Saratoga in Brisbane catchment. Seeking info

[Fitzy]

Am seeking any information on captures or sightings of saratoga within the Brisbane River catchment. Not looking to advertise any locations or go fish them myself, just trying to guage how they are surviving and hopefully breeding.

Locations to keep an eye out for them are:
Lake Somerset
Lake Wivenhoe
Cressbrook Dam
Upper Brisbane River & feeder creeks(above Wivenhoe)
Stanley River (Above & below Somerset)
Mid Brisbane River (from Wivenhoe to tidal waters)
Atkinsons Dam
Seven Mile Lagoon
Lockyer Creek
Bremer River
Reynolds Creek
Swanbank Lake

Would be great to get any feedback on:
-Location. As specific as you are willing to be.
-Size in length
-Kept or released
-Sighted or caught
-Method of capture
-General appearance. Any sores, injuries, healthy, poor, etc
-Date

All info will be will be passed onto the relevant fish stocking group.

Cheers,

Fitzy..

[budgebass]

Gidday Fitzy

In summer of 2002/3 there was a group of saratoga that frequented the upper reaches of the Brisbane River below Wivenhoe Dam.
My father is a mullet fisherman who fished with floats/worms,
who accidently had encountered the saratoga on at least 3 times over the course of that summer. He had noticed a group of 3-4 from the top of the river bank on 1 occasion, the other times they just followed his float as he was winding in. He never actually caught them.
But his encounters suggested sizeable fish, as he had asked me what type of fish they were. He had caught tarpon and lungfish before but did not believe they were tarpon or lungies. And they were bigger than the mullet he was chasing.

However that was last summer and this year he did not sight them at all, given that he goes fishing regularly he was disappointed not to see them this year.

Cheers
Budgebass

[Fitzy]

Gidday Fitzy

In summer of 2002/3 there was a group of saratoga that frequented the upper reaches of the Brisbane River below Wivenhoe Dam.
My father is a mullet fisherman who fished with floats/worms,
who accidently had encountered the saratoga on at least 3 times over the course of that summer. #He had noticed a group of 3-4 from the top of the river bank on 1 occasion, the other times they just followed his float as he was winding in. #He never actually caught them. #
But his encounters suggested sizeable fish, as he had asked me what type of fish they were. #He had caught tarpon and lungfish before but did not believe they were tarpon or lungies. And they were bigger than the mullet he was chasing.

However that was last summer and this year he did not sight them at all, given that he goes fishing regularly he was disappointed not to see them this year.

Cheers
Budgebass
G'Day Budge,
I've got a couple of pet ones in that section of river. Same story as you stated, I could go up there & spot them on any given day however this summer just gone I couldn't find them in their usual haunts. I heard of one getting caught further downstream a few Kms at about that time, maybe they moved, maybe it was another fish?
There was I believe only 36 adult saratoga released into that river with a couple of them getting caught & killed soon after. :'( Not many to try to establish a breeding population but we're still hopefull.

Thanks for the feedback.

Fitzy..

[Jim_Tait]

Fitzy,
you mention in another post re; SEQ barra that the river reach below Big W suffers from thermal pollution, what sort of temperature regimes are you ending up with down there and is there any prospect of a mitigating structure i.e. outlet curtain (draws water from the surface to deep outlets) being possible on the dam?

Regards Jim

[Fitzy]

Jim I haven't got figures on temp regimes. I did read some info on it a few years ago but cant remember numbers.
Wivenhoe now has a hydro-electric station at the base, so they're releasing from the bottom fairly constantly.
There's currently a wall upgard going on so the whole design is likely to change. We're in there batting for environmental discharges & a fishway/fish lock system so mullet, tarpon, #bass, eels etc can migrate up the river.

There's currently no facility for top water releases.

fitzy..

[caveman]

fitzy why would anybody wan't to kill these fish as from what i've heard
they are not good eating is this true

cheers gary

[Jeremy87]

Since saratoga have been brought up i just thought i'd pick everyones brains about them. Do they still bite during the winter? I'm heading up to Borumba this holidays and i was just wondering if i can still expect to catch them like i did during the summer. Does anyone know why they have bred so successfully in borumba but not in other dams? I read somewhere that they've been in borumba for 40 odd years. Is it because they've had more time to establish there than in the brisbane catchments?
Jeremy

[Fitzy]

Borumba & Cania had a huge head start on the rest. Both were kicked off by only around 200 fish in the 70s I think.
Places where they've bred up enough so that you're a half decent chance of targetting & catching one are Hinze & Lake MacDonald.
Most other Cental - South Qld coastal lakes have had some stocked, the cost & the lack of supply in fish is the biggest hurdle in getting more locations up to speed.

Cheers,

Fitzy..

[Fitzy]

I tried eating a few when fishing up the northern Fitzroy as a kid. Pretty ordinary. Only decent bit is from the tail back. The rest isnt much good except for maybe catfood.

I had a bit to say at a fella who admitted to killing a couple he caught in the brissy river & kept em for crab bait. What a bloody waste.

fitzy..

[ianjones]

i dont know if des charles still has his fishing charters on hinze dam but my brother use to go out with him and i know they use to get saratoga there quite regularly

[Fitzy]

i dont know if des charles still has his fishing charters on hinze dam but my brother use to go out with him and i know they use to get saratoga there quite regularly
Hi Ian,
Thanks for the reply. Am aware of the saratoga in Lake Advancetown (Hinze Dam). Was alot put in there by the Hinze Stocking group for some years & they're a regular capture there now.
Am mainly interested in the Brisbane Catchment in particular as that's where I'm mainly working on getting their numbers up.

Cheers,

Fitzy..

[Chuong]

Fitzy,

This may not be relevant, but I know of a couple of people who have farm dams with breeding populations. One is at Samford and the other out at the Redlands somewhere.

[duckbill]

Fitzy,

Caught this one yesterday at Lake Macdonald. Bit of a surprise to say the least.... [smiley=laola.gif]

Caught on a purple paddle tail w/ yellow jig head, 4lb braid and 10lb trace. Caught on the surface retrieving on top of the weeds. He was in good condition, and was released unharmed.

[Remo]

Fitzy,
I fish that part of the brissy river a bit and I cant say that I have ever seen any. That's not to say that, they are not there.
Lets hope they breed up a bit.
Ray

[Fitzy]

Fitzy,

This may not be relevant, but I know of a couple of people who have farm dams with breeding populations. One is at Samford and the other out at the Redlands somewhere.
Hi Chuong,
Mate keep them spots "top secret". Am mainly looking at the public waterways in my area to see if our efforts the efforts of the stocking groups is paying off.

Hows the tank fish going mate? Got any recent pics to tease us with? Any more leads on "red" toga? I know of 2 (sex unknown) but the price on them is too big! Wish I had the $$$ & I'd buy them in a flash.

Cheers,

Fitzy..

[Fitzy]

Fitzy,

Caught this one yesterday at Lake Macdonald. Bit of a surprise to say the least.... [smiley=laola.gif]

Caught on a purple paddle tail w/ yellow jig head, 4lb braid and 10lb trace. Caught on the surface retrieving on top of the weeds. He was in good condition, and was released unharmed.
G'day Duckbill,
Nice fish mate!
All reports indicate that the 'toga in MacDonald are doing well & slowly building up numbers, that's great news.
I wish I knew they were doing the same in my area (Brissy Valley) as we've been working hard for a few years trying to get them going.

Here's hoping,

fitzy..

[Fitzy]

Fitzy,
I fish that part of the brissy river a bit and I cant say that I have ever seen any. That's not to say that, they are not there.
Lets hope they breed up a bit.
Ray
G'Day Ray,
Mate you probably will never see any of the toga up there unless you're specifically looking for them. I spend whole days up there just cruisin along searching for them & having the odd cast backwards (so I dont spook any toga in the green water).
Can say they are very very rare. I found a couple that were hanging around one spot for a few years but they've disappeared late this summer just gone.
We cant stock any more into the river so what's there is there & if that aint enough well I guess we've gotta kiss them goodbye there. Unless we get a major flood event & some of the breeders in Atkinsons go over the spillway & get down that far to the river. Its drawing a long bow however.

Fitzy..

[Chuong]

Unfortunately, due moving out and not having time to take care of it (left it at parents place). It has gone to the big pond in the sky a few months ago. Was my fav fish and I have a few. Measured at 67cm and had it about 7-8years. Went a really pink colour as it matured. No recent pics of it though.

Still have a jardini and will wait to get a really big tank for a group of leichardti.

[jordo]

I can say i have seen 2 at cressbrook dam. One was seen across from the pumping tower near the island cruisin along a bank and the other a mate and i found dead on the bank near the camp ground. Both would of been 3 years ago now. From memory the dead one was about 50cm. I have also been told that they hang around the pump station and if you can get out on the bridge you can see them at times cruisin around. But with the rangers there these days its not possible. I dont know of anyone else seein any and i live in the area and used to visit at least every 2nd weekend tillthe dam got all messed up with rules. Prefer now to drive and half hour to go to somerset and catch real bass. i believe there was only a handful of togas put in. Hope i have helped

[Fitzy]

I can say i have seen 2 at cressbrook dam. #One was seen across from the pumping tower near the island cruisin along a bank and the other a mate and i found dead on the bank near the camp ground. #Both would of been 3 years ago now. #From memory the dead one was about 50cm. #I have also been told that they hang around the pump station and if you can get out on the bridge you can see them at times cruisin around. #But with the rangers there these days its not possible. #I dont know of anyone else seein any and i live in the area and used to visit at least every 2nd weekend tillthe dam got all messed up with rules. #Prefer now to drive and half hour to go to somerset and catch real bass. #i believe there was only a handful of togas put in. #Hope i have helped
Hi Jordo,
Thanks for the feedback. Hope there's a few toga living/breeding in Cressbrook. Shame about the dead one. :'(

Cheers,

Fitzy..

[Remo]

Fitzy,
Whats the story about no further, stocking of the river?

[Fitzy]

Fitzy,
Whats the story about no further, stocking of the river?
Probably could stock them. The stocking group who take care of the river below Big W dont stock them. I'm not sure if they dont want them or are more focused on other things. Nobody else can stock them into that river without their say-so & must be done on their permit.
I was a member of that group however due to clashes with other groups meetings I couldn't attend their meetings.

fitzy..