Gabon 2018

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EugeneC

Sealiner
Bronxie, if you take along the lures mentioned in this thread you're good to go, but obviously you can also take others if you wish. Livies in that part of the world live short lives that end in extreme violence, you might find yourself very busy behind the pension pipe ;)

I'm not much into the bait game, but yeah, if you're not in shape 6 days of spinning can take its toll.
 
M

Mikea

New member
hi eugene.
so today is final prep day .fly out tomorrow will give you a call when im back hopefully with stretched arms.
cheers..mike
 
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stickleback

New member
Tight lines & good luck for your trip Eugene (if you haven't left already) really hope you get your tarpon - can't wait for your report!
 
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Nepptune

Sealiner
Now thats is a properly prepared tackle selection... very nice Eugene.. one thing you can be sure of is that you won't be lacking in the tackle department, and any tackle failures will be because of MONSTER fish rather than sub par tackle...

Very good to see a couple of MUST HAVE pieces from Eric @ Orion in that batch..

No doubt you're in for an incredible trip mate...

I didn't see any, or maybe I missed them, but be sure to take some high quality Bucktail jigs with you.. you can fish them undressed or add a plastic to them ( Jerk tail and Paddle tail options )... in the heavy currents and wash you might well experience, there is nothing that beats a bucktail, and they will take everything from Tarpon to JAcks to Snapper to Threadfin.. and everything else that swims..

Best of luck, look forward to reading the report!
 
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Nepptune

Sealiner
frank22 wrote:
hey bud on that orion bigfoot of yours change rear hook to face down. better swim action on lure.
Click to expand...

Clint interestingly the last time I fished with Eric, he was, as always, testing out hook orientations on different lures we were fishing.. Its amazing fishing alongside the big guy, with his bag of prototypes, and his notebook... he is constantly researching, testing, making notes, changing hooks and lures.. quite amazing actually..

Anyway, we were fishing GTX's, and he was testing out the hook orientations, point t up vs point down.. His theory, which is tough to explain in words, was basically that the hook up ratio should be better with hook down because of the swing of the lure...

However, after a day of dropping I think 5 GT's, where Ed smashed 4 and boated all 4, he changed his tune and reverted back to the original more common hook point up orientation..
Chatting to him in camp that evening he explained he liked the idea of the hook point down, and the resultant action.. but if it wasn't effective at hooking fish, then it wasn't worth doing...

Bear in mind this was fishing a GTX for GT's.. not a BigFoot for Tarpon...

Anyway, look for thought...
 
L

Limpopoking

Sealiner
Nepptune wrote:
frank22 wrote:
hey bud on that orion bigfoot of yours change rear hook to face down. better swim action on lure.
Click to expand...

Clint interestingly the last time I fished with Eric, he was, as always, testing out hook orientations on different lures we were fishing.. Its amazing fishing alongside the big guy, with his bag of prototypes, and his notebook... he is constantly researching, testing, making notes, changing hooks and lures.. quite amazing actually..

Anyway, we were fishing GTX's, and he was testing out the hook orientations, point t up vs point down.. His theory, which is tough to explain in words, was basically that the hook up ratio should be better with hook down because of the swing of the lure...

However, after a day of dropping I think 5 GT's, where Ed smashed 4 and boated all 4, he changed his tune and reverted back to the original more common hook point up orientation..
Chatting to him in camp that evening he explained he liked the idea of the hook point down, and the resultant action.. but if it wasn't effective at hooking fish, then it wasn't worth doing...

Bear in mind this was fishing a GTX for GT's.. not a BigFoot for Tarpon...

Anyway, look for thought...
Click to expand...

After coming across the tail hook orientation discussion in this thread and after watching the Ebbtide vid where John explains his preference, I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about this. Too much really... I should work more.

I don't buy John Cahil's explanation that facing up, the hook (let alone being barbless) could fall out with gravity. It's just too theoretical.

What I think would be a very worthwhile investigation though, would be the physiology of the target's mouth. Top jaw vs bottom jaw. Where is the better likelihood of penetration? Where is the higher concentration of bone? Where would sinew in the soft tissue retain a barbless hook best? And an analysis of the actual jaw action when the fish chomps down on that lure.

I've always had decent enough results with a tail hook pointing up... Though my main target has always been the GT and just about all are pulled in on the belly hook.

I'd love to be in a situation one day when you have that fish frenzy where just about every cast results in a hit by a GT. Then one can get shot away experimenting in a real life situation. I've done that bass fishing occasionally, when the bass are really thick.
 
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EugeneC

Sealiner
Thanks Dre, appreciate the well wishes and yes, I have a couple of bucktails that permanently live in my tackle bag, never go anywhere without them ;)

Limpopo, I'm with you on tailoring gear to the species you're targeting, including hooks facing up or down. Problem with tarpon is there's really nowhere in that bony mouth that you're going to hit with any kind of consistency, so hook direction hardly matters with these beasts. If it improves the action of the lure, like Frank describes, I'm all for it in this case.
 
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EugeneC

Sealiner
So...12 days to go and this morning I half collapsed in the office. Visit the doc and discover I have malaria and typhoid fever. :?:?:?

Now booked off work for the rest of the week, so hopefully I'll make a full recovery before I fly. Probably not the worst timing, it would have been rather disastrous a few days before the trip.

Having contracted malaria mid-2017 I dread what's coming...terrible fever, pain, nausea etc. One of the special privileges of living in West Africa :cens
 
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stickleback

New member
Yoh, malaria AND typhoid! Proper job mate,but as you say rather now than on the trip! Get well soon,have a look at goosestix' FB page - might cheer you up a bit knowing what's waiting for you!
 
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EugeneC

Sealiner
Thanks stickleback and those that sent PMs. Over the worst of it now, had a couple of rough days, but well enough again to refocus on Gabon prep ;)

Almost time now, been keeping an eye on wind guru, need that rain to start falling in the coming days!
 
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EugeneC

Sealiner
Thanks Doc, can't wait to get cracking now, just a week to go :). Last additions to the tackle box...there's really no hope for me; 6,5 days of fishing and I'm taking 80 lures :doh I did manage to cull about 30 or 40 from my original selection though, so proud of that ha ha!

Couple of metals ("just in case") and the most devastating lure of them all, the humble bucktail. Like Henry Ford with his love of black, I like bucktails in any colour, as long as it's chartreuse & white ;)
 

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bronxie

Senior Member
Hope you feeling better Eugene, and mainly that your strength is back, you gonna need it. We await your report in anticipation, and wish Capetown and Gabon good rains....tight lines...
 
F

frank22

Sealiner
Nepptune wrote:
frank22 wrote:
hey bud on that orion bigfoot of yours change rear hook to face down. better swim action on lure.
Click to expand...

Clint interestingly the last time I fished with Eric, he was, as always, testing out hook orientations on different lures we were fishing.. Its amazing fishing alongside the big guy, with his bag of prototypes, and his notebook... he is constantly researching, testing, making notes, changing hooks and lures.. quite amazing actually..

Anyway, we were fishing GTX's, and he was testing out the hook orientations, point t up vs point down.. His theory, which is tough to explain in words, was basically that the hook up ratio should be better with hook down because of the swing of the lure...

However, after a day of dropping I think 5 GT's, where Ed smashed 4 and boated all 4, he changed his tune and reverted back to the original more common hook point up orientation..
Chatting to him in camp that evening he explained he liked the idea of the hook point down, and the resultant action.. but if it wasn't effective at hooking fish, then it wasn't worth doing...

Bear in mind this was fishing a GTX for GT's.. not a BigFoot for Tarpon...

Anyway, look for thought...
Click to expand...

hey Nep , yeah with regards to hooking a GT the hook orientation will change as for the Tarpon i found the down facing hook either on a assist or on a split ring better as they get airborne and a down facing hook tends to hold better in this scenario. would be insane if Geets got air like Poons. ;)
 
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EugeneC

Sealiner
After a year of planning and dreaming of Sette Cama today the worst possible scenario became reality. My trip is cancelled. Unfortunately work has got in the way, forcing me to make a very tough decision and pull the plug on this adventure.

Thanks to everyone for all the advice and input on this thread, my hope is someone will find some value in these posts and maybe in some small way it can help with another angler's prep for Gabon or perhaps even another destination.

On another note altogether, I have to share my gratitude and respect for the Tourette team. In spite of canceling my trip one week before departure, Rob immediately got on the phone and started trying to fill my spot in an effort to refund some of the fees I have paid. Considering their T's & C's gives them full rights to retain 100% payment, Rob went out of his way to assist and eventually got back to me with a really amazing offer, which I never expected and I am super grateful for.

In this day in age it's so common for aggrieved customers to vent online and you rarely read about great service. The first time I booked with Tourette it was a great experience, this time, considering the circumstance, they have earned my utmost respect for their genuine willingness to "go the extra mile".

As gutted as I am that the trip is off, life goes on and there will be other adventures. To anyone thinking of getting in touch with Tourette to visit Sette Cama, do it. You will not regret it for one moment.

For now the tarpon is safe, but I'll be back ;)
 
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EugeneC

Sealiner
Dr halibut hoffman wrote:
Bugger..that sucks..
Click to expand...

Big time Doc...pretty bummed out tbh. But, if all goes well there'll be a silver lining and I'll get to have some other crazy fishing adventures in the near future. I'm definitely planning to get down to Gabon again in future, I simply have to settle the tarpon score, I can never let it go.
 
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