I was invited to fish Groote Eylandt for a few days with ET and 10 of his mates from Sydney in early November and as always, I jumped at the chance to fish in this beautiful remote location. On the first day I took a lively crew out to fish the billfish grounds off South Point. I allowed the 3 anglers 30 minutes each on strike in the afternoon in our efforts to land a billfish in the area. The weather was great, but there was a lack of baitfish present which made targeting the billfish difficult. We started with a triple hook-up on long tail tuna, which provided some lively entertainment before Rick received a good strike on a small pink pusher. The small billfish was all over the lure in its attempts to scoff it before Rick free spooled the reel and then hooked up on the fish a few seconds later. The little billie went off in spectacular fashion revealing itself to be a small black marlin. Ten minutes later we had the fish on board on 10 kilo for a quick photo before release. We estimated it to be around 40 kilos and more importantly, it was Rick's first ever billfish.

Two days later I returned to the billfish grounds with another crew of 4 this time. We only had one hour to fish, but we were determined to tackle another billfish. As soon as we approached my weigh point one of the lads hooked up on a tuna and so I asked the others to drop their jigs down to try for a mack. Almost immediately Paul hooked up on a good fish, which revealed itself to be a feisty black marlin around 50 kilos. The fish erupted near the boat and proceeded to dance all over the place providing some jaw dropping moments. It was on for a couple of minutes before busting the leader off. After this early encounter we dropped the pushers out and trolled for 40 minutes allowing each angler 10 minutes on strike. 15 minutes later a large black around 100 kilos appeared at the bow of the boat before disappearing without looking at the lures. We were just about ready to leave when Paul on last strike hooked up on a small black, which again nailed a small pink pusher. The small black also around 40 kilos provided a spirited fight and was subdued after 10 minutes. We took a couple of quick photos before releasing the marlin and this too was Paul's first billie.

If you are interested in visiting the Escape Sportfishing and Wilderness Lodge by yourself or with a friend, to fish the magical waters of Groote Eylandt, the following packages and dates are currently available:

• 1 person - 3 days/4 nights package - 13th to 17th August
• 1 or 2 persons - 4 days/4 nights package - 21st to 25th October

For more information on the above packages or to enquire about other dates and packages, please contact Carolyn on 0400 596 699 or email info.groote@escapesportfishing.com

Wesley Primrose is a big fan of ET and loves watching "Escape with ET", so it was no surprise that he chose the Escape Sportfishing & Wilderness Lodge as his destination for his "Make a Wish" family trip. Make-A-Wish Australia have been granting wishes to children and young people since 1985, which bring magic, joy and hope to these children and their families, along with unforgettable experiences and memories.

Wesley and his family came to Groote Eylandt in September of last year and fished for 2 half days and a full day with Escape Sportfishing. Along with the fishing, they got to taste the Lodge's specialality of the "Mac Nuggets" and experience the magical atmosphere of sitting by the fire in the evenings and feeding the barra's in the "Barra Pool".

Wesley's father Guy contacted us on his return and forwarded the following:

"Just taking this opportunity to thank you for making our trip so enjoyable, it was certainly an experience we will be recommending to others. In fact we had a GREAT time with Escape Sportfishing, not only was the weather perfect every day, your hospitality was fantastic, no one has stoped talking about our trip. Wesley is so happy since our return and it is really good to see him in a positive frame of mind. He found Rob very entertaining and said that he learnt a lot about fishing while staying on Groote Eylandt. Rob your knowledge and enthusiasm for fishing has certainly inspired our boys, thanks again for everything". Guy Primrose

Pedro O'Connor from Epic Private Journeys recently visited the Escape Sportfishing and Wilderness Lodge and joining him on his charter was 81 year old Alex Hooper. Alex racked up over 100 fish for the week and managed to land everything from Red Emperor at 5kg, a 10kg Spanish Mackerel and his first ever Barramundi at 79cm. It was a pleasure for the guides to have Alex and Pedro on board and to also make their stay a memorable one.

The below testimonial was received from Pedro.

"Groote Eylandt is a well kept secret with limitless possibilities. The fishing is second to none for anyone wanting a guarantee of action, my first fish being a 92 cm barramundi set the standard for our stay. Needless to say you could not wipe the smile off my face for the 4 days I was on island.

If you have a vision of roughing it on a fishing trip forget it, you are living in the lap of luxury at Escape Lodge. The safari style tents have been thoughtfully appointed, the air conditioning, feather soft mattresses and quality ensuites ensure one sleeps like a log - you will need to after reeling in fish day in day out! No expense has been spared on the boats and tackle, all are state of the art and your guide's knowledge of prevailing local conditions is worth its weight in golden emperor fillets. The combination of the Haines Hunter Prowler hulls and the twin Evinrude Etec' add up to horsepower testosterone overload. On one occasion we were buffeted by 25 knot south-easterlies and still cruised at 25 knots, ET has chosen well.

Beyond the outrageous fishing there is mind blowing scenery to behold. The on land activities offer a plethora of options from visiting superb examples of ancient aboriginal rock art and fresh water creeks. For anyone wanting to spoil themselves I can highly recommend escaping with ET's team of professionals on Groote Eylandt. You will come home smiling guaranteed." Pedro O'Connor - Epic Private Journeys