Geraint is one of my Angler friends who pops over to Phuket and the Similan Islands to fish with me for Sailfish & Marlin and annually to India’s Andaman Islands in February.

Understanding a little bit more puts it all in perspective. “G” is a hard-working Expat Welshman of substantial stature and equally substantial persona, living in stressful Hong Kong. These trips are his only ever no-phone-no-Email-no-fax-no-customer, office, staff or anything to ruin his day. These short 3 or 4 day escapes return his sanity and “G” doesn’t miss a minute!

“G” loves all fishing, all Tackle classes. He’ll handline, spin, jig, get in the Fighting Chair on 80lb, stand-up on 50, 30 & 20lb. He doesn’t care so long as it’s a challenge.

But what has eluded him until this year was catching a Sailfish on spin-gear, and especially doing it whilst trolling the usual 20/30 overhead rigs in the traditional way.

So I took along one of my oldest friends for him to play with. It’s a circa 1976 ‘Ugly Stik’ (take a look at the now ancient reel seat held together with a quarter inch stainless nut and bolt). Jack Erskine made it for me in Cairns over 30 years ago to live-bait Sailfish, and the Shimano Baitrunner 6500 was given to me by Shimano’s founding boss Yoshi when these fine reels were first produced. It’s always filled with 20lb Mono.

Now you have to try to imagine that this ‘combo’ has caught probably a thousand of various species over these years. But extraordinarily has successfully landed 265 Sailfish! The perfect adage of ‘an oldie but a goodie’…back to “G” now

We’re trolling along in some 50 metres with a good mix of lures ‘pushing’, and ‘jetting’ plus Ballyhoo (Garfish) baits on 30lb rigs; the tide change is 1100 so we commenced 0900 to fish that prime time, as it is just after a New Moon. We catch 2 monster Wahoo over 25kg and an equally impressive stinking-smelly-slimy nasty Barracuda measuring 159cm.

All of a sudden at 0955, the Sails decide to invade us. Three Sails simultaneously crash the offerings. One jumps on the ‘long 30’ and some ‘razor-gang’ mongrel bites off the entire lure and leader at the swivel. Another is dancing on the surface left to right and spits the hook.. The third one jumps 5 times in a fit of acrobatic show-off and successfully leaves us slack line…

Meanwhile in these couple of madness minutes I grab ‘ol faithful’ (I always keep it ready rigged with the smallest ballyhoo I have). I cast the bait at another Sail who’s appeared and it nearly hits him on the head. I drop-back and wind to annoy him. This really pisses him off and he gulps down the Garfish and flies into the air.

”G” is hooked-up on a big fish on his dream tackle. But he now only has a few turns of string left on the small spool so it’s grasp the spool, keep the rod way up and seriously pray! The fishing Gods are with “G”; the magnificent sail turns and now the slow and very careful retrieve is on…the short story is “G” carefully maneuvers the Sail to the boat; lots of in-water pics, very quick cockpit pics and a very healthy release for this substantial 40kg specimen.

”G” said this was the ultimate sportfishing experience. Light tackle ‘feeling’ connected to the Sail and coupled that these Andaman Sailfish are just so solid, healthy and active compared to most. They are not slim; they possess shoulders like Marlin and in a length comparison are about 20 percent more pound per inch.

These Andaman sails are unique for certain. And in this particular area I’ve discovered, there’s stacks of them.

Great Stuff Mr 266!! Hope you beat your own record on the next trip in 2011…Chris has got a ‘hard act’ to follow..