Over the last 10 years, keen Kiwi angler Tim Tasman-Jones has fished the inner structures of the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns to almost the Torres Strait, catching giant trevally, spanish mackerel, wahoo, coral trout, and many other species, but until recently the black marlin the region is famous for had eluded him...

Several times I have ventured out into the blue water looking for a black marlin but without success, mainly due to poor planning. So when Tony Black mentioned he was looking for crew for a dedicated black marlin fishing trip leaving Cooktown for the Ribbon Reefs on Hell Raiser II with Steve Ahlers, hostess Sue and deckies Tony Carpenter and Murray Teasdale, I was in.

The big female black marlin arrive in mid-September to spawn along the outer edge of the northern part of the Great Barrier Reef. The peak of the season runs from October through until November with most of the big fish leaving in early December.

The Ribbon Reefs stretch from Cooktown northwards to Lizard Island. They are numbered one to ten in a northerly direction. According to the locals, more big black marlin have been caught along the outer edges of these reefs that anywhere else in the world. Number 10 Ribbon Reef is the longest at 19 nautical miles, with the northern end particularly favoured by anglers in the early part of the season.

The game-fishing charter boats are based out of Cooktown, a town named after Captain Cook. It is where he was forced to stop for many months to repair the Endeavour in 1770 after hitting one of the inner reefs. Cooktown is a 45-minute flight from Cairns on Hinterland Aviation, which is a far better way of getting there that the 328km trip in a car over rough roads.

Cooktown is a small settlement with most of the buildings stretching along one central road. However, the tackle shop is worth a visit and the Sovereign Resort provides good accommodation, with the local RSA club a handy place to stop for a drink.

Black marlin fishing is typically slow in the morning, mainly because the outer reef is bathed in full sunlight. The bite tends to come on in the afternoon, particularly with the big blacks. As the sun begins to set, the outer drop-offs become shrouded in shadow which provides ideal cover for the big fish to rise from the depths. Therefore, the morning is typically set aside for catching the 1-1.5-metre spanish mackerel and scad that are used as skip-baits. The mornings also offer a great opportunity to snorkel the inner reefs.

Tony had booked a seven-day stay-aboard trip and on reflection I am glad he did. It took a day’s steaming to get to the northern end of Number 10 Ribbon Reef. Even if you fished the Ribbon Reefs closer to Cooktown on the way home, you were always likely to miss the late afternoon bite on the last day.

The bite times proved to be quite variable. During the trip we experienced two really hot bites that extended for several hours into the late afternoon. What then followed were two quite frustrating days where the boat raised only a couple of smaller marlin.

I realised then you could easily miss the hot bite in a five-day trip. A seven-day trip provides those two extra days at the outer reef edge, which could easily make the difference between missing out altogether or maybe catching just one big black marlin, versus the team catching maybe two, three or more.

We enjoyed a dream start to the trip – by mid-afternoon on the first full day at Number 10, we all had experienced the explosive power, turning and jumping ability of the smaller 90 to 180kg black marlin. The sun was setting and an end-of-day beer was on most minds when the 1.5 metre spanish mackerel being towed on the short ‘rigger disappeared into a big hole. Tony was on and connected to a runaway beast on 24kg of drag. It is the sheer size and power of these amazing and beautiful big fish which draws both anglers, skippers and crews to these reefs. Tony was sorely tested, and the deckies’ arms stretched further at the boat. The fish was subdued and released to spawn again.

The smaller, aerobatic blacks perform on the leader.

Giants are a true test for any wireman.

What followed were two frustrating days where the boat raised 2-3 smaller marlin with only the odd one sticking. Doubt was beginning to set in as to whether we were going to raise another big fish. It was the fourth afternoon when a cloud bank slowly rolled in from off shore, bringing with it came some wind, a reduction in light and another hot bite, with three smaller black marlin being successfully played to the boat for release.

Two hours to sunset and once again the short ‘rigger’s huge scad bait was clubbed by a big bill. The first 30 minutes was spent watching line peel, despite the boat backing up as fast as it could. Finally, by getting in front of the fish, we were able to change the angle and I was able to gain line.

Frustrated, she suddenly broached, confirming I was fighting the biggest marlin I had ever been attached to. It was an experience of a life time. I witnessed the bite, felt the burn and was able to release her before darkness. The knowledge and experience of the crew enabled me to complete my dream, so a very special thank you to them.

It's hard not to admire the power of a black marlin in action.

This has whet my appetite for more and I will be back to revisit the Ribbon Reefs. It is an experience a keen game fisher must complete at some time in their game fishing career.