AFTER a magic trip from the Gold Coast to Cairns, our first clients for the season on board Viking II were four gentlemen from Indonesia who were eager to experience the variety of species the Great Barrier Reef has to offer, and they didn’t have to wait long.
Dressed in their good clobber on the way to their mothership Galaxy 1, I decided to run a couple of light tackle rods and within moments we were hooked up to a small black marlin which we released. We also hooked up to a nice Spanish mackerel – all on the inshore grounds.
Day 2 – We released a 250lb black marlin and with a school of yellowfin tuna boiling on the surface we released two nice fish.
Day 3 – The southerly current kicked in and so did the action. We released a 400lb and a 600lb black marlin and another decent fish jumped off.
Day 4 – The Great Barrier Reef threw up the smorgasbord of species our clients were hoping for. Coral trout, red emperor, a huge wahoo, a good size bluefin tuna, then a battle with sharks, and to finish the day off another black marlin was released.
Back in Cairns and our clients thoroughly enjoyed their first visit to the Great Barrier Reef.
Finally, on a very sad note I’d like to acknowledge the passing of Rod Templeman of Fairy Meadow in NSW. Sadly, Rod lost his battle with cancer on 15/9/12. I am just happy that early this year I was able to be a part of Rod’s lifelong dream of catching a marlin in a tournament (http://www.fishingworld.com.au/news/marlin-dream-comes-true).
Capt. Billy Billson.
