trip. Adam. You'd fit right in with the boyz from that boat! They wakeboard behind their 36ft black watch while they wait for the next group of anglers in their down times! There are some excellent fotos of them doing fly bys the mother ship doing crazy airs off the wake of the gameboat. Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooker435 Posted May 7, 2010 Share Posted May 7, 2010 Sounds like you have had a bit on your plate!!! what a way to get back into fishing well done to you!!! Some mighty fine fish and it looks like a nice place also!!! that is definitely a trip that I will take some day hopefully well done!!!! Regards, Nathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogtooth Posted May 8, 2010 Share Posted May 8, 2010 Top report Some great Gts and nice Red bass they sure go hard. , Looks like you are hooked on the coral sea bug. Try and get to the wider reefs next time and the species change to lots of wahoo , green jobfish and giant dogtooth tuna , you will still get lots of GTs and Red bass but you can jig for these between popping breaks if your arms let you . Cheers Dogtooth..... John.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightstalker Posted May 8, 2010 Author Share Posted May 8, 2010 Top report Some great Gts and nice Red bass they sure go hard. , Looks like you are hooked on the coral sea bug. Try and get to the wider reefs next time and the species change to lots of wahoo , green jobfish and giant dogtooth tuna , you will still get lots of GTs and Red bass but you can jig for these between popping breaks if your arms let you . Cheers Dogtooth..... John.... Yeh, thats the plan next time, as soon as money allows - to do 2 weeks and do wider reefs or even 1 1/2weeks out wide and half a week back inside on one of the split trips. Will be hard chasing bream again now but South West Rocks trip coming up in 8 weeks should help out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dugal67 Posted May 9, 2010 Share Posted May 9, 2010 Hey nightstalker, who was the charter operator up there? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DGF Posted May 9, 2010 Share Posted May 9, 2010 Whoa that looks awesome what did that trip set you back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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