Lombok and Sumbawa - end March 2011

I was really looking forward to this trip with my friend Ryan and his younger brother Simms. Sadly it turned out to be a bit quiet with the big GTs refusing to come out to play despite ideal conditions.We certainly caught GTs but nothing larger than about 11-12 kgs. Two sizeable Red Bass caught popping were actually probably better fish but will still always be regarded as nothing more than by-catch.

Especially disappointing was the day we crossed the Alas Strait to Sumbawa and really fished ourselves into exhaustion for a zero return. Casting almost every type and weight of popper/stickbait imaginable into prime, pristine GT waters did not produce even a strike. The same was true when we when threw lures into a raging boil of Skipjacks and Rainbow Runners - it just would not happen for us.

A good deal of amusement was had by all on the last day when Ryan's Heru Cubera 150 was picked up by a Lesser Frigatebird that seemed keen to make off with it before a sharp tug convinced it otherwise :) . That popper was seemingly cursed as only moments later it was donated to the reef Gods by a cast that was, shall we say, a little too energetic.

Despite the lack of big fish, it was a very enjoyable trip in the most stunning, pristine environment. It is a privilege to fish in such conditions, fish or no fish. Also a very big shout out to Ryan and Simms for their indefatigable spirit despite it seeming at times like casting at completely empty waters. Thanks for the great company guys, and if you keep on fishing with that great attitude the big fish will come for sure.

I will be back over in Lombok shortly to attend to some unfinished business.

November 2010 - popping the Alor Archipelago

This liveaboard trip on the splendid Ocean Dreams boat was highly anticipated but ulitmately a bit disappointing. Although I have fished elsewhere in remote Eastern Indonesia, this was my first foray to Alor.

Bite rate was a little lower than you would expect and we could not raise any monsters.

Did not land any GTs over 25 kgs, although we got into at least 3 way bigger but they all bust off. Plenty of GTs in the 15 to 25 category. Had a triple strike of 3 giant Barracudas on poppers in the 25 kg range, and got two of those on board. Also Red Bass on poppers.

Jigging for Doggies around the Pulau Kambing mount was just frustrating. The current was running at anything from 4 to 7(!) knots much of the time. We had one exciting night jigging session there with multiple monster bust offs and a broken rod. Very big fish for sure but not landed.

Otherwise we had fun light casting at tuna boils and landed a number of small YFTs, Skipjacks and Rainbow Runners.

Notably, I have pinned two new sites in the northeast both of which had 30-40 kg GTs sighted but not caught. We went up there on spec as the normal sites were not producing big fish and happy to pass those sites on to anyone who is interested. Good sites for sure with real potential for monsters, if a bit of a trek away from the main Alor locations - we sailed overnight to get there for dawn and then fished our way back.

It was an enjoyable trip with truly great company (thanks so much Ayie and Vincent) and a good quantity of fish caught, but ultimately a bit disappointing as the monsters were not coming out to play.

Most successful lures: Kaiser El Toro 150 grams, Adhek Venus, Adhek Big Gecko, Craftbait GT3.