**REEF MAGIC's 300kg Blue Marlin**

[REEF MAGIC CHARTERS]

After us having a good day out on Saturday in fairly average conditions we checked the charts on Saturday night and decided to head to middle ground where we had got some good fish in previous weeks and the edge seemed to be pushing in there nicely.

Well the morning started out great with a tank for of bait we headed for the fad to catch some dollies only to find that the fad had disappeared so we pressed on. As we got into 70 fathoms the current was roaring to the south with a nice little 15 knots of southerly & 2 meter swell which made for some pretty average conditions but that was soon to be forgotten.

I put a spread of lures out and we headed south, the conditions seamed to be getting slightly better and a few of the boats heading back to Sydney were saying over the radio that swell was dropping quickly and the wind was backing off further south. Before long the little Black Bart on the shotgun got slammed and Troy and Adam were woken from their slumber to the sound of a 50w screaming as the fish headed north, we cleared the deck and headed off after a solid striped marlin. With Troy doing a superb job on the rod and some skillful driving from Mike I soon had a tag in a solid 130kg stripe after 30 minutes and he was released in great condition. With the boys on board stoked they resumed their positions on the lounges as we continued further south.

As we pushed a little wider we hit some magnificent water which we followed the edge of until we were just coming in on the boats at the carpark when the long rigger with the large Lumo Sprocket was smashed by a very large fish from inside out and headed north at a rate of knots. As the 50w was losing line we got going back after the fish as it put on some big jumps a very long way from the boat. Adam quickly got plenty of line back only to have her change direction and head due east and dug in about 20 meters down at a steady pace. The fight soon went into the second hour even after trying every manoeuvre in the book we still couldn't get the fishes head up, but finally after 2.5 hours we got colour and the double insight. I soon realised what we were messing with when I finally got a few wraps on the leader and got a good view of the size of the fish. While trying to get the big girl to lift her head she decided she was not ready and with 2 beats of the tail I had to dump the leader or end up in the drink!

After capturing a 198kg (2.72 meters short length) blue a few weeks earlier this fish put it to shame with calls that the fish was at least 2 feet longer and probably over 300kg. Meanwhile Adam was under pressure on stand up 24kg as we headed into the 3rd & 4th hour but with plenty of encouragement he soldiered on like a champion. We discussed with the guys about what they wanted to do and if they wanted to capture or release the fish, to their credit they just wanted to see it and release it and not even tag it as we only had 3 on the deck and while Adam angled Troy would try and would try and get some good shots with the gopro.

After having to knot on the double up at least 20 times I finally got my second chance after 4.5 hours at the leader and this time everyone got a good look as the fish swam beside the boat and then took a big jump at the back on the leader before I got her back swimming along on the port side, she was lit up and still fresh and kicking her tail along the surface and as I was bringing her to the boat to remove the lure she took a dive and the 600lb leader snapped. We were all amazed at her size and its a memory that will be fixed in all our minds forever. We put her at well over 3 meters short length and would have tipped the scales around the 300kg mark without a problem.

We checked the GPS and we were now in 1200 fathoms and the fish had taken us 15 miles due east and it was now 4pm in the afternoon so we heeded for the sheds.

I have to give credit to Adam for a great effort on 24kg stand up and to catch that fish of a lifetime!

Unfortunately we had gopro issues and didn't get any really good footage due to battery life, salt on the lense & chaos but captured this shot on the leader and one of the striped under the water being tagged, the one day we wish we had someone on the flybridge to have taken some shots beside the boat to really be able to see the big girls size.

Cheers

Damo

Edited March 13, 2012 by Reef Magic Charters

[Breed]

Hi Damo,

Great write up and thanks again for the unforgettable day! We are still a bit sore after all the days excitement but it was well worth the pain

I still cant believe the sheer size and power of that blue! The image of its huge car like frame is still imbedded into my memory bank and is something that myself and Adam will never forget. We will have make the trip a yearly occurence and make sure we organise a professional camera man to get some better pictures and film!

Thanks again and we highly recommend your charter to anyone looking for a great days gamefishing with a professional captain and crew! Make sure you call Damo or Mike abord Reef Magic and let them put you onto that fish of a lifetime!

We both look forward to seeing all the footage/pictures you can salvage from the go pro!

Cheers,

Troy

[boattart]

Great fish Damo. Good luck with the GoPro, they're great when they work but I've found ways of ruining good shots too. Got a real good Blue up at Port and had the thing on my head turned on in photo mode so took one still when I thought I was turning it on and one more when I thought I was turning it off.

[gambit]

Sounds like a great fish Damo. You might need to get Captain Mike a GoPro for his hat to get the action captured betterer!

We are heading back up by bus or train on Thursday sometime to fish Gale Force down for the Broken Bay comp. Don't really like the look of the weather forecast though...

Cheers,

Bob.

Edited March 13, 2012 by GAMBIT

[fryboy]

Awesome!!

[REEF MAGIC CHARTERS]

Sounds like a great fish Damo. You might need to get Captain Mike a GoPro for his hat to get the action captured betterer!

We are heading back up by bus or train on Thursday sometime to fish Gale Force down for the Broken Bay comp. Don't really like the look of the weather forecast though...

Cheers,

Bob.

Cheers Bob it was probably a once in lifetime fish. Hope you guys go well on the weekend. Hopefully the weather holds out.

Cheers

Damo

[REEF MAGIC CHARTERS]

Great fish Damo. Good luck with the GoPro, they're great when they work but I've found ways of ruining good shots too. Got a real good Blue up at Port and had the thing on my head turned on in photo mode so took one still when I thought I was turning it on and one more when I thought I was turning it off.

Hi Mark,

Yeah fish of a lifetime that one.. well I have to totally agree with you about the gopro's. We are running two and when you have a small crew its hard to keep any eye on them all the time to see if SD cards are full or battery has ran out or the lens has fogged up or got salt on the lens..etc the list goes on.

But they are great when you have a short fight the footage is awesome when they work.

I don't think the Broken Bay comp would have been to nice..

Cheers

Damo

[boattart]

GDay Damo,

Yeah horendous weather for the Broken Bay comp. We fished the Friday in nice conditions but water was green and 22odd till 47 mile out by which time it was time to turn for home. A few raise by the boats fishing Norah Canyons. Weather looking great for this weekend. Here's hoping the water has improved.

Also with the GoPro it's worth get some of the anti fog thingys. $20 odd for a pack and they are reusable.

Edited March 21, 2012 by boattart

[issue]

Oh what a stonker of a blue !!! Good on ya and congratulations to the charter, I hope they realise how lucky they were to tangle with that thing. Yeah the Broken Bay was a test of commitment. We managed to go 1 from 1 on Sunday which put us in the prizes but it was a poor result for the punishment we copped.