Anglers up to the challenge

A TOTAL of 19 sailfish and 29 juvenile black marlin were tagged and released during the Townsville Billfishing Challenge which ended at the weekend

Mackay’s Matthew Colborne collects his Townsville Billfishing Challenge junior champion trophy from Renee McKenzie, secretary of the Townsville Gamefishing Club.

A TOTAL of 19 sailfish and 29 juvenile black marlin were tagged and released during the Townsville Billfishing Challenge which ended at the weekend.

Fourteen boats with 70 anglers aboard competed in the 8kg line class tournament in less than 10 knots of wind for three of the four days’ fishing.

The O’Brien Boats team aboard OB1, skippered by Leigh O’Brien, won the champion boat and team award with a total of eight tags.

Team members included Peter O’Brien and Luke Fallon and Val O’Brien, who were named champion male and female angler with four and three tags respectively.

Runner-up team, with seven tags, aboard the ­Mackay-based Emma Kate, was a family affair, with three generations of the Colborne family fishing. Matthew Colborne, 12, claimed the champion junior award with three tags. He fished with dad Steve, grandmother Sharon and family friend Chris Davis. The skipper was grandad Allan Colborne. It was a close race to the finish even as day four, the final day, started as it was anyone’s tournament to win.

Heaviest other game fish weighed was a 17kg barracuda, caught by Kerry Kraut.

But the story of the tournament, according to Renee McKenzie, secretary of the Townsville Gamefishing Club, came just 15 minutes after the start on Thursday of last week.

“Local angler Wade Medill, aboard Kiama, hooked up to an estimated 135 kilo (300lb) black marlin and fought the fish for more than six hours,’’ McKenzie said. “Unfortunately the line broke without Wade being able to tag the fish. On 8kg line this was an epic fight and very unusual to see a fish of this size inside the reef on the light tackle grounds off Cape Bowling Green where the average size fish is usually 10-20kg.’’

McKenzie said the event this year, the 35th held by her club, was dedicated to the memory of Mike Carney, who died earlier this year from cancer. “He was a man who loved the event and everything that it encompassed’’ she said.

McKenzie said it was fitting the O’Brien family – Peter, Val and Leigh – and team member Luke Fallon, won the event as all were long time close friends of Carney.