Fishing Thread

My list would look more like this.

S: Mangrove jack, Red throat emperor, Coral trout,

A: Luderick, Spanish mackerel, Estuary cod, Snapper,

B: Tuskfish, Murray cod, Flathead, Archerfish, Whiting, Sooty grunter, Bream, Jewfish, Schoolie mackerel, Spotted mackerel,

C: Tailor, Bonito, Drummer, Trevally, Queenfish,

D: Golden catfish, Shark, Stingray, Australian salmon

F: Barramundi, Carp

A surprise package for all you southern fishers is the Wirra or Old Boot. This is a fish that everyone I fished with threw back. Dont! Properly prepared, I'd put it on the A: line. They eat crab. Any fish that eats crab usually tastes good.

The problem is the slime. It stinks and has an unpleasant copper taste. You have to clean off ALL the slime and theres lots of it.

If you catch a big one, bleed it head and tail. Keep it seperate from your other catch or the slime could taint them. Rinse thoroughly under running water before you fillet. Dont allow any slime to contact the flesh. I also skun mine before filleting. If you're patient and careful you will have A grade fillets.
 
My list would look more like this.

S: Mangrove jack, Red throat emperor, Coral trout,

A: Luderick, Spanish mackerel, Estuary cod, Snapper,

B: Tuskfish, Murray cod, Flathead, Archerfish, Whiting, Sooty grunter, Bream, Jewfish, Schoolie mackerel, Spotted mackerel,

C: Tailor, Bonito, Drummer, Trevally, Queenfish,

D: Golden catfish, Shark, Stingray, Australian salmon

F: Barramundi, Carp

A surprise package for all you southern fishers is the Wirra or Old Boot. This is a fish that everyone I fished with threw back. Dont! Properly prepared, I'd put it on the A: line. They eat crab. Any fish that eats crab usually tastes good.

The problem is the slime. It stinks and has an unpleasant copper taste. You have to clean off ALL the slime and theres lots of it.

If you catch a big one, bleed it head and tail. Keep it seperate from your other catch or the slime could taint them. Rinse thoroughly under running water before you fillet. Dont allow any slime to contact the flesh. I also skun mine before filleting. If you're patient and careful you will have A grade fillets.

Thanks for your break-down champion @NT_Tiger - and mate, I've never heard of the Wirra. Sounds like an effort but must be good ........
 
Thanks for your break-down champion @NT_Tiger - and mate, I've never heard of the Wirra. Sounds like an effort but must be good ........
Wirra were a very common catch off the rocks from Batemans bay to Bermagui where i used to fish. @Rockhoppersteve should know them. A lot of small stuff but the occasional big one. I threw them back for years till one day I caught a big one that coughed up a whole crab. I never looked back. A bit of a pain to clean but worth the fillets.
 
My list would look more like this.

S: Mangrove jack, Red throat emperor, Coral trout,

A: Luderick, Spanish mackerel, Estuary cod, Snapper,

B: Tuskfish, Murray cod, Flathead, Archerfish, Whiting, Sooty grunter, Bream, Jewfish, Schoolie mackerel, Spotted mackerel,

C: Tailor, Bonito, Drummer, Trevally, Queenfish,

D: Golden catfish, Shark, Stingray, Australian salmon

F: Barramundi, Carp

A surprise package for all you southern fishers is the Wirra or Old Boot. This is a fish that everyone I fished with threw back. Dont! Properly prepared, I'd put it on the A: line. They eat crab. Any fish that eats crab usually tastes good.

The problem is the slime. It stinks and has an unpleasant copper taste. You have to clean off ALL the slime and theres lots of it.

If you catch a big one, bleed it head and tail. Keep it seperate from your other catch or the slime could taint them. Rinse thoroughly under running water before you fillet. Dont allow any slime to contact the flesh. I also skun mine before filleting. If you're patient and careful you will have A grade fillets.
Crazy .....I'd have Mangrove Jack , Coral Trout , Red Throat , Spanish Mackerel and Whiting in my Top 5 fish

The one I'd rate higher that many don't is stingray ....
 
Wirra were a very common catch off the rocks from Batemans bay to Bermagui where i used to fish. @Rockhoppersteve should know them. A lot of small stuff but the occasional big one. I threw them back for years till one day I caught a big one that coughed up a whole crab. I never looked back. A bit of a pain to clean but worth the fillets.
Yeah mate, I've caught them before but just toss them back, funnily enough most rock cod type fish are reasonable eating they don't call them poor man's lobster for nothing.

Checking out your choice of good eating, Jacks, C Trout and Emporer are renowned great eating but never had so can't comment.

Only fish for Bream, Flathead, Luderick and Drummer.
Drummer for me are great, then Bream followed by the others.

A lot of people underestimate the humble Luderick, but I like them, but then again living up at Caves for 30 years and have caught upwards of 5,000 of them, you get used to the taste lol.
 
Champion @tiger_one I very much agree with the best eating fish being flathead and whiting. I would also include salmon.
Agree UTT but I think there are 2 schools of thought about these recent lists.
One is people who love eating fish but don’t necessarily catch them, whilst the other are those who catch and eat fish.
Must say I’ve learnt a bit about some varieties I’m not familiar with, but interested to try.
 
Crazy .....I'd have Mangrove Jack , Coral Trout , Red Throat , Spanish Mackerel and Whiting in my Top 5 fish

The one I'd rate higher that many don't is stingray ....
The only reason I rate whiting where i do is, I've only caught a few and that was a long time ago so theres probably recency bias. Same goes for stingray. Ive only eaten it once on a camping trip a while back so Its preparation might have been less than optimal. I knew some of the local mob in the NT would cut circles out of the flaps and cook it like scallops. They loved it.
 
The only reason I rate whiting where i do is, I've only caught a few and that was a long time ago so theres probably recency bias. Same goes for stingray. Ive only eaten it once on a camping trip a while back so Its preparation might have been less than optimal.
So it was marinated in a case of beer and washed down with some more ! 🤣
 
So it was marinated in a case of beer and washed down with some more ! 🤣
Beer battered whiting how good mate!

The only reason I rate whiting where i do is, I've only caught a few and that was a long time ago so theres probably recency bias. Same goes for stingray. Ive only eaten it once on a camping trip a while back so Its preparation might have been less than optimal. I knew some of the local mob in the NT would cut circles out of the flaps and cook it like scallops. They loved it.
Gosh I'm not sure I could eat stingray.
 
had some great luck on friday night
went out and caught a
40cm whiting
42cm bream
52cm flathead
and a whopping 77cm mulloway to finish off the night session.
It was just the four fish but we were happy with that haul.
 
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