Fishing enthusiasts at Lizard Island are gearing up for another season of heavy tackle fishing as the waters off Far North Queensland provide a haven for black marlin.
From September through to December the largest black marlin in the world, many of them known as “granders” of over a thousand pounds, migrate to the 150 mile stretch of the Great Barrier Reef between Cairns and Lizard Island feeding off the plentiful tuna and mackerel populations found in the tropical waters.
You don’t need to be a seasoned fisherman, as your chances of catching a giant black marlin are arguably the best in the world. Little wonder the waters off Lizard Island are called the black marlin capital of the world.
In October, experienced anglers will converge on Lizard Island to fish for giant black marlin and qualify to join the prestigious Lizard Island 1000 pound Tag and Release Club.
The 25th Lizard Island Black Marlin Classic, which takes place from October 1st to the 8th, is one of the last bastions of gentlemanly sports, where the objective is not the prize money, but the physical and emotional challenge of catching the black marlin which return to the warm waters of the Great Barrier Reef off Lizard Island every year to spawn.
However, heavy tackle fishing at Lizard Island is not just limited to the Black Marlin Classic. It is available year round thanks to the luxury Fascination III vessel which is operated exclusively for guests on Lizard Island and is available for private fishing or diving and snorkelling charters. Lizard Island’s 51ft Riviera Platinum Model Flybridge Cruiser, Fascination III, has a cruise speed of 20 knots and can take up to 10 passengers (including crew).
Lizard Island skipper Craig “Brutus” Newbold has spent five years on Lizard Island and describes marlin season as the “Formula One of fishing”.
“I have been lucky enough to catch 1000 pound fish every season. But what makes it so special for me is when we take someone who has never fished before and catch them a fish of a lifetime. For me, marlin season is the Formula One of fishing and it doesn’t get much better than up here at Lizard Island,” he says.
Award-winning Lizard Island is Australia’s northernmost resort, 150 miles north off the coast from Cairns and 16 miles off the coast near Cape Flattery, right on the spectacular Great Barrier Reef, fringed with colourful coral reefs and postcard perfect beaches.
Lizard Island boasts unrivalled dive sites and snorkelling with myriad corals, fish, clams and reef sharks to entertain. Divers can mix with green sea turtles and giant clownfish, and snorkellers are rewarded for little effort with 100-year-old giant clam gardens just moments from Lizard’s beaches.
Offering guests exceptional fresh gourmet cuisine from Executive Chef Mark Jensen, guests can enjoy a candlelit dinner on the verandah of Ospreys Restaurant overlooking the beach or a more intimate private dining experience – sand under foot, stars up above – with a 7-course degustation menu on the beach.