Fishing for Giant Trevally has become my latest addiction. Let it be the fighting power and punishment these brutes exhibit or just the thrill of an aggressive species chasing down my monster popper before engulfing it with a huge explosion. These brutes have been known to reduce grown men to tears! Often after the battle is over, I feel like I just went 12 rounds with the heavyweight champ of the world!
During January 31 to February 9, I once again had the opportunity to thrill my addiction while fishing on Long Reef out of Alotau, Papua New Guinea. I was led by Rock Expeditions, guide and good friend Luke Wyrsta. The weather out in the Coral Sea was windy during the expedition along with massive strong currents which made the bite tough. Still, my partner, Gary LaRose and I were able to land a few trophy Giant Trevally and other species on topwater poppers. Gary landed the largest GT of the trip, a beautiful trophy estimated around 80 lbs. My largest was roughly a 50 lbs brute.
The highlight of my fishing was a trophy sized barracuda measuring over 7ft landed on a Heru popper. My guides, Richard, estimated the weight at 45 kilos, which would have broken the current IGFA all tackle record. Not being into records, I released the monster hoping to give another the opportunity to take photos with it. The scenery in Papua New Guinea is beyond belief. The residents of Wari Island were extremely nice and quite polite. I dream of returning next winter fishing again with good friends like Luke. I know for sure that my dream will come true!
