The Experience
Heavy Tackle - Live Aboard
Giant Black Marlin make their way to the Great Barrier Reef every year from late August through to December. The 150 mile stretch of reef between Lizard Island and Cairns is not only breathtaking, but arguably the best place in the world to do battle with a giant black marlin. We recommend a minimum 3 day liveaboard charter with the most popular option being a 5 day charter. 5 days offers the best possible chance to not only catch a Giant Black marlin, but also explore the Reef and take in its breathtaking coral and diverse marine life.
A typical heavy tackle trip consists of
- Bait fishing in the morning for the likes of scaley mackeral, spanish mackeral, scad, rainbow runners, tuna and dogfish tuna, giant trevally, coral trout, sailfish and various other reef fish;
- Snorkelling or spearfishing
- Heading outside the reef for prized Black marlin fishing;
Light Tackle - Day Trips
From January to April, the striped black and blue marlin congregate in fishing grounds stretching from Port Stephens through to Bermagui. During these months, bait fish such as slimy mackerel are found in large numbers amongst obscure locations along the continental shelf and inshore reefs. Presence of the bait fish generally indicates that marlin are also in the vicinity.
At this time of year, black marlin range in size from 20kg to 200kg. These giants can be pursued using anything from ultra light tackle, fly, or conventional 10kg - 24kg line. The most common fishing strategy for black marlin in these waters is live or dead baiting, however switch baiting has also been found to be very successful.
The striped marlin, also present in the waters from Port Stephens to Bermagui, range in size from 50kg to 150kg and can also be targeted using ultra light tackle, fly, or 10kg - 24kg conventional tackle. The preferred method for catching these fish is switch or skip baiting. A “lit up” striped marlin ripping in on the teasers is something that really gets the adrenaline going!
Also in our sights in these waters is the blue marlin. Blue marlin range from 60kg through to true giants. Blue marlin have been encountered on numerous occasions in the stretch of water between Port Stephens and Bermagui. Like their black or striped relatives, blue marlin can also be targeted on ultra light, fly or 10kg - 60kg conventional tackle. However, the preferred method for targeting blue marlin is lure fishing or switch baiting.
Daytime Sword Fishing Trips
In recent years, Tasmania, Victoria and in particular, Eden, have been identified as arguably some of the best places in the world to battle with a very large Swordfish. These fish hang deep in the submarine canyons during the day and at night, come up to the surface to feed. Baits such as squid, tuna and belly flaps at depths ranging between 400m to 700m offer the best results.
We will be offering trips targeting these gladiators of the sea both during the daytime and at night time, increasing your chances of catching one of these true giants!
Customise Your Own
Let us know what you would like to do and we will do our best to accomodate your request.