As we enter February, it’s safe to say the summer GT season is well and truly upon us.

It’s been very challenging compared to last year, with more congregations of fish showing up on the flats inshore and less on the outer reefs of the Dampier archipelago. Sessions have been hard work at times, with Jason and I covering many miles in the Bar Crusher to find fish.

Unlike last year, the wind has been swinging northwest most afternoons pushing the green water inshore and contributing to the sometimes-trying conditions. The northerly winds also tend to generate a short sea making transits between locations sometimes wet and uncomfortable… although not in our case, thanks to my boat’s Gen2 hull design.

Fishing over the past couple of weeks has been fun, with Jason and I trying our hand out on some mid-range GTs on PE4 gear. We’ve managed to land some good fish to 25kg on 40g stickbaits, with the only drawback being the amount of lures that don’t seem to find their way back to the boat! I guess that’s to be expected when targeting fish in less than a metre of reed-studded water.

The forward casting platform of the 615SC combined with the 80lb bow-mounted electric motor has made the inshore fishing very comfortable. Fish tend to spook a lot more when they don’t have the protection of the drop-offs to retreat to. Hook-ups are interesting, though luckily there’s plenty of room to move and enough power in the electric to get on top of the fish on most occasions.

In short, the summer GT season has been tough work so far – but for those willing to put in the time and the miles it’s still a worthwhile challenge. Owning a Bar Crusher just makes the challenge that bit more comfortable!

Brad Bell, WA