Giant Trevally

[Swamp Girl]

@JHoss's thread about why we target bass yanked me down the rabbit hole of strongest fish and the Giant Trevally is up there. Read this:

 

"I had one trip to the Marshall Islands where every single Giant Trevally I hooked broke me off in the rocks.  I was only using 50lb braided line and that was not enough to land a single one, even ones that I could see were only in the 10lb range.  The water was too shallow and the reef was too sharp.  That was very humbling.

Giant Trevally top out around 200lbs but fish that size are nearly impossible to land on sportfishing tackle because there is almost no way to keep them out of the reef.  The hook will bend, the line or rod will snap, or something will give before a fish that size will.  Anything over 100lbs is a real trophy."

 

Giant Trevally pull like gorillas and are very adept at heading straight to the reef and breaking your heart and your line.  These are one of the toughest fish to land on rod and reel.  You need to use the best and heaviest tackle and you still will not land them all. If you bring 50lb braid and are fishing for them in the reef, you might as well just throw your stuff into the ocean because that is where it is all going to end up.

 

[king fisher]

13 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

@JHoss's thread about why we target bass yanked me down the rabbit hole of strongest fish and the Giant Trevally is up there. Read this:

 

"I had one trip to the Marshall Islands where every single Giant Trevally I hooked broke me off in the rocks.  I was only using 50lb braided line and that was not enough to land a single one, even ones that I could see were only in the 10lb range.  The water was too shallow and the reef was too sharp.  That was very humbling.

Giant Trevally top out around 200lbs but fish that size are nearly impossible to land on sportfishing tackle because there is almost no way to keep them out of the reef.  The hook will bend, the line or rod will snap, or something will give before a fish that size will.  Anything over 100lbs is a real trophy."

 

Giant Trevally pull like gorillas and are very adept at heading straight to the reef and breaking your heart and your line.  These are one of the toughest fish to land on rod and reel.  You need to use the best and heaviest tackle and you still will not land them all. If you bring 50lb braid and are fishing for them in the reef, you might as well just throw your stuff into the ocean because that is where it is all going to end up.

 

Anyone fishing for large fish neear ocean reefs with 50 pound test line, has no clue what they are doing.  I fish for Cubera Snapper that range from 30 to 60 pounds on rocky underwater islands in Mexico.  I use 130 pound braid mainline, with 250 pound mono leader.  The rods are 130 pound big game rods, with 50 Wide reels.  The drags are set at 30 lbs full drag.  If the snapper will bite 10 feet above the reef, the angler is strong, and doesn't let the fish get turned, the fight will be short and successful.  If they are biting  within a few feet of the reef the only way to land them is to leave the rod in the holder, push the drag to full, and use the boat motor to pull away from the reef.  If the snapper gets into the rocks it will break the leader like it was thread.  A 100 pound Giant Trevally is not going to be landed if it is close to a reef on anything but the heaviest of tackle. 

[Swamp Girl]

Interesting, King. I know nothing about any of the above, so when a pro like you talks, I listen.

[N Florida Mike]

Big red snapper do the same thing. I had several cut me off  on a wreck while using 60 pound power pro the last time I was out… my son was able to get a 30 pounder to the boat. 

[J Francho]

Last of the Giants on Nat Geo has a couple GT episodes. They are beasts. 

[JHoss]

While I have never fought a GT, I have landed many others in the Jack family both with rod and reel and spearfishing. I can say that they all are pound-for-pound some of the hardest fighting fish out there. 

 

I once speared an amberjack that was in the 120lb class off the Chesapeake Light Tower. He barely reacted when the spear hit him and slowly began swimming off. After about 30 seconds of kicking towards the surface but not getting there, I looked up and realized I was being pulled to the bottom despite all of my strength and effort. The fish eventually wrapped the gun and floatline up at the bottom of the tower in about 50' FOW where we spent the next hour alternating dives to try and recover it until a 12+ tiger shark came in and claimed that fish as its own. 

 

It seems, in my experience, that some saltwater fish tend to be more strategic about using cover to break you off. Sure, I've lost plenty of bass that tangled me up in a blowdown they were hanging in, but I don't have any specific memories of one making a run for cover a reasonable distance away as if they knew they could use it to break me off. Cobia, for example, have a knack for this and will run straight to another boat's anchor line 100 yards away and wrap you in that as if they planned it from the get go. I'll never forget the 100+ lb cobia that did that to me in Hatteras Inlet when I was about 14. It's almost like the jump he made as he was breaking me off on a neighboring boats anchor line was him giving me the one-finger salute and thanking me for the eel he ate. Like @king fisher mentioned with the cuberas, sometimes when cobia are holding tight to a buoy or bridge piling, all you can do is lock down your drag and try to pull them away with the big motors. 

[casts_by_fly]

A 15” jack will strip 100 yards of line off a light spinning reel in seconds.  Jacks in general are beasts.  I’ve never caught a gt but I’ve seen them while diving and they are just mean looking. Bulky shoulders, BIG tall forked tail, thick width. 

[Tackleholic]

Fishing for snapper and grouper off the Florida Gulf Coast.  A Goliath Grouper was grabbing nearly everything we hooked and breaking our lines.  The guide gave me a rod with straight 100# braid and we used a red snapper for bait;  he snapped the line like a cobweb.  For round 2, my partner and I each used rods with 100# braid, hooking another snapper through the lip and under the dorsal fin.  The grouper snapped both lines, we couldn't turn him even with the guide engaging the motor to keep up.  

[MichaelN]

4 hours ago, Tackleholic said:

Fishing for snapper and grouper off the Florida Gulf Coast.  A Goliath Grouper was grabbing nearly everything we hooked and breaking our lines.  The guide gave me a rod with straight 100# braid and we used a red snapper for bait;  he snapped the line like a cobweb.  For round 2, my partner and I each used rods with 100# braid, hooking another snapper through the lip and under the dorsal fin.  The grouper snapped both lines, we couldn't turn him even with the guide engaging the motor to keep up.  

Wow. That's a trip on my bucket list. I'd love to fish down there. Maybe the Keys?

[Tackleholic]

3 hours ago, MichaelN said:

Wow. That's a trip on my bucket list. I'd love to fish down there. Maybe the Keys?

We were off shore from Naples.

[Pumpkin Lizard]

 

 

 

[TnRiver46]

I came across a study conducted on the possible consequences of catch and release fishing for giant trevally, somewhat interesting read 

https://www.umass.edu/news/article/uncovering-hidden-consequences-catch-and-release-sport-fishing#:~:text=Taken together%2C all of this,the problems of hook shyness.

[WRB]

Jack family of fish are tough fighters.

We have Pacific Yellowtail jack family of fish very strong and fast fish. The big adults over 50 lbs usually break off 50 lb tackle. I. Was blessed to catch. WR class yellowtail on 4 lb line fishing a Balboa Club  sponsored event. The WR lasted a few months topped by a Yellowtail caught New Zealand. 
Tom

[Alex from GA]

Although I haven't caught California Yellowtail on 4 lb line I've caught a bunch usually on 20-40 lb line in California and Baja and they are tough. Tried to find a picture but failed.

 

[Alex from GA]

Found the picture of yellowtail caught in Baja many years ago.  Yes that's me in the 70s.

[WRB]

Nice pair of Yellowtail👍

Tom

[Alex from GA]

Thanks, probably caught on a yoyoed Salas jig in blue and white.

[WRB]

Fresh Yellowtail are good eating fish.

Maybe a Tady back then.

Tom

[Alex from GA]

Maybe.  Do you remember Smitty's worms in Glendale?  I worked down the street from him and still have several Castaic specials, 4" black, brown and orange.

[WRB]

9 minutes ago, Alex from GA said:

Maybe.  Do you remember Smitty's worms in Glendale?  I worked down the street from him and still have several Castaic specials, 4" black, brown and orange.

Smitty’s sold his worms at Bunkers Tackle on Victory originally then several local shops.

I worked in Glendale (Glenair) for 45 years.

There are pictures of Smitty worms in my In-Fisherman article on Lake Isabella, A Rare Chance for a World Record.

Tom

 

[Alex from GA]

Small world.  Dennis was one of the good guys.  My claim to fame was a 148 lb sword I caught near Anacapa with a mackerel and 40 lb line.