The 1st month of 2014 saw us out fishing after a bit of wind that usually raises its head briefly, that signifies the end of the North East monsoon winds. We were this time fishing with a trio from Russia. It was their first trip to the Andaman Islands and we were keen to put them into some fish to start with. Fishing was pretty much as predicted and the GT were balling up schools of bait off the reefs and were ready to come up and take poppers. This time round we had a couple of Ivan’s and an Alexander on board so the crew with little difficulty got their names right!
Ivan with a nice GT caught on the first day we were out fishing. The standard set of poppers came out and poppers like the Cubera 150 landed the most fish. Most fish were caught off structure and we did come across some nervous bait, which are tell tale signs of GT in the area.
Ivan with a small GT that took his popper right at the boat. Sometimes the GT get very aggressive and will come up and smash a popper right beside the boat.
A couple of Coral Trout hat came up off a shallow reef during a stick-bait session. Using smaller stickbaits like the Ocea Pencils or the Dorado Slider are great for coral trout, small grouper and blue fin trevally. We also get the occasional brute GT in really slim water and then all hell breaks loose.
Another small stickbait caught GT.
Alexander this time with a GT caught on popper. This was the biggest fish of the day for him.
Release of yet another GT back to the reef to make sure we never have a Andaman Sea without these fantastic fish!
A Tiger Grouper is a fantastic looking fish and are quite common in our waters. They’re highly sought after by local fishermen who sell them to traders who export these fish to the far-east. They are becoming harder to find these days and we’re sure to return every one of these beautiful fish we catch.
A new species for Ivan, a perfect specimen of a small Green Jobfish.
More grouper from distant reefs.
Pictures from a truly great jigging session South of Port Blair. Most jigging marks are untouched as we’re the only ones fishing these areas.
Ivan getting into a nasty tangle with a mid-water doggie. Luckily for him we were drifting off the wall and he got his strike pretty high up in the water column. He spent most of his time curled over the side of the boat till the doggie ran out of steam.
Finally! One happy angler as poses with his hard earned Dog Tooth Tuna. A pretty nice fish and caught on jig.
The GT kept coming on this trip. Many double hookups and constant surface action kept us all busy throughout the day.
Releasing grouper back to the sea. These fish are a vital part of the reef eco system and deserved to be put back. We see quite a few grouper on popper and stickbait.
More light fishing action off shallow reefs and the grouper kept coming. The favorites were small stick-baits and they did pretty well as expected.
Our skipper Bunty is ever smiling and keen to get you in to the action.
More to come as we fish with more clients and catch more fish!
Team GFI
