The crew aboard well-known NSW South Coast game boat Dadsboat, a 40-foot Caribbean, were trolling for tuna some 20 miles over the shelf off Greenwell Point in late July when they hooked up on a late season (or is that early season?) striped marlin on 15kg tackle.
As is common with these late/early marlin, it was a thumper, weighing in at 128 kilos. To add to the excitement on the way home the boat had a quadruple hook-up on southern bluefin tackle. Three hooked fish got away, the fourth was fought for four hours, again on 15kg gear, until it finally won its freedom. It was estimated as a 100kg+ SBT.
The South Coast experienced a hot but brief bite on SBTs with other fish caught in July ranging from 30 to 120+ kilos. The fish were found in small schools well over the shelf east of Kiama, Jervis Bay and Greenwell Point, with trolled lures accounting for all fish reported.
