PDA

View Full Version : Holy Mackerel!!



Tony_N
28-06-2006, 01:07 PM
I've just got home from 3 weeks in Townsville visiting Leo_N. with the intention of doing lots of reef fishing. #Its been blowing southerlies 15-30 knots there for a couple of months and apart from an uneventful trip to the western end of Magnetic Island, we only managed one days fishing on the reef. #That was last friday. The weather was only just OK. #It was a bit rainy with 15-20 kt winds and swell to about 1.5 metres. #It took us about 2 hours to get out to Bramble reef from Lucinda in aLeo's 5.3 Poly and when we got there the swell was a bit gentler (see first pic). #On the first drop we had 2 trout on board and had a pilchard nudged by a mackerel in the first 30 minutes.

We moved around a bit picking up the occasional trout and got some half hearted runs on the floating dead baits. #Leo caught a fusilier which I put on my floater as a livie. #This time the fish didn't muck around with it. WHACK --ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ -- #somewhere between 150 and 200 yards of 30lb fireline on 4kgs of drag went in a flash. #The fish pulled HARD - he sounded and circled the boat in a way that had me calling him for a tuna. #Leo was a bit less optimistic, thinking it was probably a shark. #No idea how long the fight was #- but at least 10 minutes and the couple of glimpses we got of him before we finally got him onboard had him called for a shark, a cobia, wahoo and Spanish. #Finally of course it was my best-ever spanish measuring over 1.5 metres and i'm guessing somewhere between 20 and 25 kilos. Not only my best ever Spanish - but the most exciting fight I've had. #Leo did a great job of jaw-gaffing him and because of his size we tried to revive him after the pic - but the fight was long and hard and even though we swum him for quite a while, we couldn't get a kick out of him. #He was really too big to consider eating, especially since Gary's recent drama with a Spanish- so he has been cut up to feed some barra that have already been designated as non-edible because they have been reared in a backyard pool which has been laced with chemicals to ensure the fish didn't get a disease. #Nothing to do with Leo.

The setup used was a light 10kg uglystik with a Shimano Charter Special overhead spooled with 30lb fireline going to two metres of Japanese 40lb shock leader ( bimini to braid leader knot) to a swivel and about 30cms of 44lb wire, two ganged tru-turn 6/0s with a #3x ##1 treble stinger wired about 30mm back from them. Just the first hook went through the fusiliers back. #This was all held up with a balloon.

As you might be able to see I was pretty pooped by the end of the battle.

Tony_N
28-06-2006, 01:08 PM
The days catch (those that were not returned) - two people - great day out

Jeremy
28-06-2006, 02:08 PM
Top spanish Tony. Worthwhile making the trip despite the conditions then!

Jeremy

Tony_N
28-06-2006, 02:21 PM
Worthwhile making the trip despite the conditions then!

Yes Jeremy I'd settle for that group of fish every day I went fishing A nice big fish for the workout and a bag of what I call the best eating fish in the world. Happier than a duck in muck. We did manage to pass the non-fishing time quite fruitfully with a few beers and many games of pool. Surprised at how cold it was up there at this time of year though.

Big_Ren
28-06-2006, 03:59 PM
Great catch Tony. Hope you didn't try and revive the spaniard like you would swim a barra :o :'(

Cheers
Paul

Az
28-06-2006, 04:52 PM
very solid spanish mate, i've only got them to 8kg and still one of the best fights i've ever had, would love to get a bigger specimen like!

JIMMY80
28-06-2006, 04:55 PM
TO BIG TO EAT!!!!! :o

WHAT THE???

Mate nothing wrong with that size, yum yum.

indy
28-06-2006, 05:07 PM
Well done tony top quality table fish there nothing better

onerabbit
28-06-2006, 05:18 PM
Welcome home Tony,

Have to agree Tony, eating fresh coral trout is like eating lollies, cant get enough.

Muzz

F1SH_BOY
28-06-2006, 05:24 PM
nice fish,

hey were u joking about the barra in the back pool lol?

a_big_red_1
28-06-2006, 05:30 PM
very nice catch Tony-N, ya would of had a ball with that mac

Leo_N.
28-06-2006, 06:09 PM
TO BIG TO EAT!!!!! :o

WHAT THE???

Mate nothing wrong with that size, yum yum.

I had a mate poison himself and a few of his friends with ciguatera after cooking up a mackerel from the same reef that was 5-10 kg smaller than this one. Some areas have a higher prevalence for ciguatera than others, so consult local knowledge before eating large fish from any area.

Leo_N.
28-06-2006, 06:12 PM
nice fish,

hey were u joking about the barra in the back pool lol?

No. Hatchery reared barras kept as pets. Kept in more of a 5000 L pond than a swimming pool.

Leo_N.
28-06-2006, 06:15 PM
Just to give that second photo some perspective the Mac was 152 cm and the smallest trout was 41 cm. Placing the trout sise-by-side with the mac makes them look undersized.

wayne_cook
28-06-2006, 06:26 PM
always nice to get a pb tony

Spaniard_King
28-06-2006, 07:50 PM
Tony,

Congrats mate [smiley=thumbsup.gif] You can see why they "WERE" my favourite fish to catch :-[

Spaniards are well off the menu in my house, I just cant take the risk of putting my famil off fish altogether with another dose of Ciga, I just love fishing too much :'(.

2 more weeks till I atempt a feed of cold water fish (The missus says I have to be the guinea pig) and another 3 months till we even think of a warm water fish.

cheers

Garry

Tony_N
28-06-2006, 09:27 PM
Yeah thanks Garry. I've brought in others up to 15 kg that have come in like lambs - but this thing was a serious thug and it was a very special encounter. Mate you were the first person I thought of as soon as I saw that it was a barrie. It was always going to be too big to keep, but I just couldn't resist bringing him aboard for the pic. All the more credit to Leo for the great jaw shot with the gaff. Very sorry that he then couldn't be revived, but I reckon this had more to do with bringing him to the boat rather than into it. Interested to know what Paul was suggesting with the following - not an expert on this - but we did the best we could to get water flowing past the gills to resucitate this fish. Paul, it sounds like you might have some knowledge that I don't, and I'd be very happy to take on new info if you are willing to share??


Great catch Tony. Hope you didn't try and revive the spaniard like you would swim a barra :o :'(

Cheers
Paul

cheers

Tony

Leo_N.
29-06-2006, 07:15 AM
To revive a barra you hold the mouth open, usually with your thumb in its mouth, and force water through it. Sounds like a recipe for lost fingers with the chompers on that fish.

Tony_N
29-06-2006, 07:23 AM
OK - Now I get it. :) Never seen a barra caught

lattic
29-06-2006, 07:50 AM
Awesome post, well done. It would take alot out of you fighting a fish that size in those conditions also. I have a friend that lived on Palm Island for cupla years, fish that size were caught regularly this time of the year. They used to get them with 120 lb handlines with a livie attached thrown off the end of the jetty. Imagine fighting a fish that big with a handline. Well done for trying to revive it also, and congrats on your PB.

muz

Big_Ren
29-06-2006, 09:36 AM
Yeah thanks Garry. I've brought in others up to 15 kg that have come in like lambs #- but this thing was a serious thug and it was a very special encounter. Mate #you were the first person I thought of as soon as I saw that it was a barrie. #It was always going to be too big to keep, but I #just couldn't resist bringing him aboard for the pic. #All the more credit to Leo for the great jaw shot with the gaff. #Very sorry that he then couldn't be revived, but I reckon this had more to do with bringing him to the boat rather than into it. #Interested to know what Paul was suggesting with the following - not an expert on this - but we did the best we could to get water flowing past the gills #to resucitate this fish. #Paul, it sounds like you might have some knowledge that I don't, and #I'd be very happy to take on new info if you are willing to share??


Great catch Tony. Hope you didn't try and revive the spaniard like you would swim a barra :o :'(

Cheers
Paul

cheers

Tony


Gidday Tony

Sorry for the confusion. No new info. Just my twisted sense of humour. ::) All I meant was thumbing him by the bottom lip while he was in the water....like getting the water through the gills of a barra.....sounds too painful to contemplate with a blue LOL.

Cheers and once again, top catch
Paul

Tony_N
29-06-2006, 09:55 AM
Cheers Paul

Leo explained what you meant (above) - Nothing wrong with your humour. Its just that I'm a bit thick. Anyway as you suggest, putting my hand anywhere near that mouth was never an option. :P

Tony

JIMMY80
29-06-2006, 12:37 PM
Bramble is one of the few reefs we reg hit. All the spanish we have taken off the reef and the surrounding reefs were eaten yum yum no probs.

I know heaps of guys that take spaniards round there allot bigger then the ones we get, that have not had a prob either. Your mate must have been ultra unlucky. This is the first case i have ever heard of, getting cig poising from a spanish taken of NQ.

Interesting :-?

I have heard that chemists sell cig test strips which you place on the fillet to check for any cig in the flesh. Anyone used or seen these??

Smailesy
29-06-2006, 04:37 PM
great fish tony top gaff shot on the mac at least you tried to keep him alive

Nathanrb4
29-06-2006, 06:36 PM
looks like a great trip leo and tony, looks like you need a bigger esky though leo!

Spaniard_King
29-06-2006, 06:43 PM
Bramble is one of the few reefs we reg hit. All the spanish we have taken off the reef and the surrounding reefs were eaten yum yum no probs.

I know heaps of guys that take spaniards round there allot bigger then the ones we get, that have not had a prob either. Your mate must have been ultra unlucky. This is the first case i have ever heard of, getting cig poising from a spanish taken of NQ.

Interesting :-?

I have heard that chemists sell cig test strips which you place on the fillet to check for any cig in the flesh. Anyone used or seen these??

Hi Jimmy

I actually live on the Gold Coast and my fish was caught right on the nsw/qld border :o.

I have done a fair bit of reading about Ciga and I have not herd of a ciga test in Australia. Did you know there is three different strains of cigatoxin each found in a different country. A test kit had supposedly been released form the strain found in the USA but was found to be %90 inacurate in our strain ::) The test kit retailed for $20 USD for 3 tests.. ad that to ya fishing costs :'(

You could always cut the liver out of each fish and place under your toungue to see if it tingles [smiley=sick2.gif]

Garry

Leo_N.
30-06-2006, 12:39 PM
looks like a great trip leo and tony, looks like you need a bigger esky though leo! #


I think we might need to grade the fish by how many pieces it needs to be in to fit in the esky - a 3-piece mackerel is pretty big in a 110 L Evercool.

Jimmy,
It is not the first case of Ciga that I have heard of from Bramble. It is a bit of a random toxin though, and so many factors are responsible for how much will be in a particular area.

I think that Garry will agree that it is better to err on the side of caution rather than risk getting a dose.

One other thing to note about the toxin is that it not only accumulates in fish, but also in humans. Many fish that size may not have enough toxin to affect you from one meal, but there are many meals in a fish that size.