48 Boats with 157 Anglers, a record for this event, competed along the Ribbon Reefs of the Great Barrier Reef of Lizard Island in Far North Queensland to give battle to the giant Black Marlin (Makaira indica) that aggregate at this time of the year.
Overall there were 573 strikes for 361 hook-ups and 194 Black Marlin Tagged & Released, plus another 11 tagged & released, but self disqualified by anglers and crews for technical breaches of the rules. This discipline of self disqualification is a regular occurrence at this, the Premier, Heavy Tackle, marlin tournament of the World.
The estimated size range of the tagged Black Marlin, in pounds, was as follows:
100 to 300, 81 tags;
300 to 500, 51 tags;
500 to 700, 19 tags;
700 to 900, 18 tags;
900 to 1100, 25 tags
Total = 194 tags.
There were 5 applications to join the new Lizard Island Game Fish Club Thousand Pound Tag & Release Club, all of which are pending awaiting photographic evidence for the Judges to verify the claims. Anglers opted to tag & release all marlin in this year’s event, with none being weighed.
Following is a list of the awards presented at the Presentation Dinner held Saturday 15th October 2005:
Daily awards for the most tags by a team:
Day 1, “Allure” 2 tags.
Day 2, “Mr Bill” 2 tags
Day 3, “Reel Chase” 3 tags Day 4 “Manu Kai” 3 tags Day 5 “Iona” 4 tags
Day 6 “Tenacious” 4 tags Day 7 “Inkwaze” 5 tags.
Champion Tag & Release Team “Tenacious”, Sharky on the wheel and anglers Kim McKendrick, Charles Kneale, Bruce Cameron, David Morrell and Mark Calvert-Jones with 14 tags.
Champion Male Angler, John Angus, on “Allure”, Biggles on the wheel, with 11 tags.
Champion Female Angler, Carmen Darcy, on “Inkwazi”, Graham McCoy on the wheel, with 4 tags.
Champion Boat, “Tenacious” 14 tags.
Runner-up Boat, “Assegai”, Luke Fallon, with 11 tags on a count back from “Allure”. (Only one boat failed to tag a fiish but the wooden anal fin was not presented!)
The 20th Anniversary Lizard Island Black Marlin Classic will be held 14th to 21st October 2006, and will be a Tag & Release event only. This fits well with the image of our major sponsors for the event, Riviera Boats, Top Shot Tackle, I.C. Frith & Associates Insurance Brokers, Dunphy Sports Shimano Reels and Voyages Hotels Lizard Island Lodge.
