Late season run of ‘monster’ marlin keep fishermen on the water and help vital ‘tag and release’ research

WATCH: A monster marlin caught off the Gold Coast puts on a show for game fishermen on local boat God’s Hands.

FIGHTING a monster marlin are the things dreams are made of for most game fishermen and lately those dreams have been coming true.

A late season run of large blue marlin is being seen off the Gold Coast this month, with local fishermen reporting catches of mammoth marlin, some estimated to weigh close to 400kg.

Local game fishermen Ryan Goding and his crew hooked a blue marlin estimated to be 180kg earlier this week.

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Large blue Marlin caught off the Gold Coast.

It is just one of many he and his crew have landed this season.

Mr Goding said all marlin caught on his boat were tagged and released.

“Members of the Gold Coast Game Fishing Club practice ‘tag and release’ to help establish vital scientific data that would otherwise be unknown about various marlin species,” he said.

Meanwhile on the southern Gold Coast schools of pilchards are creating black shadows in waters off Palm Beach, with fishermen declaring sharks could soon join the groups.

Large schools of baitfish off Palm Beach. Picture Glenn Hampson

Commercial beach fisherman Ben Markwell said when the fish grew, sharks would join the schools, but at their present size were too small.

“They (the fish) normally show up in sort of rough weather, but when they are big enough to catch — quite a lot of other things get in with them like tailor and sharks,” Mr Markwell said.