Could this massive marlin be royal catch? Origins of cast in Geraldton Cash Converters involve King Charles

This could be the King of all fishing tales, which involves a would-be monarch, a 260kg fish and the local Cash Converters store. On Valentine’s Day in 1979, the bachelor Prince of Wales, now King Charles, headed out on game fishing boat Pannawonica to the Trench, 20 miles off Rottnest Island. Legend has it the 30-year-old bonnie Prince caught a 573lb (260kg) Blue Marlin that day. Now 46 years later, a cast of the whopper catch — believed to be up to 3m — has seemingly surfaced at Cash Converters in Geraldton. As the story goes, the Prince was on his tour of Australia and headed out to chase big game fish with a group of WA pastoralists. Charles hooked a large marlin early on but lost it, this led to a bit of banter by the local lads who were getting stuck into him and feeding him beers — Swan Draught, of course. The Prince apparently enjoyed the day and the camaraderie of the local crew. This was all overshadowed a few weeks later by the infamous kiss on Cottesloe Beach that was published around the world. The then-bachelor prince also visited Geraldton during this trip to Australia, stopping off at Fisherman’s Wharf to pick up some crayfish. The Geraldton Guardian reported on the Prince’s 1979 visit, noting a natural disaster had almost stopped the tour, and of having no crayfish at the Geraldton Fishermen’s Co-op to show the Prince. But disaster was averted at the last minute. “The passage of cyclone Hazel kept all fishing boats at their moorings and Fishermen’s Wharf and there was not a crayfish to be had anywhere,” the Guardian reported at the time. “By chance the only co-op fisherman who moors in Shark Bay came in unannounced after riding out the cyclone. He had a bag and a half of crays.” In 2023 a South Fremantle fishing tackle shop shared the archived images online of the soon-to-be crowned king, having a Swan Draught while enjoying his day out on the open water with the local crew, declaring “The King is a Fisho!” Do you have any more information about the origins of the Cashies’ marlin? If so, email stuart.quinn@wanews.com.au