Popping and stickbaiting GTs

Tossing oversize lures on oversize tackle in search of oversize giant trevally has to be considered an extreme sport. Those who regularly partake in this activity are usually left with sore bodies, adrenalin comedowns and severely damaged egos; all the hallmarks of an extreme sport! Yes, this is a very strenuous form of fishing, but it’s also very tactical - as is most fishing - and often it’s the muscles between the ears that get the biggest work out of all.

Being such a big and powerful animal, only purpose-built tackle will stand up to the punishment that this fishing and these fish dish out. The good news is that there is a range of tackle available to anyone wanting to go toe-to-toe with one of these gangster brutes.

Rods and reels have to be of the highest quality, as anything inferior will see gears breaking down, rods breaking under load, and anglers feeling uncomfortable from using gear not designed for the task.

The Assassin Popmaster Zero, Live Fibre Wilson Venom Popper 7ft11 PE 10 and Penn Ocean Assassin Spin/Popping Rodare a good selection of rods ready for combat, and are tested under these conditions. Having a good quality reel is important too, and the Rolls Royce of reels for GT fishing would have to be the Daiwa Saltiga 18000H Spin Reel. If that’s not in your price range, the Shimano Saragosa Spin Reel and Penn Slammer III High Speed Spin Reel in the appropriate sizes can turn large GTs.

Lures, once again, need to be of the highest quality, as inferior hardware and finish will get picked apart by GTs very quickly; there’s nothing like a GT to expose weakness in any part of your system!

For poppers, Nashy’s Custom Lures Popper 190mm 125g, Williamson Jet Popper, West Coast Poppers Gangsta Popper 145g and Nomad Design Chug Norris 180mm 120g Popper are a great selection to have on board.

For stickbaiting, Nashy’s Custom Sinking Stickbait 180mm, IMS Flying Fish Floating Stickbait 180mm 60g and Nomad Design Riptide 200mm 90g Floating Stickbait are proven performers.

This is just a rough guide, and preferred tackle will vary from place to place. If you book a trip out to Swain Reefs in Queensland or Exmouth in WA, or indeed anywhere there’s big GTs, make sure you ask your charter operator about appropriate tackle and stock up accordingly. There’s nothing worse than being undergunned!