New PB for new reel

[alleycat]

Got a new pb today with a fish of 59cm, nailed him on a 4 inch berkley swimming mullet with my new reel, a diawa 1500 excellor with 8lb crystal fireline, this reel is top value for money, oh and the bay was just perfect on dawn but there wasnt many fish about!!, lots of trawlers though.

[sharkbaithoohaha]

Nice way to break in the new reel Alleycat.Nice eating size.Where abouts were the trawlers working if I may ask??

[alleycat]

Hi mate, the trawlers seem to hammer the area from mud south to near peel.

[Tinn]

Excellent catch for your new reel what side of mud did you get him?

[sharkbaithoohaha]

Cheers Alleycat.There's obviously a few prawns about out there.

[frankgrimes]

Got a new pb today with a fish of 59cm, nailed him on a 4 inch berkley swimming mullet with my new reel, a diawa 1500 excellor with 8lb crystal fireline, this reel is top value for money, oh and the bay was just perfect on dawn but there wasnt many fish about!!, lots of trawlers though.

Nice work mate - Got an exceller 4000 and agree....excellent reel for the price.

[Aquarius]

Nice fish there alleycat.
I was out at Wello last night and saw about 6 trawlers working in close to the reef.
After prawns for sure but i wonder how many other fish get caught in those nets?
Couldn't even get a small squire last night.
I THINK I KNOW WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cheers Brent

[Scalem]

Patience and perseverence, which you have had both over the last few months Alleycat, so well done on your new PB.;)

I'll give it till July before you top it again, what's your next goal? 60cm+??? You should have measured this one BEFORE you put him on the ice, it may have been 10mm longer!!;D ;D

Scalem

[alleycat]

;D ;D
Patience and perseverence, which you have had both over the last few months Alleycat, so well done on your new PB.;)

I'll give it till July before you top it again, what's your next goal? 60cm+??? You should have measured this one BEFORE you put him on the ice, it may have been 10mm longer!!;D ;D

Scalem


Scalem scalem scalem!! get with the programe mate!! you measure the big ones "BEFORE" you release them!! and the next goal is 70cm for sure, and my point is this!!! you get a 60 cm snapper and kill it and fillet it and cut out the ribcage and just how much fish are you left with? and is it worth killing that fish to get it?, i love eating fish and will happily pay the 5 bucks to buy the stuff with crumbs on it or keep a few from 40-50 cm, let the big fellas go boys so they can breed and maybe one day give another fisho the fight of his life.;D ;D 8-)

[T1]

Nice work ALLEYCAT!

Personally, i don't think there's anything wrong with keeping fish within the legal parameters that exist! I don't buy fish in shops (unless extremely desperate for a feed when out...) so to me it's either fresh fish or nothing!

Take Care T

[Aquarius]

I have to agree with alleycat on letting the bigger breeders go to sustain the snapper population for future generations to enjoy.
I'm not against taking your 1st trophy fish but i have decided any snapper i catch over 60cms is going back after a quick photo.
There will be exceptions to this rule like if the fish is gut hooked or for some other reason not able to be released.
Cheers Brent

[mickstar001]

Well done alleycat have to be happy with that well done!!

Mickstar

[JB]

i have decided any snapper i catch over 60cms is going back after a quick photo.

Cheers Brent

Your kidding , fair dinkum .. i'd have it in the esky before ya could blink.

[shin25]

great fish there mate would haave been fun on the 1500
gotta love that cyrstal

[marty+jojo]

I love snapper, so for me it is catch and kill- or kill and grille- or even kill it and fillet it. It is allways good to have a fresh feed of snapper, it never gets wasted and with all the
$$$$ i have spent on my boat and fishing gear i feel there is nothing wrong with taking a feed home.
Marty.

[alleycat]

I love snapper, so for me it is catch and kill- or kill and grille- or even kill it and fillet it. It is allways good to have a fresh feed of snapper, it never gets wasted and with all the
$$$$ i have spent on my boat and fishing gear i feel there is nothing wrong with taking a feed home.
Marty.

True marty true, many people pay heaps for golfing gear but dont eat the ball, its all up to the individual, im just hoping i can turn more to releasing bigger breeders.

[T1]

Hi All

Just wondering whether in theory we are actually doing the fish stocks a favour by releasing the bigger ones that are nearing the end of their lives as opposed to taking all the 40-60cm fish that don't get the chance to grow bigger to breed? If we take all these, what will eventually replace the bigger breeders? Maybe we should be releasing the smaller fish and taking the bigger ones would perhaps be more beneficial to stocks long term? Something to ponder....

Take Care T

[Aquarius]

T1 you may be right there but ive always been told the bigger female snapper should be returned to the water to breed.
I would like to know if your theory is correct so maybe further investigation from the DPI could resolve this matter.
I will make a phone call in the morning.
Cheers Brent

[Aquarius]

Hi guys just done some research of my own and found this article i would like to share with you all.

Pink snapper live long but are slow growing.
In the inner gulfs they take four to five years to reach sexual maturity, but can grow to very large sizes, reaching over one metre in length and 10kg in weight.
Fish of this size are likely to be more than 30 years old and lay over a million eggs per year.
By the time they reach five years old and 50cms in length, over 90% of the fish will have spawned at least once.
However as they grow larger females generally produce many more eggs each year, and become an increasingly valuable part of the breeding stock.

Cheers Brent

[Scalem]

Hi guys just done some research of my own and found this article i would like to share with you all.

Pink snapper live long but are slow growing.
In the inner gulfs they take four to five years to reach sexual maturity, but can grow to very large sizes, reaching over one metre in length and 10kg in weight.
Fish of this size are likely to be more than 30 years old and lay over a million eggs per year.
By the time they reach five years old and 50cms in length, over 90% of the fish will have spawned at least once.
However as they grow larger females generally produce many more eggs each year, and become an increasingly valuable part of the breeding stock.

Cheers Brent

I agree Brent,

No dispute. The bigger the fish, the more eggs they can produce.

Scalem

[Tinn]

Guys until we all start bagging out on 10kg plus fish there is nothing wrong with keeping the big ones if you think of how many big snapper actually get caught in year in the bay it ain't that many. Anyhow most fish of that size will bust off the majority of fisherpersons. So in saying this I would have to agree with T1. I think up the size to 50cm so we can all have some fun trying to catch the big stuff. As Aquarius said 50cm fish have spawned so this will increase the fish numbers.

I don't believe that the bays squire population is how it is due to just the big snappers breeding because there ain't that many around anymore and there are still plenty of fish being caught

[T1]

Pagrus auratus

PIRSA FISHERIES

Life cycle
As the juvenile snapper get older, there is a tendency to move deeper into gulf and offshore waters. They will usually remain in these waters until they reach 12 to 13 years of age, and then return to inshore waters for the remainder of their lives.
Snapper in South Australian waters will spawn between late October and early March, with most snapper in the gulf waters reaching sexual maturity when they reach 28cm in length. Snapper are also known as serial spawners, meaning that they will spawn repeatedly during the breeding season.
Snapper reach the minimum length of 38cm at approximately 6 years of age. They can reportedly live up to 35 years, with 22-year-old fish common in our waters.
The legal minimum length of snapper, as with all species, is set so that most fish will have the best opportunity possible of reaching sexual maturity. This will ensure that snapper will continue to replenish its stock, allowing adequate access for all fishers.


DPI QLD FISHERIES

Description
Snapper grow to at least 130cm (19.5kg). These fish live for around 14 or 15 years and are sexually mature at 3 years of age. Adult snapper are bright pink, merging to silver over the belly, or they may be red-brown with pink-flushed fins. Young fish are called squire and are distinct from adults in having bright blue spots scattered over the upper sides of their bodies, and the lack of a hump over the nape. As fish grow the blue spots fade, the snout becomes more bulbous and a hump forms over the nape.

VIC FISHERIES

DID YOU KNOW: Data from studies carried out by the Central Ageing Facility at the Marine and Freshwater Resources Institute, Queenscliff, show the age structure of snapper as follows:
1 year - 12-25cm, average 16cm
2 years - 15-25cm, average 21cm
3 years - 25-36cm, average 28cm
27cm - Minimum Legal Size
4 years - 29-44cm, average 35cm
5 years - 32-44cm, average 37cm
6 years - 27-47cm, average 42cm
7 years - 33-56cm, average 49cm
8 years - 46-63cm, average 54cm
10 years - 46-66cm, average 57cm
12 years - 52-71cm, average 61cm
14 years - 57-72cm, average 63cm
16 years - 59-80cm, average 68cm
18 years - 69-71cm, average 70cm
20-years - 72cm
24-years - 75cm


NSW FISHERIES

The spawning period of snapper varies with latitude but appears to occur when surface water temperatures exceed 18° C. Snapper from the Sydney region spawn in spring and early summer. Snapper are serial spawners and depending on the size and age of the female, they can produce up to six million eggs each season.

Take Care T

[Aquarius]

Some interesting info there T1.
I contacted the DPI this morning and they gave me a phone number of a marine biologist here in Brisbane.
He's not available to talk to me today but i will phone him again tomorrow.
I HAVE A FEW TRICKY QUESTIONS TO ASK HIM.
Cheers Brent

[Tinn]

Thats all the info we need thanks T1

[Aquarius]

Hi Guys i was just on the phone talking to a Brisbane marine biologist about big snapper.
From what he has told me it seems the best thing we can do is return the big breeding snapper to the water between mid winter and early spring.
This is when they spawn here in S/E Qld.
The big breeding females produce millions of eggs each year and this continues throughout there life cycle but decreases when they get close to the end.
He said that there has been talk about spawning time closures and maximum size.
Cheers Brent

[Tinn]

Some good info there Brent. Maximium size sounds like a good idea. Probably will happen just like the flathead did.

[alleycat]

Hi Guys i was just on the phone talking to a Brisbane marine biologist about big snapper.
From what he has told me it seems the best thing we can do is return the big breeding snapper to the water between mid winter and early spring.
This is when they spawn here in S/E Qld.
The big breeding females produce millions of eggs each year and this continues throughout there life cycle but decreases when they get close to the end.
He said that there has been talk about spawning time closures and maximum size.
Cheers Brent


Can i give an opinion?, some fishos do very well catching snapper in the bay! recently i was lucky to catch 60 legal snapper in 5 trips and i stop fishing at 8am, these fish are slow growing and there is lots of us chasing them and lets face it the fillet recovery is pretty poor on a weight basis, what im saying is fish light and get the most out of your sport and put some back.