Catfish on the rise in the bay?

[acronin]

Headed out to Mud Island last Sunday before sunrise with thoughts of big snapper on the mind.

Arrived at the Eastern side of mud just as the sky started to lighten. First lines in the water not long after - I'm a bait man so a mullet strip on one rod, little diver whiting on the other/ A few more casts later and my first (just) legal squire in the boat. Kept it as my wife and I are the only ones to eat the fish at home, and the smaller squire suit us.

Was some time and a lot of returned undersize squire later that I hooked onto something good. Something really good. Or so I thought.

Came to the boat pretty easy but once it saw the boat it started to run hard. I'm only fishing 10lb line, so I'm letting run, playing it, letting it run, playing it. BUT theres no characteristic snapper head bumps. I'm starting to wonder if its a snapper - maybe a big cod the way its running. Finally get it near the boat and get a look and its a huge catfish. 80 cm +. Oh well, got these before - usually one a session and that's it.... Well that didn't turn out to be the case. Followed up for the rest of the day with another six catfish, all around the same size.

Which brings me to a question for everyone - is it usually to see such a concentration of catties out the bay? Or particularly near Mud Island? I've got the occasional one before, but not seven in a session. Does anyone else get heaps of catties out the bay? Is it a seasonal thing (I've only been fishing the bay for about 18 months)?

Caught another legal squire and a decent moses perch before heading home mid morning.

Not a bad day out, though hoping we don't get onto those catties again next time.

[Sandman]

Not unusual at all in fact I was wandering if they had disappeared but obviously they haven't .

[Rainbowrunner]

seasonal along with those darned big green sea toads

[manta man]

MMM... Commonly sold in shops as BASA. But they are good Mud Crab Bait.

[banksmister]

MMM... Commonly sold in shops as BASA. But they are good Mud Crab Bait.

Or Pacific dory.

[Fish_gutz]

big catties will turn up all over the place in summer. curtain , neilson , four beacons and mud and more than likely the southern spots in the bay.

[solemandownunder]

Got a couple at Green last week......cleaned and into the freezer....crab bait fer ME 8-)

[timddo]

I heard it from a friend that if you fillet it and soak it in milk. It taste better then snapper.

[hungry6]

I heard it from a friend that if you fillet it and soak it in milk. It taste better then snapper.


You are definitely sure he is a friend?

[Scalem]

Kudos to you for catching a legal snap on bait at Mud. I changed to plastics more than 10 years ago and one of the biggest reasons I could only catch catfish at Mud and it used to drive me insane. So yes, Catties are normal there.

Scalem

[Shark Poker]

A couple years ago there were heaps of big catfish in Manly Marina.
One school had around 30 plus. All 60cm or over.

I don't like them. Can anyone report anything good about catfish??

Pauly

[PeterKroll]

That's great info, Scalem.

Timdoo, I have heard that, but related mainly to the ell-tailed jewies in fresh water. It didn't work all that well. Tasted just like... well, basa.

[timddo]

You are definitely sure he is a friend?

Well
It's a mate of a mate of a mate who has a sister .

[acronin]

Well the answer to the question of whether catfish are a regular catch out the bay is a resounding YES it seems. I've been getting a few to date but not the numbers I got last weekend. Normally I use fresh, not frozen bait so maybe this was a part of the reason why I got the catties. I was fishing no sinker at the time so found it quite surprising they would rise off the bottom to a bait.

Have been very surprised over the last 12 months how well Mud actually fishes, even on bait. Been getting quite a few legal snapper over that time and even a PB at 76cm. Certainly enough to keep me believing in bait, though if these catties keep up I might need to reconsider plastics :-).

[Westytoo]

Acronin, read Grants guide to fishes about the eating characteristics of catfish from moreton bay, it surprised me what it said, although I have never actually eaten one. We used to get them in crab dillies when we were allowed to use them when crabbing in the bay.

[acronin]

Thanks Westytoo I'll look it up. The catfish I used to get up North look and smell pretty ordinary, but the ones I've been getting out the bay almost look clean and at a stretch might even be OK. I suppose its just getting past the fact they are catties. I know the freshwater fisherman really rate the eel-tailed catfish for eating so I suppose the saltwater ones from clean open water may be OK too.

Will give one a go when I next go if no other fish gets landed.

Cheers

[Bazzawookooka]

Acronin, read Grants guide to fishes about the eating characteristics of catfish from moreton bay, it surprised me what it said, although I have never actually eaten one. We used to get them in crab dillies when we were allowed to use them when crabbing in the bay.

If it please the court, I enter Exhibit A ...

[Damned67]

I can't believe that I'm admitting to this, but I have eaten Moreton Bay caught Catfish.
I caught a big one over on Moreton during a camping trip a few months ago. I joked that if we didn't catch anything better, we were having Catfish for dinner.
Well, we didn't catch anything better (the drinking may have been partly responsible?).
I fried a few small chunks for us to taste.
One guy loved it. He said it was some of the best fish he'd ever eaten. I don't trust him anymore.
Actually the taste wasn't the problem, it had no real taste, it was the texture. It was akin to eating flavourless chicken. (Maybe if it was soaked in milk, the flesh may have been softer?)
However, I tossed it in the camp oven with a bunch of other stuff, in an attempt to make a random, drunken, fish stew.
What came out was not unlike a seafood paella, and was actually sen-bloody-sational (maybe the drinking, again?).
If I caught nothing better, and was going to starve otherwise, I would eat Catfish from the Bay again. Or turn it into another stew.....

[Nslfishing]

Hmmm... Catfish stew. Delicious? They say don't knock it till you try it but.... It's catfish. I wonder how a toadfish would go? Hmmmm nah

[duncan333]

Just counted over 50 catfish this morning in Manly marina. The smallest were over 70cm. Just slowly swimming around in schools of 6-20+ in the shallows.

Duncan

[snapperbasher]

Yep saw some down there (Manly Harbour) a week or two ago!...they were there last year also.....couldn't work out what they were for a while could just see the big forked tail.....I actually thought for a bit they were threadies until I got a better look!

[duncan333]

I had the same thought (Threadies), My heart skipped a beat or two, till I realised what there were. Still, quite impressive. I'm wondering if it may relate to spawing.

[sharkymark2]

Went fishing over at Macleay on Tuesday and thought it was a 70cm snapper sans the head shakes and after a while longer :) thought it might be a cod :) :) . Turns out to be a 80cm+ catfish followed by 5 brothers and sisters. Never have caught so many catties. Used lures as well and hooked up 4 times but got 1 42cm into the boat the others were only holding on to the tails except for 1 that bit my lure off with 6lb fluro.

[Hossfish]

Yep.

We tried them in a curry. Fairly awful but you could survive on them if you had to.

Safe boating to all.

Cheers Greg

[sharkymark2]

Sorry forgot to mention that the lure caught fish were Squire. Still can't get myself to call them Snapper :).

[snapperbasher]

'You can live on it.... But it tastes like shit'....:-)

[timddo]

'You can live on it.... But it tastes like shit'....:-)

That's what you feed the mil's and dil's and promote as snapper.

[Wax_head]

I've been catching them in the Mooloolah river up the back waters on me kayak. The area looks great for Jacks, big rocks and ledges but the catfish are there. They take off on the 6lb braid and your hopes are up for a Jack but as soon as you see the silver you know what they are. I remember as a young fella using them for crab pot bait up in the Fitzroy river and getting heaps of crabs. 22 in one session with my Pop. Haven't had much luck down here with crabs as you need to sit on top of the pots to many share farmers.

[Cheech]

I don't know if I could get past the slime to actually fillet one.

[sharkymark2]

Went to same spot that I got all the catties at Macleay last night and never caught any catties at all.

[acronin]

Went out to Mud on Sunday early again. Same spot. No catfish this time (thank god) but two keeper squire (38 and 42 cm) and two legal moses perch. Hopefully the catties are gone. Or at very least, gone quiet. :-)

[bazza65]

We fished off Woody Point on Saturday and caught four catfish. Got them all within five minutes then nothing for another hour.

[acronin]

Well two years later almost to the day, and another repeat performance of those catfish. Caught about 10 at Mud Island on the weekend. On fresh bait, old bait, live bait. They were just everywhers and on everything.And not just the Eastern side - also got them in the Northern side near the yellow beacon as well.

Must be a seasonal thing - I wil be marking October as a high risk month for catties thats for sure. Some really big ones amongst them pushing close to a metre as well - certainly gets the blood pumping at first. But once you notice the lack of the characteristic snapper head shake you pretty well know what it is. After the fourth or fifth one you do at least :-).

Oh well, maybe will try again in a few weeks time to see if they've gone. Anyone else see heaps of catties out the bay in recent weeks?

[ben_460]

Well two years later almost to the day, and another repeat performance of those catfish. Caught about 10 at Mud Island on the weekend. On fresh bait, old bait, live bait. They were just everywhers and on everything.And not just the Eastern side - also got them in the Northern side near the yellow beacon as well.

Must be a seasonal thing - I wil be marking October as a high risk month for catties thats for sure. Some really big ones amongst them pushing close to a metre as well - certainly gets the blood pumping at first. But once you notice the lack of the characteristic snapper head shake you pretty well know what it is. After the fourth or fifth one you do at least :-).

Oh well, maybe will try again in a few weeks time to see if they've gone. Anyone else see heaps of catties out the bay in recent weeks?


i got one at mud over xmas on a floater mullet fillet that was huge, close to 1m. Made the mistake of pulling him in the boat to de hook him. the smell was insane. Had us both dry reaching ha ha. Went hard too, didn't know what I had until it surfaced