Port Blair, Andaman Sea India Feb 2015

When the Kuwaiti group contacted me to put a GT trip together I was a bit worry as they never fished for GT’s before. They all seemed to know what they are about to encounter but on the other hand GT fishing is very challenging and it is all about sharing the knowledge and being fit for the task.

The trip was set a while ago with a lot of questions and preparation. We finally met each other in Dubai and flew together to Chennai where we stayed all at the same Hotel. In the early morning I took the first flight to Port Blair to get greeted by Akshay at the airport. The guys arrived a bit later and we had the briefing and the schedule set for the next 5 days. The excitement was on their faces to a point that some of them could not sleep on that first night, thinking and dreaming to catch a GT on topwater.

The morning came and we headed out to the farther point south to be greeted with school of fusilier in every direction. The area was full of bait and life, we almost lost counting and we had one of the greatest days on the water with a 40kg plus GT on topwater for Saud on his first GT trip. You can’t ask for better than that! The action did not stop and we had a 51 GT’s between 2 boats - a great start with a lot of fish in the mid teen which turned out to be a training session for the guys. We headed back to the guest house happy and beaten!

The action was somewhat slower on the 2^nd day and made the catch very challenging, fusilier was all over but the GT’s had a locked jaw with sudden violent attack that put up the spirit to keep casting and never gave up.

I was using the Race Point 100 matched with the Hammmerhead cherry asymmetry 200 and I was able to get the ultimate performance. That set up was topnotch and the tip softness of the Race Point 100 allowed the lure to get the best performance with tons of strikes and so many GT’s airing out to get the lure. Another great day on the water with close to 30 GT’s between 2 boats, spoiled for the quantity for sure!!!

We decided to hit the jigging ground to try our luck for Doggies; present they were but luck was not to our favor. Many strikes with small fish landed that actually put up a smile on the guys and they were so happy to land their first ever Doggy.

With the calm weather that we were about to finish the trip we made the call to head to invisible bank. It was a 55 nautical mile run but the sea was flat like an oil field and we made it in no time. The guys were fascinated by the scenery and the clarity of the water. Upon arrival we started picking up small GT’s, it started slow but down the road it changed. Ultimately, we begun getting fish after fish until Akshay picked up the RP 100 and casted the 120 Orange Gamma. While I was at the bow and literally within 3 to 4 feet from the boat an estimated 35kg doggies came out of nowhere and smash his lure while he was striking and setting the hook. Line screaming, man running around and fish was on the run!
In another word Chaos was at the play J

The fish dumped half of the spool in less than 30 second and the line came in loose with a big disappointment, tight again from a nice doggy to a shark - what a disappointment.

 We decided to move to the deeper water while we marked bait and within the first drop we begun getting GT’s on the jig on every drop. The fish weighted from 5kg up to 25kg, it kept us busy and we ended up with 61 GT’s between 2 boats. The guys by the end of the day became a pro and their casting ability and distance improved a lot.

On the last day we decided to hit a new ground and we headed east to jig with a stopover at a reef to pop. The guys on the other boat landed an estimated 45kg GT on a pink Hammerhead C Cup that Abed El Mooty had asked me to sell it to him, it really paid off to have the right lure in hand.

Since the guys were collecting lures while ago they ran into many copies and cheap products that they have no knowledge what to buy. Therefore, they end up with some copies and low end popping lures, the price was way too costly and at certain time we had open swivels, however – the lesson was learned!

We moved east and made it to jigging ground, start marking bait than fish at 110 meter. Suddenly, the water irrupted with skippies on topwater and small yellowfin. Sure enough the doggies were under; I had a great take on the jig while Salah got tight as well, however we both lost a big fish and the bites died down after 1 hour.

At 1:00 in the afternoon we called it off and headed to get our last topwater session. It was a bit slow with sudden awaken to warn us to stay awake. I had a big GT that came in 3 times chasing on my lure but missed it at all time; it was the biggest I ever seen on the trip and a real hefty one.

We called the trip off and headed back to the port to pick up 2 GT at the mouth of Port Blair entrance, so we ended the trip nicely.
It was such a pleasure to fish with the Kuwaiti group and I totally had a great time with them. The guys were so happy with the results that they already booked a trip for 2016 season. In the meantime if you want to be part of the action, get in touch with us put up a trip for 2016 – it’s filling up quicker then we think and the timing is perfect for GT’s, Doggies and Yellowfin tuna.

I want to thank Salah, Fawzi, Saud, Abu Saud, Abd El Mooti and Sami for that exceptional time I spend with you guys, I look forward to see you and fish with you in the near future, thank you guys!!!
And also Gamefishingasia for their outstanding service and hospitality!!

Tackle used:
Popping Rod: Race Point, Carpenter, Black Hole
Jigging Rod: MC Works, OBX, Van Staal
Reel: Shimano, Daiwa, Saragosa
Line: Power Pro Hollow, Jerry Brown, Varivas SMP, Sunline
Leader: Fisherman, Varivas, Seaguar Fluorocarbon, Saltywater Tackle Twsited Leader
Lures: Hammerhead, CB One, Carpenter, Shell Shaping
Jigs: Shout Shab Shab & Stay, Hot’s drift tune , Smith Nagamasa, Lamble Bait, Marine Bait

Tight Lines

    Sami