Holy mackerel, look at the size of that fish! Installed upon the steps of Donegall Quay one warm afternoon in 1999, The Big Fish, with her supple lips and bedroom eyes, has been many a Belfastian lad’s first kiss. It’s not uncommon to see a line of teens – and the odd curious tourist – waiting patiently for a memorable encounter with The Fish. You … Continue reading The Big Fish, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Just when you thought it was safe to go back for another mango and jalapeño margarita, along swims a Big who’ll leave your JAWS hanging wide open in horror. Please put your pectoral fins together to welcome Paco el Sharko – and this time, it’s personal! Serving as an ostentatious anomaly betwixt the swaying palms and braying hawkers of Puerto Escondido’s beachside entertainment precinct, Paco … Continue reading Paco el Sharko, Zicatela, México
Believe it or not! The Gold Coast is home to the largest octopus in the whole dang world! Ladies and jellyfish, please welcome Ring-O, starr of the glitter strip! The nine-metre-wide Big Octopus wiggled into Cavill Avenue, Surfers Paradise, in Octo-ber 2020, making a home for himself above the popular Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! odditorium. He was cephala-produced by local company Pico-Play, and I … Continue reading The Big Octopus, Surfers Paradise, QLD
There’s a killer on the loose at the Vancouver waterfront, but nobody’s blubbering about it! Looking like he’s jumped out of a 1980s video game and into your heart, Digital Orca was created by the dashing Douglas Coupland and made a splash when fin-stalled in 2009. Flanked by the pristine waters of Vancouver Harbour and framed by the majestic North Shore Mountains, there are few … Continue reading Digital Orca, Vancouver, BC
The old man’s hands belied their age as he nimbly manoeuvred the thawing prawn onto the hook; in through the head and out through the belly, as always. I feigned disgust, of course, but the process fascinated me. “Next time, Bigs, you’ll be baiting your own hook,” he said in his usual brusk tone, then handed over the rod and reel. Our eyes and smiles … Continue reading The Big Marlin, Iluka, NSW
Ohh MarlinMy Marlin you’re so fineOhhhh-hhh-hhh Don’t know if words can sayBut Marlin I want to playWith you in the endless turquoise seaBut it isn’t meant to be‘Cos you’re a work of wooden artAnd in the ocean you will fall apart Oh Marlin’I dream about you often my pretty Marlin’(Marlin’ you’re so fine)I love the way you lure tourists into Ohana Island CreationsWhere they can … Continue reading The Big Marlin, Kahuku, Hawai’i
Anglers love trawling the crystal clear waters of Adaminaby, a charming poplar-lined village nestled high in the Snowy Mountains. But it’s snow laughing matter when I say the main attraction is the Big Trout which, at 10 metres and 2.5 tonnes, is o-fish-ally the largest aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animal in the tunaverse! Living on prime eel estate in the i-gill-ic Lions Park in the centre … Continue reading The Big Trout, Adaminaby, NSW
“Gimme Fish Head” by The Stingray-diators Gimme fish head babyGimme fish head like you did just last nightAh, ah, ah! Even when Khancoban‘s a hundred degreesThere you are smiling at me amongst the treesYou stink in the sun, but are still funWith no body, you must be dead, are you dead?But I don’t care, I love you, Big Fish HeadYou’re a fish headYou’re a fish … Continue reading The Big Fish Head, Khancoban, NSW
Tintaldra is an indigenous word that roughly translates to ‘a young man by the water’. I’m not sure what the indigenous word for ‘a young man by the water, admiring a predatory perch of epic proportions, before retiring to the nearby historic hotel for a glass of economically-priced pinot noir and a portion of the famous fish and chips’, but it might be time to … Continue reading The Big Murray Cod, Tintaldra, Vic
Yibbida yibbida, this is fishing expert and notorious philanderer Rex Bardot, on the hunt for the Big Rainbow Trout! And look, there she is, out front of Mountain Fresh Trout & Salmon Farm. Trust me, folks, it doesn’t get any better than this! If she looks familiar, that’s because the Big Rainbow Trout was the star attraction of the 2006 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony in … Continue reading The Big Rainbow Trout, Harrietville, Vic
Ladies and jellyfish, barras and gilas, pilchards of all ages. Please welcome the mystical, magical, great Big Clownfish! Bright and beautiful, this silly sausage is trapezy to find outside Lakes Caravilla Caravan Park, and you’ll feel like a bozo if you pass him by. He’s certainly hard to fish – I mean miss – because the tropical delight is right beside the main road into … Continue reading The Big Clownfish, Lakes Entrance, Vic
“Oh my cod, isn’t he big!” Visitors to the river village of Tocumwal have been exclaiming this for almost six decades, and this water-dwelling dreamboat has lived a life most of us would be en-fish-ious of. This bulky baby boomer’s story starts in the swingin’ 60s, when three of the more rebellious members of the local Chamber of Commerce decided the town needed something exciting … Continue reading The Big Murray Cod, Tocumwal, NSW
Wanguri schoolkids all know the three Rs – reading, ‘riting, and really big fish! They’re fortunate enough to have this behemoth barra swimming around the lovingly-maintained grounds of their a-cod-amy, providing lessons in largeness every little lunch. As you can see, she certainly makes the grade and has become a valuable member of the educ-ocean-al community! Of course, being located within the grounds of Wanguri … Continue reading The Big Barramundi, Wanguri, NT
Want to tackle another Big? Then allow me to lure you towards the dusty outpost of Katherine, where there’s a fish so large you’ll be swimming in tears of pure joy when you encounter her! The Big Barra can be found perched pleasantly atop the Rod & Rifle Tackle World shop (open Mundi to Saturdi). At three metres long, she’s certainly some-fin special and still … Continue reading The Big Barramundi, Katherine, NT
I remember herring rumours of a big fish in Manilla – the lovely country town that’s just half-an-hour from Tamworth’s Big Golden Guitar, not the capital of The Philippines – for years, and was hooked on the idea of tracking it down Continue reading The Big Fish, Manilla, NSW
Murray the Cod was built completely out of bits of old rubbish – and the end result truly is a gill-a-minute experience! Continue reading Murray the Cod, St George, QLD
There’s something fishy going on in North Queensland, and it has to do with this titanic tin of sardines! Continue reading The Big Sardine Can, Home Hill, QLD
