Stu Harley and I hit the GT highway.  A section of reef battered flat by hundreds of years of wave activity on the waveward side of this reef flanking the Sudanese mainland.

Today it was baron with GTs.  We spotted one or two that had no interest in predation of any sort, and soon we were looking for shallow water in search of triggers.  The inside flat was just as quiet, which may have been as a result of Bujarabs two high speed runs accross the flat after he dropped us off.  We could only laugh as we watched him tear across the flat in either direction looking for suitable anchorage.

After lunch with headed back to the surf which was now much taller.  With the breeze now in wind territory, my confidence grew.  Then Stu saw it.

“Big yellow margin right in the surf zone”
Distance?
“50m, you’ll see it now”

There is was.  That incredible peach swallowtail.  Exposed with each pull of the surf.  Until this point it had been the Titans that had come to hand, and I wanted a yellow margin now.  They’re the prettier version, and seem to be more comfortable on sand that the titans.

1st shot.  Too far.
“Put it closer.  Perfect”
“He hasnt seen it. Reset”
3rd shot and the current pulled the fly away.
“Try put it right on his head, just short.”

The 4th shot was perfect, and the inquisitive fish instantly spotted it and began chasing.  Flanked by a coral shelf to the left and a mini bommie minefield to the right, I had 20m to stop the fish.  We’d had this discussion and I’d already changed to 20lb hard fluoro.

The fish surged and lunged.
“bump it, bump it”
A pause and bump did the trick and the tail cleared the surf as I felt the fish and set, feeling the hook penetrate.  We both cheered and yelped.  What an eat.  This peach and yellow and pink and blue alien on the weird pollup grass.

The fish took off inside luckily and it took me a second too long to tighten the X1s drag.  Luckily the 20lb held and I put the brakes on properly before backing.  The fish tracked the tether left and I pulled hard as it came on the surface as Stu and I ran to slightly deeper water to net it.  One hell of a high 5.

That was f$cking awesome.