 |
|
 |
Tradition 900lb Black Nov'08
 
 |
 |
LATEST NEWS July 10 2010 Has it really been 6 weeks since the last update? Wow time flys by when your busy!!. It really is incredible how a great paintjob can make a 10 year old boat look brand new. Marty Comer for help with the scupper box, deck, rubbish bin box, and some other jobs inside the boat. He is a great carpenter and craftsman. Heres some more pictures of the finished job, and dont hesitate to contact me if you are interested in any of the trips we have planned for this season. Check out the http://www.traditioncharters.com/contact.php page for dates and more information.
Capt Tim Richardson
27 May 2010 Well the big refit is going extremely well and we are right on Schedule to be done in a few weeks. Check out the progress with the pictures below. Was definately the right choice to use Glazurite paint, it comes out like nothing I have ever seen, no runs, sags or orange peel, just really tight and glossy right off the spray gun.
The season is getting closer and cant wait to get going in August for the trip up the coast, have some time available both for trips up the coast and during the season. Please let me know if any of the options might suit you for this year, or we can cater something just for you. August 10 - 20 ish 2010 The destinations on this 10-day trip can include Wreck, Cato, Saumarez, Elusive and Bugatti Reef complexes. The plan is to get out to the Wreck or Cato and then jump from one to the next and spend a day or two at each one. Poppers and jigging for GT's, more Wahoo than you have ever seen are around at this time of year, as well as billfish. Great anchorages are available, with incredible snorkeling and spearing - a great exploration trip to places only a few boats have ever been. August 22 - Sept 10 Hamilton Island / Townsville to Cairns – cruising the Whitsundays, or fishing the incredible outer reefs and atolls. Fishing our way to the north for mackerel, wahoo, GT’s, Dogtooth’s, and even marlin and sailfish on the way. A great time of year with lots of fishing options. TRADITION is one of the few boats equipped and licensed to fish the outer reefs of Flinders, Flora, Holmes Reef systems. 2010 HEAVY TACKLE GIANT BLACK MARLIN with options of liveaboard, mothershipping and Lizard Island accommodation. Sept 20 – 25 inclusive Cairns to Cooktown heavy tackle marlin fishing. 4-6 days fishing. Oct 9 – 15 inclusive heavy tackle marlin fishing 7 days fishing. Oct 16 - 23 inclusive 2010 Lizard Island Black marlin Tournament 7 days of fishing. Oct 24 - 27 inclusive 4 days fishing from Lizard Island to Cooktown Nov 3-9 with mothership Emerald Lady Nov 24 – 28 inclusive 5 day’s marlin fishing. Dec 2010 Cairns to Gold Coast, or parts, of via rarely fished outer reefs same as top trip but in reverse, options all the way down the reef. April - July 2011 New Caledonia and then Vanuatu
Tim
May 6 2010 Been back home from Palm Beach, Florida for about a week now, after a great 5 week trip to the US. Spent a bunch of time traveling the country, from Texas to Savannah, to LA and Florida spending time with clients and friends alike. A special thanks to all my wonderful friends for spending time with me, and Jamie for letting me stay at his place !! I think one of the great things about this years trip is how upbeat everyone is about the economy and how things are picking up and we are all looking forward to spending more time doing the things we love in special places. I have most of this years Cairns season sold, but I do have a few spaces not yet committed to. The response to next years (2011) South Pacific tour, to New Caledonia in May and June, and then Vanuatu for July will put us in the best places for the marlin bite, particularly Vanuatu late June and July for the incredible blue marlin fishing. Lots of people are interested in a more relaxed trip exploring the South Pacific on the TRADITION, and we can always cater for the full on fishing trips we are known for!!! The next couple of months will be busy, with the TRADITION now in one of the big refit sheds at our home at the Gold Coast City Marina, and Dean at Spraytime will be painting the boat for me in May. I cant wait to get the boat all perfect again for the future years of fishing and exploring this part of the world. Its been a very busy week since I came out of the water, and you can see a lot is going on!!!!
The new teak deck is all finished, just needing sanding after the paint is finished. Heading north in July/August so join us for any part of the trip up to Cairns. Check out the contact and available dates page for more information.
August 2010 : An exciting exploration trip on the way to Cairns this year. The 10-12 day trip can include Wreck, Cato, Saumarez, Elusive and Bugatti Reef complexes. Poppers and jigging for GT's, dogtooths, more wahoo than you have ever seen are around at this time of year, as well as billfish. Great anchorages are available, with incredible snorkelling and spearing - a great exploration trip to places only a few boats have ever been. Sept 2010 - Dec 2010 : Townsville Light Tackle Tournament is available, and then the trip to Cairns via outer reef trips, unexplored atolls and reefs. HEAVY TACKLE GIANT BLACK MARLIN with options of liveaboard, mothershipping and Lizard Island accommodation. Experience the wonder of the Great Barrier Reef and giant black marlin. Last season saw 50 GRANDERS for the fleet released. Corporate trips and even family days out are always welcome and lots of fun.
Tim
March 9 2010 Well the big refit is well under way, with the cockpit undergoing a major transformation, new rubbish bin and storage box under the ladder, new transom scupper box, and a new teak deck going in this week. The pace has been slowed by the incredible amount of rain we have had in SE Queensland the last few weeks, but the old deck is out, the base all faired and ready to lay the new planking which is sitting in the salon!!!!. As well as this, a few other little jobs have been completed to make life easier for me. And after I get back from Florida TRADITION goes in the paint shed for a full new paint job!!!!
Spoke to the boys this week, and both are busy fishing in Florida, the Bahamas and Mexico in the upcoming months, and this season Chris and Carl will be on the deck. Both enjoyed some good fishing at the end of last season and we all get along well, so should be lots of fun this year again. I am off to Florida on the 19th March for about 5 weeks, so let me know if you are around so we can catch up, and if you are interested in talking about one of our many trips coming up in the next couple of years, then lets get togther. This Cairns season is looking pretty busy again, but due to a cancellation I have Nov 3- 9 inclusive open, great tides and motherships or liveaboard are available. Also Nov 15 onwards is still tentative, and after the great fishing from last season, should be jumped on quickly. September time is always great, and I am doing some deals for this part of the season. I am planning an exciting trip on the way to Cairns this year, sometime during August. The destinations on this 10-day trip can include Wreck, Cato, Saumarez, Elusive and Bugatti Reef complexes. The plan is to get out to the Wreck or Cato and then jump from one to the next and spend a day or two at each one. Poppers and jigging for GT's, more Wahoo than you have ever seen are around at this time of year, as well as billfish. Great anchorages are available, with incredible snorkelling and spearing - a great exploration trip. The trip is limited to 4 places (based on you guys crewing for yourselves), AU$5,500 each for 10 days, leaving from Bundy and finishing in Hamilton Is or even Townsville, depending on what suits everyone. Contact Capt Tim for more info on 0427 758768 or www.TraditionCharters.com I am also adding the latest newsletter from Captain Greg Edwards who is setting up a resort/ fishing lodge in the fish rich waters of Tonga. I am available to run the Tonga boat for you there and cater a trip to your needs. Click here for the Vava'u newsletter February 2010. The blue marlin are thick!!! With different times of year seeing varying size fish, so perfect for light tackle and fly fishing!!!!! Last news for now is our trip to the South Pacific next year!!! April to August 2011 sees TRADITION traveling and exploring the picturesque fishing, snorkelling, cruising and surfing of the South Pacific. Trips include: Brisbane to New Caledonia 4-5 days travelling there. New Caledonia - 4-10 days trips exploring one of the the pearls of the South Pacific, Blue marlin, tunas, jigging, spearing, snorkeling and surfing some incredible places with no one else around. Great anchorages in all weather and the wonderful French influence of Noumea. Up to Vanautu for Blues and more exploring, and the across to Cairns. TRADITION is the perfect boat and team for this type of exploration and fun. 20 years for world travelling and a boat purpose built for long range multi day liveaboard charters. Email Capt Tim for more info on any of these great trips, Look Forward ot hearing from you soon, and hope to see you all this year!!!
Tim
Jan 4 2010 2010 already ?!!! Didn’t we just do the millenium thing a few years ago? Time is marching on and luckily we all get to enjoy it together. The 2009 season was a big one for me on Tradition, the boat was away for just under 6 months and we fished a ton of days with our clients from all parts of the world. This season we started off fishing 8 days with a family from Sydney, catching the boys all sorts of fish around the inner reefs, snorkeling every day and even swimming with a pod of dolphins that came up to investigate these strange intruders into their world – an amazing experience for all of us. And capped it off with a little black marlin. The boys from Melbourne joined us for a few days of fishing and drinking, catching some nice mackerel and yellowfin tunas and just enjoyed their trip immensely. Our first heavy tackle trip was with the boys from my home club, and we managed to harass a few fish, but couldn’t get the tag in any, but the good news was the number of fish being raised each day. Peter and Lydie returned from China for their 5th annual Great Barrier Reef trip on Tradition this year, and after winning champion lady angler at Lizard last year, this year set ourselves a new goal, the womens record on 50lb. We had some great bites, and managed to get the tag into a few fish, including one about 400, but didn’t get a shot at the one we were looking for. Another great trip for us culminating with their engagement at Pixie Pinnacle!! Jason and Chrissy joined us from the US for a few days and we had a huge number of bites and managed a few good fish. A really fun charter for us all finishing up at Lizard Island. We spent a week up on Jewel Reef fishing and spearing, and had a few incredible days, seeing up to 7 fish in a couple of hours, tagging 3,and let one go around 900 late one evening, that had 2 other good fish with her. A big dogtooth and a marlin on the pitch at the same time, incredible spearing and an awesome anchorage, will be up there some more next year!!! Ken brought his fishing buddy Dan along this year for another 10 days mothershipping with the Bali Hai. Great friends, better food and topped it off with a nice 600 lber for Dan on his 60th birthday, a wonderful week for us all. The boys from Moscow joined us again this year for a week and we had a huge number of bites and missed the biggest fish I have seen for nearly a decade, an absolute beast that crashed the big bait but didn’t come tight!! Our biggest fish of the season came for Doc when he and John from Florida joined us for a week up at No:10, and was capped off by Docs fish that was right there at the grand mark, an awesome fish that we tagged in 10 minutes and was one of those special fish that keep us coming back to the Great Barrier Reef each year. We shot down to Linden Bank for a few days with the boys from Melbourne and got each of them a fish, including a real nice 900 lber for Scott that gave Chris a good run on the leader with some big lunges and jumps. Our last big trip of the season was with long term client Greg, who spent 10 relaxing days with us and was treated to some good fishing, capping it off with his hardest fight in all his years with us, a really tough 800 lb fish hooked in the corner. The girls joined us again in early December for the Ribbons Ladies tournament, and while the weather was just awful, we had a great day catching some mackerals and dolphin fish and enjoyed what would be one of the best run tournaments in the world, the Ladies really put on an awesome show. Our last trip from Cairns to Hamilton Island was a relaxing trip with our guests, fishing, swimming and spearing our way down the coast for a week before Chris and I got back to the Gold Coast on December 20!!! Overall, I would say that the season for us was better than last year, with many more fish raised than in previous seasons and the number of BIG fish caught by the fleet over 1000 lbs was close to 50 fish at the end of the season, with all but 1 fish being released, so with those big breeding fish out there, the future looks awesome!!! I have been enjoying a couple of weeks off and am back to the boat this week to start getting her ready for next season. Dates are already filling fast and am currently just juggling dates to fit everyone in, so if you are interested in joining me this season please let me know. Also keep in mind our big trip over the top of Australia in 2011 to Broome and Exmouth for 7-10 day trips, leaving Cairns mid April and finishing in Cairns early September, ready for another heavy tackle season. Have a wonderful 2010 and hope to hear form you soon and see you on Tradition. Tim
Nov 30 2009 It is hot in Cairns!!! We are back in town for a few days, after fishing Greg for the last 10 days. I headed out to the middle Ribbons where there were some good numbers of bites, but the conversion rate was a bit average!!! Fish grabbing the bait again and dropping it right away for a few days, then we found a nice little bite one afternoon at No: 5 and managed to get 2 from 3 , with a 200 lber to start, then jumped off one about 300 lbs, and then had a great crash bite on the skipping tuna at about 5.30pm.
The fish came up and did one jump then just headed out to sea down deep. With the big circle hook firmly planted in the corner of her mouth Greg put lots of pressure on her, and with some good boat handling we got her up after 45 minutes, and just on dark she came up jumping!!!! Chris got a great pull and a huge going away jump. A really tough fish, Gregs longest fight in 4 trips and a really healthy fish about 800 was on her way to continue her life. A great day all around. The rest of the week was lots of spearing, good meals and seeing a bunch of fish, but not getting many good bites. We jumped off a few and that was about all. The tuna aggregation has begun, and the body of fish is now east of Cairns, so hopefully we can get out there on our next 3 day trip starting Wednesday.
Meanwhile down at Fraser Island the blue marlin bite has been incredible, only a few boats fishing , and the best day so far has been 9 blues up to 600lbs in one day, and up to 22 bites in a day a few days ago, cant wait to get there on the 15th of Dec. I am looking for a few anglers to fish Hamilton Island to Gold Coast with 4-5 days off Fraser. Leaving Hamo afternoon of the 13th and arrive Gold Coast night of the 20th. Let me know if you are interested. Still in heavy tackle mode till the 13th of Dec, and after the rest of this week off Cairns, the following week we will be at Myrmidon Reef off Townsville. The boats that have fished thru there so far this past week have seen a bunch of fish and a few over 1000 as well, should be fun!!
This pic is from the last trip with Doc, how thick is that one!!!! Tim
Nov 18 2009
Cooktown The last day with the boys from Moscow was spent fishing No:3 Ribbon and again we got the bites, jumping off a 600 and tagging a fun one about 250lbs. John and Doc from Florida, joined us for 5 days, and were met with just crap weather for November, it blew 20+ everyday, and the first day just rained hard , nonstop - not the nicest day I have spent in the tower !!!
On No:10 we raised 2, had one bite but didnt get it too the boat, and with a big evening high tide, I elected to head to Lizard for a nice night in the lee of the Island. A good decision according to those who anchored out at No Name Reef.
Back to Lizard for the night and a few drinks and a great dinner of fresh coral trout and salad. The next few days slowed right up along the whole reef, and managed to see a few more but none made it too the boat, A fish of a lifetime for Doc, and well worth the effort of coming this far.
The majority of the fleet are back down at Linden Bank, and there have been a few big fish each day for the fleet of nearly 15-20 boats still out down there. Alot of boats are finishing up this week, and the fish are still coming in in numbers and we are now into the nice weather that November is famous for, 10 knots and lots of sun with BIG fish around. Out wide the big fish are also around with the tuna aggragation, so November and into December is looking awesome!!! At least up north we can catch bait and go for a spear, so may do that for a few days and then head south on our 10 day charter with Greg, who is back for another trip looking for a beast!!!!
With another late season bite from big fish like last year, we can still fit you in for that big fish you are looking for: Tim
Nov 9 2009
After relocating to Port Douglas we fished Scott, Mark and Jamie from Melbourne for 3 days at Linden Bank off Cairns. We saw a bunch of fish, and managed to tag 3 fish, one for each of the boys and a big one at 900 lbs for Scott, his lifelong dream fish!!! The fish put on an awesome show and gave Chris a big pull on the leader as it constantly changed directions at the boat. Back out on Saturday with the boys from Russia who are back again after their late season trip last year. Fishing the midle Ribbons the last 2 days we have had 4 bites, had 3 on and got none all the way to the boat yet!!!. Jumped off an 800 lb fish after 20 minutes when she came up jumping all over the place, and then later in the day had an explosive bite form the biggest fish I have seen in years, but she just crushed the big mackeral in half and that was that.
Yesterday we fished the same area again pulled the hooks on a 500, and again right at the back of the boat one about 600 or so.
The fishing up and down the Reef has been incredible this past few weeks, and there have been more than 28 granders so far from what I can keep up with. Pretty much a grander tagged everyday now, and many much bigger ones encountered.
Only remaining dates open for this season are: Tim
Oct 29 2009 Jewell Reef
Wow, what a difference a few days and some wind can make!!! The day of the last report, yeah I have been slack, was an awesome day on the Reef, we started our first of 3 days with Jason from the US, and while the wind was up to 25 knots, the fish were here in vengeance. we started on number 7 Ribbon and fished up to the top of No: 8. We had 2 bites and tagged one about 150 lb. Meanwhile up on No: 10, there were 6 fish over 1000 lb released!!! Next day on 10 we saw 5, had 3 bites and tagged 2 of 400 and 150 lb, and again 3 more fish around or over 1000 lbs were released. Friday the 23rd was Jason's last day fishing and in good wind we saw 6 fish, including a pod of 3, where the big girl was about 800, but no bites from any of them, I guess they were busy doing their own thing. Saturday we just snorkeled the clam gardens and relaxed while waiting for the charter flight.
Sunday we started up again and headed up to the top end, fishing Day and Hicks Reefs, saw 5 , had 3 bites and got 2 small ones. Monday we fished Hicks and tagged one about 550 lb after a morning spearing coral trout!!! Tuesday was just an awesome day, got to sleep in, caught a few fresh baits, went for an incredible spear at the top corner of Jewel Reef, where we speared 15 trout. Started fishing about 2 pm, and headed north from Jewel Reef about 10 miles, and then back again. We raised 7 fish, had 4 bites and some of the most incredible towcam footage ever!!! At one point we had 2 marlin up, one after the scad, the other small one on the pitch bait. We were feeding the pitch, while the bigger marlin came in on the scad, and we had a double hookup!!! But the problem was that on the camera, the marlin on the scad got beaten to the punch by a giant dogtooth Tuna, and our double header marlin became a 120 lb doggie and a tagged 150 lb black on the pitch rod.
A great finish to a great day!!! In the last 6 days of fishing we have seen 27 fish, had 13 bites and caught 10 black marlin !!!!!
Have the following openings available if you want to experience the GBR with Tradition: Tim
Oct 22 2009
The run of incredible weather is about to end, and although it has been nice, it might make the fish want to eat properly and not just stuff around with the baits. The fishing for us has been really consistant, with 2-4 fish seen a day, whilst our catching has not been as good. Meanwhile the rest of the fleet is experiencing the same sort of thing, with a couple of boats catching one, and the others waiting their turn. Down on Linden Bank the Reel Chase tagged the second GRANDER of the season for John Faulkner from www.TowCam.com.au which I use EVERY day of the season, if the baits are in the water, the camera is too, and we have seen fish we otherwsie wouldnt have and have got some great footage. I have a screen in the tower to watch the swim bait on, and can see the fish pop up behind the bait , which gives us advanced warning over seeing them from the tower itself. And the guests can watch it all live on the salon tv as well - pretty exciting to see.
The day you got the last report, was a great day for Dan, who is joining Ken again this year, but also his 60th birthday is this week, we had a late bite on the fresh scad and tagged a nice 550-600 lb fish for Dan, his first good one!!! The next couple of days we fished up on Day and Hicks Reefs, and saw free feeding marlin, lots of bait and although marking the fish, could not get a bite from a good one. Missed a few smaller ones and that was about it, other than getting Ken his first good GT, about 30 lb with a great bite right next to the boat!!. Taking advantage of the calm conditions we also enjoyed some great swims.
The fish are all up and down the reef now, with big ones being seen each day, so hopefully our run of fishing and not catching will turn around. The wind is set to keep up 20 knots plus for the next week, so fishing will be great, but a bit rough. Still have Oct 24-Nov 6 open, jump on a plane and come fish, our turn with the BIG girls is coming. Tim
Oct 13 2009
Nice conditions has been the rule rather than the exception this season so far!!! The last few days has seen 20 knots of SE trade wind and the rest of the time has been 10 to 15 knots, a huge difference form the last couple of years. The good news is that the BIG fish are making an appearance and if you are in the right spot on the right day you can have an incredible day, otherwise you hear about it that night on the grapevine!!! We finished up with Peter and Lydie on Sat night, and in the 8 days we had 14 bites, had a bunch on and tagged 3 on 50 lb tackle. Exciting fishing, and learnt a lot about using 50 lb, the main thing being how hard it is to set the hook compared with 130!!! But my guests had another awesome trip to the GBR, we had some great light tackle fishing, the spearing continued to be excellent and the food we ate was incredible- sweet chili mud crabs, lots of fresh coral trout and tuna sashimi, and some awesome steaks.
Started Sunday morning long term client Ken on the Bali Hai for the next 10 days, and ran back out to #2/3 Ribbon opening for a late start, where we had a few bites the day before. But all we managed to do was watch a couple get caught at the end of the bite period for the day. Meanwhile up on #10 Ribbon, Peter B Wright tagged the first GRANDER of the season and saw up to 10 fish tailing, and the previous day tagged 3 fish, including 2 big ones. So off we went, bait fishing up No:5 Ribbon for a few fresh scaleys, and the biggest coral trout i have ever caught on the troll, had to be 25-30 lbs at least. As well as a good eating size that made its way to the appertiser plate on the Bali Hai. Fished #10 all day and marked at least a dozen fish, from the shallows out to the deep, and jumped off a small fish on the scad. With lots of fish showing up, perfect tides and good weather conditons, I am excited about the upcoming weeks of fishing.
Current open dates are:
Oct 24 - Nov 6 open, including the Lizard Island comp Oct 24-31 inclusive , 7 days of fishing- email me if you are interested. Tim
Oct 5 2009
We are on our 3rd trip of the season now, and after getting the marlin bites but not converting for the first week, we are back in the Groove. We had the boys from Melbourne up, who enjoyed some great light tackle fishing, and we had some bites on the big rods but didnt stay on. A great few days and the boys are excited about the trip to WA in 2011.
Last few days we had some of my Gold Coast club members who used their free day on Tradition from the Club tournament auction (proceeds to Camp Quality) and fished with us for 4 days in full. Jack fought a decent fish for about 20 minutes before the hook pulled, and we raised fish each day and had some bites but couldnt get the job done!!!. On the other hand the light tackle fishing continued to be good and the spearing was exceptional.
Saturday we started with Peter and Lydie, their 5th trip on TRADITION with flat seas and light winds. We ran to the top of No:7 Ribbon Reef and myself , Chris and Brett proceeded to put a hurting on the trout!!!! We each got one or two really good ones and off we wnet for the next big challenge. After Lydies exceptional effort in last years Lizard Island comp, she is back again , but this time we are fishing 50lb line for the womens record, a big challenge, but possible- needing 880 or better.
First day we had 2 bites and broke line after an hour on one about 500 lbs, got her about 50 feet from the boat a couple of times, but then she just dumped us straight down and popped the line after an hour. Yesterday we had 5 bites or might have been 6, cant remember, and pulled a couple off, but managed after a feisty fight to tag a nice 400 lb fish on 50. A great effort and all the time learing more about the limits of what we can do. Fishing up and down the Reef has been inporoving each day, and many big fish from 650 to 900 have been seen and tagged the last few days.
I have Oct 24-Nov 6 open, including the Lizard Island comp Oct 24-31 inclusive , 7 days of fishing- email me if you are interested. Tim
Sept 23 2009
Cairns
Only a couple of days and TRADITION will be kicking off our 2009 heavy tackle season on Friday morning. There have been a few boats fishing the last week or so and the reports are great, 1-4 bites a day, mostly from the smaller males up to 400 lbs , and a big girl or two seen each day by the boats. Yesterday a couple of big fish were encountered but did not go through with it long enough to stay on. The signs of a great season are all there, and after a couple of slower seasons we are all excited about the upcoming fishing. The water temp has picked up, the current is running to the south, not like previous years where it was even running to the north!!! And the longliners are already encountering good numbers of yellowfin and bigeyes out wide, which is much more like the conditions we had 10 years ago. The TRADITION is all set and ready to go, Brett gets here tomorrow and a bit more food and we are off. With the good start so far the rest of the season looks promising , and as always the grandure of the Great Barrier Reef is there for us to experience each day.
Open dates this season are: Tim
Sep 3 2009
Made it to Cairns !!!!
Well the weather could not have been any better for our trip from Mackay to Cairns via the outer Great Barrier Reef. Light winds and calm seas were the call for our 8 days out on the TRADITION. We left Mackay and ran up to Nara Inlet in the Whitsundays, one of my favourite anchorages on the way up the coast . I try to make sure I stay there for a night each year. Glassy calm and a couple of porpoises greeted us at Nara just after dark. The next week was spent fishing, snorkeling and spearing, along with some good scad fishing on the way to Cairns. Most days were only about a 4 hour troll, but a couple were big days for the kids. Luckily they didn't have too much trouble working out how to make the DVD player and IPod work, so they were pretty happy!!!
Fished Cape Bowling Green off Townsville for little blacks, but other than seeing a couple of free jumpers, couldn't find one behind the boat. But we did manage to release plague proportions of bonitos and spanish mackeral , as well as having quite a few chased and munched by the sharks who were in fine form !!!!! Next day we managed to let a little black about 50 lb find us, and after a zip on the teaser, ate the laser pro!!! 10 minutes of waiting for him to throw the treble and we tagged him and the hook pulled, perfect release.
The rest of the week was, troll for an hour, drop the anchor and snorkel and swim for a couple of hours and then troll a few hours to the next anchorage. A great week and a wonderful time with good friends.
In Cairns now and doing some chores before we get going in a couple of weeks. Still got some time last week of Sept and some other open dates during the season on the Contact and Available dates page. Cant wait for the season to start !!!! Tim
August 23 2009
Mackay, Queensland.
Hi everyone, welcome to the start of another Black Marlin Season on the Great Barrier Reef !!!!!. TRADITION has spent the last 10 days fishing from the Gold Coast, to Lady Musgrave Island and out into the Swains Reefs on the way to Mackay. Bait fishing was not as good as last year,due to the tides being really big, up to 12 foot range!!! Saw a few sails freejumping and about 30 humpback whales on their annual migration. Yesterday we were treated to a mother and calf swimming and slashing around the boat for about 5 minutes before they headed south on their way back to Antarctica.
Have a couple of days here to get the boat squared away and then off for our first charter of the season, light tackle fishing up to Cairns via Cape Bowling Green off Townsville, hopefully the little blacks make an appearance in the next few days.
Our heavy tackle season kicks off mid September thru to mid December and there are
still some places available for heavy tackle charters during prime moon and tide
phases.
Lastly a not so good note, my great friend and old captain from the Everest days, Captain Danny Ford had a horrible fall while washing a boat in Florida a few days ago, and is recovering in St Mary's in Palm Beach Florida, our thoughts and prayers are with you for a speedy recovery Danny !!!! Get better soon, bud, and see you early next year.
Thats all for now, more updates coming now that fishing is beginning. Tim
July 8 2009 Hi everyone, well it has been an incredible month or so since I last updated !!! No fishing reports for me, but the southern bluefin showed up on the south coast of NSW with a lot of fish over 200 lbs, and the World Cup was won in Bermuda by the Wound Up with an 865 lb blue to take the money. I spent 10 days in China with some of my fabulous clients who showed me the most incredible food, culture and long stone wall in the world !!!! If you every have a chance to go to China, take it, or make it a point to go, the country is so diverse and the Great Wall at Simitai where we went is just the most amazing thing in the world!!!! Thanks so much to my hosts !!!!!! Look forward to paying you back with a nice one on 50 lb in Oct for you both !!!!
TRADITION has just gone back in the water this morning after her annual hauling, and is ready to head north early August for another big season in Cairns. Chris and Brett are returning for the season, and both have been very busy fishing all over the world since Christmas. Our heavy tackle season is almost full, but I do have a few nice slots in each month to fill, including the Lizard Island comp Oct 24-31 inclusive - let me know if you are interested. Also looking for someone to fish form the Gold Coast up to Mackay for about 7-10 days, leaving early August from the Gold Coast and planing on going out wide to fish for blues up to the Swains and then fish thru the Swains to Mackay. September will see us in Cairns and Townsville for the light tackle small black marlin season, day and liveaboard trips available from Sept 1 onwards. Thats about all my news, so till next time, enjoy life!!!! Tim
May 17 2009 Hobe Sound Florida !!!! Only a few more days till I head back to Australia, after a great month in the US. Caught up with a bunch of friends all up and down the coast, went up to Charleston and Savannah, saw the space shuttle take off from the beach in Melbourne, and then went down to the Keys to fish with Brandon for a couple of days. Went out Tuesday with Brandon, his dad and Erin. flat calm, we headed out to the secret swordfish hole, about 30 miles from their house. Putting out the first bait we got a bite from a big mahi mahi, but fell off , so I put out a ballyhoo and proceeded to catch 6 nice gaffers while we drifted around swording!!! First fish was about 250, and pretty much came straight to the boat, and did a few jumps about 50 feet from the boat, what an awesome fish!!! Put him in the boat and rest.
I pugged the fish after a quick photo, and was amazed at how cold the core temp is of these daytime fish over the night time ones. Even after about 10 minutes on the deck, when I pulled out the stomach cavity, it was cold, but then it cant be too warm down 1700 feet where we are fishing!!! Next drop had a few bites but no hookup, so moved off and set for a drift. did a little longer than normal drift and ended up finding some new ground, good changes in elevation, and the all important green fuzz on the sounder and then a few bites and we were on.
This one fought a bit better, and even after putting the dart in his head, pulled off 100 feet of line from the electric and the harpoon rod. This one was about 150 lbs, and was just dogged at the boat. Swords are the coolest fish on earth!!!! And is on the grill tonight !! Headed home and got cleaned up. The same day RJ Boyle fished up in Pompano Beach and got a couple as well. One boat near RJ got one about 550 lbs that jumped all over the ocean right next to RJ's boat !!!! Just an incredible sight. If you are interested in fishing in Florida for these fish let me know and I will put you in touch with these two guys who have led the daytime deep drop fishery. On the Cairns front, I have booked a few weeks of work while over here, and the season is looking great. I still have some time open in each month, from mid Sept, Lizard Island Comp the last week of Oct, and Nov and Dce time as well. There is only a week available in each month so get in quick. Will be home next weekend to finish getting the TRADITION ready for Cairns , then off to China to see long time clients on their home turf!! Tim
May 6 2009 Hello from sunny Florida!!! The sun is out, but the wind is blowing, the dolphin fish bite is going off out of Jupiter and Palm Beach, yellowfin tuna are in numbers off West end and the bank, and word is the Giant Bluefin are starting to come thru past Bimini and Cay Cay as well. In numbers too !!!! Been seeing lots of friends and finalised a few trips, which is always a good feeling!!!!.
Currently have a few great weeks left for the giant black marlin heavy tackle season. Let me know if you are interested, and if your in the US, call me on 772 215 7120 untill May 20. Going to Charleston and Savanah middle/end of this week, then down swordfishing next week, or maybe the Dominican. Capt Tim Richardson
Easter 2009 Happy Easter to everyone around the world !!! Hope your weather is better than we have had here lately, it has been raining and blowing for almost a month, with no days fishing, but lots of surf. The surf has been extremely consistent the last month, with days on end of double overhead surf, and a few days even bigger. Have had some of the best surf in northern NSW and the Gold Coast for nearly a decade. On the fishing front, not much has been happening at all, just finished all the interior varnish and waxing, and getting ready for next weekends Gold Coast Game Fish Club heavy tackle tournament. Fishing is Friday and Saturday, and the forecast is for nice calm winds, so hopefully that will eventuate. After that I am heading to Florida on the 22nd of April for a month, so let me know if you want to talk at length about coming to fish in Cairns this season. Have the trip north booked for Mackay to Cairns, and can do the trip from the Gold Coast out wide thru the outer southern reefs up to Mackay late July early August if you are interested. Cairns dates are coming along well, with a few people to see when I am over in Florida to confirm dates. If you are interested in fishing on TRADITION this year, please email me. Have a great Easter with your families, and talk soon. Capt Tim Richardson
Mar 6 2009 The marlin are thick as thieves!!! Boats fishing the last couple of weeks have been catching plenty, with one boat yesterday tagging 18 from 22 black marlin!!! I am out on the weekend for both days, so hopefully the low coming wont move them too much. Also have some great dates open for Cairns this season, and with the low Australian dollar makes it a bargin for you all form overseas this year. Email me for more info, or check the website. Capt Tim Richardson
Feb 8 2009 Well after a great Xmas in Melbourne with my whole family and a couple of weeks on the road touring the South East of Australia. I am back on the boat on the Gold Coast getting her back into top condition. Lots of waxing detailing and varnishing going on for the next month or so to get her back to the condition you all love to see!!! With another big project on at the moment, I am in the final stages of working on a contract to build the first TRADITION 56 !!!! Lots of help from all my friends, and sourcing the best parts from around the globe. Hopefully it will all come to fruition in the next couple of weeks. On the fishing front , the little blacks have moved on south, and the medium blacks are getting around blowing people away fishing light tackle off the Gold Coast. When the conditions allow, those heading out wide have been rewarded with some good blue marlin.
If you are coming to the Gold Coast or Brisbane and want to fish, cruise, take the family for a ride, let me know.
As far as Cairns goes, most of my regulars have rebooked and some are not able to come back this year, so I do have some dates open in each of the main months, Sept, Oct, Nov and Dec still have a slot available. August Sept will Tradition in Cairns for light tackle, as well as available for Townsville Light Tackle comp as well. Also these months are great for explorong the outer reefs such as Flinders, Holmes, Osprey and others. Jigging, throwing poppers and light tackle fishing for wahoo, tuna, coral trout, GT's as well as black marlin and sails. As always let me know your thought or ideas for trips, i am always open to different adventures. Tim
Dec 18 2008 Well after a couple of big weeks Chris and I have the boat back at home on the Gold Coast for a bit of time off.
The last couple of days with Ivan and the boys from Moscow saw us enjoying some great swimming and catching them some big sharks down on Linden Bank, we got some good footage on the tow cam of a big tiger shark eating a live skipjack, and followed that up with a giant whaler shark, this thing was 3 foot across the head, scary big fish!!!
On Dec 6 th we fished the girls for the 25th anniversary of the Ribbons Tournament. The girls managed a bunch of mahi mahi and we tagged a sail and pulled the hook on the leader on a nice black about 250. At the end of the day we came 3rd or 4th overall and the girls had a blast on a nice day out on the water.
Lincoln and Grant joined us for a few days down to Myrmidon and Townsville. the first day we broke line on the bite on a nice black about 500 and missed a nice big one on the scaley. The scad bite was so hard and fast the line snapped up and got wrapped around the rod tip, I was wide open in reverse, the boys were trying to unwrap the line but the fih was going so hard that the CRACK came before we could get it off!!!.
Next 2 days we had 8 bites from all small fish , managing to tag a small one. The rest we jumped off, missed on the bite etc. But the great thing was every one ate the scad or runner in front of the camera and we got some great footage. The mornings were filled with catching lots of nice 30-40 lb yellowfin tuna, and the freezer was full for the boys when we got back to the Gold Coast.
After a few days chugging Townsville we fished from Cape Moreton down to the Gold Coast. Chris tagged 6 from 7 little blacks and we had a great day to finish another big season on the Great Barrier Reef.
Happy Holidays to everyone, Tradition will be available on the Gold Coast from mid Jan to chase the little blacks and nice blue marlin thru to July.
Tim
Dec 1 2008 Well we have found our groove at last!!! After a great trip with Joe, we had a day off (well in the engine room anyway) and started 5 days with the boys from Moscow. Ran out to Jenny Louise in slick calm conditions and put the baits out for the trip back out wide. We had 5 bites for the day, pulled a couple of smaller ones off, and got a real nice 900 lber. All these bites were within 20 miles of the edge, and we still had another 30 or so to get out wide to the longliners.
Sunday we had a bite from a blue marlin but did not convert. today (monday) we trolled back in and pulled off a 300 lb black on a lure and as soon as we got back to the edge had a bite from another nice one, about 700, that spat the bait after afew minutes, then she came back up for a look at the scad and the camera but no bite this time.
Anchored at Opal Reef for the night, and after driftign for the past week out at sea is really nice!!!
Off for a swim in the morning and then back out to the edge.
Tim
Nov 28 2008 Spent the last week put at the seamount area with the longliners. The fishing was some of the most fun we have had all year. Jigging yellowfin tuna and bigeye tuna from under whalesharks and under the boat at night, and a nice 350 lb blue for Joe, followed up by this real nice one we got yesterday , about 900 lbs!!! Back out tomorrow for another 5 days, and if the weather is good, back out to the wide grounds for more drifting around at night
Tim
Nov 17 2008 We are joined for a couple of days with Brad and Ashley on their honeymoon. They are great friends with a whole bunch of mine from Florida and are really enjoying their trip to Australia. Yesterday we had a pretty good day, the weather came down in the afternoon, and we saw 3 fish on Number 1 Ribbon, a bite from a little one that ate the mackeral that was almost as big as him!!! Which didnt last too long. A little later we had a nice fish up, lit up like a christmas tree that looked at the scad and the camera but no bite. And in the late afternoon we had a bite from another fish that also ate the scad but didnt come tight. This morning we woke up to a beautiful calm morning and after our big seafood dinner last night are looking forward to a nice swim.
Tim
Nov 16 2008 Capt Kim Anderson got this giant one off Cairns yesterday 1324 lbs!!! The big fish are still here and a couple of good ones encountered each day by the fleet. There are lots of little fish still here and showing up in different places each day so hopefully our turn on another big one will be soon. Reports from Myrmidon Reef off Townsville has some good fish and numbers down there. So we will be there on the way home.
Tim
Nov 15 2008 We have just finished a wonderful 6 days with first timers to the Reef, Steve and Jo from Western Australia. The fishing on the marlin front has been slow, but we have had a couple of good days, the first one being Wednesday where we saw 4 fish on the camera, including one about 500 that swam between the scad and the camera , and had one about 150 fall off at the back of the boat, only to try to eat it again. All of this was at No:5 Ribbon. Thursday we started off with a few scad and swim baits, a couple of tunas and 2 nice dolphin fish. While we were wnding in the dolphin, a marlin about 150 lbs came in on it, and made a couple of passes, but would not look at the pitch scad that went straight over the back when the fish showed up. I then put out a double hook rig scad on the pitch rod and skipped it off the rigger for a mackeral or wahoo or dogtooth bite. The fish didn't disappoint, a giant spanish mackeral ate the scad and Jo was in the chair on the 50 getting pulled out of the chair and line peeling from the reel. Up to the side of the boat came this giant Spanish, well over 80 lbs, on the scales she pulled down 93 lbs, by far the biggest I have seen in a long long time (way before Green Zones) and Jo's biggest fish other than a marlin.
Later in the afternoon we tagged a 200 lber for Steve out a little wide off # 5. Lots of good swimming and a few nice trout sessions on the spear as well this week. Reports of the fish in numbers down wide off Cairns and further south from the longliners has us all excited about a week at Myrmidon later in the season.
This trip will be 5-10 days from Cairns and finishing in either Townsville or Mackay
or even Hamilton Island. Tim
Nov 9 2008 Finishing up 5 days fishing with some friends, and we tagged 2 fish from about 6 bites, and pulled one off at the back of the boat. The weather has been incredible, and Liz caught her first ever fish, as well as many more including a nice big GT. The water at Linden Bank has been really good, and the skipjacks are everywhere, with a few ,marlin around as well. The fishing has been a bit patchy again up the top end and middle Ribbons, but a few good fish still around. The moon in on the way up this week, with good afternoon flood tides, so hope the fish co-operate for Steve and Jo this week who are joining us for 5 days. Tim Fishing should still be good into mid December like the last couple of years, and am looking to do another trip from Cairns down to Townsville or even Mackay leaving the 7th of Dec, let me know if you would like to join me for this of Bundaberg to the Gold Coast.
Nov 3 2008 We have just finshed a wonderful 7 days with Rich and Kelly, with the father daughter team having the whole GBR experience. Mornings spent diving and spearing, bait fishing, a couple of great scuba dives at Opal Reef and some good fishing days thrown in as well.
Kelly caught a fish for her birthday, and Rich got a nice one about 650 lbs that put on a good show. As well as a 3 fish day.
There have been some incredible days if you are on the right boat, and we have had our shot at a giant fish that missed the bait completely.
Out again tomorrow for 3 days to Cairns and then 2 days back to Cooktown.
With this being a late season, we can fish well into Dec with good fishing this year. Tim
Happy Halloween from the GBR Can it get any better? the sun is out, the wind is 15 knots , the seas are much nicer, oh, wait the conversion rate for us can definately improve!!! Been seeing them and getting them up the last couple of days, but are continuing to have the small fish entangle themselves in the leader and fall off after about 30 seconds. Just long enough for Kelly to get all set in the chair, feel the drag and then fall off. Not the best result. Thursday saw us raise a big fish that made a pass at the big bait and then disappeared. After working the area for a few hours it was time to head up the track a bit closer to Opal for the run in. At 6.20 we jumped off a little one and that was our day. Friday we had 4 bites came tight on 2 and they both fell off, but did continue to mark good fish and bait in the area.
Been about the same for most boats, with a few getting the right bite each day, our
turn is coming soon hopefully. Next week is open Nov 4 - 9 Tuesday to Sunday inclusive. Let me kow if you can come. Tim
Oct 29 2008 Donnie and Rob fished 3 days with us, and what a start to the trip, we found a small one tailing at the top of number 3 and did a few laps and raised a big fish that followed us for a while before committing itslef to the spanish mackeral skip bait. She just exploded, with more than a dozen big long jumps and got her up to the boat fairly quickly. Chris grabbed the leader, and off she took, just like a blue marlin, ripping the topshot off the reel straight down sea towards the reef and into 100 feet of water in the opening. While we were fighting this fish there were at least 4 other big fish caught right around us. Later in the afternoon we tagged a feisty one for Rob.
The next 2 days saw me dodge the fish and have a ring side seat to quite a few fish, including more big ones.
Back into Cooktown for changeover and we started yesterday with Richard and Kelly, and after a swim at the Agincourts and lunch we fished Opal ridge in the afternoon for 1 from 2 and saw another one. Meanwhile back in the middle the fish decided to really snap, with over 20 fish caught, many giants over 1000, and one over 1200 lost at the boat. The fishing has really improved over the last week, and our turn is coming to get amongst some big ones. We are having a dive at north Opal this morning then back out to the Ridge/Bank for the afternoon. Have next week open, Nov 4-9 inclusive in and out of Cooktown Let me kow if you can come. Tim
Fri 24th Oct 2008 Back in Cooktown this morning to resupply with Donnie and Rob for a few days. The last few days have seen a some good wind, some big fish and a few misses!!! On Sunday we jumped off a really big fish up at Day Reef, and went back on Monday and found a small one for Dave that went nuts. Tuesday we had our second day of the whole season without a fish back up at Day Reef. Wednesday we headed down the inside of No: 10 Ribbon where we stocked up on big baits, and fished the top of No: 8 for the afternoon, not so good for us, we missed 3 big fish , one of which was a real nice one. Thursday was our day to reconcile, and after getting a ring side seat to Deano on Castille catching a one right around or over 1000 lbs, we found a nive 600 lber for Dave on his final afternoon. So not too bad , got 2 from 4 in 4 days, and missed 4 others. Meanwhile also fishing downsea with us was Deano on the Castille, who went 2 for 4 including one about 700 at 2nd Corner on No: 10. The big fish are definately here now, with 2 over 1000 tagged yesterday, and a bunch of big fish also hooked. Word from the tuna longliners is that there is a large body of fish out wide off the Ribbons, and with the wind conditions , they should be here this week!!! Everyone is so jacked up!!! cant wait to get back out there tomorrow. Nov 4-9 inclusive is open, as is Dec 5-15 out of Cairns with another late season, Dec should be great like last year. Tim
Oct 19 2008 Lizard Island Guess what? The wind is still blowing hard, solid 25-30 knots the last few days, with the 7 day forecast for the same. But the good news is that the fish have seemed to have returned after a few days on the quiet.
We joined the Atlantic Princess on Friday night after our first day without even seeing one of the season. Thursday we did some bait fishing, and Brett got a fun little black inside the reef while we had all the scad gear out, so it got plenty of line out on us!!! Yesterday we bait fished to the bottom of No 10 Ribbon catching a bunch of perfect sized small scaleys, and then fished downsea all day. We saw 3 fish, had 2 bites and released a nice little one for our guests from New Zealand. Meanwhile also fishing downsea with us was Deano on the Castille, who went 2 for 4 including one about 700 at 2nd Corner on No: 10. I have a great opening in a couple of weeks, NOV 4-9 inclusive that needs to be filled, come and join us. With the wind blowing for the next week at least , the big fish are showing up more and more each day so the next part of the season should be incredible. Tim
Lizard Island Tournament 2008 Wrap-Up Well Lydie did an amazing job on the last day to catch 1 from 1 in the comp, and we tagged another after cease fishing to bring her total number to 7 in 7 days!!! Lydie ended up Champion Female angler on 5 fish, and top male angler had 5 as well, but Lydie got her 5th before he did, so if there was Champion Angler Overall she would have won that as well !!
Champion boat for the second year running was Kanahoee with 6 fish, Hart Throb with 5, Iona with 5, and us TRADITION with 5 for Lydie. I am pretty sure we came one place higher than last year with a 5th, and this year a 4th !!!. I want to thank the boys for an wonderful job coaching and helping in the pit and we look forward to seeing Peter and Kydie back next year to fish 50lb for the Womens record. Fished 2nd corner to Heartbreak on #10 today and tagged a feisty small one with some good footage. The fish are snapping in the middle and we are off there in the morning to meet up with the Atlantic Princess in a few days. Peter B got one near us over 1000lbs, one of 4 this week on the reef. The big girls are here and our turn is soon!! Tim
Oct 10 2008 Lizard Island Comp day 6 Well Lydie did it again, she is kicking the boys butts!!! After a great swim at Pixie Pinnicle at the bottom of No 10 Ribbon, we fished down 10 with Moana and Mauna Kea.
The wind was no where near the strength forecast, and was just good fishing weather
today. Todays fish gives Lydie a total of 4 fish and champion lady angler with one day to go, and the top male angler has 3. I am pretty sure there are 2 boats with 5 fish and 4 with 4, including us, tomorrow is going to be a ripper of a finish!!!. Here is todays 450lb fish eating the scad.
Check the available dates for our few openings available for this season. With the Australian dollar down , it is a great deal. Tim
Oct 10 2008 Well after another great breakfast and swim behind No:5 Ribbon Reef, and a good session on the big baits we fished up from the bottom of No: 5 to the top of No: 8 in the afternoon. There were 11 fish tagged today, with Kanahoee tagging 2 fish on No:7, while we caught Lydie her second one of the comp that counts, a nice fish about 500 lbs on No: 7 as well. At the moment with 2 more days to go she is leading the champion lady angler division, which is our goal for the comp.
The wind is sort of here now, about 20-25 knots, and picking up a bit on Saturday before going back to 25 for Sunday. Not sure where I will fish today, but will end up at Lizard for the night. Tim
Thursday Oct 9 2008 The fishing has been improving each day with 11 and 13 tags for the last 2 days. We did not see one yesterday, but had a great swim and spear at No:1 Ribbon yesterday morning and the girls had a great time. Brian Felton is leading the comp with 5 fish, mostly fishing up the top end of Day, Hicks and Jewell Reefs on a little Riviera. Brian helped build Tradition and has had a hand in all the engineering of Dick Wards boats. Dan on Moana III went out real wide with the longliners for a couple of days and only had one bite, but what a bite it was, he was pulling lures and hooked and fought a giant BLUE marlin for 1 hour 40 minutes and pulled the hook on the leader with the fish just dogging at 20-30 feet, they never had a shot at it with the gaffs as she was too deep. The Longliners have been having good shots, but the sharks and pilot whales have been destroying their catch, with one boat loosing 150 hooks from one shot to the sharks. The wind is coming this afternoon, and will be here for a few days so we are all anticipating the fish to start showing up in numbers any day now!!! Tim
Oct 6 2008 :Lizard Island Comp Day 1
We picked up Peter, Lydie and Claire up in Cooktown after we all had an incredible dinner at Shadows, which is now our go too place in Cooktown!!! We ran up to the top of No:8 Ribbon and fished down 9 for awhile, then went for a great snorkel and lunch, then just bait fished up to Lizard for the registration and breifing. I took the girls for a snorkel to the clam gardens and we all had a nice relaxing afternoon. First day of the comp and after the sailpast (which this year was ok, I just waited and let everyone go!!!) we had the first fish on for the comp for Lydie, which we pulled the hook on the leader after about 10 minutes, so did not count for the comp, but did for Lydie!!!
Brian Felton running a littel private Riviera got the first release of the day, a nice big 900 lber up the top end, Hicks/Day area which also proceded to break the chair out of the boat!!! They then spent the next few hours fixing it before going back out. Fishing was slow, I think there were only 6 fish tagged for the day, and another 6 or so bites. We anchored at the bottom of No:9 and are heading south today. The reports form the long liners off the seamount off Cairns is that the fish are thick, and on their way in. The forecast is for 10-15 and 15-20 the next few days, then really blowing Friday and Sat, so any fish offshore will be blown in in no time - Cant wait to catcha few big ones. Tim Here is Lydies fish on the tow cam as it ate, and a nice close up of a barracudas mouth!!!
Oct 3 2008
Chugging into Cooktown this morning after a quick swim and leaving the boys on the mothership to head to Lizard Island to catch their flight home. We had some pretty good wind, and as a result found a few fish, we fished No: 10 again on the 1st but did not see a fish all day, but yesterday with a change of plan we bait fished down to the top of No: 7 and on the second downsea tack got piled on by a real fun 350lb fish for Justin, and later in the day we had one follow the swim bait for 2 minutes on the towcam before eating the bait and we got a nice little one about 200 lbs for Simon.
After a great dinner on the Atlantic Princess we watch the footage from the day on the big screen.
Into Cooktown today, to pick up Peter, Lydie and Claire, and off to Lizard island tomorrow after a fish down No: 10, then the breifing for the annual Lizard Island tournament. Tim
Wed Oct 1st 2008
Well we have had good couple of days on No: 10 Ribbon Reef, on our way up we tagged another one about 300lbs, and yesterday with the boys from Christchurch in New Zealand, we tagged a really feisty one at Heartbreak that was about 250 for Graeme. Fished down to the middle/bottom of the Marks and watched Release let go a real big fish, and the Allure got a small one as well. Other reports form further south has the Too Easy with a nice one 2 days ago about 750 and jumped another similar one off yesterday. About 10 boats fished the Bank yesterday and Calypso got one of about 4 or 5 fish total, but was the BIGGEST he has caught up here. Not sure how big, as the charter called for the tag and release. The conditions are perfect, SE 15-20 knots for the next week and we are having a blast with the mothership Atlantic Princess. Thats all for this morning, off for breakfast. Tim pics of dinner by Brett , Kuranda falls fromt he Skyrail, Mossman Gorge, and yesterdays fish for Graeme.
Sept 29 2008
No: 3 Ribbon Reef
Finished up wth David and John on Friday, after 2 days of windy conditions and a couple of small fish that jumped off at the back of the boat while fishing Spur, Onyx and the bottom of Linden Bank. The boys also managed a really nice yellowfin tuna each the last 2 days.
We left Cairns yesterday and ran up to Opal Reef to drop off some parts for Calypso, then bait fished up St Crispins where we topped up on big baits. Heading up to Lizard Island for the night to meet up with the Atlantic Princess for a few days mothershipping with clients. Still have the opening after the Lizard Island Comp- Oct 12-24 inclusive. Either with or without the mothership for that period. The bite in the middle Ribbons has been really consistent, with the few boats that are there catching at least 1 a day, as are the boats fishing No: 10 Ribbon off Lizard Island. Will be fishing No:10 this afternoon. Tim
Tues Sept 23 2008
Noggin Reef, just south of Cairns. After a few good days bait fishing we now have full freezers and start heavy tackle in earnest today. The fishing on Linden bank has been good, and we will be fishing there this afternoon. Compared to last year the water is already 78-79 degrees (as opposed to 76 last year ) and the current is smoking south at 1.5 knots, so the good water is in close and running hard. All the best signs we could hope for!!!
now some bad news for me, but good for you!!! We also have the mothership Atlantic Princess available for Oct 16-24. Please pass this on if you know anyone who might be interested. Capt Tim
Sept 18 2008 Another day at Cape Bowling Green with lots of encounters but not many results to the boat. We had/saw at least 8 fish again today but only managed to convert 2 all the way to the boat, one for each of the boys. Here is John with his Black Marlin.
Also have a pic of a typical bait ball.
The weather is still incredible and we are starting to wander further north today. Tim
Sept 17 2008 Cape Bowling Green , Townsville Chris and I have had the most incredible trip up the coast, less then 15 knots the whole way wind wise, and pretty much 5-10 knots from the SE each day. I cant remember not getting hammered coming up the coast for a long time!!!
We got a nice Blue of about 450 on the way from Lady Musgrave up to the bottom of the Swains, and then spent 4 days filling the freezers with big baits.
We picked up David and John at Hamilton Island on Sunday afternoon and spent a wonderful night in that magical place - Nara Inlet. Monday we fished from the Whitsundays out to Old Reef, about 30nm from Cape Bowling Green, and managed to get a nice big sail of around 100lb and feisty little black as well form another bite and one other sighting. We spent the night rafted up to the our mothership "Atlantic Princess" www.AtlanticPrincess.com She has another big refit and is just beautful.
Yesterday we fished Cape Bowling Green and while seeing about 8 fish , we only managed to catch 2 , while jumping off 3 others!!! The bait was not really to be found , but we will see what happens today.
Reports form up north have Bill on the Viking starting his heavy tackle season yesterday and went 3 for 5 out front of Cairns. The big girls are here, and we will be there at the end of the week/early weekend to fish the bank all next week.
Only 1 or 2 openings left so if you want to come for what is shaping up to be an incredible season, drop me an email. Tim
Sept 3 2008 Well the paintwork and varnish are almost finished, the boat is all waxed up, and Chris and I leave for the great warm north this weekend. I am so excited about this season, the little blacks have been back to good numbers and after a heavy wet season, the feel is for the fishing to return to the exceptional times that we used to have 5 -10 years ago. I cant wait to see all of my regular clients , and especially keen to show those guests fishing with us for the first time this season, a wonderful experience that only the Great Barrier Reef can deliver. Cant wait to see and hear from you all, Tim. Some of the open dates have been filled and a few still open as outlined below. Let me now if you want to take one of these openings. Cairns Heavy Tackle openings: (all dates are inclusvie) Sept 26 - Oct 3 Starting in Cairns and finishing Cooktown AU$2750 (US$2500) per day special, one my favourite and most productive times of the year. Oct 12 - Oct 15 inclusive 4 days Cooktown to Cooktown Nov 4 - Nov 9 inclusive 6 days Cooktown to Cooktown inclusive Nov 16/17 Cooktown to Cooktown or Lizard Island Nov 21 - Nov 25 Cooktown to Cairns Dec 10 - ? Mackay/Bundaberg to Gold Coast -via Lady Musgrave/ even outer reefs - light tackle, heavy tackle, snorkelling, a fun week away from work!!! $2000 per day , up to 3 guests all inclusive. Lots of options, great weather and good fishing. Mid Dec Gold Coast to Yamba via Byron Bay, Ballina 3- 6 days light and heavy tackle fishing. $2000 per day Capt Tim Richardson www.TraditionCharters.com For more info on any of these openings please contact me by email at Tim@TraditionCharters.com or intl 61 427 758768 or in Australia on 0427 758768
18 August 2008 Well it’s that time of the year again when we are in full swing getting the boat ready for the next 4 months of fishing and travelling. The varnish and paint work is well underway and will be heading north the first week of September. With no charter for Townsville this year I am just heading straight to Cairns to start heavy tackle fishing around the 20th of September. These extra few weeks came in handy, I had an accident and broke 5 ribs, punctured a lung and broke my shoulder blade into 4 pieces, and so having some recovery time has been very helpful. It’s been a month now and is getting better each day, but always overdoing it getting the boat ready for you all to enjoy. I have also been busy with the design and drawings for the new 56 Tradition, which will start as soon as I have the current boat sold. The 56 will feature many features never seen before and has evolved into the most exciting boat to be built for what we use it for. For more info on the 56 see www.TraditionBoatworks.com, more updated drawings will be uploaded in the next couple of weeks, and if you have always wanted to own the greatest 50’ game boat built, (the current Tradition) please let me know. Now to fishing, the little blacks have been consistent out of Townsville and Cairns for the past few months, which have been a good sign of good heavy tackle fishing over the years, and last year proved it right, with no little blacks, and slow fishing, so hopefully the trend stays. I have a wonderful crew this year again with Paul Sharpe running the deck for the season, joined by a Cairns first timer in Chris Weeks, who has just spent this season pulling on big blues in Madeira on Tracy Melton’s boat. My good buddy Brandon is coming as well to fish the Lizard Island Tournament with regulars Peter and Lydie, and staying to fish some of his clients.
I have a few holes to fill that seem to be getting booked and unbooked over the last month!! I would love to find some keen folks to fish the first couple of weeks of the season, I am also open for trips down the coast in Dec, via the popper fishing and wide grounds of Myrmidon Reef, Bugatti Reef complex and the Swains, down to Brisbane. Well best wishes to everyone from me and I hope to hear from you all and hopefully see a few of you in those great openings I have open. Capt Tim Richardson www.TraditionCharters.com For more info on any of these openings please contact me by email at Tim@TraditionCharters.com or intl 61 427 758768 or in Australia on 0427 758768
May 28 2008 Well I have been slack and neglecting the website for the last month or so, but there are good excuses :) I have been busy editing video, fishing all over and getting all of my wonderful clients dates sorted for the big Cairns season coming up!!!. We fished the Certifiable in the World Sailfish event in Key West and just got flogged!!! It was very frustrating, fishing side by side and watching everyone around us catch them one after another, whilst we just could not raise any fish. We did manage a couple, but after 3 days of fishing were really looking forward to heading home and over to the the Bahamas for some blue marlin fishing. Off to the Bahamas and back to Boat Harbour in the Abacos after more than 5 years since I was last there. It hasnt changed at all, same place and people that we have known for nearly 15 years wheni first started fishing the BBC events. A half hour in the computer and all my old event markers are in the GPS and we fished the first day catching a blue and a white. Glad to see the fish still know where to be!!! The next 2 days we got 2 more small blues, so not too bad. The Bertram Hatteras Shootout is one of the oldest events in the Bahamas, and with only 30 boats this year was nice and fun. We all cought up with lots of friends, and made some new ones as well. The weed had been brutal, basically with 4 guys in the pi and me on the bridge constantly winding in, de weeding and resetting the baits and lures for hours on end. Really tough conditions. As a result the fishing as slow to say the least, and my previous days efforts were not to be repeated!!! We did mange a sail on a pitchbait, and Mark again did the damage. Shortly after we did get a bite form a nice fish around 400, but just knocked it out and went away. The boys on the Fish Tales, a 60 Hatteras won with a few fish, and took the double, having won it also last year, a great effort. Hatteras took home the trophy for top manufacturer for the unpteeenth year in a row!!! Our fine Bertram lived up to its reputation as the crappiest sea boat ever built!!! Coming back in the south Man of War cut, just following a few boats and with the Hatterascal behind me. Just rolling along in the tower and making the turn before the bombie, the boat broke loose and turned right as hard as you could imagine was possible. I had absolutely no control over the boat at all, no steering and heading for the breaking reef about 200 feet infront. I grabbed the controls and pulled it back to neutral, but of course with electronic controls the big 16V2000's were not too keen to slow down that fast. When it finally stopped the bow was over the breaking waves and I was able to find reverse and get back into deeper water. It was the scariest situation I have ever been in, in my life. Who ever designed the hull should be shot!! a giant keel and tunnels on a 40 knot boat is just a recipe for disaster. We found no failure in the steering, nothing broke, the shitty hull threw dirty water in the rudders and she just broke loose. Dave on the Hatterascal said he saw my entire port rudder out of the water it was leaned over that hard. With the boat back home in florida we went back down to Bertram to look at the new boat, and after 3 weeks since our last visit, they had not done a thing other than put it into the water. And as a result we know have to take the current boat north for the tournament season. Anyway I am off home for 10 days to do some work on Tradition, (the finest sea boat ever built) . I am really excited about taking her for a run, and spending some time with my family. I have been gone since December, so will be fun to go home for a week. Well I have about 2 weeks open for the Cairns season this year and just cant wait to get home and fish on a real fishing boat that handles, rides and is such a pleasure to be on!!! Then back to Florida to head north for the mid atlantic tournament season. If you want to come and fish this year, let me know !!! Tim www.TraditionCharters.com
April 08 Just got back to Florida after a long weekend fishing with my buddies Capt Bruno and John on the Pipe Layer. We were fishing out of Casa De Campo in the Dominican Republic, a 2 hour flight south of Miami. the airport at La Romana is about 10 minutes from the marina complex and one of the most beautiful places to stay and eat that I have been too. Definately world class, and leaves most of the other countries around to shame for quality of food and ammenities.
Then there is the fishing, we fished 2 days and saw 9 blue marlin, 4 on the first day and 5 on the second. We were trying to catch John one on 20lb tippet on fly so were set up for teasing. A long rigger on each side , and bridge teaser on the left, the right rigger rod run from the left side of the chair to give plenty of room for the fly angler on the right.
Day 1:
The fish failed to find the fly, and faded off, and would not take a ballyhoo we cast back to him. Off again and raised one that switched well, ate a new bigger fly and we were off , only to last about 5 monutes before this fish tore all over the surface and broke the tippet on its shoulder. I think we raised another one that just went away.
The next day John wasnt feeling so well, so he informed me I was the angler for the day!! So Arturo and I set up the spread and about 30 minutes in, we raised one on the bridge teaser, Bruno teased the fish in, neutral, I cast the fly and the fish ate going away perfectly. this one was about 120lbs and just took off stright down into the backing and just screaming line off the big Abel reel. Up on top and just tearing the ocean apart, as well as the tippet, so that one was over in about 5 minutes. An hour later we raised another fish , Arturo teased it in, and I cast the fly once in neutral, the fish was all lit up and about 70lbs, he was coming at me so I popped the fly and he missed, then spun around and ate going away. Perfect hookup , and after a great battle of 30 minutes we let him go and got our fly back.
Arturo caught one on a 50 after it wouldnt tease in and i jumped in and got some video of this fish. We also saw one tailing that day as well, but couldnt get close. Back at the dock, a great meal, and ready for the flight home the following afternoon. Tuesday moring we went to the shooting range, and shot some skeet, with was a ton of fun. I cant wait to get the Certifiable there next year after our time in Isla Mujeres Mexico. Hope the boss is keen.
Off to Key West this week for a week of pre fishing prior to the World Sailfish Tournament, then the Bahamas for the Shootout, Harbour island and the Big Four, then back to Florida to pick up the new boat. Still got some openings for Cairns, so let me know if you want to join me on Tradition. Tim www.TraditionCharters.com
March 22 2008 How Good Tactics Pay Off. I am currently in Florida running a 63 Bertram which basically fishes 3-4 days a week, and we fish most tournaments, about 15 a year. We were in the Bahamas to fish the Bacardi Billfish Tournament, which this year was mandatory to fish circle hooks with bait, whether dead or alive, even though there was a lot of money for the tuna, wahoo and dolphin categories. Billfish were based on blues at 100 points, white marlin at 75 and sails at 25, with a point per pound for blues over 99 inches(about 375lbs) So the goal was to fish for a weighing fish, and see what happened. First day was slow, and we saw a white and a sail but no bite from either, only a few fish caught by the 38 or so boats. Most boats are 50 foot and up, fuel was US$4.62 a gallon, so long runs cost. We were running about 20-30 nm each way. Second day I went to the huge eddy out over the tuna canyon area south east of Port Lacaya, and we managed a white marlin on the shotgun lure, and a nice dolphin that missed the money by 1 lb. Finishing day 2 with 75 points for our white, put us in 3rd place on time. Extremely slow fishing. Rum Bum released a little blue for 100 points and the lead. Third day I went back to the same place to find less bait and the eddy moving north away from the canyon edge. I moved down to Little Issacs where we saw a boat catch a sail and heard of a white and sail in the same area, these were the only 3 fish for the fleet for the day. So with this in mind we headed for the exact spot where 4 boats had released 3 fish, and on the way after a meeting of the minds decided that we should fish for sails and whites as all but one fish for the 3 days was a white or sail. We rigged up the 20lb rods with naked ballyhoo on circle hooks, a daisy chain of mullets on one side , and a green squid chain with a mackerel on the end on the left. We left out our shotgun, just incase. I found the bait on the edge in 600 feet and just ran up and down the ledge over the bait till a sail popped up on the left teaser, we switched it to the bait and released a sail in about 2 minutes. Returing to the spot, I headed into the current and found some more bait and an hour later we raised a white marlin, and after dumping to it once, with no hookup, the fish came back up on the retrieved bait, and dumped the bait again and came up tight this time. A tough fight of an hour on a white about 75 lbs and we let him go. This fish fought on top like a blue, then took about 600yards straight down, the line hooked under his pectoral fin. We found why he went nuts, the circle was right in the roof of his mouth into the nerve. We put a ton of heat on this fish, and having a 25 year veteran boat captain on the rod (Mark) made the difference. Meanwhile 8-9 boats were fishing rigger to rigger with me, and only one other had made the switch for small baits, and he had not seen a fish all day. The other boats , still pulling 80's for marlin had not even raised a fish, and by this stage needed a blue to catch us on points anyway. I ran back to my numbers, as we had moved about 3 miles out to sea fighting the fish,, and had just finished setting up, when here comes a sail on the mullet chain, a perfect dropback, came tight and released our third fish of the day in less than a minute. About 30 minutes later the wind switched, the bait disappeared and we kept pounding the edge for the next 2 hours as we waited for the 3pm end of day call. Only 3 sails were released by the rest of the fleet for the day. We had come from about 6th on time, and ended up winning the daily with 125 points, to give us a total of 200, and the win by 50 points. So with a good decision to play the odds and fish light for the sails and whites we outfished everyone else who had stuck to fishing for a weighing fish. I will be home for the Cairns season, so come and fish with me. Tim www.TraditionCharters.com
March 15 2008 Exciting last minute win at the 29th Annual Bacardi Rum Billfish Tournament "Certifiable", a 63' Bertram, owned by Sydney Sussman of Lawrenceville, New Jersey, roared back on the last day of fishing to score a narrow victory over an elite field of 38 participating boats. "Certifiable" is captained by Australian heavy tackle Captain Tim Richardson (who runs the TRADITION for the Cairns season) and crewed by Mark McDevitt and Brian Woll, both of Florida. Entering the last day of fishing in third place, Certifiable released two sails and one white to win this popular event by a margin of fifty points. Sydney Sussman is one of the most colorful and well-liked personalities in the tournament circuit. At the awards, their victory was cheered by all of his peers. Second place in the tournament was awarded to the smallest boat in the fleet, Mirage, a 31 foot Contender, owned by Charles Chamon of Sea Bright, New Jersey. Mirage released a total of two sails and one white to earn 125 points. Luis Bacardi's seasoned Rum Bum was the third place winner, and released the only blue marlin in the event. Tim www.TraditionCharters.com
March 13 2008 We have fished the first 2 days of the 2008 Bacardi Billfish Tournament, and there have been no blue marlin released yet. First day there were 7 sails released, and the biggest wahoo was 58 lbs, dolhpin 25.5, ours was 3rd at 19.5 and the biggest tuna was a blackfin at 7 lbs!!! incredible that there are no yellowfins around at all.
Yesterday there were 3 whites and a couple of sails , we are in 3rd overall on time with our white release. Tim www.TraditionCharters.com
March 2 2008 Well it has been a busy couple of months, I got back from Panama and went up to the snow with one of my clients and his boys for a long weekend and we all had a great time. Back in Florida, I am now running a 63 Bertram called the Certifiable, out of Palm Beach. We sailfish about 3-4 days a week and are fishing most of the Bahamas Tournaments over the next few months before heading up the coast for the summer Mid Atlantic Tournaments. Heading off the end of the week for the Bacardi Rum Tournament out of Port Lacaya, which is basically a big party as spring break is also on!!!! Will update as we go along. I am filling up the Cairns season, so let me know if you would like to come. Tim www.TraditionCharters.com
Panama 2008 Just got back from 10 days in Panama and Pinas Bay.
The country side is just absolute tropical jungle, and being only 6 degrees south of the equator it does get a bit warm in the sun!!!
We fished Pinas bay for 4 full days, and saw some marlin and a bunch of sails but they were feeding funny, and just grabbing the pitch bait and dropping it, the last day they started to chew so we made up for lost time and released 6 big sails for our guests.
I got some great underwater footage, and the pics can be seen below.
I am back in Florida now for a while, so if you want to talk to me in person about fishing on the Great Barrier Reef this season call me on 772 214 7120 or email Tim@traditioncharters.com Tim www.TraditionCharters.com
Past News: 2007
|
| Hosting & Design by Coasthost | Copyright © 2005 - All Right Reserved - TRADITION CHARTERS PTY LTD, ABN 60 108 503 126 |
