FISHING World last week joined the crew from marine electronics brand Simrad for a GT fishing expedition off the coast of Mackay, QLD. We were fishing with well-known charter operation, Nomad Sportfishing.
Simrad organised the media gathering to showcase its latest equipment on board Nomad’s mothership, Odyssey, and its fleet of fishing boats.
It’s a perfect place for testing gear. 100 miles off Queensland’s coast is no place for shonky equipment; it’s a harsh environment for marine electronics and tackle. It’s also a long way from anywhere and navigating the reefs and keeping an eye on depth is essential for catching fish and making it home safely.
Simrad makes its electronics to cater for the specialist sportfishing market and has recently started supplying its higher end equipment to commercial operators. Nomad Sportfishing’s mothership and fleet of fishing boats use a full suite of Simrad gear. The units are feature rich, yet simple to use, an important attribute for the guides who’d rather be putting clients onto fish than pressing buttons all day. (Read more about Simrad’s latest NSS evo2 HERE.)
The mothership steamed overnight from Mackay and dropped anchor at first light near the reef. For the next three days we fished our way North to Bugatti Reef. The Odyssey followed and provided a homebase over the next four nights. The accommodation was comfortable. A cold beer was never far away, and with a full time chef onboard, the meals were fantastic. We were hardly roughing it.
The fishing was consistent with steady catches of good size GTs. The team from Simrad are all mad keen GT fishos and carried a truckload of high end rods, reels and poppers.
Despite some windy weather on day two and three, the guides did a great job and everyone had a ball getting their arms stretched by some brutal GTs. There were plenty up around 30kg with the biggest nudging 40kg.
It’s easy to see the appeal of GT fishing. Nothing really compares to a GT smashing a popper and the fight is memorable for the pain it inflicts on your body. It’s a full contact sport.
Read more about the Nomad/Simrad tip in an upcoming edition of Fisho and check out the gallery below for a sample of photos.
