Cairns / Lizard Island

Giant Black Marlin on the Great Barrier Reef

August - Dec

Townsville to Cairns is the destination for small black marlin and sailfishing in the months of August and early September. Tackle is primarily 12-20 lb conventional, and fly tackle is also a really fun and viable option, for catching these 40-100lb baby black marlin. the sails run up to 150lbs, which is a bunch of fun on light tackle. As many as 36 small blacks have been caught in a single day!!!

In September 1966 on an exploratory trip on the Sea Baby, Richard Obach, Capt. Georges Bransfords' deckhand, was the angler who caught the very first 1000 lb black marlin. The fish weighed 1064 lbs on 80lbs tackle and was the first Black Marlin world record to come from the Great Barrier Reef. Since this time, more marlin over 1000lbs have been weighed or tagged and released than every other place in the world combined.

The TRADITION fishes the Cairns and Lizard Island areas, including the famous No:10 Ribbon Reef . We roam 150 nm of the Great Barrier Reef grounds for September, October , November and December each year for the Giant Black Marlin. Allowing us to be where the best fishing occurs for the rest of the heavy tackle black marlin season.

Fishing can be done three ways:

Day trips for guests staying at the Lizard Island resort ( a 5 star exclusive resort 14 miles from the top of No:10 Ribbon Reef )

Liveaboard trips for up 10 days.

Mothershipping with a larger vessel for up to 6 guests. The mothership is anchored behind the reef in calm water and has a full crew onboard to make your stay one of fine food and memories.

The mornings are spent swimming, having breakfast, bait fishing, and spearfishing. About 10.30 - 11.00am we head out to fish for the big blacks. We usually fish till just before dusk and then run back in to the anchorage behind the reef for drinks and dinner in the calm waters behind the Great Barrier Reef.

We practice tag and release with Billfish Foundation tags on our fish, unless the fish is to be weighed. We carry our own IGFA certified scales for any record fishing.

We only use the finest tackle and crew available to make your experience one of excellence. With many regular clients each season, available time is booked already, now is the time to make that trip of a lifetime (or year, as many of our clients do fish with us every year) to experience one of the seven natural wonders of the world - the Great Barrier Reef.

Choice of Motherships:

Bali Hai

Atlantic Princess

Emerald Lady

Mustique