bneue4,
Congratulations young fella!
You must have been stoked.
You'll come to realise that most of the blokes that have posted above really have the future of the fishery at heart and are not really trying to piss on your parade.
You will also come to realise that there are a few C & R nazis on this board that think that EVERY barra or jack MUST be released.
Try to look at it like this.
Years ago, Ron & Valerie Taylor made their money (so it is said) killing sharks with a powerhead for the cameras. They were breaking no laws. Likewise it used to be that people would anually take hundreds of tailor per person from Frazer Island. They were breaking no laws.
The trouble is that with the increase of people with access to the fisheries in question, these numbers are un-sustainable.
These days the story is very different.
Anyone with a genuine love of fishing will realise that you don't have to kill them to enjoy the sport. You do have to kill them to have a feed.
Know what you want as you bring the fish to boat.
Your four fish kept between the four of you are fine by me.
As long as you killed them quickly and ate them I don't have an issue.
Likewise if you're going to release a fish, then make sure it's in good nick.
Boga's etc are out if you want the fish to have a crack at surviving after your worn the bugger out in a fight.
The C & R nazis don't get that it's the young fellas like yourself that will be the future of our fisheries.
We need you to stay as excited as you are now. We need you to value the fish you seek. Because as long as they are valuable you will seek to preserve them for all.
If by a barrage of criticism you decide never to pick up a rod again, then the whole education process needs to start again.
If you say you enjoyed the taste of those barra, then who am I to say you shouldn't eat them.
I think they taste bloody awful. I ate one (as was my right) and will never eat another.
Keep an open mind about how you fish. Don't accept nor reject any ideas just because our fathers did it that way - or because some faceless "holier than thou" got stuck into you on the 'net.
Look at the science. Look at the facts. Stay excited, but take away the emotion.
I grew up on the land. What my father and his were told was the appropriate way to manage the land is considered environmental rape today.
So we are coming to understand about our other resources.
Cheers,
Owen
The whole world's mad save thee & me (but I'm not too sure about thee)
What in the world did you do to them to make them taste edible ??
The one from the dam my mate caught and we ate tasted like absolute garbage. Is there some recipe that makes them taste better or what ? if there is it'd have to be something miraculous i think.
Last edited by Luke mcleod; 29-02-2008 at 07:19 PM.
mate it seems that alot of people who keep big barra say that they eat the fingerlings in my eyes if a metre barra can eat a baby barra so can a 50cm barra.
don't kill big fish for the little fish alot survive and it's not just barra its eel,catfish,bass,perch and everthing else eat baby barra.
I bet you had heaps of fun catching those barra so why kill them.
nice catches thow
HI mate sounds like a fishing trip dreams a made from good on you. There is a lot of good advice on these pages to learn from and keep on fishing.
there are a few C & R nazis on this board that think that EVERY barra or jack MUST be released. ????Owen would you care to name some ????
The thing that kinda pisses me at times is that every time ive been to the awoonga dam without fail i have seen people up at the cleaning tables near the boat ramp as i drive in cleaning meter and close to a meter barra and a couple times ive seen the same people as i saw the last time there cleaning another metery. In my oppinion these guys must be hard up for a feed. Personally i think the only time a person should ever take barra from the dam is when they catch there first ever big fish out there so they can get it taxidermed if they wanna.
Last edited by Luke mcleod; 29-02-2008 at 10:42 PM.
bneue4 ..... Looks like you had a special trip with great results ( specially catching your first barra) .... Well done on that respect
It is however a shame that your group killed so many large fish ...... Most hereabouts would have preferred you told us how the bigger fish were released & the smaller fish kept for the table.........
Don't be discouraged by the replies ...... as most are just trying to assist & advise........ There are some very passionate & knowledgeable people on here that just want the best for the fishery......
Cheers
Nagg
If he was discouraged,Id understand why.
He's been treated unfairly
Would it serve a useful purpose?Originally Posted by Awoonga
I will say I did not have you in mind when I made the remark Trevor.
If you find that sentence distasteful or inflammatory, then I apologise for it having that effect on you.
I stand by the intent of my post.
Cheers,
Owen
The whole world's mad save thee & me (but I'm not too sure about thee)
Looks like a fishing version of politically incorrectness ?
But lets face it .... some advice was completely warranted ( re weighing & release practices - - certainly comes to mind)
Nagg
great fishing but i am glad i rarely see these reports onhere, i feel sick in the gutz.
the future of fishing is catch, release and sustain, not catch kill and mame, thats what our kids need to be taught owen.
but then again what would i know i am just a silly old fart
purcho
I think the can is well and truly opened and the worms are gone
The bigger fish are better in the water, better breeders stonger genetic make up.
but thats an issue for another time
The keyword is SUSTAIN
People of all ages need to learn what is required for sustainable management.
In an stocked, enclosed empoundment where the stocks do not breed then you need a different management strategy to what is required in the wild.
Believe it or not there are places in Africa where it is necessary to cull elephants for the future of the stocks.
If the level of deaths of large fish (by capture or stress from C & R) is kept at or below what would have been normal mortality of a completely unmolested sample, then what's the difference?
If the level of stocking minus the level of mortality by any means is equal then that is sustainable management.
You increase one or the other, or decrease either without making an adjustment to the other then you have an unsustainable situation.
That's without even going into the effect of the stocking itself on the other species which inhabit or are affected by the dam.
I'm at a loss to see how my post could be construed as anything other than a call to educate young blokes about the fishery rather than to jump down their throats because we have raised a single species (or two) to some super status.
If it became evident that the barra population in Awoonga (or any other impoundment) were responsible for the demise or endangerment of some lower (but native) species, would we all call for their eradication from the dam(s)?
You want to talk about educating people to ensure those fish kept are killed humanely and those released handled in such a way as to ensure maximum survival rates?
Great! I'm all for it.
You want to talk about whether the (current or expected future) level of fishing is sustainable without some sort of bag limit? - All for that too.
Make people watch a 10 minute video before they're issued a permit to be allowed on the dam if that's what it takes to ensure a sustainable environment.
Got no problem with that.
What I'm dead set against is the (IMO) expanding doctrine that there is one or two species that are so superior to all others that they deserve special treatment.
And that anyone who disagrees with that is subject to personal attacks.
It's a philosophy that has done the rounds before. I may have mentioned it somewhere
Cheers,
Owen
The whole world's mad save thee & me (but I'm not too sure about thee)
why should people have to explain themselves when they make a post. people may do what the hell they like as long as it is within the laws. sure, some people may take more than what they need, but what is your OPINION gonna do? sweet bugger all. i like to come onto these chatboards and read about what people have caught but im sick of seeing people whining and complaining, it happens every time there is a whisper of someone keeping a barra from an impoundment. i am a C & R man but seriously if people choose to keep a couple of barra leave them be. if they were illegally netting itd be another story.
Kill and keep or catch & release is up to the individual as long as it is within the law.
The most important thing to come out of this discussion is:
If you plan to catch and release a barra take great care of the fish and do not, under any circumstances, hang it up to weigh it!! Support the body of fish at all times and get it back into the water asap.
Regs
Pete
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