◈ Welcome back
CHAPTER ONE

The one that
nearly spooled you.

A dogtooth like this doesn't happen by accident. Someone found the right pinnacle, dropped a jig to the exact depth the sounder marked, and had the reel loaded before it ever hit bottom.

38kg Dogtooth TunaOsprey Reef, Coral Sea10:20am · Slack high over the drop-off
Where it starts
CHAPTER TWO

Know what
you're chasing.

Gymnosarda unicolor

Before anyone plans a trip, they learn the fish. Unlike its open-water cousins, a dogtooth doesn't roam blue water — it holds tight to structure, which means the mark matters more than the day.

Peak season
Year-round — best in calmer dry-season weather
Best tide
Slack water, top and bottom of tide
Time of day
Mid-morning to afternoon
Structure
Deep reef drop-offs, current-swept pinnacles
THE WATERTHE DROP-OFF
CHAPTER THREE

Learn the
technique.

Research becomes skill. This is where the fish stops being an idea and starts being something you know how to actually catch.

01
Drop fast, work faster. Get a jig to the bottom of the mark before the school moves off, then rip it back in short, violent strokes.
02
Lock up on the take, not after. A dogtooth's first move is straight back to the reef — there's no time to wind down slack once it eats.
03
Win the fight in the first ten seconds. Maximum drag from the strike, rod low, everything you can hold; anything less and you're cut off on coral before the fish even shows itself.
🎣 PE5–8 jigging outfit, heavy-duty assist hooks, 100lb+ leader — reef structure gives you no second chances
THE DROPLOCKED UP
CHAPTER FOUR

Pick your
water.

Same species, completely different water depending on where you go. Here's where the bite is best right now.

THE REEFPICK YOUR SPOT
CHAPTER FIVE

Get the
crew together.

Live-aboard trips to reef structure like this mean a small, committed crew — everyone on jigs, everyone taking turns on the sounder.

Two crew confirmed, gear already packed. Still finalising the live-aboard dates with the third.

THE CHARTERLIVE-ABOARD
CHAPTER SIX

The days
before.

6
Days until the trip

Gear checked. Bags packed. The last few things that matter before you leave.

Jigging outfits spooled, assist hooks checked — checked
Spare jigs in 2–3 weights packed — checked
Live-aboard dates confirmed — pending
Crew confirmed on the charter — pending
READY TO GOT-MINUS 6 DAYS
CHAPTER SEVEN

That was someone's trip.
Every part of it — the drop, the lock-up, the first run straight for the reef — started the same way yours can.

How will you write chapter 2?

CHAPTER EIGHT

Your dogtooth
is still out there.

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