The giant trevally: the GT of the reef

The giant trevally (Caranx ignobilis), the GT, is the largest of the trevallies: it can reach 170 cm and about 80 kg, it lives on reefs and atolls across the tropical Indo-Pacific from South Africa to Hawaii, and it is one of the top game fish of that ocean. Popper anglers travel far for it because it attacks a surface lure hard and fights all the way back to the reef.

What a giant trevally looks like

A GT is deep-bodied and powerful, with a steep forehead and a strong forked tail. Young fish under about 50 cm are silvery grey. Above that size the males turn dusky to jet black, while the females stay a lighter silvery grey, which is why our embroidered giant trevally is drawn in grey and black. See the Giant Trevally design.

Where giant trevally live

The species was first described in 1775 from fish taken in the Red Sea off Yemen and Saudi Arabia, and its range runs from the Red Sea and East Africa across the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. Young fish use estuaries, shallow bays and lagoons; adults move to deeper reefs, offshore atolls and large bays, and old fish may go below 80 m. In Arabia the Hallaniyat Islands off southern Oman are known for large fish.

How the GT hunts

The giant trevally is an apex predator in most of the places it lives. It eats mainly fish, with crustaceans and squid, and hunts both alone and in schools. Scientists have recorded GTs following monk seals to snatch the prey they disturb, and at Farquhar Atoll in the Seychelles they have been filmed leaping from the water to take young sooty terns. That aggression is exactly what anglers love.

Giant trevally fishing with poppers

Anglers catch GTs on cut and live bait and on almost every kind of lure, but the classic method is the popper or the stickbait: a big floating lure worked across the surface over the reef. The strike is explosive, and the fish then runs for the coral, so GT tackle is heavy. Many trips are catch and release. Fly anglers chase them on the flats too. If the popper is your favourite lure, look at our Topwater Popper design.

Eating giant trevally

GT is also caught commercially, but larger fish carry a higher risk of ciguatera, a poisoning that comes from reef toxins building up in the food chain. That is one more reason many sport anglers release big GTs.

Schools, sharks and spawning

Adult giant trevally are mostly solitary, gathering in schools to spawn or, less often, to feed. Schooling makes their hunts more efficient, but a lone GT does well on its own. They are bold with larger animals too: divers have recorded adults ramming blacktip reef sharks. Young GTs can even push into very low-salinity water, such as coastal lakes and the upper reaches of rivers.

Which GT piece to choose

For the boat, the washed trucker cap is soft cotton twill with a mesh back and a snapback, and the rope cap is light ripstop with a sweatband. For the reef in full sun, the bucket hat shades all round. Off the water, the heavyweight tee is 207 g/m² ring-spun cotton, garment-dyed, in a relaxed fit from S to 4XL, and the crewneck and hoodie are 322 g/m² fleece with a cotton face, from S to 3XL. The GT is embroidered at the centre of the chest, within a 10 by 10 cm area.

The GT's Offshore companions

The giant trevally shares our Offshore line with fish that reef and blue-water anglers know well: the greater amberjack in grey and navy with the amber stripe along its side, the reef fish that pulls hardest; the long, barred great barracuda that lies in wait at the reef edge; and the kanad, with its wavy bars on silver, the prize of the trolling boats.

Wear the GT

Our Giant Trevally is drawn true to the species, in grey and black, and machine embroidered on eight caps and hats, including the snapback and the trucker cap, and at the centre of the chest of a heavyweight tee, a crewneck and a hoodie. If you searched for a giant trevally cap, start with the trucker: mesh at the back for hot days on the reef. It sits in our Offshore line with the tunas, the marlin, the sailfish and the kanad.

Every piece is made for you after you order, and shipping is free.

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