This post was imported into WordPress from my old Black Marlin Fishing Blog website without any accompanying photos. If you’d like to see the original post, with the accompanying photographs, go to the original Black Marlin Fishing Blog site and navigate to the post using the archive navigation links on the right-hand-side.

We’re back at Port Stephens for the weekend and on Reel Chase headed out for our first day back Friday to (once again) reported fabulous weather – somewhat dismayed to find big swells. The trip out and the trip home were less than pleasurable, thankfully it gave up a little during the day.While fishing reports had been much of the same for the week, we headed out with some enthusiasm and were not disappointed. Although our first fish, a 40kg black marlin wore through the light tackle trace before we could get a tag in, on the edge of the shelf, we were again met by thousands of dolphins and mutton birds, and started marking a few marlin down deep. This eventually lead to the first strike, from a striped marlin for angler Mick which could be seen on the underwater footage when we reviewed it later, rocketing up from the depths like a missile. Two black marlin follows later, we tagged our second stripey for Clint from a pack of at least four fish that materialized at the transom and continued to follow the boat while we fought the fish to the tagpole. Despite it making a vain attempt at tagging us (picture below). Nearby on Mauna Kea, Capt. Tim made the most of two bites for the day tagging a blue and striped marlin – the blue at around 400lb giving them a great display. Trailer boat Josh managed a 1-1-1 striped marlin in the trying conditions. And Calypso finished the day with a black marlin near Fingal Lighthouse on the way in.—Smithy gives us another update from the Sunshine Coast Thursday – the blacks are still in residence. Tanjian went 7 from 10, Ymer got 3 switchbaiting, Keneka another 2 and Triton ended up with 2 plus a wahoo.—Sad news for the gamefishing fraternity with the passing this morning of the original Cairns deckhand and skipper Gordon Hallam at Proserpine. He will be sadly missed by those who had the pleasure of his company over the years.