Australian marlin fishing
bLACK, BLUE & Striped marlin options year-round
Offshore Australia offers anglers a wide range of options to the travelers year-round. Not only do we catch blue marlin, black marlin and striped marlin all in Australian waters – but we also catch them here in all sizes, from the juvenile fish, all the way up to the supersized models of over 1,000lbs.
While our personal charter offerings these days are restricted to Cairns and the giant black marlin season (outside of marlin season we offer impoundment barramundi charters in the beautiful Whitsundays region), we can book and recommend other operators at different locations for charters throughout the year. Find out more about key marlin locations and seasons below!
Cairns Black Marlin
Not just granders!
While the big black marlin do steal the limelight September through December, over the mild North Queensland winter, when visitors from the southern states flee north to defrost, the juvies shine.
These are the first year product of last year’s big marlin season and are action a-plenty!
During this stage in their life cycle their sole purpose in life is to eat and eat and eat in order to gain size and bulk and to move themselves up in the food chain. Thus they are great fun switch baiting and very acrobatic in the air.
They are especially great for novice anglers and kids who are just getting into gamefishing. Best of all, the marlin fishing grounds are inshore and less than a 30 minute run from the marina giving you more time to spend fishing! But it is the giant black marlin that are synonymous with Australian marlin fishing. And you can read much more about them here.
Gold Coast marlin
Meanwhile the Gold Coast is yet another stop on the little black marlin EAC train (the East Australian Current transports both the marlin and their food south along the Australian east coast), the Gold Coast is more than little black marlin over the summer months.
The Gold Coast beaches and high-rise skylines make a magnificent backdrop for the particularly aerobatic display of the little black marlin (these are the next models up from the baby blacks of North Queensland in the 25kg+ range). The fish are caught all the way along coastline which means whether you are staying to the north or south you have options to fish.
And the fishing is so close to land, your run to the grounds may be as short as 10 minutes from the Gold Coast Seaway or Tweed Bar. Peak season is typically December to February.
Over the cooler months (and in fact the rest of the year), the Gold Coast is also home to a solid blue marlin bite with up to seven blues in a day and several in XL size variety recorded.
Fraser Island marlin
Another all rounder Fraser Island offers spectacular fishing throughout the year, all with the added bonus spectacular backdrop of the world’s largest sand island!!
Inside the island the run of baby black marlin in October and November suggest a separate breeding aggregation for the big black marlin, aside from Cairns. Moreover, these fish can be sight-cast from small boats and in particular should be on a fly fisherman’s bucket list!
On the outside of the Island, the little black marlin show up in the cooler months from as early as April. Luke and I have spent many many days fishing this run of fish. Our best day in our little trailer boat with just two of us on board, was 23 releases in about 4 hours of fishing – all trolling dead baits or switch baiting off the teasers. What fun!
We’ve also enjoyed some spectacular days on blues and stripes further wide, with the odd bigger black and even spearfish thrown in. Our best day of blues in early December being in double digits and that same week we released 25 marlin in 7 days mostly heavy tackle blue marlin with a few striped marlin as well.
port Stephens marlin
The NSW central and south coast run of marlin seems little-known beyond the Australian marlin fishing fraternity.
But the region, in particular Port Stephens in February and March, is home to some of the best marlin fishing you’ll find in the country. Blue, black and striped marlin in a single day also make this grand slam territory. Striped marlin are probably the most commonly caught species here and are caught all the way along the NSW coast down to Bermagui at this time of year. They are a beautiful fish often‘lit up’ showing iridescent blue stripes along purple backs and neon blue ‘wings’ (pectoral fins) making them appear almost like underwater aircraft on the bait or teasers.
Also blue marlin – and some more sizeable fish – are caught in good numbers year after year. Especially during the tournament season in March and April. Black marlin are also caught inshore in good numbers at this time of year. Again these fish are a size up from the Gold Coast and usually in the 30 to 50kg range.
exmouth marlin
If your travels take you west, you can’t overlook Exmouth. It is unrivaled in Australia for diversity of billfish with 6 species of billfish found in the waters off Exmouth and Ningaloo Reef.
For example, these include three species of marlin (blue, black and striped), broadbill swordfish, short billed spearfish as well as sailfish.
While the fishing is great almost year-round, typically the best months for billfish in the west are the warmer summer months. Similar to Cairns, the reef system is the major force behind the fishing diversity here. Furthermore, Exmouth’s Ningaloo Reef is Australia’s largest fringing reef. Contrary to the east coast, the blue marlin are the main attraction over the Exmouth summer. These fish, generally in the 150-200kg range are renowned for blistering runs and crazy direction changes with anglers achieving up to double figure days when its at its best.
Get in touch to discuss dates & Bookings
Get in touch with Luke and Kelly via email or the socials below to book your trip of a lifetime!