It was almost as if someone flipped the switch yesterday. After such a good day for all the boats at the Bank Wednesday, Thursday suddenly went quiet. But if the fish want a one day break, we'll be there waiting for them today instead. With bells on!

We had this guy following us for close on 10 minutes - and he came racing in, all lit up - a swatted at the bait back and forth, not really interested in eating, before eventually fading away. As you can see, the TowCam is providing us endless entertainment.

Defying the shut down - a small number of boats had a good day. At Spur Reef, Hot Shot released one they put over the mark. At the Bank we saw Capt. Bill with a bit of activity and KEKOA lost one est. 500lb after 15 minutes of jumping and darting. On the Ribbons, Capt. Laurie and team on board Ningaloo released a little one and pulled the hooks on a much bigger fish. Then, on another late bite lost a big fish after an hour and a quarter's fight. And we heard over the radio that Capt. Sharky on Mauna Kea lost a big one on the wire after a long fight. Capt. Ross and the Top Shot team showed up at the anchorage behind Opal Reel last night as well and told me they've seen some big fish in recent days on - including a couple of their five bites yesterday.

More good news from the Gold Coast and the blue marlin fishing - Ross McCubbin caught two from four, 300 and 500lb yesterday and Craig on Grinner released another at 350lb.

After spending a few days in town hearing the reports from the fleet, it was great to get out amongst them, and even better, to be amongst the fish.

Things didn't start so well with a smaller fish that we managed to jump off twice, once on each bait. However, the next aggressive bite mid-afternoon had Kevvie on the board with a beautiful 450lb-er hooked perfectly in the corner of the jaw with an 18/O circle hook. A few more tentative bites and follows later - there are still plenty of fish on the bank - including a nice fish that wanted to check everything out but not eat, a 'not a bad day' suddenly got better. At 5:30pm we got another very aggressive bite from an 800lb-er that pulled the scad off and then charged in to eat the huge scaley just off the transom. 20 minutes later Dave had released his equal biggest fish. He didn't have it easy, with a blistering 500 metre run on the strike, and some hard coaching from the gallery.

Meanwhile on the other boats: Moana III started the day off on the Bank early with a 700lb-er before lunch while Capt. Tom on Ultimate Lady staked his turf on the middle of the Bank and worked it religiously producing three fish - including this big one they unfortunately lost on the wire (below left) and other they fought into the dark. Capt. Bill on Viking II released a 300lb-er early before introducing his clients to yet another big fish which Capt. Bill called well over the mark. After five big jumps on the wire and she went deep and 88lbs of drag could not stop a blistering 300meter run. The size of this fish had its tail beat hitting the end of the wind on (a video still of the absolute monster below right). On Too Easy Capt. Russ had the bites from the big fish, estimated at 700 and around the mark, but unfortunately could not convert.

Meanwhile, at the bottom Ribbons, Capt. Laurie reported a quieter day with his team on Ningaloo making the most of a bite out of a good size fish to released an estimated 700lb-er.

Well its still all happening from Linden Bank to Opal Ridge and on to Number 2 and 3 Ribbon Reef. Seems like school was out and all the fish were tailing along with the majority of fish seen being small but a few good sized girls among them.

Moana III caught one estimated 800lb and jumped a smaller fish off between the Bank and the Ridge. Mistress went 4 for 4 on little guys at the Ridge - including one blue marlin - unusual in so close. And The New Allure also released a big fish at the bank before returning to port. Ultimate Lady is here and fishing although reports were a little ambiguous, managed a couple of smaller fish.

At Number 2, Kianja raised a lot of small fish and saw plenty more tailing releasing two - 300 and 600lb - for the day. Capt. Steve also reported boats everywhere with lots of bites. Ningaloo went 3 from 8 bites on smaller fish as Capt. Laurie spent the day dodging other game boats.

UPDATE: Since we are still at the marina (Cairns Marlin Marina is currently without power which makes is a little difficult to re-fuel), I have the opportunity to provide an update with a couple of reports that have just come in.

From Pete, news that Gorilla caught two beauties at Number 1 yesterday at 850 and 900lbs. Depending on who you talk to Sparrow had an awesome day at Number 2 with 'plenty' including a big one. And Capt. Bill and the team on Viking are still enjoying the bank with yesterday's fishing bringing their total to 6 for this four day trip including 4 over 850lb. The late bite is winner for the team, Sunday they were 0-0-0 at 6pm and 4-2-2 by 6:30. Yesterday, another good one at 850lb and a little guy who reeked havoc on the new paint job~!

Not too much to report this morning as a lot of the fleet are in town for changeovers and a short reprieve from the weather. The good news is that they weather looks good for later in the week - and for longer than a day. We can't wait!

Capt. Dan on Moana III sent me this little pic of this little guy that he released on the way to Linden Bank from Jenny Louise, bringing him into the boat briefly to retrieve the lure. Capt. Luke on KEKOA also released a little guy at the Bank adding to his total for this trip - now 12 in 9 days.

On the big fish side, Capt. Ashley on The Ultimate released an 800lb-er at the Light and Capt. Laurie on Ningaloo has been releasing a few little guys in the middle Ribbons as well but yesterday managed two including one at 900lbs for their lady angler Mary.

There was a huge number of tailers sighted at the Bank again Monday proving the fish have really shown up in numbers now. We are out again tomorrow and looking forward to getting our piece of the action!

I owe my headline today to Capt. Bill who had an outstanding day yesterday with a twist - bringing a bit of a hit and miss theme to today's report.

After releasing a solid 850lb-er earlier, the Viking team hooked up on a fish that Terry and crew wanted to put in the Boat. Then a most bizarre thing happened. As they were about to grab the leader, one of the following male fish got the line caught in its mouth and started jumping next to the boat, getting caught up in the whole thing breaking off their donkey of a fish. The small fish was released while caught up in the line and leader, and the big girl owed it's male partner a big thank you. In Capt. Bill's 25 years on the reef - he's never seen anything like it!

More great news from Iona II which left Capt. Adam with a big smile on the dial as the team returned to port yesterday - topping off a great few days of fishing with 5 at the Bank yesterday. 550, 500, 400, 200 and 100lb - the little guy who Adam told me they had to switch onto a queenie because the big baits were too big! That's awesome fishing and proves that the fish are coming through in numbers. That's what we want to hear!

Capt. Luke on KEKOA released two smaller fish also at the bank and had trouble setting the hooks in a number of others. And Capt. Kim on New Moon lost one estimated at 800lb on 50lb. Capt. Dan on Moana III at Jenny Louise caught one at 450lbs from three. Not much talk from the lower Ribbons at all and Capt. Dean on Castille, who had ventured back up to the top, lost two nice fish - pulling the hooks on one and jumping the other off - at second corner on Number 10. At least TowCam gave them some great footage of the bites (below).

Hopefully more fishing sticking today.

(For those who notice an update here - apparently I can't read. Congrats to the team on board Mistress who have taken out third place in the GFAA Highest Point Scoring Boat in Australian Waters - Tag and Release for 2007/2008.)

Lots of fishing reports in for Saturday. And the news is all BIG!

At Linden Bank, boats took advantage of what Capt. Luke on KEKOA described as the "best weather day that he can remember this month" to fish long and hard. After raising a couple of big fish - including one well over the mark only to heartbreakingly spit up the scad - 80 year old angler Martin hooked up on the fish of his lifetime releasing an estimated 900lb-er after a short fight pushing 45lbs of drag. With still three days left to go on this his first trip down under, Martin is sure to top off what has already been great trip having caught seven of KEKOA's nine fish in the last seven days himself!

Left: Martin's 900lb-er on KEKOA on the leader with Deckie Adam.
Right: Team KEKOA are also getting some more great TowCam footage of some other bites

Nearby on the Bank, Capt. Bill on Viking also took advantage of the weather, and a break from the marlin rats of earlier in the week, to release his third BIG fish of the season that he said was knocking on the door. (Hopefully some photos to come) Likewise Little Audrey took a break from their rats too releasing another BIG one Capt. Pete called over the mark.

Capt. Adam on Iona II returned to his honey hole for more big fish action (Update - released one at 350lbs and pulled the hooks on a really nice one), Capt. Brad on The New Allure released two to 450lbs and Joe Joe were kept busy with plenty of bites including a double hookup of a marlin and yellowfin tuna - the marlin chowing down on the un-cleared skip bait still in the water - to an unfortunate end. Moana III had a few bites out of smaller fish further down at the light and Jenny Louise.

But speaking of Moana - Capt. Dan kindly sent me a pic of their big fish from Trinity Opening Thursday. Capt. Dan's Russian anglers are certainly finding success on the GBR. They caught a couple of nice fish in the middle last year including this one I took a shot of from neaby on Reel Chase.

Meanwhile yesterday, the bottom of the Ribbons was also seeing some action. At Number 2, Capt. Steve on Kianja pushed the bar with an estimated 850lb-er for angler Pete on 130lb stand up (below left). Capt. Tim on Tradition fought a nice one for over an hour before losing the battle while at Number 3, Capt. Jared once again steered Shaka in the fishy direction with a 450lb-er early for John, and later, taking advantage of that magic time late in the day when many of the boats have already departed for anchorage, for this 850lb-er which also gave an aerobatic show (below right).

Kianja and Shaka's fish: both estimate 850lbs and Number 2 and Number 3 Ribbon Reef.

Oh what a day! You wish you were here, don't you?

Well we finally worked it out yesterday - in the fish's calendar, it is still September. Because the moon was so early this month, the fish have decided to drop back a month, and when you look at all the conditions, it adds up to September. Howling winds - check, no east Australia current - check, cool nights - check, lack of fish - check (though this is changing!), Sparrow catches a striped marlin at Number 5 Ribbon - check!

But the last week has definitely shown a dramatic improvement in the number of fish. Bring on October! ;-)

Yesterday at Linden Bank, we raised four although we only released one due to some lack-luster bites. By the time we had left the Bank to run into Cairns, Adam on Iona II had also raised six including two big ones. And, The New Allure also raised 7 to just the one release and Ningaloo released another before running into Cooktown for changeover as well.

We saw a lot of fish, tailing down sea and following the baits on the TowCam - they just didn't seem too hungry. But tomorrow is another day.

A maori wrass comes up to say hi on the morning snorkel and Simon's Fish jumps behind Reel Chase.

Reel Chase is in Cairns for the next few days and after the battering we've received all week, I'm pretty happy about that. The weather over the weekend looks pretty good though so hopefully there is a lot more action to report from the rest of the fleet. Stay tuned!

While the weather knocked the bejeebies out of us, the fishing certainly made up for it and gives us all cause for excitment. Two grander releases were recorded Thursday which tops off a week of big fish sightings.

At Number 6 Ribbon Reef, Capt. Dean and the team on board Castille hooked up to a monster releasing the fish after a heavy duty battle in the rough seas. Meanwhile, at Linden Bank, Capt. Dan on board Moana III more than made up for a slow week releasing two fish including one that Capt. Dan said topped the scales.

Capt. Adam back on board Iona II returned to the same spot he fished early in the month for two from four to 700lbs and one of the ones that got away, over the 1000lb mark. Meanwhile, on the original Iona, as at half past 7 last night, I heard that Capt. Corey was still backing out to sea after a beast.

[I'm promised some photos but I should mention my computer is playing up so they may be delayed. Thanks to Capt. Jim for letting me use his today!]

Capt. Laurie on Ningaloo showed his skill at the helm on an exciting 650lb-er in the testy conditions. Capt. Luke on KEKOA powered back after a slow fishing Wednesday with two released at Anderson Reef. Capt. Tim on Tradition had a front row seat for the action with Castille's grander and managed a good sized 600lb-er at Number 4. And back to us on Reel Chase, we slogged into the weather all day, heading to Linden Bank where we are fishing today, for a late reprieve with a fish for Rob at sunset.

Giving us a little bit more optimism, was long liners reporting huge aggregation of marlin well to the east of the Ribbon Reefs which hopefully will swim inshore as soon as conditions suit them.

Top: Castille's monster. Bottom: Rob's sunset marlin.

On Reel Chase we finally found our own bunch of fish Wednesday, even if they were only small - releasing two from four at Escape Reef. On what was a much better day weather-wise - without a doubt the best weather day in October - we saw a few others tailing down sea. Lucky Danny (his new name on board) with his second fish and a first for Dave giving us more fun and games with the TowCam Tow Camera and Pole Camera. This time we got the footage of the bite on the Tow Cam as well as the action at the back of the boat and some additional Tow Cam footage of another fish who followed us for a while, inspecting the baits, but did not eat. With hopefully a weather change due next week we'll be looking forward to some more footage on our camera's.

Nearby we saw Little Audrey backing off over the horizon to the south-east and later we found out they had a nice 600lb-er wrapped up in the leader giving them a bit of stick. They finally released the fish after an hours fight. Moana III and Joe Joe travelled south to Linden Bank and had a couple of bites on arrival but no tags for their Russian Anglers.

Top: Danny on, and Danny's fish. Bottom: Dave's fish ready to rocket out for a jump and tag shot.

At Number 10 Ribbon, Capt. Laurie on Ningaloo released a 500lb-er for angler Brian and hooked up on another big fish at the top of the reef only to have her spit the hook.

Weighted in at 1080lbs!

It was caught on a lure, 550 miles off the East coast at Mellish Reef - on the way back to Australia from Port Villa at 7:10 pm Monday evening after a 1 hour and 40 minute fight. It was hooked on a lure on 80lb line and Capt. Tom tells me it just about spooled them on the bite but after that it settled down.

Originally the team on board Ultimate Lady planned to release but it did not survive the fight and was boated. The first document grander blue marlin weighed in Australia.

As Capt. Tom says, it is a great catch for the angler, Australia and Townsville (where it was weighed)! Bless those kiwis ;-) Townsville is definitely making a name for itself now for the big fish. You'll remember their first grander black marlin in 20 years weighed on Maggie Island last year.

Congrats to the Ultimate Lady team! Big thanks to Talina for getting down there and getting all the details for us as well.

More info: Capt. Kim tells me that Mellish Reef is 700nm east of Cairns and some 120 miles inside Australian waters. He fished there in 1988 and says that it is an awesome spot with good anchorage behind Herald Quay Islets.

The marlin, they are fickle!

Word of the fish at Lena Reef seemed to have spread with a number of other boats arriving Tuesday to join us, although the fish and the weather were not cooperating. Quite a bit lumpier than Monday, with a few rain squalls thrown into the mix and just the two fish reported in this area. KEKOA continues to plug away with another smaller fish from three bites. And Shaka, fresh from changeover at Cooktown caught an estimated 400lb-er at the top of Lena Reef.

Down at Linden Bank, Capt. Kim on New Moon raised a group of smaller fish and managed to release one of the bigger ones at 450lbs from three as well. And that was it on the marlin front.

Capt. Dean on Castille sent me this picture of a nice size Dogtooth they caught up to the north. On board Reel Chase we enjoyed a morning snorkel and spearfish behind the reef on the last day before the reef finfish closure with the bonus of a couple of nice sized trout for tea. And we also enjoyed some more TowCam PoleCam action behind the boat and can prove that its not just the barracuda's and wahoo who enjoy eating the camera but the red bass, spangled emperors and other assorted reef fish do too.

Today it seems everyone is heading south. Hopefully to find that magic congregation of fish.

And a message to Peter: the boys are enjoying your tim tams and Dire Straits on board and said to let you know that they miss you ;-)

Updates from Ultimate Lady on the way and marlin action on the Gold Coast today as well.

Up on the Ribbon Reefs
Skytrans continues to lose friends. Not only have they cancelled many of the scheduled flights between Cairns and Cooktown but yesterday they left our clients behind all but on the tarmac! A hastily arranged charter flight, a few hours later, and finally, just after lunch, we were on our way to the reef.

But all the hassle became worth it when within half an hour putting the baits in the water at 2pm, Danny was onto his very first black marlin at Lena Reef - a stocky 650lb-er which crash tackled the big bait. With the seas nice and lumpy, the fish did what all big blacks do and headed straight into the weather. After taking many waves over the back, and plenty of water on board, we put the tag in beside the boat. And got some excellent footage on the TowCam PoleCam as well.

Top: Danny's fish swims beside Reel Chase. Below: Danny's fish again jumps beside the boat
& on KEKOA, a 250lb-er gets some great air!

Also at Lena, KEKOA released an excitable 250lb-er straight after putting the baits in the water, while the rest of their group, on board The New Allure, had to wait until just before cease fishing to hook-up on their only fish for the day, a solid 700lb-er who did some damage to the outrigger in the rough seas.

I've also managed to finally have a little catch up with Capt. Ross on Top Shot who has been plugging away at the fish day after day including four tags in the one day last week. Yesterday, fishing the middle Ribbons, releasing another one at the end of the day as well. Up at Day Reef, Tradition tagged one from two bites and ran into some of our sailfish up there as well while Capt. Dean on Castille missed a big one.

Ultimate Lady
News from Capt. Tom and the big blue boat we've missed seeing up here so far this year. They are having a good trip despite the weather mid Coral Sea. They have jumped off a bunch of small blues, and caught a few as well - not too bad for just straight lining. And word is they may have Australia's first grander blue marlin in the boat. Hopefully they will be able to weigh it when they are in Townsville on Wednesday.

Gold Coast Marlin Action
A call from Capt. Ross McCubbin on Sunday to let us know that one club boat tagged two blues and another a blue and a stripie on the weekend. Could be the year of the blues! Lets hope so because the blacks are being trying ;-)

The fish had another reasonable chew Sunday, although the up to 30 knot winds and rain continue to keep things interesting. In one hour at Number 2 Ribbon, Capt. Luke on KEKOA released three from four to 400lb, making a fabulous start on the first day of this trip. Capt. Bobby Jones has returned to the helm of Fascination IV this week and returned from a few days on the high seas yesterday reporting a solid 700lb-er in the middle. Also in the middle, Capt. Jared on Shaka continues to plug away at the fish, with angler Ed Vander Kruck's second marlin in two days - an 850lb-er – which crashed the tuna on the last downsea run of the day. She was tagged and successfully released just on dusk.

Left: Jeff on the leader on KEKOA. Right: Angler Ed and CP on the deck on board Shaka.

We're out for the first of a five day trip with the returning Scotts today. Although the weather is not ideal, we're looking forward to getting stuck into it. Peter - watch this space!

Today, some learned best guessing from Capt. Jim as to why the fish have not shown up in numbers as yet:

The fish turn up on the Ribbon Reefs thanks to the south equatorial current which historically hits the north coast in the Lizard Island area. The main body of the current turns south and eventually heads all the way along the east coast of Australia to Bermagui in the south. The small northern eddy swings around the gulf of Papua and back onto the south equatorial to complete the loop.

For some reason, this current is extremely important to the spawning aggregation of the giant black marlin. At the moment, the current appears all wrong, and is hitting the coast just north of Port Douglas and the majority of the water is looping around the gulf of Papua. Hopefully the current will adopt its normal proportions and the bulk of the fish will again swim into the Ribbon Reefs. Because the main congregation of fish don't seem to have arrived just yet, the fishing is best described as patchy. This picture shows some of the recent catches, spread right along the entire reef system.

Some reports from yesterday though indicate with the last quarter moon phase now approaching, and the legacy of the full moon disappearing out of the system, the fishing may be turning around...

At Linden Bank, WatchDog tagged two from three, 200 and 600lb and lost the third at the boat. At the bottom of Number 4, Shaka continues to deliver for their virgin black marlin anglers with the first for Ed (and in 30 + knots and 3 metre seas no less!) At Number 8, Capt. Laurie on Ningaloo released one in the first hour of fishing. And back at Number 10, on 2nd corner, Capt. Dean on Castille took advantage of a late bite to release number two for the day at an estimated 700lbs and Capt. Tim on Tradition released another smaller fish there as well.

The weather is certainly making conditions trying. With the forecast all red (20 knots + category) for the next 7, we certainly hope the fishing will be making up for it. This year is shaping up to be worse than 2006 on the weather front. But its got to end some time....!

Capt. Luke has saved us from reporting oblivion again with another good day at the Marks on Number 10 Ribbon Reef. After jumping off a smaller fish early, the tide turned again for boat builder Pete O'Brien as he hooked up on a nice estimated 800lb-er (photos) mid-afternoon. She gave a great jumping display for all on board before being released. And later, team KEKOA released another smaller fish as well ending with two from three for the day. Capt. Dean on Castille also reported missing a big one up that way. And, up the very top, Sparticus also released a smaller fish on Hicks Reef.

**One day soon I'm going to do a map of Number 10 Ribbon, so all these spots make more sense to those who are not familiar.

At the very bottom, Capt. Kim on New Moon this time reports fish down at Euston Reef, releasing three of the small guys to 200lb yesterday as well.

We are light tackle fishing again today in the vicinity of Lizard Island. Tomorrow, we head into Cooktown - our first time into port in 3 weeks(!) - for a well deserved two day break. So, unless any other boats make a special effort to send me their reports, I will be taking a blogging holiday until Monday as well.

Those of us approaching 10 from the north seemed to have a much quieter day yesterday with the only reports I heard of fish from those coming up the reef from the south. We got as far down as far down as Heartbreak without a bite and did not hear of a fish from those of us fishing from this end. But coming up from Number 9, Capt. Luke on KEKOA released another little guy at the Marks, while Capt. Laurie on Ningaloo released their first big fish of the season, an estimated 850lbs after an exciting 10 minute fight.

TowCam footage from KEKOA of their fish above and below water.

Update for Wednesday's fishing: Due to the lack of cooperation of the fish, there is no update ;-) A few bites but no releases reported.

For those with trips coming up, be thankful we're taking care of this nasty weather for you now. Yesterday was 25 knots, but for the most part very fishable, with some ugly little squalls thrown in for good measure. One such squall blowing a nice 34 knots and pouring rain brought Capt. Jim down from the tower for a spell.

With most of the boats having a rest and replenishment in Cooktown on Sunday, the fleet is now spread from the lower Ribbons all the way to the top. Mixed reports with most people seeing fish. But catching a bit more difficult in the trying conditions.

At Number 10, we managed one fish from two bites. At Number 7, Capt. Luke managed two fish from four bites to the 350lb range. Other reports were few and far between, though we heard that Capt. Corey had a tangle with a monster and Capt. Bill ot one on his trip downsea and Capt. Peter B. catching a small one on 10 as well.

Top photos: Trevor on his fish and TowCam pole cam shot in the water. I need to work on my aim.
And below, Capt. Luke's fish at Number 7 Ribbon Reef. All are video stills. Too wet for the digi camera.

Of the four boats that finished the day at the top of Number 10 - Reel Chase, Viking II, Iona and Sea Baby IV - we all pulled the pin and were running into the anchorage within minutes of each other trying to beat another rain squall we could see approaching. And half an hour later it had hit, and most of us were still trying to set our anchors = some very wet skippers and deckies. Not the smoothest night's sleep to be sure, but we certainly did not go anywhere!

We are starting a three day mothershipping trip from Lizard Island today, and anglers depending, we're hoping to do some fishing on Number 10 Ribbon. Unfortunately, the weather no longer looks like this. Winds 25knots and rain... Hopefully our anglers will decide to tough it out because there have been some promising reports. On Number 10 yesterday, Capt. Ross on Top Shot released a est 180lb black marlin for his fly fishing anger on 20lb tippet while Tradition also released a smaller fish. But word is that Capt. Peter B also released a grander.

Friends fresh from changeovers at Cooktown will be joining us at the top end with both KEKOA and Castille planning to fish to the vicinity of Number 9 today. And Capt. Laurie on Ningaloo had three bites from 4 fish he saw yesterday releasing one in the middle.

Champion Boat went to Kanahoee who snuck in with two fish on the final day to push them over the line in front of Hart Throb (I have now corrected my spelling..) who lead all week and took home two of the daily awards. Champion male angler went to Adam Furst on Iona with 5 tags. Champion female angler went to Lydie Fayard on Tradition also with 5 fish. Interestingly, if the prizes weren't divided by the sexes, Lydie would have won Champion Angler overall on count back.

Meanwhile in the middle, more big fish are being seen tailing down sea as well as behind the baits. Shaka released this one estimated at 800lbs. Capt. Laurie on Ningaloo released another 400lb-er and Capt. Ross on Top Shot has made the most of his latest trip finishing with 8 fish in 7 days, the biggest to 650lbs.

Well the fish are finally starting to show up in numbers. They may not be in time to make much of a difference in the tournament, but it is looking promising. And there are some big fish amongst them.

Outside the comp, Capt. Kim on Flying Fisher 1 on its maiden charter released an estimated grander plus at Linden Bank Thursday for angler Jill Gardis. In the middle The Allure released 4 including a big one, Ningaloo released two and Top Shot has been getting a couple too. On number 7, Shaka, returning south with John back in the chair, released this one (picture courtesy of CP).

In the comp, Sharky is making his usual late charge that we've come to expect, with Mauna Kea releasing 3 from 4 on Day 6. This brings them into 2nd place with 5 fish on count back from Heart Throb who hold on to the lead despite not adding to their total since Thursday. Moana III have come back to the Ribbons after their big adventure out wide to finally kick off their tournament score card with their first, second and third fish all on Day 6. And fishing next to them on Number 10, Tradition released two for the day bringing their total for the tournament to 4 fish, all for lady angler Lydie.

Up at Jewel, the littlest boat in the fleet, Hell Raiser, caught a big girl estimated at 850lb - the biggest fish for the day for their lady angler Sue - who lost an estimated 900lb-er in the tournament in 2007 after a 4 hour battle. In the same area, we thought we got lucky when a large black shape crashed the big bait, however the first jump instead showed a very nice sailfish on the end of our line which was tagged and released for angler Mick. In the same area, Hell Raiser also raised a sail which shows you never know what's out there. Later in the day, a nice black marlin invaded the circle entanglers and that was our day other than some more good popper action for trout and GT's in the virgin Jewel Reef country.

Other fish on Day 6 belonged to Hard to Swallow, Iona 2, KEKOA and Little Audrey (whose 150lb jumped into the cockpit during the fight). Current leader-board standings are: Heart Throb with 5 from Mauna Kea also with 5 and Reel Ripe on 4.

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!!

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.

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.

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.

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.
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Outside the tournament, news was sketchy. Ningaloo fishing the bottom end for two fish, one at Lena and one at Number 2.

Persistence paid off for Mark with a nice 400lb-er yesterday. His very first marlin and he certainly got to experience the exhilaration of fighting a big fish.

The rest of the fleet are either in Cooktown gearing up for the tournament or already arrived to secure an early poll position in the bay at Lizard Island. There were already in excess 10 boats here when we arrived yesterday. Today is a day of chores and rest as we gear up for the comp. Briefing this evening, fishing starts tomorrow.

Update from Capt Bill who finished three days with close friend and 24 year client Paul Kelly. Paul has always brought luck with him and this year was no exception releasing 8 fish in the 3 days. Not bad for a guy who won't go marlin fishing till after a fresh fish lunch and a bottle of his favourite wine!

Good luck to all in the Lizard Island tournament.

Here they come!

With the Lizard Island Black Marlin Classic briefing Saturday evening, Cooktown is already over run with boats on change over.

Our trip north proved unsuccessful other than a bite from a small fish at Number 5. However upon reaching Number 8 Ribbon, we found a number of the fleeting hiding out including KEKOA, Allure, Castille III, Release and Tradition. Two quick bites in half an hour, one from a reasonable fish raised our hopes but not our average. KEKOA finished with two fish to 500lbs. Tradition with two to 350lb and Castille with one from a number of bites. Castille having just returned from a trip wide to Osprey Reef where they reported huge numbers of sailfish, dogtooth and wahoo eager to jump on anything.

Down the other end, Mistress following the same path we did yesterday, managed a fish on Ruby and another on Number 1 Ribbon to 400lbs. And an update from Capt. Bill from Wednesday who went 4 from 4 on small males in the middle and tagging another Thursday as well.

Photo from Castille's Towcam of one of the many many sails.

As John tells us, there may be some dodgy banks in the US and Europe, but here on the great Barrier Reef, one bank is really firing. Yesterday, again the "Linden Bank" produced the deposits that most gamefisherman expect after years of loyal service.

And those on the good ship Shaka started their 2008 campaign where they left off in 2007 - ar$e deep in the big fish!

After watching the action behind other boats on Tuesday, as we did, Shaka finished day two Wednesday with a 2-2-2 - including this one at 950lbs. She crashed and jumped all over the ocean during the 25 minute fight. And, with number one Charles 'CP' Perry still in transit, deckie Ant Griffiths did a great job steering the chair, tagging and wiring the fish on his lonesome. With only the three on board, John in the chair and Capt. Jared at the wheel, I'm assuming somewhere in the midst of all that he managed to take this shot as well. Great going guys! Here's hoping there are plenty more where she came from.

While Shaka stuck it out at the bank, with a solid 20 knots blowing for most of the day, many choose the down-sea troll to a much quieter day. With a shorter day for the team on board Reel Chase, after diving at the Argincourts in the AM, we started our down-sea troll at South Escape after lunch. We spotted a few fish early and jumped off a little 200lb-er, and that was our day. Ending at the top of Lena Reef. At Number 9, Capt. Luke on KEKOA, seeing just the one fish, caught it at an estimated 250lbs. And that's all folks!

And back to the Towcam pictures from Tuesday:

That innocent looking little face belongs to a wahoo, not a tuna. This particular wahoo in fact. And the shot on the left is indeed the camera inside his mouth.

We could see all the way to his tail on the inside! Fortunately, he soon spat it out (and we got the camera back undamaged) and then proceeded to eat the scad. And, after a short fight Mark had him on deck.

Last night's menu was crispy pan-fried wahoo on a bed of greens with Asian sauce. He was yummy!

It was a glamour start weather-wise, but unless you were one of the lucky few, it was a quiet, albeit very nice, day. On the Bank, Ningaloo opened their 2008 season with three for the day including this guy on the left (above). Team Port Stepehens/Lake Macquarie had a great day fishing on Calypso also with two, including a big fish for racing identity Gary Holt. Mistress, added to their tally with another 350lb-er bringing their total to 4 from 3 days. The rest of us, didn't lose any, enjoying the day.

Up on number 10, Tradition released a 350lb-er to round out the day's reports.

Anyone care to guess what the picture on the left is? Hint, it has something to do with the picture on the right. (Still from Towcam. Also a great lure ;-)