Into battle against one of Tonga's feisty giants

Alan Roberts (left), Nosa Lui, Sir Graham Henry and Lolesio Lui celebrate Big Al's giant trevally. Photo / Geoff Thomas

Trevally are all muscle and they know how to make the most of that power.

Big Al has been trying to catch a big GT for about 10 years. He has made thousands of casts with a surface popper on heavy tackle in waters from Vanuatu to the Cook Islands to Tonga. And last week he cracked it.

Big Al is Alan Roberts, a Te Puke kiwifruit farmer who loves travelling in search of new fishing adventures. GTs are giant trevally; a tough, bruising opponent which tests tackle and angler to the limit.

Kiwi fishermen know how strong a small trevally can be when hooked while snapper fishing. The slab sides are all muscle, and they use the muscle well. When thinking of a GT you can multiply that slab-sided power a hundredfold.

Combine the brute force with the location and you know you are in trouble when a GT takes your lure. For GTs patrol the edges of a reef system, ambushing bait fish which are moving out of a lagoon as the tide drops. The hunters use white water where waves crash on to the reef to hide in, and they will smash a lure which is darting and splashing across the surface in a spectacular strike.

When hooked they head for the rocks, just like a kingfish, and big ones are almost impossible to stop.

The record in Tonga is 48kg, but they grow bigger. In Hawaii where they are called ulua, GTs of 140kg have been caught, but not on regular tackle. The only way to subdue such fish is to use a rope and a live bait at night, with the rope looped over a heavy tree branch which acts like a spring.

Big Al was fishing at Vavau, the beautiful group of islands in the northern part of Tonga, with a group of friends including Sir Graham Henry who was hoping to catch his first GT.

Guides Lolesio and Nosa Lui from Lui Charters know the lagoons, reefs and islands well and started the day showing the team where to cast. It is tiring work, heaving a popper as far as you can towards where the waves break on the reef edge, then working the lure back with savage sweeps of the rod. "You want as much action as you can," said Lole. Nosa worked the boat slowly along the reef, and after hundreds of casts there was no sign of a fish.

"It is a good tide," said Lole, "and the bait is coming off the lagoon". Then he declared that we would head for "the supermarket".

"Sounds promising," said Sir Graham, who had mastered the technique of casting and working the popper back to the boat.

The "supermarket" was a wide area of aquamarine shallow banks, and deep holes with currents swirling around a gap in the reef. A couple of small GTs and a long tom - a sort of giant piper with fearsome teeth - came to the boat and were carefully released.

Big Al cast and cast. After covering the "supermarket" Nosa powered away to fish another section. "We'll have one last go at the supermarket, then it will be low tide and time to go home," said Lole.

Then it happened. Big Al was lifting his popper to cast when there was a splash and his rod bent. With such a short line it nearly pulled him over the side. Nosa quickly turned the boat and slowly headed out into deep water. The fish followed, still pulling line from the heavy drag. "Now, go for it," said Lole and Big Al bent to the task. He is a strong man, but the fish made him struggle. Slowly he worked it closer to the boat, and when silver appeared the cheers started. This trevally lived up to its name.

Lole slipped the gaff carefully through the lower lip and hoisted the trevally over the side. The GT, which was around 30kg, had virtually swallowed the large lure and one of the hooks was embedded in the throat. But Lole managed to slip the hook out without breaking a blood vessel and the photos started.

The GT was tired, but Big Al held it upright alongside the boat for five minutes, forcing fresh water into its mouth and then it flicked its tail and swam steadily down and out of sight.

"I would hate to kill a fish like that," he said. All on board agreed.

Fresh Water
Youngsters can learn how to catch a trout at the Ngongotaha hatchery in Rotorua on Sunday week. The event is open to those aged 6-14 and is organised by Eastern Region Fish and Game and the Rotorua Anglers' Association. Tackle is supplied by Kilwell Sports. They will catch a trout in a special pond, then the fish is weighed and taken home with a certificate. Fishing runs from 9am till noon and bookings can be made by calling Fish and Game (07-357 5501). The cost is a $3 donation for a licence.

Bite times
Bite times are 8am and 8.25pm tomorrow, and 8.45am and 9.10pm on Sunday.

Tip of the week
When fishing for GTs every link in the tackle must be checked. The fish are so powerful they will exploit any weakness, so knots should be double checked and traces continually checked for damage from sharp rocks on the reef. If a nick is found the lure should be retied using a uni knot.

More fishing action can be found on Rheem Outdoors with Geoff, 6.30am Saturday, TV3, and at GTTackle.co.nz.