FISHING WITH CRICKET LEGENDS MARK TAYLOR AND MERV HUGHES

One of my passions as a youngster was playing cricket, these days the love is still there but the lounge chair in front of the idiot box with a cool ale, absorbs most of my energy.

As a charter boat skipper I have the prive ledge of meeting many famous people Ex USA Presidents rock bands such as Cold Play, Metallica, film stars The Olsen twins, famous footballers and personalities from all walks of life.

It is funny that once land disappears they are all pretty much just like you and me; even their spew is the same colour as us mortals.

They are on the boat to catch a fish or two and they are relying on the Captain to get them out there and bring them back so I guess there is a little respect both ways. It really is amazing how some of these people really do relax on a boat, no press, no pressure, just miles of Mother Ocean to enjoy with of course a bit of fishing action to get the pulse quickened.

A few years back I had the pleasure of taking famous cricketers Mark Taylor and Merv Hughes fishing for the first time, since then we have shared many more great trips. From the moment we shook hands at the wharf I knew I was going to really enjoy fishing with these blokes, apart from the fact that they both are my cricket heroes.

The first trip was out of Sydney, we reef fished and got invaded by chinaman jackets, huge examples of their breed coming out of the depths like surfboards. We moved 10 times in an attempt to get away from them, but alas they were everywhere. No complaints the lads just kept reeling them in. They were like cane toads to the jackets as they desperately tried to wipe out the population in one day. I mentioned to them that they should try their luck in February at a bit of marlin fishing at Pt Stephens.

Mark jumped at it and put the trip up at their auction Golf day "Two Days Marlin Fishing on Broadbill with Mark and Merv" the proceeds going to the boys charity "A Sporting Chance Foundation"…..A charity the lads have set up to help sick kids.……….It sold and made a huge profit for the kids.

The team arrived at the Port in Feb '05 we met at the Salamander Shore pub for a beer and a general hello for the rest of team who had bought the charter at auction. We all looked forward to our few days together and hopefully the crew will not be marlin virgins after the trip.

The fishing was red hot we had tagged 150 marlin between my son's charter boat BILLFISHER and BROADBILL including 21 in a day on the 11/2/05 and there was still a week to go in the month, so I was pretty confident that we would catch a few and the lads would go home with arms like orangatans, from a good stretching by the very large and overzealous Pt Stephens marlin population.

Day one arrives and within ten minutes of reaching the grounds we've got a striped hooked up around 120 kg, back we go with big Merv on the chair keeping it straight Yelling in pirates tone "He be Goin' this way skipper" as he pointed with out stretched arm at the rampaging marlin tearing copious amounts of twine off the big Shimano.

Then it was Mark, then Merv's turn to experience the powerful runs of the magnificent fish.. The lads are very good natural fisherman and although they had little experience with such powerful fish they handled it well. Then it was Guy Fosters turn, Guy had bought the charter and had no prior marlin encounters at all until off screams the reel and Guy is thrust into the action as the deckie sets him up in the game chair.

A huge striped flies high to the screams of delight from all in the cockpit below. The big fish runs down sea (a ploy that stripes are particular good at as they surf down the sea swells) I hammer Broady back hard in an attempt to keep the angler and fish in reasonable contact.

The marlin is 250 metres down sea and truckin' hard ….Guy 's working really hard in the chair the sweat beads dripping from his forehead is evidence of that. He strains hard to gain a bit of the 24 kg line back onto the half empty spool. Merv is guiding the chair and yells in Guy's ear " Come on you skinny little bastard wind the bloody thing in!" At this point it crossed my mind how nice it would be to pay a small fortune for the joy to fish with the big fella only to suffer mouthfuls of abuse. Merv's comment had all of us in tears of laughter. You see you cannot ever take the big fella seriously.

Guy caught the fish and Merv couldn't get his tongue in his ear quickly enough, to congratulate him.

The trip ended with 13 marlin in the two days a most rewarding and fun trip for us all.

Last year we caught nine marlin and one of the highlights was when Merv asked if he could tag one of the marlin. I thought Oh! Well he can't do much harm there, popping a tag in a marlin.…..Wrong!

The fish is still 15 metres from the boat and out whistles the tag pole like a spear from a Woomera I watched it sail through the air out into the briny.

I back the boat up thinking that it would be the last I would see of my pole but alas it floated "Your not supposed to throw the bloody thing" I said to Merv, he replies "Yeh! But I think I got him" The decky retrieves the floating pole, we inspect it and sure enough the tag has gone.

When we eventually trace the striped up, there's the tag placed perfectly in the fishes shoulder. I don't know what tribe the big fella came from but they sure know who to spear marlin.

Both Mark and Merv are a pleasure to fish with, so much so, that one has to reflect sometimes that such legends in their field of sport are just every day unpretentious mates on a fishing trip.

Merv's book Caught in the Deep is a must as a Xmas present and very much reflects the big fellas thoughts on his love of fishing. A great read….