The 850 pound black marlin was caught at number 8 Ribbon Reef on 20th of September by David Denneen.

We estimated the Black Marlin to be about 850 pounds.The fish was wired by Statue (Mark Stephenson) with crew of Skipper Brett Thomas, and on the deck Toby Denneen and Garry Gleeson.

The smaller black marlin weighed about 450 pounds.

The crew on board Gorilla used this opportunity to test out 4 new video cameras on board and have cut an awesome new video which can be viewed below.

Here is a link to the video promoting the 2011 Port Douglas Marlin Challenge which includes some really great footage taken last year – including plenty of action shots of Gorilla.

For more information about the 2011 Port Douglas Marlin Challenge, go to http://www.portdouglasmarlinchallenge.com

Or check out the Marlin Challenge video on You Tube.

The fish size stats are very compelling especially in a year when the weather was most unfavourable for the entire fleet!

Days of Heavy Tackle Fishing – 22

Fish landed – 17

Average size of Marlin – 602 pounds

Fish landed over 600 pounds – 11

Fish landed over 800 pounds – 6

Fish landed over 900 pounds – 3 (2 at over 950 pounds)

Granders landed – 1 at well over the 1,000 pound mark!

Brett and the experienced crew are already planning for the 2011 heavy tackle season up north and welcome you to join them for a true adventure on board one of Australia’s finest game fishing boats.

The Port Douglas Marlin Challenge was founded by PDGFC president Terry Murphy and was held over four days between Friday the 12th of November and Tuesday the 16th of November with Sunday the 14th designated as a golf day.

10 Boats took part this year and enjoyed the type of fishing that the Great Barrier Reef is famous for. There was frenetic action across all four days of the tournament with 26 Hook Ups and 12 Marlin tagged.

Another vessel in the competition was Calypso Mango who landed a grander during the tournament.

After some fantastic fishing over the four days it very much came down to the wire between Gorilla and Spartacus during the last hour of fishing. Spartacus held a good lead over Gorilla but at 5.33pm all hell broke loose aboard Gorilla with a triple hook up ensuring a very busy skipper and crew.

Two out of the three strikes resulted in hook ups but sadly one of the fish was dropped, all was not lost with Terry Murphy bring in a beautiful 400 pound fish which closed the gap on Spartacus.

In the end the gap to Spartacus could not be closed and eventually ran out worthy winners for 2010.

The to five placings for 2010 were,

1st – Spartacus

2nd- Gorilla

3rd – Calypso Mango

4th – Reel Impression

5th – Rat Bag

The entire Gorilla Game Fishing crew would like to thank Terry Murphy and his hard working team for putting on a top class tournament and look forward to being part of the 2011 event.

The new website boasts beautifully laid out content with high res images, galleries and video to highlight the truly professional level of marlin fishing that takes place on board Gorilla. The entire Gorilla team has worked over many months to hone their video content, blog and social media connectivity which will enable regular visitors to keep in touch with all of the latest news and images from the flybridge.

Another key feature is the innovative booking feature where customers looking to book charters on board Gorilla can check availability via the easy to navigate calendar and then book and pay a deposit through PayPal.  Customers have peace of mind knowing that their time on board Gorilla is as secure as their payment.

In commenting on the new Gorilla website representative Simon Denneen said “The entire Gorilla Game Fishing Crew are ecstatic at the launch of the new site. The aim of the site was to convey to game fishing enthusiasts from around the world how good marlin fishing can be on the Great Barrier Reef. The simple layout allows visitors to the site to navigate quickly and easily to pages they would like to view and via our galleries and videos get an idea of the real adventure we ourselves enjoy every year”.

www.GorillaGameFishing.com.au

A representative of Gorilla Game Fishing, Simon Denneen, is no stranger to marine rescue, having been a volunteer for the past ten years and was instrumental in the formation of Marine Rescue New South Wales which brings together the three volunteer groups in that state. “I know first-hand how challenging it can be to raise funds just to operate, let alone purchasing new equipment like these radios. Marine rescue volunteers all over Australia work tirelessly to provide a great service – some with minimal government funding – and I am really glad we can help out the volunteers at Coast Guard Port Douglas, who do a wonderful job.”

The radios, which include an Icom M651 Class A Digital Selective Calling (DSC) Very High Frequency (VHF) radio, are brand new and will vastly improve the group’s current capability. The Flotilla Commander of Coast Guard Port Douglas, Jeffrey Anderson, was enthusiastic about the donation, “we have been hoping to renovate our radio room and these radios will be a big help. Once a technician has installed the radios, our base will be one of the first in Far North Queensland with a VHF DSC capability.”
“Gorilla Game Fishing’s donation not only helps the volunteers but will allow boat operators – like ourselves – to have greater peace of mind that they will be heard when they need help,” added Simon Denneen.

The donation came just in time for the inaugural Port Douglas Marlin Challenge which will saw an influx in game fishing vessels to Port Douglas. The tag and release only tournament – believed to be one of the first in Australia – was held between 11 and 16 November 2010.

Gorilla’s Details

In addition, Gorilla boasts a water-maker, state-of-the-art navigation and communication systems (including Satellite Communications), wi-fi internet access, air conditioning and a full galley.

Pricing

Please contact us if you have any questions regarding availability and options. If you are ready to book your Gorilla Game Fishing experience, please use the Booking Form below.