Fishing

The waters surrounding Lizard Island boast some of the most exciting fishing in the world. Lizard Island is a world-renowned base for big-game anglers who travel here to challenge the graceful Black Marlin, whose season extends from September through to November. 

Since the late 1960’s, Lizard Island was first put on the map by keen anglers chasing Marlin along the Great Barrier Reef and the famous Ribbon Reefs, with some fish growing as big as 1000 pounds. Steve Wilson’s father John Wilson played a pivotal role in the expansion of this much beloved sport, building the island’s first gantry using telegraph poles to weigh the record-breaking fish that were being caught at the request of the legendary Captain Peter Bristow.

At the turn of the century, the game-fishing world evolved to a catch-and-release game, and Lizard Island was once again at the forefront of this move to protect and preserve the Marlin populations, hosting the Black Marlin Classic Fishing Tournament each year in October, which continues to this day.