Hype? Not at all. The International Game Fishing Association (IGFA) keeps records of fish over 1,000 pounds captured following Association 'fair chase' rules. The 1998 IGFA Record book lists 158 'grander' marlin worldwide and 114 or over 70% of these great fish were black marlin caught off the Great Barrier Reef between Cairns and Lizard Island. The next most fertile big fish area is Portugal (Madeira, Algarve and the Azores) with 19 Atlantic blue marlin. You have a better chance at catching a grander marlin in Australia than anywhere else in the world (by a significant margin). In fact, for every grander caught in Kona, Brazil, Madeira, the Azores and Mauritius combined, the relatively small Australian fleet captures two. And the conservation ethic is very strong in Australia, so top-notch boats like Viking II release more 'granders' than they kill these days. One can take day trips from the tropical tourist city of Cairns or from the exclusive resort at Lizard Island, and granders are caught each year by anglers on day charters. In fact a 1,218 lb beast was taken by an angler on a split day-charter out of Cairns on the Viking with Capt. Bill Billson. But you increase your chances at the biggest fish by chartering a multiple-day trip and living on the reef, diving or snorkeling or reef fishing in the morning, trolling for giants in the afternoon, and relaxing amidst the |
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beauty and solitude of the reef at night. Anglers can either live comfortably aboard the game fishing boat or charter a mothership from 60 to 120 ft and live in luxury comparable to a 5-star hotel. This allows anglers to follow the fish with the freedom to move where the fishing is best on the reef at the moment. Generally fishing is better to the north near Lizard Island early in the season. Then the main 'bite' moves south towards the Cairns area the latter half of the season. Names like the Ribbon Reefs, Linden Bank, Agincourt, Opal Reef, St. Crispins Reef, Onyx Reef and Jenny Louise Shoals are legendary to the anglers lucky enough to have hooked into the giant marlin that populate the area. The large fish are of course the main attraction, but Cairns is also famous for its diversity in light tackle sport fish. The morning's bait fishing can give the anglers great enjoyment on light tackle catching such species as wahoo, King mackerel, various tuna species, Giant Trevally and mahi mahi. This ensures fresh fish for the table and fresh baits for the big marlin. Of course, there is also a chance of a small black marlin or sailfish even while bait fishing. |
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In a typical season, a charter of one week generally provides a 50-50 shot at landing a marlin over 800 lbs, though of course there are no guarantees. Chartering one of the most productive boats and Captains increases the odds in your favor, and Captain Bill Billson's Viking II has proven itself as one of the top big-marlin boats in the world. Mother shipping - Viking II working with a mothership. Coming back to a mothership at night behind the reef. Mothership moves up and down the reef to where the fishing boat captain wishes to go. Acts as a base to come back too with levels of comfort up to 5-star standard. Please be patient, they are presently organizing trips for their Fisherman's Market & Grill Black Marlin Fishing Expedition. They will be advertising their trips soon in their restaurants. There
will be limited space; first come, first serve! |
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