Nth Pine Dam - safe to eat??

[VoodooChile78]

Was out Nth Pine on Sunday, B_E_N got two nice Bass but C&R them...is it ok to eat fish from there as I know in the past there has been a concern with Blue-Green Algae??

Thinking of heading out there again on Sat Afternoon.

Mike L.

[clone trooper]

hey VoodooChile78, I've eaten red claw from the NPD before but yer the whole blue alge thing, I don't know:-/ .
why do you want to eat em anyway, ( they taste like shit)
each to his own;)
cheers brad.

[shayned]

Mate, as the PRFMA (stocking assoc.) isn't able to generate revenue at the moment and continue to replace fish that are taken from the impoundment it's probably not a helpful thing to do. That said legally you are able to as long as you stick to the current bag limits.

The toxin from blue green algae concentrates in the fish organs so taking fillets should see you ok. Apparently the toxin is particularly nasty so some care is needed when the algae is present.

[jim_bream]

Hmpf, does n't stop some of our "Asian" friends from helping themselves to as much as they please.
Hope they grow tit$ on their backs....

[edleigh7]

hey VoodooChile78, I've eaten red claw from the NPD before but yer the whole blue alge thing, I don't know:-/ .
why do you want to eat em anyway, ( they taste like shit)
each to his own;)
cheers brad.

Hey Brad ...do they really taste like shit i've never had one...was it too muddy or what was the story...i'm very curious?:-/

Ed:)

[B_E_N]

hey ed, ive tried some bass from cania and yeh it was s h i t really muddy, but then again you win some ya loose some. we kept my barra from calide (avatar) and it was the best fish ive had the flesh was so white and sweet, the fresh just made it awesome but ive heard many others say theirs was muddy so i think it just depends on the fish and their lifestyle

[fishytales]

hey VoodooChile78, I've eaten red claw from the NPD before but yer the whole blue alge thing, I don't know:-/ .
why do you want to eat em anyway, ( they taste like shit)
each to his own;)
cheers brad.


Have you tried eating bass? They are great tucker, and I have a lot of non fishin mates who have tried bass I have given them , and loved it.

And Shayned, thats a poor attitude in my book. Taking 2 bass out of an impoundment has no effect at all on the overall stocks, what with the natural life cycle of the fish, and the fact they were stocked in the first place.
I would agree with you on wild bass, but I take my limit occassionally from the dams, and feel no guilt at all in doing so.

[tunaticer]

The PRFMA supports taking a bag limit from the dam. The really large fish in there are nearing the end of their lifespan with measurements entering the 60cm bracket these days. Aparently these larger bass are really giving the fingerlings a hammering once they are released, hopefully when the dam levels rise again the stocking will resume.

As for the blue green algae it is my understanding that this occurs in the summer months with higher temperatures. The SEQWater authority placed big aerators on the floor of the dam near the dam wall to keep cold water from the bottom coming to the top. This turning over of the dam in that area kills off outbreaks on BGA.

I have eaten the bass from the dam and find them very nice eating with no muddy taste but i do skin my fillets. Friends who have eaten the bass from there and not skinned the fillets have complained about the taste so maybe its more in the skin of the fish??

Redclaw in my opinion are a bland crayfish to eat. However using them in a curry or stir fry they are quite good.

Jack.

[shayned]

Have you tried eating bass? They are great tucker, and I have a lot of non fishin mates who have tried bass I have given them , and loved it.

And Shayned, thats a poor attitude in my book. Taking 2 bass out of an impoundment has no effect at all on the overall stocks, what with the natural life cycle of the fish, and the fact they were stocked in the first place.
I would agree with you on wild bass, but I take my limit occassionally from the dams, and feel no guilt at all in doing so.

I think you miss read the post somewhat, I stated, it's legal to do so as long as you stick to the bag limits. For my mind if there is no more going in at the moment why take them out. As to picking how old a bass is and if its at the end of its life span, I dont know how to tell that and I am genuinely interested in knowing how to. If you are willing to explain I'll happily listen.

Of course, if the ranger's theory that catch and release combined with the cold snap at the moment is stressing the fish enough to kill them anyway, you might as well take them. But does this then mean you should stop fishing as soon as you catch 2 bass so as to not needlessly kill the fish?

Tell me have you run across the two blokes who regularly go and fill a cricket bag with yellas and bass on the dam yet. Thats what I had in mind when posting.

[Little grey men]

I kept a Yellowbelly the other day from NPD and it was beautiful eating. I've eaten heaps of them from out West and yeah they can taste a bit muddy. I think it helps if you clean the fish ASAP.
My favourite freshwater fish is the gool ol eel tail catfish. A lot of people just see them as a pest and toss them back in, but if you prepare them correctly....gotta skin them, they can be very sweet.
I grew up eating freshwater fish so to me it's like Mothers milk.
If there is an algae problem at the dam, how do they alert people ?

[edleigh7]

I kept a Yellowbelly the other day from NPD and it was beautiful eating.

Did you see any dead fish Hardy head?

Ed

[Little grey men]

Stacks mate. Mostly Tilapia. It was hard to find a spot that didn't smell of rotten fish. Saw a few real dopey Tilapia in the shallows...just waiting to die. I think I'll give it a miss out there for a while, until the smell improves. Heading out West next week to try a spot my brothers have stumbled onto. Nice deep cod hole with lot's and lot's of good snag's. Can't wait...