GT Flyfishing

The surf zone and coral reefs

GTFlyfishing in the surf zone has become my obsession and is, without a doubt, the only kind of fishing that can really get my heart going—a pure adrenaline rush. Just seeing a Giant Trevally cruising next to the reef in the surf zone literally makes me shake in my pants. I’ve seen GTs that are bigger than myself. I was paralyzed; I didn’t know what to do. Should I throw my line out or run away? I was actually scared, I could feel my stomach turning. But I decided to cast out my line. The GT couldn’t care less; it circled around me once, and was just checking me out. It wasn’t interested in the fly nor in me. I felt it was too smart, an old timer. I imagine that's why it had grown to the size that it was.

Passion, Obsession & Experience

Where it all began

There´s countless reasons for my obsession, with fishing in the surf zone. one is that you can experience gigantic fish swimming pass you in knee high water, and sometimes less, and it is not unusual at all, to see huge GT´s come swimming sideways, because the water is to shallow for them to swim upright, and the to see them, just explode in the same second they spot the fly, and half of their body is above water and they are almost climbing out of the water sideways on to the reef in an explosion, of bait fish flying in all directions as the GT tries to catch the fly. To be experience all this on a daily basis in the season, when we do our fly fishing tours, is like being in flyfishing heaven, if one can call that an obsession, the i am morbidly addicted. I remember the first time i stepped out of the boat and on to the reef in the surf zone, i didm´t have a clue of what was waiting, i was overwhelmed by the size of the waves that was constantly pounding over the reef, and on to my chest, i had to struggle to stay in balance.

There was this one time, when my line was just all over the place and I literally got my self entangled in my line, so i constantly had to unwrap my line out of dead corals, while trying to cast my line out to shoals of Bluefin Trevally or Giant Trevally cruising around. It was a crazy time with many frustrations and defeats. But one thing that really got to my nerves was that my fly was constantly rejected in the first eight day of fishing, and i couldn’t figure out why the GT rejected my flies, i have tried every possible option in my flybox with absolutely no result. So on day nine, i went on the reef in to the surf zone as i have done the past eight days looking for GT´s, when i spotter a small shoal of Bluefin trevally´s. i layed out my line to them and started stripping in my line, they instantly started to attack the fly, and while the bluefin trevally is heading for the fly, i could see from the corner of my eye a dark shadow approaching my fly, and with unbelievable speed it took my fly, and the water was whipped white, at that moment i knew the fish was on, my heart started pounding almost beating to fast i knew at that moment i had my first GT on Finally.

Eventhogh it was a utter and pure luck, it didn´t made it less fun, but in fact i wash´t a Giant Trevally, a beautiful silver colored GT on about 15 pounds. I was so delighted but yet surprised by how exhausting and difficult fly fishing in the surf zone really is. Back then i wasn´t using line basket or a flex stripper, but now i know, never to go back in the surf zone without. I noticed when the GT came from the side, it was quite far away from the fly when i spotter it, at least 20 meters away, i was slowly starting to see all the things that i`ve done wrong the previous days. The Giant Travelly has very large eyes and can probably see movements and silhouettes from a very long distance, but how far can they really see? After spending countless hours in the surf zone, i have gained quite som knowledge of the various reefs i fish on, i have with blood sweat and tears experienced, that The Giant Trevally uses a mix of different instruments in it`s search for prey, such as sounds (splashes), and movements ( silhouettes ), but it also uses its sense of smell, they are well adjusted opportunists, that throws themselves over everything they can swallow. After i got the first one and experienced from how far away they can see my fly, i knew that my mistake was to throw my fly to close to them, The GT is used to see baitfish trying to escape in the opposite direction, away from itself, so by throwing my fly too close to the GT i probably made it suspect that something was wrong, and therefore ignored my fly.

Fly Fishing in the Surf Zone

When fly fishing in the surf zone, it pays to practice a little at home if possible. A little casting practice and skill development can be essential for success. Most people who are used to fly fishing with lighter rods will be surprised by how hard it can be to cast with 11–12 weight rods in this harsh and unforgiving environment. Nothing is easy here. Even searching for fish or just standing upright can be a challenge in the surf zone, so it can be crucial to practice a bit at home.

In addition to rods and reels, which are your most important equipment, your boots are your second most important piece of gear. They must be the strongest imaginable, preferably with good support around the ankle and extra non-slip soles, to avoid falling on slippery and sharp corals. It is very difficult to recommend any boots, as all the ones I have tried so far have fallen apart, even the most well-known brands such as Simms and Patagonia. I will experiment with boots some more and give notice if I find some that last.

If you haven’t tried it before, it is generally difficult to imagine how hard it is to walk around on dead and broken coral on the reef crust in the surf zone. On top of that, the constant waves pushing on you and generating white foam on the surface make it hard to see anything. In this turbulent environment, it is important to have a pair of proper polarized sunglasses. I prefer yellow to brown lenses with a mirror finish, and it is always a good idea to remember lens mist to keep the sunglasses clean. UV-protective clothing is a necessity, both shirts and shorts, and if necessary, a UV-protective buff. I highly recommend clothes that can stretch, as they provide much better comfort when moving around on the reefs all day in wet clothes. But always remember sunscreen anyway.

As described earlier, I always have a line basket with me on the reef. It is almost as important as your boots. In all the locations I fish for Giant Trevally, the line basket is necessary to avoid loose line getting stuck in corals and rocks when the line is stripped back in or when waves are coming over you. There is always something the line can get stuck in. I advise against wearing anything hanging freely, such as pliers or fly boxes, as the line tends to get caught in everything, especially when the adrenaline is pumping. So, I am almost always running around nearly naked—only almost. My primary bag on the battlefield is a waterproof sling bag from Simms or Patagonia, where I keep everything I might need when fishing in the surf zone. It doesn’t matter if it is a waterproof backpack or sling bag, as long as you can endure having it on all day. It does not have to be the heaviest pack you carry all day. Depending on the location we are fishing and how far our boat is, I may take an extra rod with me on the reef. Usually, we do not fish far from the boat, but if we have been put off on a sandbar or reef crust and are wading far from the boat, we always take more rods with us.

Moon & Tide

There´s countless reasons for my obsession, with fishing in the surf zone. one is that you can experience gigantic fish swimming pass you in knee high water, and sometimes less, and it is not unusual at all, to see huge GT´s come swimming sideways, because the water is to shallow for them to swim upright, and the to see them, just explode in the same second they spot the fly, and half of their body is above water and they are almost climbing out of the water sideways on to the reef in an explosion, of bait fish flying in all directions as the GT tries to catch the fly. To be experience all this on a daily basis in the season, when we do our fly fishing tours, is like being in flyfishing heaven, if one can call that an obsession, the i am morbidly addicted. I remember the first time i stepped out of the boat and on to the reef in the surf zone, i didm´t have a clue of what was waiting, i was overwhelmed by the size of the waves that was constantly pounding over the reef, and on to my chest, i had to struggle to stay in balance.

There was this one time, when my line was just all over the place and I literally got my self entangled in my line, so i constantly had to unwrap my line out of dead corals, while trying to cast my line out to shoals of Bluefin Trevally or Giant Trevally cruising around. It was a crazy time with many frustrations and defeats. But one thing that really got to my nerves was that my fly was constantly rejected in the first eight day of fishing, and i couldn’t figure out why the GT rejected my flies, i have tried every possible option in my flybox with absolutely no result. So on day nine, i went on the reef in to the surf zone as i have done the past eight days looking for GT´s, when i spotter a small shoal of Bluefin trevally´s. i layed out my line to them and started stripping in my line, they instantly started to attack the fly, and while the bluefin trevally is heading for the fly, i could see from the corner of my eye a dark shadow approaching my fly, and with unbelievable speed it took my fly, and the water was whipped white, at that moment i knew the fish was on, my heart started pounding almost beating to fast i knew at that moment i had my first GT on Finally.

Eventhogh it was a utter and pure luck, it didn´t made it less fun, but in fact i wash´t a Giant Trevally, a beautiful silver colored GT on about 15 pounds. I was so delighted but yet surprised by how exhausting and difficult fly fishing in the surf zone really is. Back then i wasn´t using line basket or a flex stripper, but now i know, never to go back in the surf zone without. I noticed when the GT came from the side, it was quite far away from the fly when i spotter it, at least 20 meters away, i was slowly starting to see all the things that i`ve done wrong the previous days. The Giant Travelly has very large eyes and can probably see movements and silhouettes from a very long distance, but how far can they really see? After spending countless hours in the surf zone, i have gained quite som knowledge of the various reefs i fish on, i have with blood sweat and tears experienced, that The Giant Trevally uses a mix of different instruments in it`s search for prey, such as sounds (splashes), and movements ( silhouettes ), but it also uses its sense of smell, they are well adjusted opportunists, that throws themselves over everything they can swallow. After i got the first one and experienced from how far away they can see my fly, i knew that my mistake was to throw my fly to close to them, The GT is used to see baitfish trying to escape in the opposite direction, away from itself, so by throwing my fly too close to the GT i probably made it suspect that something was wrong, and therefore ignored my fly.

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