21st Annual Billfish Tournament at Groote Eylandt:
Billfish galore is what competitors of the 21st Annual Billfish tournament competitors found in the fish rich waters off Groote Eylandt between 3 rd and 11 th November.
This NTGFA Sanctioned event held over nine days saw anglers from all over the NT fish three consecutive days per team targeting the elusive sailfish and small black marlin that congregate in the southern waters off Groote Eylandt.
Groote Eylandt Game & Sport Fishing Club in conjunction with the recently established “Escape Sportfishing Lodge” hosted the billfish tournament in which registered 16 teams competing for Champion Team and Champion Angler awards and more.
The fish come to the party straight up from day one with many teams hooking up early morning in clear blue water and calm seas. Andrew Ettingshausen former Rugby League champion and host of the famous “Escape with ET” fishing show fished with Chris Errity from Darwin Game Fishing Club and local junior angler James Pledger early in the tournament setting the pace with three sails successfully tagged & released including a hefty 40kg sail for James, his first billfish. Team “HydraCraft” also from Darwin Game Fishing Club trekked down from Gove getting straight into the action and tagging 3 sails early followed by another on their 3 rd day of fishing.
Mid tournament the action stayed hot (and very humid) up until mid day when an unseasonal south easterly breeze come into play causing havoc for the smaller boats. GEG & SFC angler Adam Hoyes from team “Who's your Daddy” landed the first marlin for the tournament on the ever-faithful skipping garfish rig. Only a small black at 30kgs but again a first of species capture for the angler. Many more sailfish and marlin where hooked mid tournament, however, only a few made it close enough for to the tag to be placed.
With the weather looking poor for the middle couple of days of the event 2 teams opted to troll the deeper waters to the north west of the island where small black marlin are often seen “free jumping” this time of year. To the surprise of John Sprigg and Mark Bignell aboard “Don't Panic” a larger than average black marlin nailed a lure on the out-rigger as they approached the channel edge near Chasm Island . An epic deep water battle of over 4 hrs saw a fish of around 200kg bought boat side only to prove to strong and break away just shy of the tag pole.
Terrence “Bomber” Farrell on board “Tra-sea” fishing the last 3 days of the tournament successfully tagged and released the second Marlin for the tournament around 80kgs, along with 2 sailfish, but again one marlin late in the tournament fell short of Tagging.
Lindsay Davis aboard “Salt Shaka” proved the girls could do it too in her first time bill fishing, with 3 sailfish successfully tagged and released. To top it off each fish was hooked using “Switch bait” technique where boats troll hook less baits and teasers to attract and excite the fish prior to deploying a hooked bait once the fish have been raised behind the boat. A difficult, yet exciting and productive method, that involves the whole crew.
Shane Fisher wasted no time on he 3 rd day fishing having hooked, played and tagged his first sailfish in the first five minutes of lines in.
Of the 22 billfish tagged, most were first time billfish anglers here at Groote Eylandt and many were also new members to the fishing club. Nearly all anglers fishing the tournament had the chance to see, hook and fight their first billfish or be involved in a tag and release capture on the boat in which they were fishing.
Tournament organisers were happy with the running of the event and the quality of fishing over the nine-day period. Overall we saw 112 billfish raised (25% of those Marlin!), 62 fish hooked and 22 fish tagged. All tagged fish were reported to be in healthy condition and swam away strongly upon release.
By far the best results in at least 10 years of Annual Billfish Tournament and next year will see a bigger event again as word gets around with many interclub anglers promising to come back to enjoy both the fishing and the hospitality provided.
The Tournament winners are as follows:
Champion Male: Terrance “Bomber” Farrell 3350pts
Campion Female: Lindsay Davis 2100 pts
Champion Junior: James Pledger 700pts
Champion Team: “HydraCraft- Garry Quin, Wayne Baldwin, Josh Ker & John Cooper” 4450 pts
Champion Team Tag & Release: “HydraCraft” 4450pts
Highest Point Scoring Angler: Terrance “Bomber” Farrell 3350pts
Most Meritorious Capture: Terrance “Bomber” Farrell – 80kg Black Marlin T&R
Most Meritorious Junior Capture: James Pledger – 40kg Sailfish T&R
Most unusual capture: Mick Blaxter – Chinaman Fish
Groote Eylandt Game & Sport Fishing Club would like to thank Alyangula Kiosk and Newsagent for their support over many years for both this Tournament and the Ladies and Juniors Tournament.
We would also like to thank Escape Sport Fishing Lodge & crew, Fishing & Outdoor world, Shimano, Gemco, Club Marine, Platypus, Top-end imports, Terex Mining and The ARC.
By Mark Bowlen
Official Recorder- GEG&SFC