The Giant Trevally (GT) is the highest profile of all the trevallies found in Australian waters and attracts a dedicated cohort of anglers with a blinding passion for these thugs of the reef.

Growing to an impressive 170cm, the GT is the largest of the trevally species in Australia with individuals recorded up to 80kg in weight! GT's use their bulk and aggression when feeding by slamming into baitfish from the bottom of the water column to the top and beyond! There has been some amazing footage taken of GT attacking and feeding on ocean going birds, so it’s safe to say they are one mean and aggressive fish!

The Giant Trevally is found in many environments. As juveniles they frequent estuaries, shallow bays and lagoons moving out to the deeper water found offshore as they mature where deeper reefs, offshore atolls and major reefs provide the food and cover the fish need to survive.

Adult GT's can be distinguished by their large size, steep head profile, strong tail scutes and the absence of yellow fins on large fish. GT's can vary in colour from silvery to grey with irregular spots or light and dark bands on the dorsal region of the flanks, to almost uniformly black – which are very impressive beasts to see in the water!

Fishing for GT's has taken on a mythic reputation with experienced anglers going all glassy eyed and looking off into the distance as they reminisce about the ferocious strike and never-ending pain of the fight! Comments such as “someone dropped a VW beetle on top of my lure” to “the ocean opened up and swallowed my lure” are not uncommon. And that’s before they start reliving the epic battle that follows any GT surface hookup!

GT's fight hard and dirty. If there’s reef nearby they will head straight to it and wrap your line around it without hesitation. If the water is deep, they can dive for the depths with speed and immense power leaving the angler with a soul-breaking fight to get the fish back up.

Being a vertically broad fish, GT use every bit of their depth to advantage, fighting side-on to the pull of the line. Their brutal tactics and ability to strip back hard won line are all parts of the reason GT fishing is enjoyed by so many anglers.It’s a sadistic and painful pastime that dedicated anglers go back for time and time again!

The most common lures used for GT fishing are surface poppers and stickbaits. Big cup faced poppers or bloopers are the mainstay of the GT fishing world. Long casts to reef edges or bait schools will have your lure in the right area and then a vicious and powerful punch of the rod tip gives the lure the required action. The lure cup face grabs a large amount of air that is dragged under the water’s surface creating a loud pop or boof noise that GT's find irresistible. Luckily GT's are not easily spooked and they will chase a lure from the start of the retrieve to the side of the boat trying to smash the lure from the surface time and time again in spectacular strikes. It’s an impressive sight to see a worked up GT line up a popper and repeatedly bash it off the surface!

In Australia, GT's are found on or adjacent to coral or rocky reefs from Perth in WA north around the top end and then south to the central coast of NSW. Most GT anglers dream of chasing these fish in the beautiful waters of the Coral Sea and the Great Barrier Reef off the Queensland coast and this area can be regarded as the real home of GT fishing in Australia.

If you are looking for the right equipment to catch these awesome fish, look no further than Nomad Design Offshore Spin Popping Rods, GT Fin Vango Popper  230mm and the Stella SW Spinning Reel