Being a cameraman for FreeSpool i have been lucky enough to travel to some exotic destinations, however as with most of these international trips they are quick in & out get as many shows as possible and then on the plane home with me hardly being able to pick up a rod! My most recent trip to the Seychelles we were lucky enough to have been invited on a yacht to sail to the island of Platte and fish there for 10 days, now i only need to make 4 shows out of 10 days in the Seychelles so i knew i was definitely going to wet some line on this trip!

 

About a week before the trip my boss Brad Arthur asked me what fish i wanted to catch on this trip and i replied without hesitation that i wanted to catch a GT on popper and i wanted a picture of the GT on my lap! Brad said ok sounds easy enough we will try get that for you Dick! I have never caught a GT, closest i got was on my ski but unfortunately the rod broke an i lost it.

We get to the Island of Platte and it is like you picture in your dreams, the island is about 3km in size has a population of 5 people on it and then there is nothing but ocean to be seen! We moor the yacht in the lagoon for the next 10 days and fish off a 32ft Yeild cat for the duration of the stay.Now the way the fishing works is in sessions and you get a morning session and an afternoon session with teams of 4 going on each session with a team that goes on an afternoon session than get s the next morning and vice versa… so on our second session which was our second day in the Seychelles and just after i had filmed the most insane GT session i have ever witnessed, were the boys got 9 GT’s in an hour all in the +20kg range, Brad catches his last fish does an awesome release for the camera an then turns to me and says “Dick gear up get a bucket and gloves” and then hands me his rod! My excitement levels are through the roof and I’m like an e type carrot, launching a pencil popper we had nicknamed the “Sun burnt Zebra”, casting into the surf zone and then retrieving back to the boat with a quick bouncing action, my 8th cast i launch a rocket got good distance place the rod in my bucket an start the bouncing retrieve when all of i sudden i see a flash of silver breaching on my popper and then a big explosion with a tail trashing in the air and then the unforgettable screaming Stella and me hanging onto the rod for life!! The power of these fish is just incredible and the battle that took place for the next 10 minutes with me running round the boat, arms burning getting pulled side to side with the occasional run from the fish and making sure i don’t loose the pressure on the fish as i really want that photo!The Boys on the boat screaming words of encouragement, when this slab of a fish comes to the surface and your heart starts pounding even more as you know you have got him! We load the fish onto the boat and the boys help me get it on my lap for the pic and as i grab and put him on my lap my thumb slips into the GT’s mouth and he clamps down and won’t let go,  my adrenaline is still running high so i don’t even feel it until Brad tells me to  move my thumb for the pic and i say i can’t its stuck! Anyway after awhile i get my thumb out and get the pic, give the fish the biggest kiss i have ever kissed a fish, thanked him for the fight and threw him back an as he swims away i let out the biggest scream of just absolute stoke!! What a rush! By far the most fun fishing ever!!! Brad turns to me and says ” Don’t say i don’t let you catch fish now hey!”

Later that evening Brad starts telling me the stats on GT fishing and he says that a GT of that size is on average 1000 casts! I got mine in 8!!! Thinking back to that fish while writing this i still get goose bumps!

Definitely my fish of 2015 and you can see by that smile on my face!