What were they?

[yellowbeard]

Fishing on Mungo Beach (Port Stephens) yesterday on a flat surf -- and nothing on the bite. Three dolphins came in so close to the shore for a fish that you could almost touch them -- and couldn't cast out until they left. Some minutes later the water boiled and the most surreal sight as schools of huge fish began jumping out of the boiling frenzy. Huge, meaning bigger than a metre long and with fat bodies. The bloke fishing next to me said they were salmon, but I've never seen salmon that big or even that shape. A quick check on the ol' Google this morning could only match their likenesses to Blue Fin Tuna. Could this be so? If so, what were they chasing? Or were they being chased?

[tailorboi99]

The were probably Tuna being chased by the Dolphins, that is my thought anyway. Were there any just chopping bait on the surface or were they all jumping?

Thanks Tom

[LBGaddict]

Dolphins wont chase longtails, but the dolphins probably balled a school of bait up and the longies just got into them. When feeding longtails spend more time out of the water than in. This time of year though they could be stud salmon, theyre usually around the 80cm mark and a similar profile to a tuna, fat little suckers. The sharks shadow both bluefin and salmon, which is probably what chased them if they were jumping as an evasive tactic

[Mexikan]

Its amazing what goes on under water its all big fish eat little fish down there.Get your hands on the BBC Blue planet series and you can see tuna etc herding up the baitfish and then the likes of sharks,dolphins and marlin moving in for a feed.

[sleepygreg]

My money would be on horse aussie salmon (kahawai)....though it seems a bit early for them to be that far north. Not likely to be longtail....also a bit early ...but not out of the question. Match the hatch with a metal slug and you should be able to pin one to find out. Could also be a school of mack tuna in close.....have caught some huge macks at port stephens at this time of the year.

Greg

[thelump]

Definately salmon at this time of the year. They get big too. Some upwards of 4kg. Good fun to catch.

[yellowbeard]

Well, I photo-matched some of the suggestions here with Google images, trying to remember exactly what these critters looked like -- other than an almost cartoon- like appearance as they kind of clumblsily leapt out of the water. The boiling wasn't coming from them but from the baitfish, which I can't remember seeing (but the brain plays funny tricks -- like bad 60s acid). I remember thinking if I hook one of these with my Kokoda Rodger lure (haw haw) that I had absolutely no chance of holding it on 10lb line.
But the best match was in fact the Longtail Tuna. I would be pretty confident due to the almost eliptical shape that they weren't salmon -- but wouldn't put my house on it.

[yellowbeard]

...well they do like kind of look like a cartoon-type fish!

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x189/boatbogged/Longtail.jpg