Scene in Cairns marina where marlin fishing boats are tied up , this year marking the 50th anniversary of the catch which put North Queensland on the international big game fishing map . A former American paratrooper Captain George Bransford made history in September 15,1966 when he and deckhand Richard Obah landed a Black Marlin weighing 1064lb, 482kgs, the first of this size in Australian waters. Over the years the hunt for marlin attracted actors Lee Marvin and Marlon Brando , author Wilbur Smith ,US president Jimmy Carter , media mogul Rupert Murdoch and golfers Greg Norman and Jack Nicklaus . Big game fishing is said to bring in $60million dollars annually to Cairns.
