BARREN ISLAND GT FISHING —
VOLCANO ISLAND FEB 2025
A sailfish close to 80kg on a popper. Twenty-one GTs in three hours on the Incredible Banks. Two 40kg fish on the last drift at Barren Island. Some trips write themselves. This was one of them.
Volcano Island, Andaman Sea — February 2025 · Sparidae Fishing Expeditions
We had been hearing about Volcano Island for years. The stories had a quality that serious anglers recognise — specific spots, specific conditions, specific fish. When we finally arrived in February 2025, the first morning answered every question we had been carrying.
Barren Island GT fishing starts before you even reach the banks. The active volcano rising from flat water, smoke against the morning sky — unlike anything else in the Indian Ocean. You arrive knowing this is not a normal fishery. The first cast confirms it. This Volcano Island GT report covers every session of the week.
La llegada — Barren Island al fondo
Barren Island GT Fishing — Day One & An Andaman Sailfish Popping Record
GT activity on the first day was measured — the surface was not erupting, the banks were not stacked. But the water was alive. Mid-morning, on a drift across a deep current edge, a fish took the popper with a violence that belongs to a different category entirely.
What came to the boat after a long fight was a sailfish — estimated at close to 80 kilograms, caught on popping gear. Possibly a record for Andaman sailfish popping. Released in perfect condition. Nobody had been aiming for sailfish. That is precisely what defines this fishery — anything can happen on any cast.
"A sailfish close to 80kg on a popper. Released cleanly. Nobody on the boat had words for it. Some things you just watch happen."
Full expedition film — Volcano Island Andaman 2025 · Sparidae
Tres días cerca de la isla — el tiempo mandó, los peces respondieron
Three Days Inshore — When the Weather Decides
The Andaman Sea does not apologise for its weather. For three days after that first session, conditions made the long run to the offshore banks impossible. We adapted. The inshore structure around Volcano Island is not a consolation prize — rocky points, deep channels and clean current produced consistent fishing.
A grouper taken on a surface popper, and a GT that pushed past 30 kilograms caught and released on the same gear. The Barren Island popping expedition mindset: stay ready, adapt daily, never waste a session.
Incredible Banks — 21 GTs en 3 horas
Incredible Banks Popping — 21 GTs in Three Hours
When the weather broke, we went straight to the Incredible Banks popping grounds. Current lines stacked with bait, reef edges patrolled by GT in numbers that make every drift feel like the first one.
In three hours we landed 21 Giant Trevally on popping, all returned to the water. Several fish were large enough to bend hooks — the kind of GT that does not negotiate, that takes line regardless of drag settings. The Incredible Banks expeditions have become one of the defining reasons anglers come back to this destination.
Barren Island GT Fishing — The Only Way to Close a Trip
The final day. Barren Island. The active volcano at your back, open ocean ahead, and the knowledge that this is the last drift of the week. Barren Island GT fishing on the last day carries a particular weight — two GT above 40 kilograms, both on poppers, both released with their strength intact.
There is no better way to close a week in the Andaman Sea. See the full Volcano Island expedition report and all our expedition films.
Barren Island — el mejor final posible · Febrero 2025