2001 Abrolhos Islands Tournament
When the opportunity
arose for me to visit the Abrolhos Islands for the first time, my arm did not
need to be twisted very hard to accept the offer.
I attended the 5th Annual Fishwest Lures Abrolhos Tournament
run by the Geraldton & Districts Offshore Fishing Club this year from 5th
to 11th April. This
tournament was created in honour of local fisherman Pel Robson who fished these
waters for Marlin 20 years with little success.
He had a dream and a belief that big marlin schools would be found in
this area and this tournament allowed him to live his dream.
Sadly Pel has now passed away, but his dream still lives on and his
theory has been proven correct.
The word Abrolhos is
a contraction of the Portuguese expression “Abri Vossos Olhos” literally
meaning “Open your eyes,” you only have to visit this area to understand how
true this is. Although the islands
were a little different from what I had pictured (palm trees, deserted beaches,
timber shacks!!), I was blown away by the beauty of the area.
Coral reefs and over 120 islands, 22 of which are inhabited by
professional fishermen, make up this group which is a haven for all types of
marine life. We saw seals, sharks
and many species of fish just swimming around our mooring.
A number of boats witnessed Marlin free jumping across the ocean amongst
the large schools of bait fish and striped tuna.
I was able to hand feed Samson fish and Yellowtail Kingfish straight off
the jetty; these are protected pets of the Island.
Crayfish are plentiful and provide the residents of the islands with
their livelihood. It is a unique
area with an incredibly grisly history of shipwreck, murder and mayhem too long
to go into detail now.
With 14 boats fishing
and anglers from across Australia and overseas competing for the prestigious
trophies in both Billfish and other game fish catagories, the tournament was
again a great success. The 4 days
fishing resulted in 10 tagged Marlin from 46 shots and numerous other species
including yellowfin tuna, wahoo and can you believe it:
Greg Martin aboard Perth boat Obsessed captured a big black plastic bag!!
The same boat owned
by Colin and Phyllis Tremeer was to take out Champion Boat Billfish on a
countback from Safari II. They were
ecstactic with their win after being pipped at the post two times before in
similar circumstances. Colin landed
their first Marlin for the tournament on 24kg line and had the 120kg Black
tagged after a short fight. They
hooked up to their second marlin amongst a school of yellowfin tuna.
Believing the strike to be a tuna Colin stepped back from the rod and
offered it to their Decky Dave Shea to have some fun. Dave had never been gamefishing before. When the fish jumped out of the water ten minutes later to
reveal his beautiful bill and dorsal, I do not have to describe the look on both
Colin and Phyllis’ faces. Luckily
Dave was also a registered angler and the fish still scored towards their
tournament points. Colin and
Phyllis can also be happy that again, they were responsible for hooking another
person on this great sport.
Day 2 of the
tournament also provided a terrific story, with Ken Jolly aboard Precedence
which is skippered and owned by his brother Craig when they landed their first
Marlin for the boat, (which they have owned for two years!!).
It was a reel team effort with friend Kym Holmes tagging the est. 180kg
Black Marlin, which was fought on 24kg line.
This fish was to gain Ken the prized Pel Robson Trophy for Highest Point
Scoring Billfish. As you can
imagine the whole boat went into celebration mode, but the party was soon after
interrupted with yet another hook up. The
next 4 hours and 10 minutes were spent anxiously fighting what turned out to be
the fish of the tournament. The
est. 340kg Black Marlin led them around the ocean long after lines out was
called, but the determination and persistence of the whole crew saw this amazing
fish tagged and successfully released, and yes they have it all on video.
Congratulations to everyone on board Precedence that day especially to
angler Kym Holmes, now known as “Master of the Sea” and wire man Ian Fortune
who both did exceptional jobs.
Now long after
sundown, ahead of them was a very hairy trip home in the dark, for those who
know the Abrolhos are aware of the incredibly dangerous reef systems and Cray
pots to be dodged on the way into safe anchorage.
Again I am reminded of “Abri Vossos Olhos”.
They made it home safely thanks to the help of Raytheon navigational
aids, some of the residents on Little Rat Island using signal torches and radio
communication, and Jason Tremeer from Obsessed who went out to guide them
through the treacherous entrance. Once
on the mooring the party started in Earnest, and as heard on the radio the next
day a bomb of empty bottles somehow landed on the back deck that night, along
with a few sore heads.
Unfortunately, I
missed the party first hand as I spent the night aboard Ross Newton’s FAD II
with his Perth crew chasing Broadbill. The
whole night was spent trolling specially imported lures with cyalume sticks and
freshly caught squids, but on this occasion the Broadbill remained elusive.
We know they are out there, and next year we look forward to having
another go. Tournament organiser
Murray Olden was appreciative of the team’s effort and says he will continue
to encourage crews to try to catch a Broadbill during future events.
Champion Angler for
the tournament went to Gamefish guru Neil Patrick aboard his boat Safari II.
Neil is a great supporter of both the sport and this tournament.
During his speech he encouraged everyone to show his or her support for
gamefishing by joining IGFA. This
organization provides its members with regular publications full of the latest
news, information and records held in the sport of gamefishing.
Each night anglers
were invited to have a drink at the Little Rat Community Centre.
The people on the Island were very congenial and the hospitality was
second to none. The Community
Centre provided a fantastic venue for all competitors to enjoy the social
aspects of the event. Many games of
pool, table tennis and darts were hard fought with skill levels improving
dramatically as the nights went on, or should I say as the drinks flowed over
the Bar?
If you want to experience great company, fun, and fishing be sure to put this tournament down on next year’s calendar. But do not leave your decision too late, as the tournament is limited to the first 20 boats booked and so for next year not only I, but also my team the “Reel Girls” have already booked our place to fish this fabulous event. For more information about the tournament please contact Murray Olden on 0429 939 704 or visit their website http://www.geraldtonfishing.westnet.com.au