Black marlin
Istiompax indica
- Size
- To 4 m and 600 kg
- Where
- Ribbon Reefs
Rarity
Difficulty
Expedition · Cairns to Lizard Island · Season 2026/27
GAME FISHING
The Black Marlin Capital of the World, off Cairns in Tropical North Queensland, Australia. A game boat on the grounds at first light, a crewed superyacht at anchor every evening.
Chapter 01Contents
CONTENTS
The expedition first: the grounds, the fish, the season and the itineraries. Then the yachts that make it possible.
The reef from the airFilm: Johnny Gaskell
Chapter 02The expedition
Black marlin fishing Cairns
THE EXPEDITION
A purpose built game boat does the fishing. A crewed superyacht stays on the grounds with the cabins, the chef and everyone who is not chasing a black marlin in Tropical North Queensland. No daily run back to port, no compromise on comfort.
With the yacht stationed on the reef, every hour on the water is an hour in front of a giant. Anglers fish through the afternoon and step back aboard to a real bed, a chef prepared dinner and sunset drinks. It is the format the serious marlin trips are built on, and the one that works for a mixed party: while the anglers are out, everyone else has the reef.
01
The game boat
Captain, mate and deckhand, dedicated to the fishing. On productive water at first light.
02
The mothership
Cabins, chef, crew, tender and toys. Holds position on the reef as the fish move.
03
The grounds
The Ribbon Reefs to Lizard Island.
04
The season
September to December for giants. June to September for juveniles on light tackle.
ON THE WATER
Hooked up
Black marlin on the Ribbon ReefsFilm: Bad Fishing, Bad Company World Tour
Chapter 03The grounds
Marlin fishing Great Barrier Reef
THE RIBBON REEFS
Ten reefs running 250 kilometres north from Cairns to Lizard Island, on the Tropical North Queensland coast of Australia, where the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef sits unusually close to the continental shelf. Deep water and rich reef within easy running distance of each other, and the reason this stretch is called the black marlin capital of the world.
MonthJFMAMJJASOND
Giant black marlin
Juvenile marlin, light tackle
GT, tuna, wahoo, mackerel
Princess Charlotte Bay, Cape York
Numbers and size build to a November and December crescendo.
Tropical North Queensland, Australia. Cairns to Lizard Island, 250 kilometres of reef.
Chapter 04Marlin fishing
The fish and the fishery
BLACK MARLIN
Females can pass four metres and 600 kilograms. The biggest fish taken off Cairns top a thousand pounds on rod and reel, and the great majority of grander black marlin ever weighed have come from these waters.
Giants migrating through the Coral Sea to spawn funnel along a compact stretch of the Ribbon Reefs each spring rather than dispersing across open ocean. The fishery was developed in the 1960s, drew Lee Marvin through the 70s, and has run on tag and release ever since.
01
September to December
Peak giant black marlin. Numbers and size build to the end of the year.
02
June to September
Juvenile fish of 100 to 300 pounds inshore on light tackle.
03
Heavy tackle
Trolling the reef edge on 130 and 80 pound outfits with skirted lures or rigged whole baits.
04
Tag and release
The Cairns standard since the 1970s. IGFA compliant tagging and weighing on request.
Chapter 05A day on the water
From first light to the last drink
A DAY on the water
The game boat leaves in the dark and the yacht wakes up where you left it, on the grounds, with breakfast on.
Anglers fish the day out of the game boat and step back onto the mothership at dusk. Everyone else has the reef: the tender, the sea pool, the lagoon, and a chef who feeds both boats. Nobody waits on anybody, and nothing is run to a clock but the tide.
Example schedule
- 4:45AM
The game boat runs wide
Crew up before the guests. Baits rigged and rotated to the conditions while the yacht sleeps at anchor.
- 6:30AM
Bait on the reef edge
Scad, mackerel and rainbow runner caught fresh. Coffee and breakfast aboard the mothership.
- 8:00AM
Anglers across to the game boat
A two minute tender ride. Lines in as the boat reaches the shelf.
- 12:00PM
Heavy tackle on the troll
The prime window. The crew work the fight, the tag and the release. Lunch is eaten standing up.
- 3:00PM
The rest of the party
Snorkelling the bommies, the sea pool, the tender to the lagoon, or nothing at all on the sun deck.
- 6:30PM
Back aboard the mothership
Showers, sunset drinks on the aft deck, the day's tags counted.
- 8:00PM
Dinner at anchor
Chef led dinner on the reef, and the boat is already where tomorrow starts.
An example only. Every day is built around the fish, the weather and your group, and is fully customisable.
The game boat crew is the expedition: five decades of Cairns knowledge of reef edges, drop offs and bait movements, chosen for the dates and the group.
Next chapter06 · Itineraries
Boatside
Chapter 06Itineraries
Indicative · the captain follows the fish
ITINERARIES
FIVE NIGHTS
Six days, five nights aboard. Indicative only and fully customisable.
- Day 1
Cairns to the outer reef
Run north, afternoon on the troll, dinner at anchor.
- Day 2
Ribbon Reefs
Full day on the reef wall and drop offs.
- Day 3
Deeper grounds
Blue water drop offs. Non fishing guests dive from the yacht.
- Day 4
Prime marlin water
The most productive stretch of the Ribbons, timed to light and tide.
- Day 5
Final fishing day
Light tackle for juveniles or GT if the bite calls for it.
- Day 6
Return to Cairns
Relaxed morning and the run home.
SEVEN NIGHTS
Eight days, seven nights aboard. Indicative only and fully customisable.
- Day 1
Cairns to Mackay Reef
North to the first reef systems.
- Day 2
Ribbon No. 3
Fishing the edge as the water clears.
- Day 3
Ribbon No. 5
The most consistent marlin water on the Reef.
- Day 4
Ribbon No. 5 to No. 9
More remote, less pressured water each day.
- Day 5
Ribbon No. 10
The northernmost Ribbons, the most productive grounds on the system.
- Day 6
Pixie Pinnacle to Lizard Island
A session at the pinnacle, then the sheltered lagoon.
- Day 7
Lizard Island grounds
Final sessions on the outer reef.
- Day 8
Lizard Island
The lagoon, the beach and the anchorage. Departure by air or sea.
Chapter 07Beyond marlin
Outside peak season
BEYOND MARLIN
The same mothership model opens the most remote and least fished country in Australia: barramundi in Princess Charlotte Bay, dogtooth tuna and GTs on the Coral Sea seamounts.
Princess Charlotte Bay sits midway between Lizard Island and Cape York, its rivers cut off by land for most of the year. Barramundi water that barely sees a boat, with queenfish, fingermark and jacks in the same drains.
Species, grounds and degree of difficulty
WHAT YOU CAN CATCH
Sailfish
Istiophorus platypterus
- Size
- To 3 m and 60 kg
- Where
- Shelf edge and blue water
Rarity
Difficulty
Dogtooth tuna
Gymnosarda unicolor
- Size
- To 1.8 m and 80 kg
- Where
- Coral Sea seamounts
Rarity
Difficulty
Yellowfin tuna
Thunnus albacares
- Size
- To 1.8 m and 60 kg
- Where
- Shelf edge
Rarity
Difficulty
Wahoo
Acanthocybium solandri
- Size
- To 2 m and 40 kg
- Where
- Reef drop offs
Rarity
Difficulty
Giant trevally
Caranx ignobilis
- Size
- To 1.2 m and 50 kg
- Where
- Reef edges and shallows
Rarity
Difficulty
Spanish mackerel
Scomberomorus commerson
- Size
- To 1.8 m and 30 kg
- Where
- Reef edges
Rarity
Difficulty
Barramundi
Lates calcarifer
- Size
- To 1.3 m and 25 kg
- Where
- Princess Charlotte Bay
Rarity
Difficulty
Coral trout
Plectropomus leopardus
- Size
- To 80 cm and 10 kg
- Where
- Reef bommies
Rarity
Difficulty
Sizes are the upper end of what these grounds produce. Rarity and difficulty are a guide for planning the trip, not a promise. Seasons, catchment zones and closures move across the reef through the year, so timing is set with the crew for your dates. Billfish are tagged and released.
Next chapter08 · How we make it possibleChapter 08How we make it possible
TWO BOATS one expedition
The game boat fishes. The yacht carries the cabins, the chef, the tender and everyone who is not in the chair.
Any yacht in the fleet is paired with a heavy tackle game boat and crew from the Cairns fleet, chosen for the dates and the group. Pricing is the yacht at her published rate, the game boat for the fishing days, and the advance provisioning allowance for fuel, food and beverages.
The game boat
The chair and the tower
Back aboard the mothershipIncluded and quoted
- Five night expeditionYacht, crew, chef, game boat and fishing crew, tackle, tender. On application.
- Seven night expeditionThe full Ribbon Reef run to Lizard Island. On application.
- Second game boatFor larger groups. Per day.
- Chase boatPer day.
- Scuba divingOptional extra. Guide, gear, fills. Per day, on APA.
- Air and fixed wing transfersOptional extra. Cairns or Lizard Island to the yacht. Per flight, on APA.
Every expedition is priced bespoke to the enquiry: your dates, your yacht and your group. No two are the same.
Chapter 09The yachts
Rates shown in
Managed fleet
THE YACHTS
M/Y · Mondomarine · 2007/2025
IMPULSIVE
Ten guests, eight crew and a chef. The mothership for a full party, with the toys aboard.
- 40.2mLength
- 10Guests
- 5Cabins
- 8Crew
- $175,000From, per week
Explore Impulsive
M/Y · Mondomarine · 2007/2025
IMPULSIVE
Ten guests, eight crew and a chef. The mothership for a full party, with the toys aboard.
- 40.2mLength
- 10Guests
- 5Cabins
- 8Crew
- $175,000From, per week
On board
- Certified for eighty day guests on deck
- Eight crew and an executive chef
- Full 2025 refit
- Sun deck spa and sea pool
- Largest toy inventory in the fleet
Rates 2026/27
Per week from AUD $175,000, incl GST, plus APA. Full rate table on request.
M/Y · Sunseeker · 2019
SUNSET
The newest hull in the fleet, five cabins, glass sided jacuzzi on the sun deck.
- 35mLength
- 10 to 12Guests
- 5Cabins
- 5Crew
- $160,000From, per week
Explore Sunset
M/Y · Sunseeker · 2019
SUNSET
The newest hull in the fleet, five cabins, glass sided jacuzzi on the sun deck.
- 35mLength
- 10 to 12Guests
- 5Cabins
- 5Crew
- $160,000From, per week
On board
- Beach club and swim platform at the waterline
- Five cabins, the newest hull in the fleet
- Sun deck spa pool
- Al fresco dining for twelve
- Full water toy inventory
Rates 2026/27
Per week from AUD $160,000, incl GST, plus APA. Full rate table on request.
M/Y · Heesen · 2005/2026
LUMIR
Game rods, railguns and dive gear already aboard. Works the marlin season from Cairns.
- 37mLength
- 10Guests
- 4Cabins
- 6Crew
- $120,000From, per week
Explore Lumir
M/Y · Heesen · 2005/2026
LUMIR
Game rods, railguns and dive gear already aboard. Works the marlin season from Cairns.
- 37mLength
- 10Guests
- 4Cabins
- 6Crew
- $120,000From, per week
On board
- Game rods and heavy tackle aboard
- Technohull Omega 47 chase boat
- Spearfishing arsenal and three sets of dive gear
- Thirty-one knots to the grounds
- Refit completing 2026
Rates 2026/27
Per week from AUD $120,000, incl GST, plus APA. Full rate table on request.
Chapter 10Questions
QUESTIONS
What is mothershipping
Mothershipping pairs a purpose built game boat with a larger crewed yacht that stays out on the grounds. The game boat carries the anglers, the tackle and a dedicated fishing crew, and is free to work the reef edge from first light. The yacht, the mothership, holds position nearby with the cabins, the chef, the tender and the toys, and moves along the reef as the fish do. Anglers step across by tender in the morning and back aboard at dusk, so the boat is never running to port and every hour of daylight is fishing time. Fuel, fresh bait, meals and a real bed are all a few metres away, and everyone who is not fishing has the reef to themselves. It is the format the serious Cairns marlin expeditions are built on.
Why is Cairns called the black marlin capital of the world
Along the Ribbon Reefs north of Cairns the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef sits unusually close to the continental shelf. Giant black marlin migrating through the Coral Sea to spawn funnel along this compact stretch of reef every spring, and the great majority of grander black marlin ever weighed have come from these waters.
What is a grander marlin
A marlin of one thousand pounds or more, about 450 kilograms. The first grander black marlin was landed off Cairns in the mid 1960s and the fishery has produced more of them than anywhere else on earth.
How big do black marlin get
Female black marlin can exceed four metres and 600 kilograms. The biggest fish taken off Cairns regularly top one thousand pounds on rod and reel.
When is the best time to fish for black marlin in Australia
September to December is peak giant black marlin season on the Ribbon Reefs, building to a November and December crescendo. June to September brings smaller juvenile fish inshore on lighter tackle.
What is included in a mothership charter
The yacht, her crew and chef, meals, the tender and water toys, and the game boat with its dedicated fishing crew and tackle. Fuel, provisioning and beverages run through the advance provisioning allowance. Scuba diving, air and fixed wing transfers, a second game boat or a chase boat are optional extras, quoted per charter and settled through the APA.