I’m a bit late on the reporting front this week as we’ve been out of phone range traveling back from three months straight fishing the Gulf. The trip home has been plagued by the usual bad weather at this time of year with the strong south-easterly trade winds. But we’re on the home stretch to Cairns now and looking forward to the start of the heavy tackle marlin session in a few short months. There is still time available for you to join one of the top crews on the reef this season. Please check the available dates here (updated).

While the billfish-fishing tends to be a bit quieter during the winter months, I have heard about the odd HT tackle fish being caught over the last week off the Sunshine Coast, and the striped marlin off Sydney and Coffs (report below). In the coming weeks, we’re expecting to hear reports of the sailfish firing off the West Australian coast around Broome before we turn our attention to the coast along Far North Queensland to see whether the juvenile black marlin and sailfish show up on the light tackle grounds. Then back we’re back to Cairns again full-time from late September for the start of the Giant Black Marlin season for 2011. Can’t wait!

• Congratulations go to Capt. Ian “Wobbles” Ford and the crew on Hot Shot who caught a potential Australian junior record for angler Thomas Right with a 70kg bluefin on 15kg yesterday. Wobbles tells me that there are plenty of fish around now from 25 to 55kgs indicating the southern bluefin run is well and truly ON! Also, I heard that they are soon to take delivery of a 55ft Viking which will replace their current vessel up at Cairns this year. Pictures to follow soon.
• A weekend fishing report from Rick who says that the Solitary Islands GFC boats who headed out off Coffs over the weekend for a look-see report that while the water’s a bit green there is acres of bait. Andrew and Tim McQuade went out from Ballina in Pheel the Bite on Saturday, and after a couple of hits from smaller fish around 100 fathoms, got a solid hookup at 300 fathoms off Broken Head which turned out to be really big stripe. They were fishing light tackle, but even on 15kg gear, they got the fish to the boat in one hour, where a missed tag shot allowed it to run away for another 40 minutes. They eventually got it back to the boat, and after tagging it, got an accurate short measure of 2.8 metres, which at an indicative 150kg makes it one of the bigger stripes to be caught on the Coffs Coast for some time – and a nice marlin in anyone’s language!

  
  Sunday was pretty quiet but Rick says the first movement in the EAC should bring the mid-winter stripes back to town in the usual numbers.

• Lastly for those who missed it, the promo video from last year’s Port Douglas Marlin Challenge being held once again this year on November 2-7. Should be another cracker comp!

• What would we do without Mark? In a week where the blue marlin bite has been largely absent in South East Queensland and southern boats are more inclined to chase the big tuna (although they are seeing more marlin that expected at this time of year on the shelf) Mark saves the day with this picture of his recent blue marlin release at Port Macquarie.  Mark says they estimated the fish at 220kg – 260kg and it was tagged on board Purple Haze with Skipper/Owner Glen “Bazz” Johnson and Mark “Sutto” Sutton himself the lucky angler (not to mention the great crew!)  This fish was a follow up to an estimated 180kg blue marlin tagged on the same boat and same crew a few weeks earlier – both were caught on Hollowpoint Lures. Congrats Mark – great fish!

  

• Nick also sent me a quick report from last week that daughter Sophie Currey fishing with her dad on his boat Aluhra 18nm east of Point Lookout raised a 400lb blue marlin. Alas shortly after hookup, it spat the lure. Better luck next time Sophie!
• For those interested in fishing the Broome Billfish Classic on July 22-30, the tournament brochure is now available for download here.

Some tidbits from the BMFB Facebook feed and more this past week:

• Grant put in a couple of hours on the troll Monday/Tuesday on Cjig off Woody Point for 1 from 1 blue marlin on Monday and 0 from 1 on Tuesday. Grant will be out there again this week as he travels north to take the boat to Hamo for the season up there.  Meanwhile on the Gold Coast, many GCGFC club boats all had some action on the lures on Sunday with trouble converting the less than aggressive bites.  Barco had the luck on their side however releasing 2 from 3 blues fishing the area between Riv’s and Jim’s Mountain.
• Off Sydney and Port Stephens, there are still a few marlin wandering around.  Rod added two more to his Murrifin season tally while Tim Dean also added another stripe for Calypso on Saturday.
• And for those interested (I know that Ben “Notso” Bright and I were poring over these images last night) Reel Chase’s new owner Brett Goetze sent me some pictures of her post-refit and she’s looking gorgeous – and white!  You can see the shots on the new Reel Chase Charters website here.  Reel Chase is now based out of Port Douglas where she will be fishing her first giant black marlin season under the new owners this year.
  
• And another video that I came across from guests fishing on board Hot Shot earlier this year when they released 5 striped marlin off Bermagui – all filmed on the new HD Video Sunglasses.
  

Weekend report including some re-capping from yesterday’s newsletter:

• Fishing off the Gold Coast, Mistress released a blue marlin they put at 120kg on Saturday and another blue about the 140kg mark and a spearfish on Sunday. Rodney says they also raised another blue when they were clearing the lines and that a trailerboat nearby also tagged a blue on Saturday while other boats also had shots.
• The Newcastle Port Stephens GFC held their Northern Zone overnighter on the weekend.  Dave reports that one boat tagged an estimated 20kg broadbill which was caught on a live slimy (Brent says they also lost a much larger one after an intense 20minute battle) while Dave and the boys lost one as well.  The marlin have been a little more scarce although there were a couple of stripes reported.
• James from Solitary Islands GFC tells me that the marlin fishing has been a little quiet off the Coffs Coast as well.  While the weekend weather played the game perfectly allowing plenty to fish both days over the weekend, the fish didn’t return the favour in kind. A few reports came through of yellow fin in the 25-35kg range and Alcatraz fished the Sawtell Canyons and raised a small but lively blue which was missed before they had another chance with a larger fish taking the short rigger.  Unfortunately this one also threw the lure a short while into the fight – Blue Marlin 2, Alcatraz 0. Thanks James – better luck next time!
• Elsewhere down south of the border (NSW), the attention has turned to the big tuna although they have largely absent thus far. Instead a few stripies made a show off Norah Head and Batemans Bay among others. And Capt. Ross Hunter’s Broadbill released a stripe off Sydney on Thursday as well. In Tassie, the run of big bluefin is eagerly anticipated and while there were a few big fish caught earlier in the week at Eagle Hawk Nest – 104kg, 106kg, 143kg and others in the 80′s and 90′s – it slowed down again in the latter part.

I’m starting the weekly sked a day early today as we will likely be out of phone/internet range for a couple of days from later tomorrow as we head a bit further afield.  I’ll add any more reports that come in today here as well.

• A few boats out braving the rough conditions of the last few days finding the blue marlin on the Gold Coast.  Dan reports from Larva who went two from three blue marlin off the Gold Coast on Friday.  They got the tag into the first which they estimated in the 600lb range but dropped the second before the tag beside the boat.  They gave it away at 2pm but the boys on Murphy’s Law reported that the ocean came alive at 3pm and they tagged a blue just before sunset having missed a double header earlier.  You can watch Dan’s Larva Lures promo video from their blue here.
• Rod braved the rough yesterday to fish Murrifin wide of Sydney for a blue that he put at about 140kg.
• Craig reported from the Canberra Yellowfin comp at Bermi but it seems like the big tuna are thin on the ground (water) so far. Day 1 was cancelled due to the winds. Day 2 saw a 489kg tiger shark and a pending Australian record spearfish captured and another couple tagged (and a broadbill to the team on Hot Shot with Capt. Ian “Wobbles” Ford, which was caught on a pilchard!) There have also been 4 striped marlin tagged and 40 odd ‘baby’ yellowfin (the heaviest 26.2). On Day 3 (Monday) the conditions were picture perfect. The heaviest tuna indeed ended up being the 26.2kg fish caught by Batemans Bay junior Josh Hay (who also took out the Champion Junior award in the T&R section). What a great weekend for Josh who also won the 50k boat in the lucky angler draw! Heaviest marlin was a 112.2kg striped marlin on board Tri Cat (Craig tells me the fish jumped into the boat and speared the angler too – though nothing too serious!) The most tuna tagged wend to A Salt Weapon. Unfortunately, as Craig reports, it was a very slow weekend for most boats!
• And for your viewing pleasure, I found some time on the weekend to edit some more footage from our 2010 Cairns Giant Black Marlin season on board KEKOA while the boys were out smashing the barra (just over 600 to 109cm in 5 days!) Enjoy!

• And the Australian connection: Capt. Tim Richardson reports that his American crew member Scuba Steve who worked the deck for him on Tradition last season was part of the team with with Capt. Zak Conde that weighed an 1151lb blue marlin in Cape Verde yesterday.
• I’m not the only one who has been busily trying to finish off editing footage from last season. Capt. Tim has put together a three part series of his season. Part One is below:
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• The sailfish are still frustrating the anglers at Broome in the West eating frustratingly small bait and being difficult to switch. Their season is yet to really take off and we can’t wait until it does!