Seaway Giant Trevally in Detail

Giant Trevally or GT's are the second most common trevally species in the Seaway but are definitely the most sought after and one of the most hardest fighting of the trevally species.  They can be caught all year round though they are much more common from January to June.  They will feed at all water levels depending on thier mood on the day, if there is lots of bait around they will feed on surface.  January through to May sees the larger fish holding in the seaway in big numbers and once an active school is found some excellent fishing can result.

Active vs Non Active

Active Giant Trevally are those hunting food, they do this for only a couple of hours a day, usually at dawn or dusk but if there is lots of bait they will feed according to the tides with the second half of the run in tide being the most consistent time.  Non Active fish are those schooled up and not feeding, usually in The Canyon, over The Pipeline or in the North Wall Deep Hole.  Non active fish usually do not eat anything though you might be able to tempt the odd fish with a finesse plastic or a livebait.

Surface Feeding

Giant Trevally feed in a number of ways, when they are chasing baitfish on the surface one GT will take a leading position, with others trailing behind it. Several individuals will attack the prey school, striking and stunning the prey, with the leading fish generally being more successful. Some fish act individually and opportunistically within the school if one of the baitfish becomes isolated, the main advantage of schooling is the ability to further break up and isolate baitfish schools.

Locations

Giant trevally can turn up anywhere at anytime but there a few locations that hold them consistently.

The North Wall

GT's can be found all around the north wall, stick baits, metals, plastics and vibs are the lures of choice depending on where they are holding at the time.  During a run-in tide work the edges with stickbaits or metals, and prospecting the current lines with metals can also work.  Casting a vib or a metal onto the flats on the northern side and bringing back over the dropoff can be an excellent technique if theres a bit of swell running.   During a runout, fish the runway and the deep hole with vibs and plastics. At night on a runout tide GT's will often sit on the bottom in a large flat school approximately 100m out in front of the north wall tip in 9 metres of water.  These fish can be tempted by very slow rolling plastics through the school.  Surface feeding fish are rare around the North Wall but occasionally schools will pop up if a school of baitfish comes through, just keep an eye out for any birds flying around.  Schools of Giant trevally can also hold further out along the dropoff than most fish, 30-50m away from the wall is a good start.  If you see a school on the sounder try dropping a 30gram Twistie and slow rolling it back up to the boat.  If they are hungry they will have a go.

The South Wall

The south wall fishes best for GT's when there is a bit of swell running, unfortunately its also very difficult to fish from a boat and get your lure in the zone because of the way the swell hits the wall. Metals cast from a safe distance can yield some good fish but you need long distance casting gear for that.  You can fish along the walls with vibs and plastics, just bump them along the bottom with an occasional twitch. During a runout tide when there is no swell its worth dropping a lure down on the current line leading out from the wall as sometimes schools hold in that area.

The Pipeline

The pipeline can hold massive schools of Giant Trevally but it can be a tough place to fish for them.  Occasionally at the top of a run-in tide they will  bust the surface in huge numbers and getting your lure in there guarantees a fish.  You can also try dropping metals or vibs down next to the pipeline and retrieving them quickly back to the surface. Plastics dropped down next to the pipeline also work well if they are schooled up and feeding.

Wavebreak Island & The Canyon

The north wavebreak wall holds a few GT's and its worth a cast along the current lines with metals and vibs and along the walls with plastics.  The Canyon is a deep trench that runs east from the end of the wall, schools of Giant Trevally will often hold along the edges of the canyon and in the canyon itself.    You can troll along or over this area or drop plastics down into the school and poppers cast around can often bring a fish up from the bottom.

Livebaiting

Giant trevally are a reasonably common catch on livebaits.  Any livies will work but pike, slimey mackerel and yellowtail are my preferred baits.  A 45cm GT will go for a 35cm pike so they are not afraid of a big bait.     The runway, the dropoff and the pipeline are the best spots for livebaiting GT's.  With the Pipeline, drift the livebait approximately 6 metres down, Giant Trevally will dart up from their holding position on the pipe to grab it as it drifts past.  Just try and make sure your bait is near the bottom.

Giant Trevally Movements

Giant Trevally have specific movement patterns within the seaway area.  While there are still a few unknown area's where they disappear to for a few days we have mapped out a fairly decent range of movements for them.  The image below represents what we know about them so far.