Our good friend Mat McHugh from Fly Odyssey is back telling about a fish that ticks just about all of his saltwater fly fishing boxes. The big, mean, powerful Giant Trevally
Saltwater fly fishing is a great passion of mine. Having grown up in Australia there was a plethora of saltwater species to chase with a fly rod and no matter what part of the coastline you fished you could encounter a member of the Trevally family. There is over 30 species of trevally swimming in Australian waters so there was a fair chance you would encounter one of them when on the water.
The most highly prized of the trevally species is the Giant Trevally or GT as it is commonly known. These are the ultimate predator and a real challenge to the saltwater fly fisherman. Fast, aggressive and big they test all aspects of your casting, tackle and fish fighting skills. Broken rods, straightened hooks and fly lines sliced in half on coral are common occurrences.
There is a variety of ways to fish for Giant Trevally. Blind fishing and deep dredging around reef systems, chumming and teasing with hookless poppers is a common practice in many locations for getting clients onto giant trevally. However for me there is only one way to catch them and that is to free swimming fish on shallow sand flats. This is the ultimate hunt. On a rising tide GT's will come onto the flats to hunt mullet and various bait fish in water as shallow as 2 feet deep. They are easily spotted!!
Watching a lone GT move across a flat is a special experience. While it hunts unsuspecting bait fish you also set up the hunt. Sometimes this will mean running across the flat in order to position yourself to make a cast. Other times it will mean slowly stalking the fish and others staking out a position and waiting in hope that a fish will come your way.
There is a misconception that all GT's are boisterous cannibals that maul anything in their path. I have encountered fish that are as fussy as any wild brown trout. One fish sticks in my memory followed and eyeballed a white deceiver, turned on its side to get a better look and then finally decided that it was worth tasting. The majority though murder a fly.
The eat is an adrenalin rush like no other in fly fishing. It happens so fast that it is easy for mistakes to be made by both angler and fish. I have lost count of the number of times that a GT misses the fly as it charges in behind with pectoral fins flared. With a mouth so large I still don't understand how this happens.
And for such an aggressive fish, when it all comes together and you bring one to hand, they behave. Once caught they know the game is up and they sit peacefully in your lap while hook is removed. Those big eyes seem to plead with you for release.
Best locations for flats fishing for giant trevally include Christmas island, Seychelles, Maldives, Australia, New Caledonia and French Polynesia.
If this leaves you wanting to go and fish for Giant Trevally then visit
Mats site for more details