Hi ZongZong,

I have been going to waroora for the better side of 10 years and only ever landed 2 very small GT around 5kg from a boat throwing poppers back onto onshore reefs....in saying that I havent put a whole lot of effort into targeting the big Gs as there are so many options of fishing up there its hard to focus on one.... you are more likely to catch big goldens and goldspot trevalley maybe a few small queenie too.

But if you have your heart set on targeting the big girls my advice would be to hit the onshore reef adjacent to the southern gap(Yalobia passage) on a very calm day as there can be some big swell pump through there wait for the change of tide when the water really starts to move and through big poppers like halco haymakers (anything red and white) so you can throw them a mile onto the reef and them pull them off over the edge....look for bait schools close to shore and target them also. GT spook easily in the shallows so put as much distance you can between the school and you.

Another option would be to push up close to the ningaloo on the inner side...again if weather permits....and work it the same way. No guarantees but this would be your best bet short of hitting the islands off exmouth which are riddled with 30kg plus GT.

As for the gear 14000 at the minimum loaded with 80 and at least 3m of 120 leader....they tire quite quickly but if you dont stop them on the first run and regain a bit of line they will do you on the coral every time.

Happy fishing mate I hope you get the big one your after look forward to the report

Cheers

Hey
just be aware that the 14000 is the same body as the 18000. so my advise would be the 18000 with 80lb.
do not skimp on the braid !
get the best you can afford. this will make all the difference when you are popping (why get $600 worth of gear and connect you fish via cheap braid).

I think if you can get the 14000 at a great price it's not going to make that much difference.
not often you get spooled by GT's just get busted off on the rocks ...and just as much with the 18000. but with the 18000 you can chase bigger tuna etc out deeper ....
I think you (slightly) limit your options with the 14000 but no biggie.
as far as the braid. have tried many....Daiwa Acudepth seems to stand out to me. very smooth. (just don't believe the mm rating. Can get 80lb for $100 (the 80lb says something like .32mm.......lol it's thicker.
think most ppl use it for jigging but is great to cast aswell.

If you want to hook a big bruiser just fish with light gear - almost garanteed a big one will grab your popper then!!  Getting it to the boat will be a different matter

The reel and line choices have been pretty well summed up above. In relation to the rod though in my opinion 6'9" is too short for a GT rod. 7'9" is really at the lower end.

There are a few tried and tested cheaper rods for GT fishing, most popular being the T-Curve GT Special. Not sure what these retail for these days (they've dropped a lot since first released), but they often come up second hand quite cheaply if you can wait a while.

There's a daiwa monster mesh that some people use also, which is cheaper if you need to go new

 Thanks dkonig82, do u think the rod while be to short cause GT's are easy spooked and extra casting distace is a plus? There for nothing would really be comprimised during the fight? Just looking at the shorter models because it can appliy to alot more applications on the boat. I've never fished for GT's so it's all new to me, as with most northern species so any info is welcomed

Cheers, Zong

 hi zongzong, casting distance will be a big issue, the further you can cast the better as it will keep the boat further away from rocks/reef and less chance of'spooking fish.

6 foot 9 for distance casting would be pushing it, but if you can get it to load up you should be right. Go to a local jetty/rock wall or out in your boat and practice casting and lure retrive styles, halco roosters cast well are easy to work and are less taxing on the body compared to other poppers, also grab some shimano ocea 180 pencils these lures work well also and are easy to use, currently using these lures here in exmouth.

cheers syd 

The Terez is a good allround boat rod for casting stickbaits/waxwings, trolling and pitching live baits and it needs 8 - 10 kgs of drag to get the blank working properly, but its not a popping rod. The but section is too short so you can't load up big lures on the casts, and to work poppers you need the but of the rod under your armpit or it will wear you out very quickly. They do make a 7'2 terez but I haven't seen one in the flesh, the Tcurve offshore spin might be better.

The others have beaten me to it, but +1 to everything that's been said.

Casting distance and ability to have the butt under your arm are both key.

 Righto, cheers for all the help lads. Looks like I'm gonna have to re-think my choice. Gonna head to a tackle store and handle a few to get a bit better idea. Did look and the T Curve 802 popper/stickbait but heard a few unimpressed reviews with the series. Whats peoples thoughts on the best 80lb braid?

Nothing wrong with the T curve rods but they won't get a good review if its compared to the mega buck high end rods like ripple fisher, fisherman etc.

I like the Diawa SW 8 silicone braid, much smoother that Finns/Power Pro but a bit more expensive.

The T-curve GT special is a proven rod. Definitely worth looking at. Was the first GT rod I owned and a good purchase.

Haven't tried the 802