Welcome to February and let's bring on the marlin season. Small Black marlin having been showing up off Sydney, could this year be the year for small Black marlin? Only time will tell. I wish to say all the best of luck to those boats representing Sydney Game Fishing Club in this years State Championship Interclub Tournament and of course this year's tournament will be ran in a totally new format. Fish from your home port that you nominate, this year there will be three teams fishing from Port Stephens. One team fishing from Lord Howe and two teams fishing out from Sydney. A total of 17 boats It's important to remember that the interclub weekend is a central zone weekend & club summer point score so all fish that are tagged or captured are worth points to the club, boat and angler for these trophies you must complete all paper work and send to club secretary for the points to count. Still on the fishing agenda please note for your diaries the 17th & 18th April for this year's Peter Goadby tournament. This year we will be adding big cash bonus for the tag & release section so lock it in and support your club remember Sydney is the title holders for the Tag & Release section of interclub & the titles holders for the Tag section in Central zone go Sydney.
FROM THE PRESIDENT
Tightlines Tiddles
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Calendar of Events SGFC February 2021 2nd Club Meeting 6th - 7th Summer Pointscore 13th - The Garmin Bluewater Classic Central Coast GFC + Central Zone Weekend 20th - 21st Summer Pointscore 23rd Committee Meeting 27th - 28th NSWGFA Interclub State Championships NSWGFA + Central Zone Weekend March 2021 2nd Club Meeting 6th - 7th Summer Pointscore 20th - 21st Broken Bay Invitational Tournament Brocken Bay GFC + Central Zone Weekend 20th - 21st Summer Pointscore 30th Committee Meeting April 2021 3rd - 4th Summer Pointscore 5th Club Meeting 18th - 19th Peter Goadby Tournament SGFC Sydney GFC + Central Zone Weekend 18th - 19th Summer Pointscore 27h Committee Meeting
Note: Neither the Tournament Committee nor NSWGFA, nor any sponsor will be liable for any loss or damage to any person, property, personal injury or death howsoever occasioned at any time during the 2021 NSWGFA Interclub Tournament. All anglers participate entirely at their own risk.
27th to 28th February 2020 All Ports, NSW
Peter Goadby Memorial Tournament 2021 This year there will be an exciting new section for all those who love tag & release of marlin there will be of course the normal sections: Champion boat Tag & Release $5,000 Bonus Cash section, Tagged marlin section $250 to enter The boat tagging over 5 marlin & highest marlin points will take home 10,000 Cash Champion Boat capture $5,000 Capture Cash bonus section Heaviest Marlin over 225kg $10,000 Heaviest Shark over 350kg $3,000 Heaviest Tuna over 50kg $1,000 For all Cash Bonus prizes you must pay an extra $250
Paul Flynn Report - 6th Jan 2021 Happy New Year to Everybody. Luckily COVID didn’t end our annual trip to Jervis Bay, it was so good to get out of Sydney for a while. I played and lost a very good black on the first outing after arriving. Lost a Brad J to boot, good riddance 2020. Had a solo trip yesterday and live baited most of the day. Have been marking 5-6 fish each trip, no different this time (a few sounder pics included). There is so much bait holding down here despite 2kts of current, the fish seem full and content. I bombed this fish harassing bait at 200ft and we were in business. 45 mins later, it was boatside. Solid Stripe. Sorry about the photo quality, it gets too busy in the closing stages. First solo marlin off the recently installed rear helm. 2021 is off to a better start! If anyone has any tips on sourcing on water petrol in JB that would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
17-1-21 Congratulations to David Moses & Jonah Levi on catching 2 nice Yellowfin David's went 33kg & Jonah's went 31kg
Tight lines, Ivan
What it means during a fight is that when the fish stops running or is dogging down, if the spool is not turning you are not applying the full pressure you set at strike. This is exacerbated by the speed initially used to set the strike drag i.e. the faster you pull to pre-set the drag the less pressure you’ll apply when the fish is not running. If you find this hard to believe use your spring scale and check the difference between a fast pull on the line and the force/pressure it takes to just start the spool turning using a very slow pull at the same drag setting. To muddy the waters further there are other forces that come into play. The decrease in spool diameter as the fish runs increases the force needed to turn the spool. The diameter of the fishing line increasing both its weight and friction through the water and the friction on the runners and peculiarly to spinning reels the ninety degree angle at the bail arm. All these add to the force on the line as the fish accelerates. Knowing what forces are in play during a fight is very helpful in shortening a fight. When a fish is not accelerating or moving slowly you can vary the drag pressure applied by knowing what pressure you are applying at each position of the drag lever relative to the speed of the fish. As an example I set up my drags so that using a fast pull at the strike position of the drag lever I have the equivalent of 8kg. pressure on 24kg. line. I then set up my ‘sun-set’ position at 8kg. pulling very slowly just until the spool starts to turn. By setting these two parameters I know I can push the drag lever up to sun-set when the fish is just dogging it knowing I’m still within the safe working load of the line, being careful to re-adjust the drag if the fish starts moving quickly. I set my reels up this way because I usually have inexperienced anglers on board. Several skippers I know set their drags at half the breaking strain of the line and have several drag settings marked on their reels. Pre-setting a drag is very important, just knowing what pressure you can and are applying is very settling during a long fight. What I have written is about working within the safe working load of your fishing tackle however with experience you can push your tackle to extreme limits, if you’re game.
Just to make it clear I am going to talk about the often misunderstood setting up of the Drag system of fishing reels. Basically the Drag on a fishing reel is set so as to prevent line breakage due to too much force being applied to the fishing line during a fight. The setting is usually one third of the breaking strain of the line although this is not set in stone and as I’ll explain later it actually varies through the fight no matter how you set it up. So as an example using 24kg. line the drag would be set at 8kg. i.e. a force equivalent to or greater than 8kg. of pressure on the line would cause the drag to release therefore protecting the line from breaking. Now for the physics:- Force is defined as mass (for all intents and purposes ‘weight’) multiplied by acceleration ( F=ma ). ‘F’ is the force applied to the reel’s spool by the fish pulling on the line; ‘m’ is the mass of the spool and ‘a’ is the acceleration of the fish. It is plain to see that when a fish takes a lure or bait, the reel’s spool accelerates from zero to whatever speed the fish is travelling in a short period of time (‘a’). Two things come into play. Firstly,the inertia of the spool must be overcome, the heavier the spool ( ‘m’ ) the more force it will take to get it moving (overcoming inertia) and secondly as per the formula the faster the acceleration of the fish the greater the force applied to the line. Typically when you set up the drag the drag lever is set in the strike position and line is pulled off the reel at speed to simulate the force applied by a fish taking a lure or bait and the drag set accordingly (one third of the line’s breaking strain of the line) or whatever your preference may be. So the drag is set for the strike of a quickly accelerating fish. What happens when the fish stops running? Well, there is no more acceleration, the spool stops turning therefore the Force being applied through the line is significantly reduced. It doesn’t come down to zero because the weight and friction of the line in the water as well as the friction over the runners plus the weight of the fish in the water still transmit a force/pressure on the line.
Understanding Drags
David Moses Report 24-12-2020
Hi All, report from today Went out early to beat the wind, picked up a nice Dolly not far from hacking FAD then in 120fa a few miles north and East of the Hacking Fad we got this nice stripe Would like to wish everyone a merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Using Drones to track fine-scale movement of a coastal stingray Louise Tosetto & Semonn Oleksyn – Marine Ecology Group at Macquarie University
We conducted 35 individual tracks of rays at Currambene Creek, averaging 13 minutes each. We found that smaller rays swam with greater bursts of speed than larger rays and found that rays move faster at noon and on the high tide. These patterns are likely linked to changes in water temperature, the direction of water flow, and the amount of energy that the rays use when swimming. These findings show that we need to think about how the tide and time of day impact the behaviour of the rays, because it doesn’t stay the same! What’s next? Well, now that we have some baseline information on the population, we overlay these movement data with information on human activity such as boating and coastal development to gain insight into whether human activity might affect where and how these rays move. There’s a strong chance that human activity may affect ray movement, where they eat and even how they interact with other rays. Fine scale behaviours of rays in response to human activity is poorly understood but given that we so regularly share these coastal habitats, it is vital that we gain insight into any impact our activity may be having. Incorporating movement behaviour into management practices and decision-making is vital in determining how animals interact with humans and how we continue to use these shared habitats.
Coastal ecosystems are key for a range of marine animals including stingrays. Rays play an important role in these systems and they regularly use coastal areas for food and reproduction. Understanding where and when rays move, feed and socialise within these coastal environments is key to informing management decisions. But tracking any animal without affecting behaviour is inherently difficult. Our recent study, published in the scientific journalRemote Sensingused drones, a low-cost and minimally invasive tool, to track rays in a coastal estuary. We found that fine scale movement behaviour of rays can be driven by a range of factors including the size of the ray, tide and time of day. Why Ray Behaviour? The majority of research into ray movement has so far focussed on larger scale movements such as migration patterns. These large-scale movement patterns are obtained using pop-up satellite tags that transmit information to an overhead satellite or via acoustic tags, which emit a series of pings which are then tracked by acoustic receivers that can be placed along a coastline. While there is no doubt this is important, it is also essential that we understand the smaller-scale movement patterns of rays, particularly in coastal environments where rays undertake important ecological tasks. Small-scale movement is all about where and how animals are moving at daily or hourly timescales, or even in real-time. Coupling information on swim speed and trajectory with environmental data such as the tide, time of day and ray size can provide us with insight into how animals may be using an area. Obtaining behavioural data of an animal, particularly one that lives in the ocean, can be difficult. Tagging animals can be incredibly costly and requires great care and effort to capture and tag animals. Drones are an excellent tool to monitor animals in coastal habitats. Given they can track rays for distances over 500 metres, and they have very little impact on the behaviour of marine animals, they are both a time and cost-efficient tool for tracking animal behaviour. Sky High Research We focussed on the short-tail stingray (Bathytoshia brevicaudata), a large stingray that is often found in shallow bays year-round. Currambene Creek is home to a resident population of short-tail stingrays. It is also part of the Jervis Bay Marine Park with high natural and tourism value.
Mako’s Mysterious Meal Tristan Guillemin – Marine Ecology Group at Macquarie University
Part of my research includes looking into the stomachs of different gamefish to learn about what they eat. Last year, while at the 26thAnnual Whitesands Tournament in Jervis Bay, the boys from Run a Muk brought in a whopper 327.8kg mako shark (Fig. 1). When I cut open the stomach to see what was inside, I found a half-digested skull with intact vertebrae still attached (Fig. 2). This skull was relatively small in size, measuring about 10cm wide and 15cm long. Upon initial inspection, I was confused as to what this skull may be. Very quickly, people at the weigh station began trying to guess what it could be. Baby dolphin and small mako shark were popular guesses, but everything from different types of fish to human remains were suggested. To solve the mystery, I took it to none other than expert shark taxidermist, Simon de Marchi (@sharkdema). Simon confirmed it wasn’t human (thank god) and was in fact from an elasmobranch (shark or ray). This was clear as the skull and vertebrae were made of cartilage (Fig. 3) and not fully calcified, which is characteristic of elasmobranchs. The difficult bit was working out just which species of shark it could be. Initially, thoughts were that it may be a smaller mako. However, when compared to a mako skull, it was much flatter and much broader (Fig. 4). While the deteriorated state of the skull may make it impossible to ever properly identify, the final verdict was that it was likely from the cow shark family (Hexanchidae) which includes deepwater species like six gill and seven gill sharks.
We may never confirm what the skull belonged to, but if it is a cow shark, this offers interesting insight into the feeding behaviours of mako sharks. A small typically deepwater shark is an unlikely item of prey for a large typically surface dwelling mako, but it goes to show that in many cases, predators will feed on far more than we may expect them to.
Revealing the Truth About the “Flying Fish” scienceping.com/revealing-the-truth-about-the-flying-fish/
Fish fly at a very high speed over water. The fish are so fast that for decades biologists have not been able to know for sure whether the fish lifts up by flapping its pectoral fins and flying like a bird or a fish using a poison control method. certain. It wasn’t until 1941 that scientists published high-speed photographs of flying fish in Zoologica magazine. The photos showed the
In warm waters around the world, you can see a strange sight: a fish jumps out of the water and soars tens of meters high before returning to the depths of the ocean. Sailors in the Mediterranean region initially believed that dragonflies would return to shore at night to sleep, so they called the sea fish Exocoetidae. These exotic fish vary in length from 15 to 50 cm. There are currently around 40 species of flying fish, all of which are cigar-shaped with large, long pectoral fins on either side of the body. There are two types of “flying fish”. The “two-pointed” type, which has two large pectoral fins which cover most of the surface to help lift the body of the fish and the “four wings”, also has two pectoral fins extending beyond the long ones. pectoral fins. All flying fish have an asymmetrical, slit longitudinal tail (a shape called a cross), with vertebrae extending to a longer lower lobe, giving it the
appearance of a ship’s rudder. These exotic fish vary in length from 15 to 50 cm. The fry will begin to “fly” when they reach about 5 cm in length. According to biologist John Davenport’s 1994 review of flying fish published in Reviews in Fish Biology and Fish, these species of dragonfish have developed the ability to “fly” to escape predators. Swim at high speed like dolphins (Coryphaena hippurus). A 1967 study published in Nature reports that the eyes of fish, especially the corneas, were developed to help fish see underwater as well as in the air. Flying fish are not difficult to eat, but mostly on crustaceans and small fish, according to a report from the Pacific Islands Regional Fisheries Forum.
dragonflies leaping out of the water and away, before soaring into the air. Fish fly towards the surface of the water at a speed of about 1 meter / second, 20 to 30 times their body length. When they come out of the water, they spread their large fins and move away. The longest flying fish on record is the fish that hovers for 45 seconds at an estimated speed of 30 km / h, according to Guinness World Records. According to the 1994 Davenport assessment, the farthest recorded flight distance of a flying fish is approximately 400 m. The 1990 assessment by biologist Frank Fish published in the Journal of Zoology, flying fish can reach altitudes up to 8 meters above the water’s surface and can perform consecutive swings. When the fish is returned to the water after sliding, it will immediately begin to swim extremely fast, increasing its speed to generate enough thrust out of the water again. Flying fish can have up to 12 consecutive slides. Davenport and other fish experts suspect dragonflies are unlikely to fly in temperatures below 20 degrees C, as colder temperatures tend to interfere with muscle function needed to achieve the speed needed to launch the surface of the water. However, dragonflies are not considered endangered or threatened and are classified by the Union for the conservation of nature and natural resources as the least affected. In recent decades, the four-pointed flyingfish (Hirundichthys affinis) has been at the center of an international dispute between neighboring Caribbean island states, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. Fish is a commercially targeted species in both countries. Barbados even adopted the slogan “Land of the Flying Fish”, in recognition of its long-standing cultural and economic importance to fish.
5-12-20 1st Marlin of the season has gone off. Well done to the boys on Casey. What a day the boys have had They have taken out 2 trophies. 1st Marlin angler and 1st marlin boat. This is also Daniel's 1st Marlin. Well done Daniel great work from a junior
The Maid A rich Vaucluse lady got very angry at her French maid. After a long list of stinging remarks about her short comings as a cook and housekeeper’ she dismissed the maid. The maid, with her Gallic ancestry, couldn’t allow such abuse to go unanswered. “Your husband considers me a better housekeeper and cook than you, Madam. He has told me so himself.” The rich bitch just scowled and said nothing. “And furthermore,” the angry girl continued, “I am better in bed than you!” “And I suppose my husband told you that, too?” “No, Madam,” said the maid. “The chauffeur told me!”
Code of Ethics “Doctor, Kiss me.” The Doctor looks at her, and says that it would be against his code of ethics to kiss her. About 20 minutes later the woman again shouts out, “Doctor, please, kiss me just once.” Again he refuses, apologetically, but says that as a doctor he simply cannot kiss her. Finally another 15 minutes pass, and the woman pleads with the doctor; “Doctor, Doctor, please kiss me . . . just once!!” “Look, Mrs. Pincus” he says, “I’m sorry. I just CANNOT kiss you. In fact, I probably shouldn’t even be f#*^ing you.”
Old Age Love A guy was invited to some old friends’ home for dinner. His buddy preceded every request ti his wife by endearing terms, calling her Honey, My love, Darling, Sweetheart, Pumpkin, etc. He was impressed, since the couple had been married almost 70 years, and while the wife was off in the kitchen he said to his buddy: “I think it’s wonderful that after all the years you’ve been married, you still call your wife those per names.” His buddy hung his head: “To tell you the truth, I forgot her name about ten years ago.”
SAINTLY WHISPERS
The Mighty Black Marlin - by Nigel Hilton
I’m a person who is strangely calmed by the hectic adventure of fishing. Spend any serious time on the water and you’re bound to experience adventures that will re-play in your memories for years. Some can even steer the future directions of your life, or certainly influence your fishing focus, this trip was exactly that for me. It’s hard to put into words just how spectacular this place is. Bear with me while I tuck into another cider and attempt to explain it to you. This is the most special of places! The Great Barrier Reef. A vastly diverse, challenging and exciting place. For any angler serious about their Game Fishing, Cairns is the holy grail. The mecca, when it comes to the sport of fishing. As kids, back in the 80’s, Matty and I used to read so many articles and watch so many videos of this wonderworld. I recall us getting extra buzzed when we would stumble across videos showing the thrill of the chase for the Mighty Black Marlin. But nothing prepares you for the beauty of actually being here. Especially after 40 years of fishing, this is the greatest heavy tackle fishery in the world.
The Crew Matty – Pieter – Doug -Nigel
This great journey starts at 6:30am, 38000 feet in the air. After a marathon month of 18-hour workdays, I’m finally enjoying a well-deserved break. As I take a sip of my can of cider, I can’t help but feel a sense of excitement for my adventure. The destination; The Great Barrier Reef, Cairns, for my seasonal adventure onboard TheSaamayzennamed after Matty’s three beautiful children. Joining me is my longest and best friend Matty, who owns the boat we will be spending the next week on. Matty’s boat is a custom redesign by Matt & Pieter. It’s a 43 foot O'brien with Twin Cummins powered, with full Simrad electronics, air conditioning and gyro stabilizer for added comforts. It’s the perfect boat to see us through our epic adventures every year.
The time and care taken in preparing the bait is a labour of love and over the years my good friend, Pieter, Saamayzen No1 Deckie, have been fine tuning the art of rigging BIG baits to swim. These days everybody tends to use circle hooks, and while there are minor variations of these, the basic technique is the same. Stitching up the cavity, with the precise requirement of stitches, the position of the circle hook ends up few inches in front of the head. For a circle hook to work, it needs to be free from obstacles so it can naturally lock in the fish's jaw, without being impeded by the bait. Rigging can consume a many hour of our day, so the music is up and the entire crew help, while having a few cheeky drinks and banter to pass the time. Our spread consists of three 130lb Tiagra’s, bent butts, 200 meters of top shot and braid as backing. As I’m sure you can imagine; big bait means big fish! We run on average, a 4- 8kg queenies long right rigger. She raises fish like no other and watching her swim like a snake in the water is an art in itself. Even the 200 pound blacks will smash these in no time. Our long shot gun is a scad mackerel and my personal favorite approx. 5kg skipping tuna to put on the short-left rigger. It’s one of the earliest and simplest techniques employed to catch marlin. Back in Zane Grey's era, skip-baiting was the go-to method for catching marlin and it still works today.
These fishing grounds bring the perfect combination of technology, technical knowledge, experience and adrenalinepumping rip-roaring action. Testing your tackle and nerves while appreciating the scale and power these Marlin have and why they are regarded as the epitome of game fishing. That’s why this fishery requires your A game. For the skipper, the deckhand’s and angler! The experience doesn’t come cheap, but fishing never does and there no price tag for not sitting on the side lines and letting life swing by without enjoying it. Once you have a taste of this lifestyle, you’ll be saying “Why haven’t I done this sooner?”. You will become one of the many (like me) who plan annual leave to align with this season. The season generally runs from late September to early December. Predominantly the fleet starts at the top end of number 10 Ribbon Reef, approximately 140 miles north off Cairns. As the season progresses, the fleet follows the fish south along the ribbons finishing off at Linden Bank 40 miles east of cairns. With the southerly current pushing clean blue 26-degree water, and chlorophyll onto the reef edge. This is an impressive and vast playground in which to chase the ultimate Bluewater adversary. Each day of fishing here is methodical, eventually building up to the afternoon crescendo. Our skippers primary concern every morning is finding fresh bait. We tackle one of these evolutions by dragging paravanes along the reef edges. Predominately targeting scad, scaly mackerel and tuna, but in these parts of the world anything with teeth or a bill is a possibility. The morning run along the reef is spectacular. Vibrant colours consume this marine jungle. Rich and bountiful, it offers just a glimpse of understanding into the grandness that is the Great Barrier Reef. A true example of a natural wonder! The most notable aspect of the reef is the variety of fish it offers to us daily. GTs, Dogtooth, Yellow Fin, Mahi Mahi, Wahoo, Spanish Mackerel, and a plethora of reef fish that all taste amazing. Apart from stocking up on fresh bait the morning fish are exciting and rewarding, if you can stop being reefed.
Nice wahoo along the reef edge.
After enjoying the spoils, losses and comforts of the inner and outer reefs, our first bait is in the water by lunchtime. Hoping for an early lone ranger, the prime time for this unique fishery is 5pm. Although you will find the fish here from the earlier hours of the day, the hot bite is upon cocktail hour! In the years that have passed we have tagged 6 Black Marlin ranging between 200- 300kg in size, just on dusk. Just like the stitches in our bait, Matty our skipper is running stitching lines perpendicular to the reef’s edge. The depth ranges from 50 meters to 500 meters and spans a few miles. His technique brings us stunning rich purple water, whilst he is reading the contour pressure points, currents, tide changes within
the area. Giving us a greater understanding of the unique personality, this reef has to offer. A technique that comes from years of experience and knowledge in these waters. The Marlin will attack and run differently, depending on the type of bait you are using. You fish with a drop back, to allow the Marlin to run and then for you to set that hook. This part is a challenge. Getting the drop back timing right as well as understanding when and how to set the hook is always a much-debated topic with skippers! The bite can be soft with the Queenies and Shot Gun, as they are usually swimming just below the surface. However, when it comes to the Skipping Tuna, the big girls love to wallop that bait with gusto. There is no better place with electric blue water and up to 10 meters of visibility, seeing a 1000lb black marlin gliding with his pectoral fins v lining like spitfire for that skippy is an adrenaline shot to the sensors. On this particular afternoon, day 1, we had none of these elements to enjoy. From the airport, it was a short 15 min ride to Yorkeys Knob marina with one less crew member the 4 off us left harbor, facing a 25 knot Southey, and No Gyro, we were OFF!! The latest weather report had said that the 2-meter swells and ever-increasing wind was here to stay. Despite this, it does not deter our excitement, and Matty manages to get us to Linden Bank in just under 3 extremely bumpy hours. It came very apparent that our No.1 Deckhand, Pieter has had too much of the good gyro life, the gyro was out of action for the rest of the week and it seemed Piet was also out of action with sea sickness, FUCKING GYRO!! Doug from Brisbane was in the similar state of affairs, just the smell of dead baits was sending
skip-baiting was the go-to method for catching marlin and it still works today.
Big Baits Big Fish
The returned skip Bait
him over the side. Despite all the chaos, over those 3 extremely bumpy hours to sea we managed to be rigged and in the water by 4pm. We were finally FISHING! Meanwhile the two sickbay rangers were curled up inside. Fishermen are a suppositious bunch, none-more so than us, blue lights are on, payment to make to King Neptune and I was settled on the back deck with Canadian Club waitingpatiently. We didn’t have to wait long, 5:15pm,CRACK and the skippy was gone. Usually in rough conditions the clips are wound up tight due to the size of our baits, big baits, big fish, this was no bait popping the rigger. As the line was peeling on a 4kg drag, the command was to take it to 25kg of strike. The noise the 130lb Tiagras make when fully loaded makes your hair stand up! The Deck was cleared by some very pale faced crew members. It was a dance getting to the chair, but I was in and locked and loaded. There was fairly light tension on the rod (now and trying to wind a 130Lb rod, strapped to a chair with no considerable weight on the line, is like a teenage boy fumbling for his first kiss. Just awkward)! The double was up within 6 minutes and the feeling amongst the crew was that we had a small black on our hands. Matty positioned the boat nicely with the line at 45 degrees just off the right corner of the transom, then there was a flash of colour followed by a shout from the bridge “OH SHIT she’s BIG”. the next few seconds played out in slow motion as the head came bolstering out of the water, side on, just back of the transom, and with one whack of the head this Marlin through the whole skip bait back across the deck and then took off like freight train deep, the awe and excitement was nothing short of spine tingling. We possibly have that magic mark a1000 lber hooked and ready to fight. GAME ON.
Feeling that much weight in a 6 foot, 25 knot swell was insane. While backing down on her, the waves crashing over the back of the boat, nearly 2 feet of water is now on the deck. We are absolutely drenched, and this is now a life-time dream turned reality.
Backing down
his story is dedicated to my Father who would have been with us from NZ if it was not for COVID, next time dad!!
Pieter in the action
The tactics were to loop in front of her get her swimming with the current and take her out to deeper water, Linden bank is notorious for getting sharked. She made the 1st blistering run of 400 plus meters, with that amount of line in the water I could still feel her head shakes with plenty of encouragement from the crew the double was back up after 20 minutes. She was wasn’t ready and as she took off again for another 400 plus-meter run, we went to sunset, 35Kgs of drag and with ease the line was peeling off, singing, ting, ting, ting! We continued for the next 20 minutes doing figure of 8’s, getting in front and use the current to our advantage, backing down hard and recover line, while holding on through the swells!! We finally had a decent amount of top shot back on the reel, the call came from the bridge, ‘’okay get ready to crank hard Nigel, were going for her’’.The next few minutes certainly felt like an eternity, my right arm was screaming at me with the buildup of lactic acid, she finally came up. Being the wireman, needs to respect these magnificent creatures, in a split second, things can go horribly wrong, and these fish can severely injure you. It’s that without proper technique which is crucial when it comes to wiring marlin of this size in fact any size marlin. Pieter took two solid wraps and just by the way he was wrestling, she still had plenty of life in her. With a few more aggressive mighty pulls from a very weary trace man, she came up and was boat side swimming and jumping strongly, that hook was lodged in the corner of her jaw..
We ALL could finally see the size; I had finally cracked the elusive 1000lbs!!The call was to cut the trace as close as Doug could to the hook, while holding the camera in one hand, he leant over and released her. The aftermath was an exhilaration feeling, with one final jump from the back of the boat all lit up we saw her true size and power once again, she took off in to the deep, healthy and to fight another day!! Pieter had finally succumbed to the effects of sea sickness and was over the side which in no doubt was also aided by wiring the marlin. Iwas shaking uncontrollably; the adrenaline had finally worn off, I was exhausted but so grateful for able to have a lifetime experience in the presence of Pieter, Doug and especially Matty. This sport creates awesome bonds with family and with mates who turn in to family, which these boys are, which is why this is the best sport in the world.
Bill Heyward Tournament 2021 Tournament Winners (Provisional)
Angler Trophies - Heaviest OGF Michael SCIBERRAS 43.00 kg Tuna-Yellowfin 'SPINDRIFT' BotBGFC - Heaviest Shark Paul BARNING 327.50 kg Shark-Tiger 'DARK HORSE' PHGFC - Champion Small Fry Angler T&R Jayden MILLAURO 3450.00 pts 'UNDERTAKER' PHGFC - Champion Small Fry Angler Capture Not Won - Champion Junior Angler T&R Codi QAHOUSH 155.00 pts 'THE MASTER' - Champion Junior Angler Capture Not Won - Champion Lady Angler T&R Hayley BONNICI 11500.00 pts ZORRO' BBGFC. - Champion Lady Angler Capture Janet WEST 6855.84 pts 'CARNAGE' BBGFC - Champion Male Angler T&R Zac COSTA 20000.00 pts 'MURPHYS LORE' WGFC - Champion Male Angler Capture PaulBARNING 20327.50 pts' DARK HORSE' PHGFC Bill Heyward Memorial Trophy - Heaviest Marlin Ben QAHOUSH 126.50 kg Marlin-Black 'THE MASTER' BotBGFC Boat Trophies - Most Sharks T&R SNIPER2 Shark BotBGFC - Highest Pointscoring Boat OGF THE MASTER 217.00 pts BotBGFC - 3rd Place Champion Boat T&R ZORRO 11500.00 pts BBGFC - 3rd Place Champion Boat Capture CARNAGE 6855.84 pts BBGFC - 2nd Place Champion Boat T&R SPINDRIFT 17000.00 pts BotBGFC - 2nd Place Champion Boat Capture RAMPAGE 13425.01 pts BBGFC - Champion Boat T&R MURPHYS LORE 20000.00 pts WGFC - Champion Boat Capture DARK HORSE 20327.50 pts PHGFC Team/Club Trophies - Bill Heyward Champion Club Capture Port Hacking GFC 20707.02 pts - Bill Heyward Champion Club T&R Botany Bay GFC 24117.00 pts