bluewatermag.com.au 79TOURNAMENT
NEWS
You should
have been there!
As well as the usual $12,500 prizes
for both Tag & Release and Capture
categories, Newcastle & Port Stephens
Game Fishing club this year introduced a
massive $100,000 prize for the heaviest
blue marlin captured weighing over
236kg, drawing anglers and boats from
all over the country.
The fishing in the lead-up to the
tournament had been sensational, with
boats regularly catching up to seven
marlin per day. The famous ‘Car Park’
grounds were producing large numbers of
black and striped marlin, and the inshore
reefs yielded a consistent run of smaller
black marlin, as well as a few larger
models that tested anglers fishing lighter
line classes. On top of this, blue marlin
had also been consistent beyond the
edge of the continental shelf, meaning
there was a real chance for the $100,000
major prize to go off. The scene was set
for a great weekend of gamefishing!
The first day saw the fleet spread far
and wide, with many choosing to chase
blue marlin in search of that $100,000
fish. Several boats had recorded a marlin
by the first radio sked, and the action
continued throughout the day. By that
afternoon, local boat Billistic was in the
lead with nine tagged black marlin on
10kg tackle. The Port Hacking team
aboard Rabbit were right behind them,
with an impressive six blue marlin, two
striped marlin and a black marlin – all
tagged on 37kg tackle.
The crew aboard Calypso, with Capt
Tim Dean at the helm, weighed a blue
marlin of 231.4kg – just 4.6kg short of
the weight needed to take home the
$100,000. As Tim said, “It’s a sport
where inches are miles.”
Lake Macquarie boat Victory II captured
a 375.6kg tiger shark, putting them in
the lead for the $12,500 prize for the
heaviest shark.
Day 2 began with high anticipation, as
the large number of fish around meant it
was still anyone’s game. Again the fishing
was exceptional, with the best effort
from Port Hacking boat Cookie, which
tagged an impressive eight blue marlin.
Rabbit tagged another four marlin, and
countless other boats scored multiple
marlin, making for an extremely close
finish separated only by the line classes
they were caught on. Two more blue
marlin were weighed, but both fell short
of Calypso’s fish from the previous day.
Billfish Shootout – Port Stephens
The Garmin Billfish Shootout, held mid-February in the picturesque waters of Port Stephens, NSW,
saw 166 boats and 790 anglers competing for one of the most impressive prize pools in Australian gamefishing.
Several boats were in contention for the
win by the end of fishing, and it wasn’t until
the presentation that the final results were
known. Although Billistic had a quiet second
day, their nine marlin on 10kg line the first
day was enough to get them over the line,
winning them $12,500 first prize for Tag &
Release, just in front of Rabbit, who finished
the weekend with 13 marlin on 37kg line for
a well-deserved second place.
Calypso’s blue marlin was enough to
win them $12,500 for the heaviest marlin
over 150kg, and Victory II’s 375.6kg tiger
shark took out the prize for the heaviest
shark captured over 350kg.The tournament saw a whopping 298
marlin tagged and released over the two
days. A full list of results can be found on
the Newcastle & Port Stephens Game Fish
Club’s Facebook page.
With exceptional fishing and some of
the largest cash prizes in Australia, the
Garmin Billfish Shootout continues to
grow, cementing its name as one of the
best tournaments on the east coast.
We’re already looking forward to doing it
all again next year.- Josh Dickson
The Newcastle & Port Stephens club’s
Garmin Billfish Shootout, held mid-
February, attracted 166 boats and 790
anglers who tagged and released 298
marlin over the two days. The largest
marlin weighed was this 231.4kg blue,
caught aboard Calypso.