The weather is the big news once again on the game fishing front. Light winds lined up with the odd weekend here and there but the action was better off the Gold Coast and Cape Moreton than off the Sunshine Coast. This is probably a reflection on the slightly better weather the Gold Coast experienced during this period as well as more fishing effort put in down there.
Barry Alty’s custom 49’ charter boat Mistress (www.fishingmistress.com) is Mr. Consistency when it comes to blue marlin fishing off the Gold Coast. When not on charter Barry fishes himself and Barry’s son Brett who skippers the boat is seeing as many fish as anyone at the moment. George Rehua from Reelax that make all your outriggers and game chairs is getting out in his new secondhand classic Pleysier Pacemaker quite a bit and tagging quite a few fish as well. Danny Simons’ 36’ Black Watch Fair Game (www.fairgame.com.au) got in on the action one day going 1 from 2 and In Deep the new Deep V tagged a couple. Mark Ripper’s new 47’ Obrien Castille (www.castillecharters.com) had a good strike rate on the same weekend going two from two on blue marlin.
Many of the Gold Coast charter boats are fishing the NSW Interclub at Port Stephens near Newcastle at the moment but they will be returning soon to get in on the South East Queensland blue marlin action in autumn. Whilst down south Captain Luke Fallon skippered 47’ Obrien Kekoa (www.kekoa.com.au) to champion visiting team tag and release honours with seven fish. The champion NSW boat was the new Assegai Gorilla also on seven fish tagged from Captain Tim Dean driving the 50’ Black Watch Born Free. Captain Jim Dalling’s Reel Chase (www.blackmarlinfishingblog.com) is also at Port Stephens and will be returning soon to make the most of our autumn weather and hopefully good fishing.
The only tournament to not be postponed during the month was the Bribie Island Tournament of Champions. Once again Animal the 30’ Black Watch took it out with one fish tagged on countback on the first day of the tournament. That is two in a row for Stephen and Kellie Jensen. A striped marlin was also tagged on the second day wide of Cape Moreton. Striped marlin are a bit of an unusual catch in South East Queensland inshore waters over summer but proving the one during the tournament wasn’t a fluke two others were caught around the same time in the same area. Frank Oostenbroek had brothers Navi and Vin Naidoo abord his 685 Cruise Craft for Navi’s first marlin which was around 100kg whilst Liberty the Southport Boatworks racy US jumbo centre console got one around 30kg.