Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Shallow-Reef-Light-Tackle-Offshore » Diamond Trevally
Diamond Trevally
Shaun Taylor
One thing I love about fishing the reefs with plastics is the wide range of species you're likely to encounter. As well as the resident bottom fish like trout, grassy sweetlip, nannygai, emperor, etc., etc., there is also the possibility of some pelagic action from Spanish mackerel and tuna (longtails, macs and yellowfin), along with the big bruiser cobia that often arrive like a school of mongrel dogs eager to snaffle your Jerk ShadZ and attempt to destroy both your gear and your spine!
Trevally are of course an often encountered species, with the big goldens that Hervey Bay is famous for a regular occurrence. When these fish exceed 10 kilos in size they are an extremely hard fighting fish, with plenty of stamina, and with their markings and colour they are also a welcome capture for many fishos.
It is another trevally however that has captured our imagination of late, with its amazing colours and shape, freight train runs and more infrequent visits. I have encountered diamond trevally quite a few times, over many years and they have always surprised us as somewhat of an oddity and an unexpected capture. Over time we have earmarked certain spots as haunts for these awesome fish and we are nutting out a bit of a pattern with them.
Although we have caught them on 5" Scented Jerk ShadZ worked close to the bottom, like other trevallies they seem to be a sucker for a blade and in our area we use the TT Lures Switchblade between 1/2oz and 1 1/2oz. I have had most success with bright colours like orange and pink, although I recently lost an absolute horse on Gold Noggin!
My favourite spot runs very hard, so fishing is restricted to about an hour and a half each side of the tide changes. Large schools of brassy trevally inhabit this spot and by working off the edges of these schools we seem to pick up the diamonds.
Often, after hook up, you would be excused for thinking you had hooked a large cod or something similar as these powerful fighters move off in a determined run. They really use their size and shape to their advantage as they stay deep and move side on to the current.
When they come into view, with their mirror like finish and impressive size it is always a buzz, and I must say I am a bit addicted to them at the moment!
Sharks have been a bit of a problem lately and we have lost several large specimens to the taxman. Once this happens we generally take off to another spot as we are not keen to feed these great fish to the Noah's one after another!
A second spot, situated in closer to Fraser Island, also seems to be a regular haunt of these dynamic diamonds, although they are generally smaller in close. A change down in line class is often employed and you can also fish smaller blades and plastics rigged lighter, as well as being able to fish a greater part of the tide.
I hope to post more pictures of these great fish on the TT Lures / ZMan Lures Australia Facebook pages in weeks to come, so keep an eye out for them and I hope it inspires you to get out and do battle with these dynamite diamonds!
Get out there!!!
Shaun Taylor