Simon brings a Blue alongside to remove the lure hook while another ready to switch at the teaser.

Update: After hearing reports of multiple Blue Marlin bites over the past couple of weeks we were very keen to get in on that action. And, after a quick phone call to Kekoa regular Steve, we were on for a weekend on the shelf!

Steve flew up to join us Friday evening and it was early to bed for an even earlier start on Saturday. Venturing through the seaway in the still dark, the sun came up on the trip out to help guide us to where we were headed - it was a glamour day on the water. Barely had we set the pattern when we had our first bite and quickly released our first Blue for the day off Point Lookout. This set the trend for the rest of the day - or at least until lunch when the bite slowed down significantly.

On Day 1, we had raised a total of 14 fish for 9 bites and 4 tags.

To answer you Rob - we switched three of the four, barely clear of the transom, and jumped off another after a spectacular bite from an over-excited 300lb-er.

Saving us the long run back to the Gold Coast for the night, Capt. Luke guided us safely through South Passage Bar to anchor at Amity Point on the northern end of North Stradbroke.

On Sunday, anticipating another early bite, we once again rose in the dark and found ourselves in the strike-zone just on 7am. Unfortunately the fish were onto us and the early bite wasn't to be repeated. Venturing a bit further south and closer to home in preparation for the Southerly change we once again found fish just north of Jim's Mountain. Both fish were raised on the lures and we released another excited line burner just as the wind started to kick in. Our only Blue for Day 2 as we decided to head home. As the wind came up - Deputy Capt. Simon mentioned that this was the perfect weather for Yellowfin Tuna. And lo and behold it really was! After an explosion on the left, Steve boated a nice 70lb-er - enough for sushi and more.

Simon removes the hook from a Blue alongside while the boys brace the tuna
and themselves in the weather for a quick photo.

Final day of our Port Stephens season started with catching bait at Little Island giving us a chance to bid final greetings to the rest of the regular fleet and fellow bait-fishers including the boys on board Freedom, Billfisher, Broadbill and Calypso. After bringing a nice haul of slimeys on board we set out for the grounds..a whopping 200 metres away!! Unfortunately the promise of the preceeding few days did not eventuate and by late morning we had set off to wander in the direction of Broughton Island where the teaser once again caught the attention of a beautiful fully lit-up Striped Marlin. The standard deployment of a live bait assured Angler Russell of an instant hookup. After a lengthy fight (and even calling in back up angling reinforcements) the fish was tagged. Unfortunately that was it for our final day.

Back home on the Gold Coast we are gearing up for some Blue Marlin action after a busy weekend by all reports out wide. Fishing inshore for little Blacks on Kekoa on Saturday, Capt. Luke was listening to radio reports of an array of hook-ups and tags, wishing he was there. This weekend he will be as Kekoa joins the fleet off Cape Moreton. Stay tuned!!

While the action in the car park has definitely slowed, it appears its beginning to hot up inshore with the little Blacks and offshore with the big Blues. On Wednesday we travelled from Broughton Island to Seal Rocks in close and then turned out wide for no Marlin but a school of Dolphin Fish on the fish traps kept our anglers Neil and Brendan busy. However as we ran in, we marked a few Marlin on bait schools closed to Little Island that looked promising.

So on Thursday we started fishing 200 metres east of Little Island and caught our first Black Marlin for Angler Rick while still setting the baits. The second one soon followed for Angler Mark and that was our day. Great reports from Grant on board Kiaua tagging 4 from 6 in the area between Little Island and Broughton Island and Johnny Denver on the Freedom tagging three north of Broughton Island including one of 100kgs on 15.

Rick's Black jumps away from the boat while Mark's tries to join us on board.

Reports from Bob Jones on Fascination fishing wide at Almark Mt. in 500 fathoms plus recorded a large number of Blues and Spearfish tagging one of each on Wednesday and getting another four bites from Blues on Thursday with a couple of fish in excess of 500lb with a couple lost due to light tackle limitations.

One of the Dolphin Fish and Neil's on fire.

We made it out in the weather - even so, we did indulge in a 3 hour lunch break!

Persistance in the afternoon with team B paid off with a missed bite from a Striped Marlin and then tagging a small Black Marlin for Greg which again gave us an aerial display at the back of the boat. All the action happened within 500 metres of Little Island, right in front of Port Stephens Heads.

Captain Jim thinks that with the large amount of bait in front of the Heads and North of Broughton Island and the beautiful blue 24 degree water, the fishing should finally break loose in this area over the next couple of weeks.

Now that everyones gone home after the tournaments we're catching fish again although the weather is still not on our side. We managed to catch a foul hooked Striped Marlin on 30lb spinning rod thanks to the efforts of a great angler in Paul!

As usual, Monday's weather conditions went down the gurgler and we finished the day shortly after lunch. Our fish was caught north of Broughton Island. To the south off Fingal Light, Broadbill caught two Black Marlin and Calypso a Black and Striped Marlin.

Today's going to be a tough one. It has dawned grey, drisly and 25knots. Pity they don't catch Marlin inside the harbour!

On her first day marlin fishing with Capt. Jim a few years ago, she caught a sailfish. Since then she's caught a number of Striped and Black Marlin. Yesterday she completed the Grand Slam by releasing an estimated 250lb Blue Marlin.

Joining us out on the shelf and beyond were some of the 40 odd boats competing in the Riviera Billfish Shootout held over the weekend.

Tycon took out the Champion Boat 'Capture' after weighing a 521kg Tiger Shark at 3am Sunday morning - the fight went on into the early after a 10am hookup and team were assisted by Gunrunner who took them some more Petrol to get them home after the fish took them in excess of 40 mile from Gamefish Base. Attempts to get the boxhead into the boat resulted in near swamping and so it was towed in.

Champion Boat 'Tag and Release' was Blood, Sweat and Tears who won from our friends Griffo and team on Magic with 23 Yellow Fin tuna tagged. Magic following up with a Blue Marlin, 4 tuna and a dolphin fish tagged.

We're sure something happened somewhere yesterday. One thing's for sure though, it wasn't where we were!

The hot water and currents are moving into the Northern grounds, with still cold current from the South inshore. And, we did not even hear of a boat catching fish yesterday.

Hopefully it turns around before the shootout this weekend.

The wind is currently gusting 29 to 31 knots. We may not be going anywhere today...

Sunday dawned one of those where it would have been better for most of the fleet to have stayed in bed. We punched out early at 6am into a stiff 20 knot Northerly to find only worse to come (weather-wise) and unfortunately the fishing had gone the same way. We suffered the bad conditions without a single strike for the day - a fate we shared with most of the fleet. Luckily Born Free added another Striped Marlin to their collection allowing them to pull away from Di Da Ke and win the Champion Boat trophy for the tag and release section with 9 Marlin for the tournament.

Our highlights of the day included Calypso Tim, skipper of Born Free this weekend, introducing a 'No Sh!thead' (Dolphin Fish) rule when a number of boats looked like finishing on 8 Marlin tagged and seeing the magnificent 68 ft Hatteras, Hatterascal, tagging a very respectable Black Marlin for well-known lady angler Vanessa next door to us.

As per normal, Monday has dawned rainy and grey and so another good day for us to be in Port to re-stock.

Hopefully the weather eases for us when we are back out tomorrow and some of the large number of small Black Marlin coming down arrive on the inshore grounds soon.

In Satellite tagging news: The est. 22kg Black Marlin tagged by Reel Chase in the last week of August popped its tagged on December 17th between Mackay and Rockhampton showing that the small fish obviously enjoyed his stay at Cape Bowling Green enough to stay in the area for some time. More information as it becomes available.

Erik has been trying to catch a marlin for a while now and has had a few unsuccessful attempts. So his request for Friday was simple - a marlin please. Imagine his delight when he went home with six!

Two Stripeys and four Blacks tagged and released. A great day for a single angler! The first fish, a greedy Stripey pinched the Milkfish off the end of the teaser before swallowing the live bait as well and Erik was on! After that it was steady going and even the weather chimed in to produce a magic day.

If only the form would continue for the Interclub......

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Sorry my posts have been tardy - I've picked up some type of bug and am battling to stay on top of it. Day 3 of the tournament was today and just in case I don't have time to post in the morning (5am starts!) a quick update: In tag and release, Lake Macquarie team, 2,500 points ahead at the end of the first weekend, took a beating today with just one fish added to the tally. Meanwhile, Port Stephens/Newcastle found their form to surge ahead - the leading Port team group adding at least six more to their tally today. Di Da Ke had a dream run tagging four Marlin early to surge ahead, perhaps even to the lead in the champion boat stakes......

Another long day to get lucky in the last five minutes. But it wasn't without its drama.

Reel Chase spent the day in close trolling from Broughton Island to Fingal Lighthouse without seeing a fish until going home time - once again, only minutes before winding the lines in. 200 metres off Fingal Reef, Dave's patience paid off for a 45kg Black Marlin.

Iona won the Shootout with two Black Marlin on a count back from Born Free, Hatterascal and Fascination all fishing out on the shelf.

We can only hope the fishing gets better and the sun begins to shine for the resumption of the Interclub Tournament from tomorrow.

(I am having trouble loading the photo - will try again later today...)

On another day when the weather tends to deceive, we had a beautiful windless day in Port, the sun was shining and it was hot! Conversely, the boys on water Reel Chase who headed north again to Seal Rocks (where we had been fishing over the weekend) found it cloudy and uncomfortable. The water was still brown and cold and the number of small Blacks who had been in the area were obviously not still around. Lucky for the team, in the vain search for warm blue water, they managed to tag a small black on the long trip home.

Boats fishing the shelf including Hatterascal had a much better day with three Stripeys tagged for the American guests from the Hatteras factory. Perry tells us there is a patch of nice water moving up from the south-east and the fishing on the shelf seems to be on the up again. Also in close, a patch of blue, 22 degree plus water from Broughton Island to Fingal Light produced a number of Black Marlin ranging from small 20kg fish to one nice sub-100kg fish. Trailer boat Warlock saw a number of fish in the same area tagging one after a busy day and Murrifin also tagged a Black.

However, most boats saw the big storm coming that had formed over land after the warm day, and made the wise decision to return home early. A spectacular lightening and thunder show with buckets of rain left us cowering indoors just after we had finished chamoi-ing the boat!