Award stirs emotions
IT WAS an emotional win for Leigh O’Brien, mother and father Val and Peter O’Brien and family friend Luke Fallon when the team claimed majority honours in last week’s Mike Carney Memorial Billfish Challenge.
The annual tournament, generously supported and often contested by the late Mike Carney, celebrated 35 years of marlin and sailfish mayhem when 70 competitors on board 14 boats fished Bowling Green Bay waters.
The O’Briens and Fallon were close friends of Mr Carney who passed away recently.
Fallon, a highly decorated game boat skipper, exchanged throttle for rod to claim Champion Male Angler accolades tagging four black marlin while Val happily accepted the Champion Female Angler award tagging three fish.
A team effort of eight successful billfish tag and releases ensured boat ‘ OB1’ with experienced angler Leigh at the helm claimed Champion Boat.
Emma Kate was declared Runner- up Champion Team/ Boat when the Mackaybased anglers tagged and released seven billfish, 12- year- old Matthew Colborne crowned Champion Junior Angler catching three fish of his own.
Heaviest gamefish of the tournament – other than billfish – was a 17kg great barracuda caught by Magnetic Island man Kerry Kraut.
Organisers said boating conditions were sublime with competitors tagging 48 billfish in total – 19 sailfish and 29 black marlin.
And hard luck yarn of the tournament is owned by local game fishing enthusiast Wade Medill.
Fishing on board the good ship Kiama, Medill hooked a whopping marlin just 15 minutes into the four- day tournament.
Far in excess of the standard 10- 20kg juvenile marlin usually encountered in shallow Bowling Green waters, this fish was estimated at near enough to 140kg and, tied to 8kg test line, the fight was always going to be a difficult one.
Medill fought the fish for a staggering six hours before the light line parted, the crew failing to plant a point scoring tag.
Fur flies in AFO Challenge
THE tournament roundup continues with an impressive 273 fish caught and released in last week’s Australian Flyfishing Outfitters ( AFO) Challenge.
Contested within Hinchinbrook Channel and nearby waters, 22 teams comprising of 44 swoffers or flyfishers cast fur and feather concoctions to fool high point- scoring species including barramundi, salmon and queenfish while additional points rewarded anglers claiming permit and golden trevally captures.
Daniel Collins was awarded Champion Angler for the two- day event, his 2433 point tally boosted with the capture of a fine 80cm permit while Dave Bradley and Al Simson were hailed Champion Team with an aggregate 3646 points.
Daniel’s permit was also deemed Meritorious Catch of the tournament.
Competitors look forward to next year’s event, the prestigious tournament blowing out 21 candles.
Handy fingermark
FINGERMARK or golden snapper remain hungry and while salubrious boating conditions have allowed anglers to do their thing in comfort midweek, weekend forecasts suggest only those with larger vessels and stronger stomachs will venture offshore.
Con Engel wanted a small trout for dinner but had to settle for fingermark when he dropped baits near Cape Cleveland on Tuesday.
Engel was wiped out several times by large fish before he steered a tasty 72cm fish to the boat while his mate Boris kept the resident gold spot cod population on a short leash.
An occasional metre- long queenfish interrupted the bottom fishing proceedings and Engel was happy to let all fish go after landing his second fingermark in quick succession.
GTs find an easy feed
MICK Van Ryanswoud of Kirwan took full advantage of the incredible boating conditions to fish wide of Magnetic Island and Cape Cleveland.
Coral trout – bar cheek models – hit the deck during the first drops of bait to fish detected on the sonar before a school of large giant trevally decided they liked red fish more than he did.
Van Ryanswoud allowed a hooked nannygai of about 50cm to wallow boatside longer than he should have and it was devoured by one of the large predators.
Nonetheless, he said he enjoyed the battle landing his largest ever fish – a thumping giant trevally of about 50 oldfashioned- pounds!
The FIFO mine worker wasn’t done there though.
The keenest angler caught and released another GT before sliding the gaff into the shoulder of a 14kg spanish mackerel. sponsored by