Giant Trevally

GIANT TREVALLY Saltwater's Apex Predator

Biita Kairaoi and Fly Water’s Brian Gies with a Christmas Island monster.

Photo: Dylan Rose

by Brian Gies

GIANT TREVALLY

H

ad Swedish naturalist Peter Forsskal had the good fortune of being an experienced saltwater fly angler, he likely would have chuckled at the clever double meaning of his standing taxonomical identification of the first Giant Trevally, Caranx Iglobilis. The year was 1775 in the Red Sea between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, and while the Caranx genus of trevally was obvious to him, the rest of the package was so mysterious and foreign he named the species Ignobilis to denote its “obscure and unknown” attributes. The humor in this today is that the current definition of ignoble typically reads “not honorable in character or purpose, degenerate, mean or savage.”

For those of us who have had the good fortune to chase these ferocious fish in their element, the current definition could not be more descriptive. They are the undisputed apex predator of the flats; superbly conditioned high performance thugs that sometimes top 170 pounds and instill constant terror within all members of the food chain beneath them. Simply put, they are the meanest, hardest fighting fish you could ever hope to tangle with on a 12-weight.

Brush Less than a minute into hooking my first GT, I panicked. My backing was disappearing faster than I had ever imagined possible and for the first time in my life, I was fairly certain that I was going to lose everything. So I did what seemed logical: I reefed back on my 12-weight so hard that I snapped it clean in half. I am not sure what I said at the time but I am sure my mother would not have been proud. That first encounter was 13 years ago and almost every year since I have made a trip or two to some equatorial destination with the hope of re-creating encounters of that magnitude. Truth be told these trips have produced a multitude of opportunities, the majority of which have not ended happily. However through a combination of learning, good luck and proper preparation there have been some real victories. I vividly remember a particular encounter on the flats of Christmas Island eight years ago where everything really came together.

Imagine it being high noon, the trade winds are blowing soft and steady

and the equatorial sun is brilliant, warm and bright. I am in my favorite flats shirt, Buff snug around my neck and walking an immaculate flat by myself. In my hand is my favorite bonefish set up, the well-worn one that has been everywhere with me and tucked into my hip pocket pointing back and secured by my pack’s waist belt is my trevally rod. It had been a good morning and I had just released another chunky bonefish. I am pleased with myself and the simple joys of bonefishing. I re-check my fly, strip off 25 feet of line, coil it in my hand and am about to start walking when I see a dark mass moving slowly down the edge of the flat. I question myself and instinctively scan the flats to see if my friends are near. No luck. I look back at the approaching fish and realize that my heart is racing. It is the opportunity I have been waiting and preparing for but as usual I feel ill-prepared for the event. Hurriedly, I reel in my bonefish rod and make the awkward transition to my GT outfit. As multiple dark shapes close to within 40 yards I can tell there are three fish, all big but one is truly huge. They are now well onto the flat with their backs bulging out of the shallow water and their casual pace tells me they are the undisputed kings of the flats. At F ly this point instincts take over and I am in the stalking crouch, pulling line off the tightly cranked drag. As they come within 60 feet I make one false cast, then another and the big fly hisses out, landing 15 feet in front of and just beyond the pack. Immediately they stiffen and rise in the water column and as if in anticipation of an event, time momentarily grinds to a halt. When I make my first strip everything accelerates into a blur as all three fish rush the offering. There is commotion and then tension and while I would like to tell you about a textbook strike and hook-set, it was really just mayhem as I hung on for dear life. Sometime during the battle, with my backing still disappearing into the blue depths beyond the edge of the flat, my companions showed up. After a number of blistering runs and a few close calls with my fly line and a nearby coral head I was able to bring the rock-hard beast with its huge shoulders, angry eye and savage jaw into the shallows. My close friend and guide Biita took a hold of the beast’s spiny wrist and we all exhaled a collective sigh of victory and relief.

“Simply put, they are the meanest, hardest fishing fish you could ever hope to tangle with on a 12-weight.”

GIANT TREVALLY Where to Hunt Them If you’re among one of the lucky few that have tangled with a large flycaught GT then it’s easy to understand how anglers become obsessed with these magnificent fish. It’s hard to describe or imagine the strength of a giant trevally and their unrelenting ability to test your tackle, strength and skill as an angler. We now have a solid understanding on how to effectively target giant trevally at the following six proven destinations.

Christmas Island Outfitters, Christmas Island: Located only three hours south of Honolulu by commercial airline, this classic flats destination is home to a thriving population of giant trevally.

Alphonse Island Resort, Seychelles: Alphonse is the longest standing and most well-rounded program in the Seychelles. Punctuated by deluxe accommodation, outstanding guides, all flats species and great equipment.

Desrosches Island Resort, Seychelles: Desroches is the most luxurious resort by which to pursue giant trevally, bonefish, permit and offshore species in the Seychelles.

Farquhar Atoll, Seychelles: This simple fishing camp is our top pick for anglers looking for extreme saltwater variety.

Cosmoledo Atoll, Seychelles: Cosmoledo is back on-line for the spring of 2014. This destination is the guide’s pick for the most prolific GT fishery in the Seychelles.

St. Brandon Shoals, Mauritius: Better known for its world class bonefish and permit fishery, St. Brandon in Mauritius also has good populations of large giant trevally.

Location GTX, Indonesia: GTX is an emerging destination that holds great promise. Fly Water’s Brian Gies is planning an expository visit in April of 2014. Keep a lookout for more information on this exciting new fishery as it might just be the next great GT destination!

These destinations are by no means the final word on where these fish can be found. There are prolific population in many other areas of the Pacific, including the offshore areas of Northern Australia and the Maldives. Many of these fisheries have limited access, inconsistent flats, or we simply have

not had the time and resources to learn their secrets just yet. Over the next several years we will continue to seek out and explore these truly wild places. We hope to visit many new and exciting locales to travel and chase these magnificent fish.

Ways to Hunt Them There are many tactics that can be employed to target giant trevally.

Unquestionably, our favorite strategy is to search for them while wading the flats. Over the past fifteen years of fishing Christmas Island, the Seychelles and Mauritius we’ve learned that giant trevally are often encountered while bonefishing. It’s not uncommon to be happily throwing flies at bonefish in skinny water and suddenly see a 60 pound tank terrorizing a school of mullet with a full 12 inches of its back out of the water. In this scenario, our advice is to concentrate on the edges of the flats adjacent to deep water while being mindful of opportune points where a fish might be entering or exiting the flats. For those interested in experiencing the ultimate encounter in shallow water, this is the name of the game!

Another worthy tactic that is often employed at Alphonse and Farquhar in the Seychelles is to slowly cruise the flats scanning for large sharks and rays. If you spot them, be sure to get close enough to see if there might be GT shadowing them. We have seen that in many cases there will be at least one or sometime several slowly cruising behind them. It’s not exactly clear why they do this but the theory is that GT use these fish as cover while they prowl the flats. In these situations anglers will either cast at the fish from a moving boat or if the water is shallow enough, the guide may move the boat into position and have the angler ease into the water to make the cast.

The third exciting tactic is to employ a large spinning rod with a hook-less plug and attempt tease the fish off a reef or up to the surface from a deep cut or coral head. Most often this will take place on the outside of the breakzone on the edge of the blue water and flats. This is a team effort where the boat driver keeps the boat in position and an angler (or guide) casts the plug into the reef and retrieves it back as fast as they can. The other angler stands ready in the bow of the boat with a sturdy 12-weight and a streamer or large popper. When the plug is being retrieved it is not uncommon to have multiple

“It’s not uncommon to be happily throwing flies at bonefish in skinny water and suddenly see a 60 pound tank terrorizing a school of mullet with a full 12 inches of its back out of the water.”

GIANT TREVALLY fish charging after the teaser. The goal of the angler on the spinning rod is to keep the teaser away from the fish (this is not as easy as you may think) so it chases it all the way in. When the fish are within casting distance the plug must be yanked clear of the water and the fly must be dropped in at the same moment (again, not as easy as it sounds).

Wading On Your Own In the case when you’re fishing on your own, having a speedy way to access your GT outfit and get your fly airborne is imperative. We prefer to rig the bigger rod with the fighting butt tucked in our pocket and the rod tucked behind our off-hand shoulder and held in place loosely by a hip-pack strap.

In this way, anglers can fish bonefish while always keeping a keen eye out for GT. When a GT shows itself, you can switch out your 8wt. for your 12wt. and get into position to get a fly in front of the fish. We highly recommend practicing it a few times because it doesn’t always work smoothly while under pressure. I will be the first to admit that more often than not my bonefish rod ends up lying on the flats somewhere because I am too focused on the larger fish to actually get it strapped back onto my pack. To date I have always been able to go back and find it after the GT event was over. However, on two different occasions at Christmas Island it took a considerable amount of time because when I was off chasing down the GT, a bonefish came by, picked up my fly and hooked itself! The enterprising bonefish then proceeded to drag my whole outfit to a completely new location!

Casting, Stripping, Fighting When casting to a fish of this nature, the presentation is critical. The worst presentation is to have the fish following the tail of the fly as it swims towards you. The best scenario is to have the fly suddenly cross in front of the fish and to instantly entice the fish to attack. In an ideal situation the fly will land just beyond and to the side of the fish so you can pull the fly across its line of vision. When done correctly this will trigger its killer instinct and initiate a sudden charge on the fly where the fish grabs the fly before your second or third strip. When you get a follow as opposed to a charge or a missed grab it is very important to strip as fast as you can and to never ever give up. We have had fish follow the fly all the way to our rod tips and then at the last instant grab the fly and the rod tip!

When a fish is hooked it will not waist much time blistering off for the nearest coral head or deep water. Legendary angler Jake Jordon and the guides from South Africa have taught us that the best way to handle this

is to point your rod directly at the fish (with the reel’s drag fully cranked down) with virtually no bend in the rod. This will allow your reel to do its job and put the maximum amount of pressure on the fish. At this point it is a battle of wills. If you give this fish an inch he will take you a mile so keep the rod straight and bring back line as fast and steady as you can. Again if done correctly you can land even the biggest brutes in under twenty minutes.

If you fight the fish with a high bent rod and moderate drag pressure you will be in for a long and grueling interaction.

Gearing Up As you might guess a fish with this type of speed and power will find flaws in your tackle. Even when you are using the best rods, reels, and lines available, a fair bit of luck is involved in landing the big ones.

Rods: 11 or 12wt. rods are best. The most important factor is that you choose one that you can cast. Compared to bonefish rods these are quite heavy and often very stiff so take the time to cast a number of them to see which one you like the best.

Lines: We have found that the Rio Outbound Short or the Airflo GT both work great.

Backing: We like to begin by spooling on 100 yards of 30 pound Dacron backing to avoid “slippage” or rotation of the backing on the arbor. Next, with back to back biminies we attach an additional 200 yards of 80 pound Spectra. Be sure to spool this on as tightly as humanly possible to avoid in digging into itself.

Reels: This might be the most important piece of the puzzle. If you can’t stop the fish you will never land it. The drag should be strong enough that you can barely, and I mean barley pull line off when you have it all the way tightened down.

Leaders: We prefer what we call the commitment rig; straight 100 pound fluorocarbon.

Flies and Hooks: One of the most effective patterns across the world for GT is a simple drab baitfish imitation, absent of any flash called a Brush Fly (also introduced by the South Africans). This pattern sheds water quickly when airborne, presents a simple baitfish silhouette reminiscent of a mullet, goatfish or baby milkfish and we’ve proven time and again that trevally eat it with reckless abandon. When tying these patterns we recommend using either Owner Aki or Gamakatsu SL12S hooks in 6/0.