Blacktip Trevally on the Fly – Musandam Oman

by | Apr 29, 2015 | Uncategorized | 1 comment

blog-April-29-2015-1-sunrise-in-musandam-omanI can’t get over Musandam, Oman.  I’ve seen most of the world but never any place like this.  The region is really unique and our ninety minute boat ride north to the top where Musandam juts into to the Strait of Hormuz provided another spectacular sunrise.

 

blog-April-29-2015-2-flyfishing-the-straits-of-hormuzThere’s sort of a gateway where you go from the Gulf of Oman into the Strait of Hormuz.  Basically you travel up the east side of Musandam in the Gulf of Oman all the way to the top.  Both mornings it’s been fairly calm and easy boating.  Then you come to this jagged rocky opening between two mountains of rocks.  Once side is attached to the mainland and the other side is the face of a rock island.  When you pass between them you go from gentle seas of the Gulf of Oman into the frothing whitecaps, wind and waves that is the Strait of Hormuz.

 

blog-April-29-2015-3-jeff-currier-flyfishing-for-gtsUndoubtedly, it’s a place where big fish prowl.  Cameron has had his best luck on the turbulent side so both mornings I braced myself and launched some bombs while struggling to stay on my feet.  The entire time here yesterday I tossed the sailfish popper.  I started the same way today but despite my efforts I can’t bring up a giant trevally.

 

blog-April-29-2015-4-saltwater-flyAs always I have heaps of rods, reels and lines to cover most situations or in this case possibilities and I asked Cameron if dredging a pushy fly down deep might get the job done.  He liked the idea.  I already had my second 12-weight Winston rigged with my Ross Momentum LT #8 reel and a 700-grain Bluewater Express sinking line.  I tied on a black brush fly and handed the rig to Granny.

 

blog-April-29-2015-5-flyfishing-for-giant-trevally

Granny’s reaction was, “I can’t cast this?”  But when dredging a 700-grain line you don’t need to cast (See last day in the Seychelles).  I had her feed out the entire fly line – straight down.  Then I tightened the drag on my Momentum almost all the way.  I had her brace herself then point the rod tip straight into the water and strip as fast as she possibly could.  It’s a ton of work and the girl gave up on it way too quickly.

 

blog-April-29-2015-6-jeff-currier-fishing-omanI took the rod and went to work knowing I had to prove something.  I let that line go down then shoved half the rod down in the water and stripped so hard my left shoulder aches tonight.  As we drifted and bounced along I kept going.  Finally I got rocked!

 

blog-April-29-2015-7-blacktip-trevally-fishingI don’t know what’s down beneath the surface in the gateway as far as structure but looking at the rocks out of the water I have to assume it’s rocky below.  If you can help it in this situation, DO NOT let your fish make much of a run.  Keep a slight bend in the rod and have confidence in your tippet.

 

blog-April-29-2015-8-blacktip-trevallyThis size of this fish greatly surprised me.  Seriously, the first minute I was sure I had a good size giant trevally.  It’s hard to believe a 12-weight can be bent so much.  But slowly the fish gave up.  And when I landed him he was much smaller than expected.  But it was a new species for me – a sharp-looking blacktip trevally (Caranx heberi).

 

blog-April-29-2015-9-jeff-currier-and-blacktip-trevallyThis is actually a good size blacktip trevally.  What’s neat about this catch is that until this trip I was completely unaware of the species.  While I was at Ray Montoya’s house in Muscat he showed some fish pictures and he was holding one.  I wanted one right then and now I have one!

 

That was the first time Cameron has ever seen a blacktip trevally in Musandam.  There are plenty down south but up here this was a first.  After the catch Granny was in the game and she went to work and for the next two hours we took turns and tried several promising spots.  Nothing.

 

blog-April-29-2015-10-orangspot-trevallyI appears now the blacktip trevally was a lucky catch.  Not only was he the one and only big fish of the day but even the Strait of Hormuz went calm and like yesterday, the only fish we could find were Granny’s new favorite, the orange-spotted trevally.

 

blog-April-29-2015-11-fishing-for-sharksWhile one good fish in the first two days may not satisfy most, I am very happy tonight with the new species for my list.  One of the local boats here got a memorable fish as well.  A bull shark that took four guys to hoist up on the boat launch.  We’ll head out on our last day tomorrow. . . .

 

A special thanks to Ocean Active for making fly fishing in Musandam, Oman possible!

 

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing

1 Comment

  1. Ray Montoya

    Beautiful Black tip trev Jeff, and and one of my favorite eating fish on the grill. We cut em perpendicular leave the bone in like a kingfish steak. They have a thin marbling of fat that drips into the wood fire, sizzles up and favors the meat. Early in the season, October, we get heaps of them in southern Oman. Like all trees, they are brutish fighters. They like structure, but we get them of beaches too. My fav way to fish them is with an eight weight from the yak. With out leverage, it makes for a long hard fight. Cheers, mate.
    https://vimeo.com/61084391

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I started fly fishing at age 7 in the lakes and ponds of New England cutting my teeth on various sunfish, bass, crappie and stocked trout. I went to Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin, where I graduated with a Naturalist Degree while I discovered new fishing opportunities for pike, muskellunge, walleyes and various salmonids found in Lake Superior and its tributaries.

From there I headed west to work a few years in the Yellowstone region to simply work as much as most people fish and fish as much as most people work. I did just that, only it lasted over 20 years working at the Jack Dennis Fly Shop in Jackson, WY where I departed in 2009. Now it’s time to work for "The Man", working for myself that is.

I pursue my love to paint fish, lecture on every aspect of fly fishing you can imagine and host a few trips to some of the most exotic places you can think of. My ultimate goal is to catch as many species of fish on fly possible from freshwater to saltwater, throughout the world. I presently have taken over 440 species from over 60 countries!

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