Handling GT’s for maximum survival after release

 

Gamefishing Asia is committed to conserving our fisheries to the maximum extent possible and Caranx Ignoblis is top on our priority list. As a top sport fish, bad boy of the reef and fear nothing fish, the Giant Trevally has it all, its is also the fish we at Gamefishing Asia are lucky enough to catch the most!!!

Over the years we have honed our techniques to handle and release the fish and are happy to share some methods which we hope will reach as many people as possible as a guide to letting tough guy (i.e Mr GT) swim away and come back later bigger, heavier and tougher.

Use the Largest Barbless Treble Hooks appropriate to the lure

Given the GT’s vice like jaw structure and how hard they hit a lure, in our opinion it does not matter if the hook has barbs or not for a good hook up, however big trebles are better in that if a fish is hooked in a fleshy area or on the body they will not rip the fish apart like smaller thinner gauge trebles, they are easier to take out of the fishes mouth even if the GT has swallowed that huge lure whole (yes they do!!), barbless hooks do not get snagged in the landing net and if you are using the lure as a grab tool to get the fish on board are not as big a danger to the deckies hands as hooks with barbs.

Most of all using barbless hooks means you are not as big a danger to others around you especially when you let off that quick cast in sight of boil of fusilier and have forgotten to open the bail arm.

Scale your tackle to terrain you are fishing

Speak to your guide and charter operator before you go on that trip of a lifetime or get information from other people who have fished the area before, go with what your guides tell you. Yes it is possible to land big GT’s on lighter equipment but there is also the chance of you being cut off in shallow terrain and leaving that big GT to die an agonising death with lure stuck in the throat, sure not all the Trevally make it to fight another day but let us make sure we have at least tried our best. Also t is our opinion that the quicker you can land a fish the easier it is to revive and set free.

Landing and bringing the fish on board

This is a slightly larger topic so we will break it up a bit into a few sections

Tools: Here you would need good quality thick gloves to grab the leader, lure and if necessary the GT’s tail which has sharp flukes that can rip unprotected hands, a large lading net is a valuable tool to have on board, a good quality disgorger or long nosed plier to remove the hook, have everything ready before hand. If using a landing net just guide the GT into the landing net do not ever try to scoop the GT into the net this is a recipe for disaster, we like this method because once the GT is in the net it is not going anywhere, by bumping the boat into gear and facing the fish towards the bow you are also reviving it and making the release of the fish easier, the angler has time to grab a sip of water, get the cameras ready and set up, so your trophy spends the least time out of the water. If you are using your hands grab the lure with one hand and the wrist of the tail with the other and then bring the fish into the boat, never lift a big GT in by the head alone you can damage it, also never use the leader to lift the fish in, a break off will leave you red faced and the angler upset over the loss of an expensive lure. If you have 2 people available it is easier to lift a big Geet onboard.

On Deck handling

GT’s expend so much energy on the fight that by the time they come on the deck they do not have too much energy left to flap around, however good practice requires that the landing area be clear of any obstructions or obstacles.

The Boat deck is a hot so if you are going to put a GT down on the deck  make sure you throw a bucket of water on the deck first, or use a wet towel as a landing mat for the fish.

If your GT has to be photographed then you need to have everything ready before hand the less time out of the water the better for the fish, your first priority is to get the hook out and get some water through the GT’s gills.

Use of hook disgorger to push the hooks out is a fast and effective way to de hook a fish, you can also get to the difficult to access places if the lure is taken in deep The T-bar de hooker from leadertec we have found works very well

Remember you need to have the fish out of water for the least time, if your charter boat is fitted with a raw water wash-down hose it doubles as a way to pass oxygenated water though the GT’s gills.

If you do not have a raw water wash-down on the boat make sure there is a bucket but remember to turn the fish every now and again so that both sides of gills have water  passing through.

Also if struggling with a badly hooked fish where the hooks are difficult to get out stop focussing on getting the hooks out and remember to aerate the gills regularly to enhance the chance of survival.

Release

This is the most important part, after the euphoria of taking pictures of your prize GT its just terrible if when you drop it back into the water it just comes to the surface and cant get down to safety. Its important to try to get the fish back in the water soonest so with GT’s if you have been giving them lots of water while taking your photographs a simple head first release into the water suffices in most cases. Being like a dive the rush of water through the gills revives the fish. GT’s caught on jig and big GT’s may need more time to be revived again holding them vertical in the landing net and motoring ahead in gear with the fish facing forwards revives them quickly in most cases and is safer than going for a swim in shark infested waters or where there is strong current to try and get

the GT revived and strong enough to swim away on its own. Sometimes you may need to sacrifice on the pictures for the sake of getting the GT back into the water quickly one of the things to note is if the colour of the fish changes and it starts to loose colour, take time here to revive it in the water and it will tell you its ready for release when you start to see signs of movement and the colour come back to the fish. A final request to follow the simple advice above as an angler and try to release as many of these apex predators as you can. Always.