BMFB Weekly Sked: Cairns Availability, HIBT and Great Marlin Race Updates

Fish the Cairns Giant Black Marlin Season

If you’re considering fishing in Cairns this year, there are still dates available with some of our fleet. Get in now to book your time on the reef! Availability alphabetically by boat name:

Calypso Available Sept 18th – 25th and Oct 3rd – 9th. Contact Capt. Tim Dean on 0411 111 476.
Castille III Available the first and last weeks in October. Contact Capt. Brad Craft on 0428 772 950.
Hot Shot Available Nov 24th – Dec 6th. Contact Capt. Ian “Wobbles” Ford on 0423 510 134.
Levante Available to Sept 30th including the northern tournaments and Nov 8th – Dec 5th. Contact Capt. Casey Dent on 0413 996 696.
Little Audrey Available Nov 22nd – 26th. Contact Capt. Daniel Carlson 0408 078 624.
Mistress Available Oct 7th – 11th, Oct 21st – 31st and Nov 11th – 30th. Contact Capt. Brett Alty on 0417 766 734.
Reel Chase Available Nov 16 – 19th. Contact Capt. Brett Goetze on 0417 631 089.
Tradition Available Sept 15 – 30th and Oct 20 – 28, Nov 3 – 8 (Port Douglas to Cooktown) and Nov 26 – 30. Contact Capt. Tim Richardson on 0427 758768.

Full boat contact details are available on the directory page (and will be updated as more dates come in) – see you up here!

HIBT Update: Aussies on the board!

Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament

The Game Fishing Club of South Australia Team has taken the early lead after Day 1 at the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament (HIBT) in Kona. The GFC of SA is one of four Australian teams competing again this year. The first fish of the tournament was hooked just 16 minutes into fishing and the GFC of SA team bagged the largest fish of day 1 with a 386lb blue marlin for Ralph Czabayski to push them straight to the lead.

More information on the HIBT official site.

Great Marlin Race

The first of the tags from the Gold Coast GFC’s Great Marlin Race (Billfish Shootout in April) has popped. The tag belongs to the fish tagged on board Castille III for angler Katie Ripper. Since the tag was deployed, the fish has travelled 485nm and is now swimming to the north-east of the bottom of the Great Barrier Reef. (Maybe on its way to Mellish Reef?)
While the club advises that the tracks for the blue marlin will not be able to seen until all four tags have surfaced, you can see the beginning point for each tagged (marked green) and the end point (marked in red) – more online here.