Photos of Anne’s (Newcastle/Port Stephens GFC) fish on board Princess C with Townsville GFC stalwart Mick Miers last week that they put in the 6-700lb range. (Click to enlarge)  And another, which gave me a giggle, Anne preparing for the trip, with 20kg of drag on Mick’s ride-on mower.  Go Anne!

A few more of the fleet have begun their 2010 seasons over the last few days and ex-Cairns, headed straight to Linden Bank.  Among them Captain Tim Dean on Calypso who may have only dreamed of a big fish eating his very first bait on his very first day of the season.  But that’s exactly what happened–an 800lb-er climbing on within the first couple of hours of start fishing. Unfortunately the fish broke the leader but a great start to the season.  Tim reports the water looks good and the current is running south – conditions ideal.

Capt. Tim Richardson on Tradition saw 3 and had 1 bite for no conversions. Gavin “Groover” New, also at the Bank on Pirate, reports they raised a couple of fish including a 400lb-er. And the 78 foot Garlington Dreamin’ On, on their world marlin tour, got stuck into the yellowfin and mackerel but no marlin yet.

At Port Hinchenbrook, Capt. Chris “Sharky’ Miles reports the annual billfish comp wound up yesterday with much the same results we saw in Townsville.  Local knowledge paid off for Mudda who took out the win with a 200lb reef black marlin and a sail, followed closely by the Mackay boys on Aquamack also with two fish.

And a little further down the coast on the Whitsundays, there are still a few sails around.  Ash Warland caught 2 sailfish and had a bite out of one of the illusive light tackle blacks yesterday as well.

Mooloolaba: The ‘model up’ black marlin have already shown up on the Sunshine Coast.  On Monday, Outside Edge released three black marlin between 70 and 120kg. On Tuesday, Reel Capture release two blacks at 90 and 120kg both on 8kg and also jumped off 100kg stripe and saw a free jumping sail.

And Heath Irvine on Tanjian solo released an 80kg black.  Shaping up very nicely for the tournament at the end of the month.

David Granville took this great shot of one of Reel Captures‘ fish.

Townsville Tournament: Congratulations to the teams on board Sea Baby IV (over 8m) with 4 tags and Elektrakushen (under 8m) with 2 tags for their wins in the Townsville Mike Carney Toyota Billfish Challenge.  The presentation is tonight and so full results up tomorrow.
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• Its not even September, with a few weeks of light tackle fishing still ahead of us in the North, and we already have a report of our first big black marlin on the Reef north of Cairns.  Capt. Adam on Iona II yesterday reporting a 550lb black released at Escape Reef.  Doesn’t that get you excited!?!  Adam reports they had other shots too pulling the bait out of one and raising another as well.
  
  
• September is tournament month in Queensland.  The Mike Carney Billfish Challenge starts with the briefing this Friday night, the Norship Marine Light Tackle Slam starts at Yorkey’s Knob on the 10th, the 2010 Innisfail Billfish Tournament on Sept 24 and the Sunshine Coast GFC Spring Shootout on the 30th!  (More details in the tournament calendar.)
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• Broome is firing again!  Jeff Cooper joined the guys on board Billistic Sunday to get some photos of the Woodside funded tagging program in operation.  And, they got right in the middle of the action with another double digit day, finding a huge mass of sails just north of the peanut. Multiple hook ups were the norm with pods of up to 9 sails marauding the teasers and running amok. Above is a pic of the chaos (great shot Jeff!). And the weather was great too!
• Word from Capt. Dean Beech on Castille III, who straight-lined through Cape Bowling Green to Townsville after three days fishing from Hamilton Island, raising two blacks on the way in.  With strong hints that TGFC are going to call their postponed Billfish Bonanza for this weekend, we look forward to more reports.  (I’m not even going to mention the ‘w’ word for fear of jinxing it!)

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