captainbat

If you want to go Sail Fishing then you should go during August early September and fish on the neap tides (very important). Cheers - Bat

Hello Raiders - Here is a good Wahoo we got on Saturday on Linden Bank it went 22.5kgs which was also a Cairns GFC line class record for Marcus my angler. The other photos are another big Barra for Pip Walker out of Tinaroo the other week this one went 113.5cm and is a beauty. Cheers - Bat

Hello Raiders, Here is a couple of photos I tought I might send down to you. This is a big Sail we caught on Tuesday out at Jenny Louise off Cairns onboard 'BillFish'. We have been getting a few little blacks and the odd Sail lately and start our tournament season next weekend. This fish here is a really good example of a big sail, in fact the best one I have got out of Cairns. I caught one much bigger when I was over in the Maldives which I still think may have been an all tackle record, (I'll have a look through the photos and find it and post it up), but even so this is a good Sail, I reckon every bit of 100 - 110lb+ fish, does any one agree? Cheers - Bat

However, as opposed to fishing the way you already do, one of the drawbacks with the previous system was that you were permitted (without any disadvantage in points) to fish the same grounds/ average fish with, say 37kg or even 60kg tackle. Because many, many people were doing that, and most ludicrously around areas like The Gibber, during runs of small blacks at the Interclub, it is what has turned a lot of people off even bothering with Tournaments, as it no longer involves the sporting ethics upon which this sport arose. So does this still mean that the bloke who tags the 200kg blue on 37kg off the shelf gets the same points as the bloke who tags the 30kg black inshore on 37kg? They do dont they. So on the other side the bloke fishing for bigger fish is being handicapped. Or do we now rely on the crew to call the species, approx weight etc? You could judt go on and on with different senarios - it just doesnt work. The idea to win tag and release is to tag the most fish simple. If the bights inshore then fish inshore - fish where ever you can find the most fish. If you want to taget big fish / small fish whatever do it in a non tournament enviroment. In the tournament just tag as many fish as you can simple, dont forget you still have to find them. Maybe I'm not seeing something?

Bat, Great post and good points made. We only fish one tournament a year and that is The Interclub and after 33 years it may be my last. Sometimes the politics can be overpowering It's sometimes better just going fishing without the dramas Ross Roscoe, I couldnt agree more. We are just about to start our tournament season now and I wont be putting the boat or crew into them. I'm driving a private boat for some local blokes up here that want to have a go at the tournaments. So thats what I will be doing. I dont enjoy politics in my fishing nor care much for all these mad rules that seem to go hand in hand with so called 'organised' events. Take the non sanctioned Cairns Light Tackle (which we won outright last year), also a line class for T & R, which also has this gem - 'A boat that wins Champion Boat can not win Champion Angler' - the idea being that the prizes are awarded to as many different people as possible so everyone can have a chance at winning a prize and has a good time, (thats fine in under 7's rugby but really isnt in the spirit of adult competition) This what happened to us last year, and to many boats before us as it stands to reason that a champion boat is likely to have the champion angler onboard. Anyway I fought tooth and nail against this madness and it was only when the commitee decided that they wanted to have the tournament sanctioned that they evoked this stupid rule as the QGFA would not allow such an unfair rule. At the end of the day we won and got the rule removed, but however at the end of the day I just sat down and thought its all to hard, the money, and time and effort that goes into trying to support these events may be better spent on more fuel to spend more time fishing. All the politics detract from the sport, the purpose, and eventually the enjoyment of being there, If you just go fishing none of this matters, they can have dental floss class if they want, who cares cheers - Bat

We have had point score on T & R line classes up here for last few years and I must say as far as I'm concerned I think they are a disaster. The whole concept of T & R is that the fish is released hopefully in a condition to survive. The skill of the angler / crew isn't the concern - the idea is that the fish survives the encounter to continue living. The statement that the line class rule attracts more people to fish the tournaments is subjective to whom you speak with. In my case and also a lot of my friends the opposite is true. Lets look at the Innisfail Tournament last year (this is one of the Nth QLD Tournaments that were said to have highest recapture rates etc). I fished this tournament last year, and like most other boats fished 6kg for the pure reason that you had to to be competetive. There were only 3 or so fish tagged during the tournament all by charter boats. All the other fish (some 18 or more) were lost (most snapped off), this is a direct result of the light line class being used. Now how is this good for the tournament? The fish are running around with that line hanging out of them, The crews that fished the tournament are dissalusioned becaused they have found a few fish. lost them, feel they out of their league and come away with a negative. The competition looses its drive because there are not as many fish being tagged and people find it hard to even get started in the comp rather than having a fish or two in the runnings and feeling part of the whole show. We also have to spend more money having different setups for all the different tournaments with there different rules and line classes etc etc. I think you would be mad to change from what you already have - I wish we did. No I dont like the line class idea, not at all. Cheers - Bat

Here are a couple more photos of this terrible scurge of cow eyes.. The first depicts a young deckie Cow Eying me after a long unsucessfull days marlin fishing. Notice the pure misery being expressed by the poor soul, note the pure sadness I have brought to his life by taking him fishing. The second also is a good example of cow eyes. As Tom has said above all raiders should be on the look out for these symptons, either being displayed by themselves or by fellow anglers and do everything possible to correct such behaviour as soon as noticed! Cheers - Bat

Hey Rosscoe, Heres a picture of a bloke from Russia who only last Tuesday cow eyed me from 10.00am onwards. I was driving the Billfish and ended up getting a little black late in afternoon probally around 3.30 or so, which means that he cow eyed me hard for around 4 plus hours, yet look at him in this photo - he is such a happy Russian he could almost smile!....

Hello Raiders Here is a light hearted email I recently shared with some of my fellow Marlin Skippers. Should provide a bit of an insight into what a tough day is like behind the helm. Cheers Capt. Bat All, Yet again I have been subjected to an incident of 'Cow Eying'. This latest occurrence happen on a recent days Marlin fishing off Cairns, and with a crew that should have know better. After a particularly tough day trying to find the fish and using nearly every trick in the book at around 15.10pm I noticed the quietness and lack of conversation descend upon the deck. At approx 15.45pm I copped my first assault of 'Cow Eyes'. At 16.10pm one of the bovines came out with this timeless classic - "Bit quite hey Bat?", I just grunted at him. At around 16.30pm we were still 25 mile out and fishing on a near perfect sea when I was asked what time do I usually head home. I replied - "We don't mate, when it gets dark we put the cylume sticks on the live baits and drift fish the entire area all over again...". I then mentally removed myself from these Cow Eying miscreants and proceeded to torture them with a session of live bait trolling that lasted right until dark. You could see the fear in them when darkness came and they were expecting the cylume sticks to come out. The younger one dropped this gem - "I've a missus and two young kids at home - they will be wondering where I am" - "Forget them - don't you want to catch a Marlin? You never will unless your prepared to put some effort in mate" I replied. I continued to troll for another 15 minutes in the dark, by this stage they were both sitting mute cradling their heads in their hands. I was getting hungry so I said 'OK wind them in, lets go home, I'm hungry' A wave of pure relief came over their faces as I wound the Valhalla up and headed home in the dark. We got in at around 20.15. Then had to go and put the boat away. All up I subjected them to more than 15 hours of solid treatment. I believe that as skippers it is our duty to crush the behaviour of Cow Eying - my new mantra, "You Cow Eye Me - I Torture You" Cow Eyes looking at me....... nothing but Cow Eyes do I see..... Regards - Bat

Rossco, I had another read of that piece and took a bit of time on it. I agree. Heres a little present for you, this is a picture of a 19 year old Bat, with one of your smaller fish from a day when we had baits off the riggers whilst we bottom fished the peak. As best as I can work out this picture is around 1988 mid season, I'm going to get the old albums out soon and scan all the old pics. This tuna is between 45 - 55kgs and was not nearly the biggest fish on that day, (probally the only one I could hold up!), I was a bit trimmer in those days - I would only be 105-107kgs in this shot. Great times Cogga, - I'll get into old albums and dig up some more, cheers - Bat

Hey Rossco, I enjoyed reading the story on the tuna at the peak, I consider myself very fortunate that I was lucky enough (as a much younger Bat working the deck on Broady), to be able to see the tail part of that era with you, I can still remember as a wet behind the ears kids feeding out a pillie without enough drag on the reel and having a big tuna immediatley birdnest the reel and snap off - I didnt know what the f**k had happened, you just looked down and laughed! They were great days no doubt, it makes me sad that I dont think we will ever share them together again, they were good times, no they were great times - truley 'Glory Days'. Cheers - Capt. Bat

Hello Shaun, Yes we fish around Fitzroy a fair bit for little blacks, just off the north east off little Fitzroy is a great area, also the Fitzroy Wreck which you will see marked on the chart to the south east in 18m is a well know haunt for them, then troll out to the little reef inside Moore Reef just outside the green zone. From there through the Grafton Passage up to Thetford Reef and a little area in 25m to the south west which you will also see on the chart. I normally have a look back through the Passage to an area we call the 'Eastern Patches' - which is only a local name for it, this is a reef that sits in 18m on the eastern side of Green island once again just outside the green zone. All these areas currently have been fishing well for spanish also. Just be very carefull that you dont go into the green zone because they will pin you and they can be very savage about it. You should at the least see a Spanish or two at the moment, you are better off fishing our friends headed gar and skipping gar rigged on wire that way you are still giving yourself a good crack at the Marlin but also will get the spanish. Once we get fully into the season we lose the wire and go to mono and just let the mackeral chop us, but then again we havn't come all the way up from Sydney either. Hope this helps. Cheers - Bat

Hello Rooster, Light Tackle season inshore for little Blacks is from mid to late June through to November (ish). with the best times gennerally around late August early September. Heavy Tackle season for the big girls outside the reef starts around early September and generally winds up early mid December with October and November being the pick of the months, if I was planning to fish heavy tackle I would come late October and if chasing litle Blacks late August would be my pick. Cheers - Bat

Hello Raiders... Just a quick note from up north.... we have been lucky enough yesterday to tag the first fish of the 2009 season - a little black at around 35kgs and managed to drop another one today. I hope this may be the start of the season - I'm sure it is.... just simply cant wait!!!!!!!!!!!! cheers - Bat

I did reply to this but I dont think it went through so once again... Tap around any suspect areas lightly with a ball peen hammer. The sound should be 'bright and crisp' if it is dull then the material inside is soft - (rotten). Also the hammer wont bounce off the rotten areas as vigorously. Pay special attention to areas around engine mount bolts, skin fittings, transducer fitouts etc. cheers - Bat