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.

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.

Ultimate Lady on the leader at left and Brendan holds up his big eye tuna on KEKOA. Just in: Ultimate Lady has weighed the first grander of the 2009 season, a fish that unfortunately died on the line yesterday, at 1058lbs to Stuart Potter from Gisborne. The fish was weighed after returning to the edge this morning. The team spent much of the day yesterday hooked up again, going 3 from 4 including the big one they fought for 5 and a half hours. The other two were released at 250 and 800lbs. Tom’s certainly finding the fish! More of the fleet went for a wander out wide yesterday. Calypso left the anchorage in the dark and was hooked up to a blue marlin by 6:30 am which they released, approximately 400lbs. On KEKOA, Capt. Luke tells me they had a great day out there although they didn’t find a big marlin. They got some mad tuna footage, above and below water of a huge school of big eye and yellowfin eating a hookless popper off the rod tip at the back of the boat and a whale shark thrown in for good measure as well. As Brendan was winding in a 60lb yellowfin he felt the line go slack and thought he had lost the fish. Suddenly a 700lb black marlin swooped in all lit up in he discovered it was only hiding from the marlin under the boat. They released two small marlin including one bite after dark as they headed back into the reef.Back on the Bank, Watchdog released two smaller fish as well for Jon and Bill Creswick, owners of well-known ex Cairns charter boat Sea Strike. In the middle it was quiet with just Iceman releasing one smaller fish from two bites.Photo: one of KEKOA’s pics of the tuna bite.

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 fantastic flat glass calm conditions, the wander urge hit big time yesterday with a number of boats heading east after Ultimate Lady’s report. While back at the Bank, the dedicated stuck it out, marking fish and waiting for the bite.Those who went wide included Hattitude who caught a 600lb-er wide of Spur. And Capt. Kim on New Moon who left the Bank late morning heading for the Sea Mount released two on lures on the way and a further three on baits upon arrival going 5 from 6 on one of the best days all year. The team encountered Little Audrey on their way back in who reported a 850lb-er out there the day before and a 250lb on the way back in and missing another about 500lb.Meanwhile back at the Bank, on Reel Chase we played Russian Roulette with trailer boats all day waiting, waiting until after 5 o’clock we finally got a bite along with a couple of other boats. Luckily, ours was worth waiting for and 73 year old angler Julio landed his first ever grander after a solid 45 minute fight. This was one of the most spectacular bites and fights we’ve had all season which you’ll no doubt see more of. Ben was wearing his hatcam so we got some spectacular close-up footage which I’ve uploaded. Update: View the footage here. Filmstrip of stills from Ben’s hatcam footage of Julio’s est 1100lb black marlin on Reel Chase. And same from my fixed camera of Julio and crew in action on Reel Chase. Update: I’ve also just heard that Wild Turkey had a good day at the Bank yesterday as well with two big fish that Captain Tye called 850 and 1100lbs! Congrats guys!Nearby, KEKOA released two smaller fish and a 700lb tiger shark. And Ultimate Lady had the big one up early but didn’t hook up and broke off another good fish after a heartbreaking 7 and a half hour fight after dark last night.

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Sit down and grab a coffee, this is going to be a long one!A very promising day at Linden Bank came true for Iona II, but for the rest of us, it was all anticipation but no result – marking lots of bait and lots of fish in the area but raising little. Still, after watching Adam fight two good fish including a 800lb-er for John and this big one (below) that Capt. Adam called 1050lb for Norm, we’re keen to get out there again today. Both John and Noel from Newcastle are new to marlin fishing but something tells me they’re hooked now! Two pictures of Noels fish at 1050lbs on Iona 2 Tuesday. Also nearby, Capt. Kim on New Moon caught a very nice one that he called 900lb ( below left) for angler Jason Carter from Townsville and had another bite while Capt. Darren on Allure released a smaller one in the morning as well. Photo from Ben of New Moon’s 900lb-er and one I took of Iona 2′s 800lb-er for John. Capt. Tom on Ultimate Lady went for a wander out wide and ended up with three good fish including two big ones at 950 and 900lb and a 400lb blue! Starting about 30nm east of Fin Reef, just outside the GBRMPA line trolling north outside the green zone they ended their day wide of Norman Reef where we spent the night in the glass calm conditions.At Jenny Louise, Shaka released one about 300lbs and jumped off another around 500lb.Up at Number 10, Capt. Dean on Castille III reports loosing a big fish after 10 minutes when the hooks pulled while Capt. Trent on Iona (original) released one at 900lbs. Trent has Ian and James Bladin on board this week. Its good to see them both back on the reef. Capt. Dean also told us that although Iceman had a quiet day yesterday, Capt. Bob enjoyed a successful double header the previous day including his biggest fish of this season.I had a chance yesterday to speak to Capt. Haydon Bell on the Release. We’d been hearing chinese whispers of his good fishing from time to time but yesterday I was able to confirm it’s all true! In his last trip alone (which ended in Cooktown for changeover yesterday afternoon) fishing up the top they released 11 in 8 days fishing with 4 over the 900lb mark! Awesome stuff!I also caught up with Capt. Chris (Sharky) on Mauna Kea after his trip with light tackle specialist Mike Levitt which ended Monday. In the 7 days they teased 15 fish and had 7 on of record class (fishing 4 & 8lb) including an estimated 800lb-er they fought for 2 and a half hours. They managed to get the double out of the water before the lines parted.

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.

On Reel Chase its been a while since we’ve put the TowCam cameras in the water but with the weather easing off yesterday to glamour conditions, we did and were rewarded with some more good footage for the vault. Heading wide to avoid the outgoing tide and dirty water we found plentiful tuna outside Spur Reef and as with the last time we live baited, our first tuna only just made it into the peg before we had a bite. Unfortunately this was no grander (this size marlin was more suited to live yakka than tuna), and even though it ate the bait twice, it preferred to give it back than fight us. Further north of the famous Bus Stop, we encountered a number of tailing marlin and boats around us were hooking up. Soon after we had the bite of a good sized fish on the underwater camera. Unfortunately after a solid hook-up it all went pear shaped and the ‘flexible coupling let go’ With the baits straight back in, we continued to mark good fish and watch Watchdog and Reel Ripe battle fish. Watchdog released 1 from 4 at approximately 400lbs, unfortunately missing the bigger fish, all three that Brett put in 1000lb class. Reel Ripe went two from two for Richard Latchford from the UK and Jamie Pitmiller from NY. After releasing the smaller fish at 200lb the boys decided to have a sneaky champagne toast to celebrate the end of a successful trip when the snap from the rigger interrupted the celebrations. Soon after another at 800lb-er was released, well and truly ending the trip on a high. Later in the day, heading down the Ridge towards the anchorage and beer o’clock. We turned on some tuna to watch Capt. Tim Dean on Calypso hook up right next to us releasing a 700lb-er, one from two for the day, after a short fight. Very soon after, back on Reel Chase we got the bite, again on the big bait, and Julio was able to convert his third try of the day releasing one at 450lbs, his very first marlin after many years of trying.Pictures: a compilation of stills from Monday’s footage on the TowCam tow camera and pole cameras on Reel Chase.Capt. Dan on Moana III on an overnight trip ventured out wide among the long liner fleet and reported a lot of big eye and yellowfin tuna along with whale sharks and although he saw marlin being caught on the long lines, didn’t raise any himself.Down south, David Granville reports the Hervey Bay competition on the weekend was a big success with the winning boat, Keneka winning with 7 blues in the two and a half days of fishing. David reported seeing 3 fish over 800lbs and that most were in the 5-600lb range.