It seemed like the summer marlin season was never going to heat up but over the weekend it has, just in time for the tournaments.Sunshine Coast: Capt. Rob Smith (Smithy) reports some good fishing this weekend. On Saturday, the 7.2m Kevlacat Reel Capture doing a spot of social fishing with lenseman David Granville on board went 4 from 4 on the little blacks livebaiting seeing 6 in total. They added another in the morning Sunday which left some wanting more. Jeff Oates who was on board Reel Capture in the morning, went out again in the PM on his own 4.5m centre console Simple Plan going 1 from 3. Ymer was 3 from 5 and home for lunch while Bring it On went 2 from 4 on the troll before heading in for the lunch-time function and back out for another fish livebaiting after.Earlier in the week the boys on Reefhunter II went 3 from 3 at the 8 mile, Ymer one from 5 and Jeff got another solo on Simple Plan. Smithy on Triton IV has been keeping very busy on the mackerel front, bagging out on spotty mackerel for the last few days and smashing the spaniards (after the brilliant mackerel fishing we had up north for the Cairns season I’m not surprised!) On Sunday after bagging out on spotted mackerel he ran to the marlin grounds for one little back, mack tuna and wahoo keeping his guests very busy and very happy as always!The Bribie Island Tournament of Champions was held 7-10 January and was taken out by Mooloolaba Game Fishing Club boat Animal with three tagged black marlin as well as some other species on countback from Bribie boat Compromise also with 3 and Blue Black with 3 both also with field goals. Gold Coast: Capt. Jim reported finding a stray 40kg black on Wednesday and Capt. Simon on private boat Brilliant Company had the same off Jumping Pin over the New Year, but it finally looks like the rest of the gang are moving in. Capt. Ross McCubbin on Lucky Strike fished both Saturday and Sunday for more promising results. At Jumping Pin on Saturday he went 2 from 3 (40kg) in 50 metres. Ghostrider fished 90 metres for a black and a blue and Barco at 200 metres (where plenty of bait is also showing up) for a 400lb blue.On Sunday, Lucky Strike added another two off the Pin where they were joined by Tsunami with three and Mistress for another two. The Gold Coast Gamefishing Club’s Light Tackle Masters is coming up this week so hopefully the fish will still be around.The Port Macquarie Golden Lure tournament is underway and Brad tells me a few blues have been caught amongst the 30 boats competing. Two tags leading Tag & Release on Day 1 and 2 fish also for the Capture division. After Day 2, Iona II is shadowing the leaders with a 140kg blue, missing a nice sized stripey on 30lb and raising another 5!Mark Griffiths and his team on board Magic tells me they are fishing the capture division for the first time this year and are in the lead for the Heaviest Lure so far with a 159.8kg blue marlin for Simon. Mark says the weather has been glamour and that there have been plenty of blues, pods of stripes and the odd black thrown in for good measure (including a black of about 118kg that was weighed yesterday.) There have also been plenty of monster yellowfin about with two weighed yesterday in the 70kg+ range and heaps of dolphin fish giving crews a bit of grief taking the marlin lures.Looking forward to hearing how the rest of the week goes.Further south, after a disappointing start to the summer season it looks like the striped marlin might just be coming on as well. The Pup, at home in Bermagui reported his first stripe for the season yesterday. Kalira travellng through Batemans Bay reported seeing a good number so they are there, raising five or six at a time, but not catching too many. They released the one stripey on the way through.Over in Weipa, Capt. Ben (Notso) Bright is keeping us up-to-date and looking forward to our trips over there from late March in the new KEKOA. In the last few days he has released a sail and jumped off another and raised a couple of un-hungry blacks as well all from his 5 metre barra boat!