VOLCANO ISLAND ANDAMAN —
GT EXPEDITION FEB 2026
Incredible Banks fishing — this is what the February 2026 expedition to the Andaman Sea was built around. Filmed by Théophile Gonet, @thefrenchfisherman_, with cinematography by Romain Blot @bltfilms. Remote volcanic reefs, zero fishing pressure, and Giant Trevally that had never seen a popper before. The kind of day serious anglers travel across the world for.
We fished the banks around Barren Island — nearly two hours offshore, completely remote. Popping was the primary technique, working reef edges where GT patrol in packs. The fish were aggressive from the first drift. Strikes were visual, explosive, and completely unpredictable in size. Every cast carried real possibility.
Incredible Banks — GT Popping in the Andaman
The Incredible Banks sit deep offshore, beyond the standard fishing grounds — and that distance is exactly what makes Incredible Banks fishing so exceptional. Far from any boat traffic, the reef structure here creates natural current lines where bait concentrates and GT follow in numbers. On this trip, the surface activity was constant from first light. Schools of GT were working the edges, responding to poppers on almost every drift.
What separates the Incredible Banks from other Andaman spots is consistency. The combination of depth, current and volcanic structure keeps predators active across the tide. GT average between 7 and 20kg on these banks, with bigger fish — 25 to 40kg — showing up without warning on any cast. Every strike carries the possibility of the fish of a lifetime. For anyone serious about GT on surface, Incredible Banks fishing is unlike anything else available in the Andaman Sea.
GT Tackle & Technique — Incredible Banks Fishing
Incredible Banks fishing demands specific gear. The volcanic reef structure here is abrasive — GT run hard toward the edge on the first burst, and tackle that performs in calmer conditions often fails when the fish are this size and this committed. On this February session we used heavy popping rods rated 100–200g with large-capacity reels loaded with PE6–8 braid and a short, heavy mono shock leader. Andaman GT at 20–40kg test everything — the gear, the angler and the timing of every hookset.
Théophile Gonet — known across the fishing world as The French Fisherman Andaman traveller and one of the most technically rigorous GT anglers on camera — joined this Volcano Island expedition specifically for the calibre of fish available on these banks. His presence brought precision and honesty to the session: every fish shown in the film was landed during a single day of Incredible Banks fishing on these volcanic reefs. No composites, no highlights reel — just the day as it happened.
Volcano Island · Andaman Sea
The Volcano Island expedition is built around destinations like the Incredible Banks — remote, productive and almost entirely unfished. Operating two hours offshore ensures minimal pressure. These reefs remain wild, the fish uneducated, and surface aggression naturally strong. Dogtooth tuna, Napoleon wrasse and giant grouper complete a target list that few fisheries in the Indian Ocean can match.
February sits inside the productive window — calm enough to reach the distant volcanic banks, with strong tidal movement that concentrates bait and keeps GT active on the surface. The logistics of reaching spots like the Incredible Banks require an experienced guide, the right weather window and precise timing — all of which Sparidae manages on every fishing expedition from this destination.
Catch and release is standard on all our trips here. These reefs stay wild because we treat them that way. If you want to fish the Incredible Banks, the next available dates for the Volcano Island expedition are on our expeditions page.