When Capt Bruce Libbis heard Bluefin had been caught in Bermagui he immediately organised a crew to head out of Merimbula in his 40” custom game boat “Rathlin II”

Bruce had known of their existence for a number of years because of long liner catches coming into Eden. He had been hearing stories about their run this time of year but they have been up to 70miles out. Over the last few years he had tried to find them at times heading 40 nautical miles out in search of the illusive tuna. He just couldn’t find them so decided they were staying out really wide.

But when word came through that there had been fish caught out of Bermagui he thought he better go and have a look.

On Monday June 29^th he gathered a crew of dedicated fishermen from Merimbula Big Game and Lakes Anglers Club who accompanied Bruce about 28 nautical miles due east where they set marlin size Hollowpoint lures and trolled even further towards New Zealand.  They had two 37kg rigs and two 60 kg rigs and at around 33 nautical miles from the coast they had their first strike- a double hook-up and managed to land their first fish, which went about 60kg. It was the first decent Bluefin caught out of Merimbula in years and the biggest ever. The lures went out again and there was an immediate double hook-up and both fish were landed with the bigger one going to 108kg. Again the lures went in the water for an immediate triple strike and all fish were boated. “Rathlin II” had travelled no more than 400meters since the first bight.

Conditions in the area were calm but with no sign of life on the water. “ There were no birds – no activity at all” Bruce said “But when he got the first strike the school stayed visible on the sounder about 10meters down in 19degrees of water which is around 4000 fathoms deep and twenty miles past the shelf.”

With six fish on board the boat headed for Merimbula to weigh the catch. The crew knew they had club records and possible NSW records.

Back in Merimbula word of the catch had spread and by the time the crew got back to the clubhouse there were around 100 onlookers and family to welcome them.

“It is great for Merimbula” said Shannon Stokes, Merimbula Fishing Club president. “ This is great for our town and our club – let’s hope it’s the start of something big and that the fish stay around.”

Dozens of people went home with cuts of fresh tuna and news of the catch was the talk of the town for days.

Bluefin fever had struck the town and none more than club stalwarts Angus Chirnside, Rob Wood and Mex Williams who had been part of the crew on “Rathlin II.” They were busting to get out again but the weather turned bad for nine days until on Wednesday July 8^th they were able to put to sea around 6am in Angus’s 6.25 meter Caribbean Scorpion “Billfisher”.

“We headed to a spot about t thirty miles off the coast and set the lures. We headed northeast and after about an hour we got our first strike and landed a fish around 50kg. Mex immediately started cubing with full pillies and had the school around the boat. We got another six fish around the same size and then just started tag and release. At first all three of us were fishing then Mex broke his rod so we took it in turns with two then it just became too busy and we had turn about with one on the rod, one getting the leader in and one on the tag poll and cubing. It was just awesome.”

The crew fished for a nearly three hours like this until around 12.30 when Angus said it went a bit finicky.

“ We could have gone to lighter tackle and maybe kept fishing but really we had had enough. We had seven good fish in the boat and had tagged another 41. Telling mates about it later they just wouldn’t believe we got that number of fish. We headed in and were back by 3pm. Rob doesn’t work so we left him to do the tag cards- he reckoned he had RSI by the time he was finished.”

Angus agreed the conditions have to be right to put to sea. Very experienced – he has plenty of sea hours in “Billfisher” - he described the sea out wide as calm but quite different and said they encountered a current about ten miles off the shelf that stood the sea up into a short breaking chop about a metre higher than it had been- “it was pretty unpleasant but it turned out to be only about two miles wide” he said.

Unsure of the likely demand on fuel they carried an extra 100 litres but the 250 HP E-Tech used only 147 lt for the return trip at over twenty knots most of the way.

Angus and his crew thought they had an awesome day but things were about to get better for the Merimbula club.

Having heard about the action Michael Hampson called on two of his mates Peter Bridle and Phil Body to try their hand at finding the tuna. They were both pretty reluctant given the size of Michael’s boat “ Jedi”  - a 17” Southwind with a 100HP Yamaha four stroke. It was Michael’s persistence and their faith in him as a skipper that convinced them to join the trip.

The forecast was good- 5-10 knots and they launched before dawn and took a zigzag course in the dark to make the best of the sea conditions.

By sunrise they were about twenty miles out and encountered a school of yellowfin around 30kg. Michael said it felt quite strange leaving the fish to look for better ones but they headed out to around 38 miles off the coast where they encountered some birds and baitfish and started trolling. They headed north and after about 30 minutes with a 24 and two 37 rigs got a single hook-up on a fish that landed quickly at around 70kg.

“We kept heading north and after about an hour we got a triple hook-up. It was pretty busy and Phil’s fish on one of the 37’s was taking plenty of line. My fish just kept going but it busted the line- maybe there was a cross-up – so I helped Phil into the only harness on board – Peter had to struggle on without one”

The fish went straight down and was in danger of spooling the Penn 70 VS so Phil went to full drag and started hauling it back to the surface. He got it near the boat a few times but it managed a number of runs before they got it to the boat and after a fight of around 25 minutes were able to tie it alongside.

In the meantime Peter was pleased to get into the harness when Phil had no further use for it and with new energy took another 25 minutes to bring his fish to the gaffs. They tied it to the other side of the boat and contemplated getting them aboard. The smaller fish was caught on a small blue -skirted lure and the big one was on a brown and orange 9” Meridian.

They eventually got Peter’s fish, which they estimated at around 80kg over the back of the boat and then started on the bigger one, which they had called at around 100kg. They tried truckies hitches and all means of lifting the fish. Michael said there was much derision on the radio about their lack of strength in landing the fish.

“We had to drag it up over the back,” said Michael “and as the boat sunk lower we were able to get some of its weight onto the transom and slide it in with all three of us really struggling. Eventually we got it in with the fish landing on me and Phil and Peter standing there laughing. We were all exhausted- it was really hard.”

They sat there for a while looking at the fish agreed to head home. They were pretty pleased with their catch.

With three men and nearly 300 kg of fish the boat struggled to get speed. They struggled along at 4500 revs and 6 knots until they were able to surf along a wave for half a mile and pick up enough speed to get on the plane at around 22 knots.  If they dropped under that it stalled and they had to start the process all over. The crew admitted it was a quick but very physically demanding trip home.

“It is just a fantastic little boat – very safe and it no time were we worried about its performance.” Michael said. As to his secret in getting the only fish on a day when not much else was landed Michael just put it down to the fact that “Jedi” is a lucky boat.

“I try to be very carful with the gear- the hooks are razor sharp and I trim the skirts of the lures and we set the lures a long way back from the boat so they tend to stay in the water but its probably just luck.

Back in Merimbula there was another big crowd to welcome the crew. Peter’s fish on 24 went 127 kg and Phil’s on 37 went 167- a pending World record.  There might be some luck but there is also some perseverance and doggedness involved.

The next few weeks will reveal how long the Bluefin run will last but Bruce Libbis isn’t he only one thinking that the season next year will start of few weeks earlier.

Originally published in Blue Water Magazine.  
Copyright John Ford