Jumbofin

Cheers Langers, sure is a small world mate. We'll have to tee up a fish one day!!

Unlucky guys... I remember thinking the same thing when we heard you talking about it over the radio considering the water temp you guys were in. Either way sounds like it was big! I did here someone call in a Yellowfin although not sure how big or where. Hope you get him next time!

Langers!!! That's him Scratchie!!! It's become an obsession since that first fish all those years ago. Definitely a gun fisho!!! Well done again on that fish yesterday.

Nice Wahoo! Are you the guys that got spooled on the 80?

Nice fish! Mate if I'm right, you're the guy that got me onto my first marlin at the carpark in Port Stephens back in 2007 fishing onboard Scouser?? (Ty's mate Andrew) We had some luck yesterday too!

Headed out yesterday from Botany with a mate from work and my 68 year old father in search of marlin. Put 3 lures out in 50 fathoms (fishing out of a small bowrider with no outriggers) with plenty of birds and small dollies about. Trolled out to the Botany wide fad but was like a carpark so made one pass staying wide of the fad and had the 50W in the shotgun position take off but didn't stick. We proceeded to head over to Eastern side of the 12 mile and at 9am in 22.9 degree water, a striped marlin comes up next to the witch doctor and starts smashing the lumo sprocket set in the short corner on the Saltiga. It grabbed the lure 3 times and pulled off a bit of line before it came back for a 4th time all lit up. It really latched on to the lure this time and the rod loaded up, finally hooked up! Cleared the deck quick and got my mate settled into his first marlin. Fought the fish for over an hour on the spin gear and had a beautiful striped marlin approx. 80kg next to to the boat to get some great footage with the gopro. Swam the fish next to the boat for a bit until it was biting down on my hand before releasing it and filmed it swim away under water. After that we put the lures out and worked our way back into 60 fathoms before calling it quits at 2pm with no further action for us. All in all an absolute cracker of a day. Got my mate his first marlin and made even more special by the fact that we got to share that experience with my dad... Was his first marlin too and only his 3rd ever gamefishing trip... Gold!!!

What a day, well done!

Hi guys, Great photos! I reckon it's a black. We hooked a fish a few weeks ago and its first jump near the boat had me calling it a black because of the distinct black/purple colour along its back, silver belly and pectoral fins fixed outwards. But once we had it next to the boat I noticed faint stripes very similar to the fish in the photo. As its dorsal fin was too small for a striped marlin and having not seen a black marlin for a very long time, the stripes had us confused and started thinking a small blue marlin instead. Once I got home and reviewed the gopro footage it was clearly a black marlin, stripes were not visible on the video at all and pectoral fins fixed the whole time. The fish in the photo seems to have a dorsal fin too short to be a striped marlin. If the footage shows its pectoral fins fixed then maybe that would be a good indicator of it being a black as well. Either way, shame you didn't get to bring it to the boat mate. As far as weight goes, at a guess, between 80 - 100kg but I'm no expert. I bet the footage is awesome, looking forward to seeing the strike! Cheers

Hi Rick, It's a mates boat we are on. A Fraser Formula. I don't actually own a boat, I'm just lucky enough to have a few friends that do and are kind enough to take me out. Alternatively I use my old man's Stacer 525 Bowrider only when the warm water pushes in close enough for me to have a go out to about 50 fathoms. In the past 3 years I've released a black and 2 stripes all within 50 fathoms off Botany from the Stacer. Cheers, Andrew

Awesome!

Keep at it Scratchie, they'll turn up mate and unlucky on the dropped fish erroll hopefully it sticks for you next time!! Thank you for the advice chewie, I had already created the still shots last night but was just having problems uploading them. Teething problems I guess haha! Hope this works!

Hello everyone, My name is Andrew and am new to fishraider. Although I have been following this forum for quite some time now I've only recently become a member so I can get involved and share some of my experiences with you guys as over the years this forum has helped me to find fish. So here goes my first post... Sunday morning 12th January, met at my friends place at 5:30am for an early start on his boat out of Botany. We were on the water by 6:15 and at 40 fathoms with the spread out by no later than 7:45am and greeted with absolutely stunning conditions. In 40 fathoms the water was green but showing signs of life with plenty of birds working the general area and a water temp of just over the 22 degree mark (can't recall exact temp, but def over 22). By the time we had reached the Botany wide FAD, water temp was 23.5. The further we went, the hotter it got! By the time we hit the shelf and started to head North, water temp was 24.8 and had steadily increased to 25.2. We came in from 100 fathoms back to 80 fathoms east of the 12 mile (approx.) then turned to head back South in 80 fathoms in the most cobalt blue water I had seen for a while but with no sign of life in it. Then, with no warning at all, BANG, off goes the short rigger and the 80W screams the way it was made to! As I look back at the lures I see a raging marlin dancing across the horizon and putting on a show. The Gopro gets switched on, the deck gets cleared and I get harnessed up and settle into the fight. After a short 15 minute fight at 11am we had a nice little black marlin of around the 70 - 80kg mark next to the boat. Having brought the fish in so green on the 80W, it went bananas on the trace and ended up busting off around the prop for a quick release. Our first marlin for 2014 and high fives all round! We didn't see anything else but did here of a couple of nice blues caught along the shelf and a few blacks raised in close too, so get out there guys (when weather permits). Thanks for reading and I look forward to being a part of future threads and posts. Cheers, Andrew PS. I'm trying to upload some still shots from the gopro footage but can't seem to get it to work. Any ideas?