Search for the giant black marlin
CAPTAIN George Bransford first visited Cairns whilst stationed here in 1943 as an American paratrooper in the 503rd Airborne Division.
He was fascinated to hear local tales of enormous billfish that broke wire line, snapped outriggers and stole commercial fishermen’s catches.
Although he thought they were exaggerating the size of the fish at the time, it was then that George’s personal dream began to take shape and he vowed to one day return to explore the waters of the outer Great Barrier Reef in search of the giant black marlin.
Following another short trip to Cairns in the early sixties, the intrigue got the better of George. He decided to sell out of his charter fishing business in Florida and move his family to Cairns.
Once here, it wasn’t long before he met up with local boat builder Harold Collis and between them, they designed and built the 9.8m (32ft), single-engine Sea Baby in 1963.
On her maiden voyage around Fitzroy Island, Harold’s son, Alan, caught a juvenile black marlin and George’s wife, Joyce, caught a 54.4kg (120lb) sailfish, but George knew he had to venture further out if he wanted to catch something big.
In September 1965, Harold hooked a big black believed to have weighed 680.4kg (1500lbs) or more – a belief George maintained until his dying day – however, late in the night, after almost eight hours of fight, the line gave way.
After three years of searching for ‘that one big fish’ and losing many along the way, on 25 September 1966, George and Canadian deckhand Richard Obach made international headlines when they landed a 482.6kg (1064lb) black marlin – the first black marlin over 453.6kg (1,000lbs), or ‘grander’, ever landed in Australian waters.
The marlin, which was also a new world record, eclipsing the old mark of 395kg (871lbs), and the first ‘grander’ ever caught on rod and reel on 36.3kg (80lb) line, put Cairns on the world game fishing map. Following this significant catch, Cairns rode to prosperity as the undisputed black marlin capital of the world and continues to be a world leader today with tag and release and conservation.
Celebrities such as Hollywood movie stars Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine, author Wilbur Smith, former US president Jimmy Carter, and golfers Greg Norman and Jack Nicklaus, as well as tens of thousands of anglers, have since enjoyed fishing in the Cairns region, with 453.6kg (1,000lbs) used as a benchmark for an outstanding catch.
Over the past 50 years, Cairns’ reputation as the world’s premier destination for black marlin fishing has contributed enormously to the success of the its tourism industry, with the black marlin game fishing industry estimated to be worth over $60 million a year to the local economy.
To celebrate George and Richard’s historic catch and the black marlin’s extraordinary contribution to the region, the Cairns Game Fishing Commemorative Association will unveil a life-size bronze sculpture of a black marlin on the Cairns waterfront.
President of the association, Captain Dennis “Brazakka” Wallace says the black marlin sculpture is “for all to understand the history of the industry and experience the size and magnificence of the fish that inhabit our coast.”
The marlin fishery that developed as a result of the first giant black marlin captured on September 25, 1966 has contributed significantly to the Cairns regional economy ever since.
The CGFCA wishes to extend appreciation to all their generous donors for their support.