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Yesterday we joined the pack of boats at one of Capt. Jim’s old hunting grounds at the top of Hicks Reef. Everything looked great with big yellowfin busting all over. Scad, rainbow runners and all the bities present. We did see two marlin, though obviously too full on the bait fish in the area, we couldn’t temp them into a bite. Capt. Jarad on Shaka fishing nearby, however, managed a late one for Kiwi angler Matt Wallis on the last day of his trip.All we got was Capt. Jim’s tales of tournaments gone – like in ’91 when he tagged 33 marlin in the week to take 2nd place to Bob Cornellin’s Ardasea II with Capt. Derek Crisp and the late Dennis Webb on the deck who won with 36. This week’s leader, remains Capt. Brian on board Heart Throb with 5 tags – followed by Reel Ripe and Kanahoee with 4 tags each.The results are the best we can provide as we are so far north we no longer can receive tournament base on the radio skeds and had to rely on relays for the info. And, if the wind keeps blowing like this, we’ll be going into Lockhart River instead of Cooktown!!
This post was imported into WordPress from my old Black Marlin Fishing Blog website without any accompanying photos. If you’d like to see the original post, with the accompanying photographs, go to the original Black Marlin Fishing Blog site and navigate to the post using the archive navigation links on the right-hand-side.
Capt. Brian on Heart Throb set the pace early on Day 4 with three fish before anyone else made it on the board. This brings their total to five as they take the lead in the comp. On count back, Joe Joe moves into second place with three fish, from Watch Dog and Reel Ripe each with three as well. Day 4 saw another slight increase in the total number of tags to 13, with very few big fish mixed in with them, however both KEKOA and Bill Collector both started their scoring with decent fish at 500 and 700lb.Capt. Dan on Moana has spent the last couple of days 30-50 miles east of the lower Ribbons and although his results were no better than the rest of the fleet, he did report an encounter with a giant blue marlin which unfortunately resulted in the hooks pulling at the side of the boat – we’re hoping a photo is on its way so stay tuned. His estimate of 1200lbs provide a great excitement amongst the fleet, particularly with Capt. Graham Johnson on Broadbill who has dedicated this season to catching a 1000lb BLUE marlin for son Alex who is the current junior world BLACK marlin record holder. The boys had a successful morning popper fishing for GT’s with Craig, Mick and Steve each boating a fish for a happy snap before the release.
This post was imported into WordPress from my old Black Marlin Fishing Blog website without any accompanying photos. If you’d like to see the original post, with the accompanying photographs, go to the original Black Marlin Fishing Blog site and navigate to the post using the archive navigation links on the right-hand-side.
With the first marlin for Day 3 of the competition not tagged until almost half past two, we all thought it was to be an extremely slow day. As it was, it ended up the best of the comp so far. Not spectacular, but giving us hope that with the better tides still to come, the fishing will pick up significantly as well.First fish belonged to the team on board Battler, closely followed by Tradition and Spartacus. More fish on the final sked bringing the total for day three to 11 fish including an estimated “Grander plus” on board Viking which took almost an hour to get the tag in. The first member of the 1000lb tag and release club for 2008.The standings at the top have not changed since Day two however Reel Ripe will take home the daily prize with two tags on Day 3.Outside the comp, some boats are having a little more luck. On board Shaka, Donald Nuckle’s second trip to the reef paid off with his first fish – a real performer taken with a live bait tuna between Day and Hicks – with the circle hook set from the outside in (photo top left). Down at Lena, Capt. Laurie on Ningaloo, continues to get one a day from a couple of bites.An interesting follow up: Word today from Capt. Luke on KEKOA that the DNA test results are in and the baby marlin they found in 2007 in the belly of the scad has been positively identified as a blue marlin (picture top right). In other entertainment for the day, our livey was harassed by a 300lb hammerhead over a couple of hours until he sneaky silent attack finally had divadends and Mick was on for a short fight before he bit through the leader. With great speed he would cruise down the waves once he’d caught the scent again.
This post was imported into WordPress from my old Black Marlin Fishing Blog website without any accompanying photos. If you’d like to see the original post, with the accompanying photographs, go to the original Black Marlin Fishing Blog site and navigate to the post using the archive navigation links on the right-hand-side.
Out of 7 marlin tagged for the day, three boats managed to double their score. Maitai now leads the competition from Joe Joe and Heart Throb with two tags each. And boats with one are: Too Easy II, Reel Chase, Hot Shot, Iona 2, Castille III and Hard To Swallow. Unfortunately the slow day also resulted in a lack of big fish. But the weather is nice;-)Boats are now spread up and down the reef with a couple heading into Cooktown overnight for re-supply from the fabulous Andrew at Cooktown Iceworks. More shots of the action behind TowCam: Barry the barracuda and Wally the wahoo who really got his teeth into it.
This post was imported into WordPress from my old Black Marlin Fishing Blog website without any accompanying photos. If you’d like to see the original post, with the accompanying photographs, go to the original Black Marlin Fishing Blog site and navigate to the post using the archive navigation links on the right-hand-side.
It was with much anticipation that the 22nd annual Lizard Island Tournament kicked off with the usual sailpast around Watsons Bay followed by the obligatory shotgun start. The high price of the diesel has kicked in however, with only a couple of the 40knot plus boats racing towards Banks Bank. The majority chose to through the lazer pro’s in and bait fish their way to the reef in readiness for start fishing at 11 o’clock. This was followed by the waiting waiting waiting scenario we are all so familiar with. The first tag came through at 12:20 for Capt. Brian Felton on board the brand new Riviera Heart Throb and it was worth the wait at an impressive 900lb. So big, she broke the chair and sent the team back to the rock for quick repairs before re-joining the fleet in the afternoon. Not too much later, Too Easy also fishing at Hicks Reef radioed in tag number 2. And that’s how it progressed for the rest of the day. Two tags per sked. On sked two, Reel Chase tagged early followed by Hot Shot both on Number 10. On sked three, Mai Tai and Joe Joe on Hicks and Number 10 respectively. Despite a flurry of late bites, no more tags were added for the day. 6 tags for Day 1. Good enough to eat, and it was, and Craig’s first fish of the tourn on Reel Chase. With the weather much nicer this morning and the fleet spreading out along the reef, we’re hoping for a burst of early tags on Day 2.——Outside the tournament, news was sketchy. Ningaloo fishing the bottom end for two fish, one at Lena and one at Number 2.
