With just under an hour to go for the final weigh time at 6pm, Gordon Heather pulled up to the Cook Islands Game Fishing Club (CIGFC) with a 237.2 kilogram blue marlin to win the heaviest fish section of the annual CITC Liquor and Woodstock fishing competition held on Rarotonga on Saturday.

Heather says, “we had lost one (marlin) previously and we were making our way back home not feeling happy at all when we struck this one outside the town area at the harbour.”

With his father-in-law Papa Kone it took “about 45 minutes” to land the marlin fish onboard Heather’s boat Vaihina.

Seasoned angler Ngu Marsters came in second with another blue marlin which weighed 169.2kg, and third in the heaviest fish section went to Nobby Clarke with a 20.9kg wahoo.

There were 32 two boats registered for the last tournament of the year.

Following are the results of the heaviest aggregate section of the CITC Liquor fishing event: First -^t Papa Ina Kaukura with 56.4kg, second - Tutai William with 19.9kg and third prize went to Papa Dick Marsters who was close behind with 19.6kg.

In the 60 to 90kg marlin section Iro Maroroa was awarded $200 cash for his 75.6kg blue marlin catch.