Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 714 is my conversation with Ben Jones, the Australian angler and content creator known online as GT Buster. Ben fishes the remote far north of Queensland — Cape York and the Great Barrier Reef — chasing giant trevally on topwater in some of the wildest, most croc-infested country on earth. We talk about what it takes to fish and film in that environment, the storms and crocodiles that come with it, and how he turned all of it into one of the most-watched fishing feeds going.
Listen now: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · YouTube · Press play in the player above to watch.
Ben Jones is an Australian angler and content creator known online as GT Buster, based in Brisbane, Queensland. He is best known for chasing giant trevally on topwater in the remote far north of Australia, including Cape York and the Great Barrier Reef. His GT Buster social feeds have become some of the most-watched in the sport, documenting trophy fish and extreme adventures from wild, remote coastline.
Ben fishes the East Coast of Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef, focusing on the remote far north around Cape York. Reaching the truly remote spots can mean a two-day drive from Brisbane depending on road conditions. He has been making these trips since he was sixteen or seventeen and targets giant trevally in brutal heat and humidity.
Beyond the fight of a giant trevally crushing a topwater popper, the environment is the real challenge. Ben describes camping in crocodile country and riding out tropical storms with fifty-knot winds and lightning at two in the morning. The heat and humidity are punishing, and simply getting to and surviving the fishing is part of what makes it so demanding.
Ben built his audience by filming his remote giant trevally adventures and telling the full stories behind them, including dramatic moments like a crocodile walking up to his tent at night. By documenting fishing most anglers will never experience, he turned hard-won trips in far north Australia into one of the most-watched fishing feeds online.
Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 714 with Ben Jones (GT Buster) is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and iHeartRadio. The video version is embedded at the top of this page.
I got introduced to Ben through Mick Guthrie, and his GT Buster page is one of my favorite things on Instagram — he catches absolutely crazy stuff. I have fished the Cape York region myself, but on the opposite, Gulf side, so when I watch what Ben does on the reef side I am seeing water I never got to. He fishes a place that looks like the edge of the earth, in conditions most of us would never survive, and films it beautifully. I wanted to hear what it is actually like out there.
Press play in the YouTube player at the top of this page to hear the full story.
Ben has been going to the far north since he was sixteen or seventeen, and getting to the truly remote parts of Cape York means a two-day drive from Brisbane depending on conditions and roads. He fishes the East Coast and Great Barrier Reef where the giant trevally crush topwater poppers in brutal heat and humidity. The scale of the commitment to reach this fishing is hard to overstate. Listen to how he describes the journey in the episode.
This is the part that sounds made up. Ben describes a tropical storm rolling through camp at two in the morning with fifty-knot winds and lightning, holding down a marquee for two hours. He also has a story about a crocodile that walked up the beach to the front of the tent in pitch dark — the full version is on his YouTube. Fishing here is as much survival as sport. Watch the YouTube player above for the wild details.
There is nothing like a giant trevally smashing a topwater popper, and Ben has built his whole identity around it. He gets into what makes topwater GT fishing so addictive, how it punishes your body in the heat, and why he keeps going back to the East Coast reef again and again. If you have never seen a GT eat off the surface, this conversation will make you want to. Listen to that section of the episode.
Ben turned remote, hard-won adventures into content that travels. He films the trips, tells the full stories, and shares the kind of footage most anglers never get near. I have followed GT Buster for a long time and I am still amazed at what he pulls off. How he documents fishing this extreme — and keeps people coming back — is worth hearing. Press play in the YouTube player above.
Listen to the full conversation: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · or watch in the YouTube player at the top of this page.
The day after talking to Ben, what stayed with me was the sheer effort behind every clip. The footage looks effortless, but it is two days of driving, brutal heat, storms, and crocodiles to earn a single shot.
Ben represents a generation of anglers who are also storytellers, and the bar he sets for both the fishing and the filming is high. If you want to see what the edge of the earth looks like with a fly rod or a popper, follow GT Buster.
Press play in the player above, or grab Episode 714 on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
The Tom Rowland Podcast brings you long-form conversations with the most accomplished anglers, hunters, conservationists, and outdoor professionals in the game. Listen to every full-length Tom Rowland Podcast interview.
Ben Jones (GT Buster) · Mick Guthrie · Cape York · Great Barrier Reef · Brisbane, Queensland · giant trevally · Gulf of Carpentaria
Ben Jones is an Australian angler and content creator known online as GT Buster, based in Brisbane, Queensland. He is best known for chasing giant trevally on topwater in the remote far north of Australia — Cape York and the Great Barrier Reef — where reaching the fishing can mean a two-day drive and camping in croc country through tropical storms. His GT Buster feed has become one of the most-watched in the sport, documenting extreme adventures and trophy fish from some of the wildest coastline on earth.
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