Giant trevally are the undisputed apex
predator of the flats; superbly conditioned
high-performance thugs that sometimes top
170 pounds and instill constant terror within
all members of the food chain beneath them.
I will be the first to admit that more often
than not my bonefish rod ends up lying on
the flats somewhere because I am too focused
on the larger fish to actually get it strapped
back onto my pack. To date I have always
been able to go back and find it after the GT
event was over. However, on two different
occasions at Christmas Island it took a con-
siderable amount of time because when I was
off chasing down the GT, a bonefish came
by, picked up my fly and hooked itself. The
enterprising bonefish then proceeded to drag
my whole outfit to a completely new location.
water
Casting, Stripping, Fighting
to deep water while being mindful of op-
portune points where a fish might be entering
or exiting the flats. For those interested in ex-
periencing the ultimate encounter in shallow
water, this is the name of the game!
Another worthy tactic that is often em-
ployed in the Seychelles is to slowly cruise
the flats scanning for large sharks and rays. If
you spot them, be sure to get close enough to
see if there might be GT shadowing them. I
have seen that in many cases there will be at
least one or sometime several slowly cruising
behind them. It’s not exactly clear why they
do this but the theory is that GT use these fish
as cover while they prowl the flats. In these
situations anglers will either cast at the fish
from a moving boat or if the water is shallow
enough, the guide may move the boat into
position and have the angler ease into the
water to make the cast.
The third exciting tactic is to employ a
large spinning rod with a hook-less plug and
attempt tease the fish off a reef or up to the
surface from a deep cut or coral head. Most
often this will take place on the outside of
the break-zone on the edge of the blue water
and flats. This is a team effort where the boat
driver keeps the boat in position and an
angler (or guide) casts the plug into the reef
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and retrieves it back as fast as they can. The
other angler stands ready in the bow of the
boat with a sturdy 12-weight and a streamer
or simply a popper. When the plug is being
retrieved it is not uncommon to have mul-
tiple fish charging after the teaser. The goal of
the angler on the spinning rod is to keep the
teaser away from the fish (this is not as easy
as you may think) so it chases it all the way
in. When the fish are within casting distance
the plug must be yanked clear of the water
and the fly must be dropped in at the same
moment (again, not as easy as it sounds).
Wading On Your Own
In the case when you’re fishing on your own,
having a speedy way to access your GT outfit
and get your fly airborne is imperative. I
prefer to rig the bigger rod with the fighting
butt tucked in our pocket and the rod tucked
behind our off-hand shoulder and held in
place loosely by a hip-pack strap. In this way,
anglers can fish bonefish while always keep-
ing a keen eye out for GT. When a GT shows
itself, you can switch out your 8-weight for
your 12 weight and get into position to get a
fly in front of the fish. It’s recommended that
you practice it a few times because it doesn’t
always work smoothly while under pressure.
When casting to a fish of this nature, the pre-
sentation is critical. The worst presentation is
to have the fish following the tail of the fly as
it swims towards you. The best scenario is to
have the fly suddenly cross in front of the fish
and to instantly entice the fish to attack. In
an ideal situation the fly will land just beyond
and to the side of the fish so you can pull
the fly across its line of vision. When done
correctly this will trigger its killer instinct and
initiate a sudden charge on the fly where the
fish grabs the fly before your second or third
strip. When you get a follow, as opposed to a
charge or a missed grab, it is very important
to strip as fast as you can and to never ever
give up. I have had fish follow the fly all
the way to our rod tips and then at the last
instant grab the fly and the rod tip!
When a fish is hooked it will not waist
much time blistering off for the nearest coral
head or deep water. Legendary angler Jake
Jordon and the guides from South Africa
teach anglers that the best way to handle
this is to point your rod directly at the fish
(with the reel’s drag fully cranked down) with
virtually no bend in the rod. This will allow
your reel to do its job and put the maximum
amount of pressure on the fish. At this point
it is a battle of wills. If you give this fish an
inch he will take you a mile so keep the rod
straight and bring back line as fast and steady
as you can. Again if done correctly you can
land even the biggest brutes in under 20 min-
utes. If you fight the fish with a high bent rod
and moderate drag pressure you will be in
for a long and grueling interaction. But then
again, that’s half the fun.