What on earth is this?

[wrip109]

Caught this while fishing for bass in Brisbane river. It took a soft plastic on a spinner and took me ages to land it as it put up a great fight.

It was over 45 cms long. Beautiful looking fish but when I tried to fillet it the flesh was sort of mushy (for want of a better word)

I asked people at the boat ramp and we all came up with a list of what it was not - rather than what it is...

[snapperbasher]

It's a tarpon mate.

full of bones and not real good to eat. Great sport fish though

[wrip109]

Wow! my first tarpon...

I thought this was big but looking on Google they can grow bigger than my yak :)

[snapperbasher]

That's a fairly good size one for Australia though mate....they get huge over in the states but rarely see them over 60cm here.

[wrip109]

2 kilo vanish on an ugly-stik. Towed me all over the place :)

[wayno60]

To me it looks like a herring.....a very good size one..

This is a tarpon

[snapperbasher]

Definitely a Tarpon Wayneo just not a good photo.... I'm guessing he has taken the photo when he got home and the fins and tail have split....and its a bit tattered yours is fresh out of the water...

[wrip109]

Yes, I took the photo when I got home. Once you said "tarpon" I Googled it and you are correct. The give away seems to be the tail on the fin in my hand.

I caught no bass but this made up for it. First one is always good.

Amazing what comes out of the Brissy river

[wrip109]

Here is a couple more...

[astro66]

dam looks like a herring....tarpon have slightly different tail...dorsal fin...anal fins ....body shape....tarpon scales don't come off like herring scales ....

I got a few tarpon last weekend ...all in the 50/60cm range

[Si]

Caught this while fishing for bass in Brisbane river. It took a soft plastic on a spinner and took me ages to land it as it put up a great fight.

It was over 45 cms long. Beautiful looking fish but when I tried to fillet it the flesh was sort of mushy (for want of a better word)

I asked people at the boat ramp and we all came up with a list of what it was not - rather than what it is... check this out wrip. they can grow quite big. this one is still only a little one.

[snapperbasher]

The giveaway is the filament on the dorsal fin as Wrip has said. 100% Tarpon http://www.fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/family/33#summary

[snapperbasher]

check this out wrip. they can grow quite big. this one is still only a little one.
Is there a fish in that photo??? :-)

[wrip109]

She can come into my Kayak but there would be no room for the fish

[wrip109]

dam looks like a herring....tarpon have slightly different tail...dorsal fin...anal fins ....body shape....tarpon scales don't come off like herring scales ....

I got a few tarpon last weekend ...all in the 50/60cm range

That one looks evil - check its eyes

[wrip109]

Funny on the boat ramp. Guesses included:
Saratoga
Mullet
Tailor
Jew
And many others - Nobody said tarpon

Not sure how long it was. I have marked 0 to 45 cms on my yak and this was past the end marker by a couple of inches. Had to use my landing net because the gripper in its mouth was useless.

I was looking forward to a good tea but now it will be shark bait

[astro66]

there must be a few different varients of the fish...what I call tarpon are the same as the fish in waynos pics....no thread off the the cordal fin....scales don't come off in your hands ....huge tail ....longer body
I thought the others were a herring....well they are all related ... mmmmmmm

Mine have been taking zerek live prawns...but watch when they hit the lure....I have been getting them at night at the turn of the tide and running the line through my fingers to feel the hits in the dark but I have some nice cuts to show for it lol they hit that hard.....

[snapperbasher]

Where have you been getting yours Astro?

[wayno60]

im open to correction but where the filament on the dorsal fin on my tarpon???

[snapperbasher]

Lying down against the body Wayne...can't really see it when they are wet fresh out of the water because it sticks to the body....

[wayno60]

there ya go,,,,

[Apollo]

They are a bucket load of fun on silly string and even better on fly. Probably only land one in two or three.

[aussiebasser]

Tarpon, also known as Ox-eye Herring.

[Aussie123]

It looks a bit like a boney bream

[snapperbasher]

I'm going to say I'm quiet shocked at this thread....quiet an easy fish to identify.... I'm extremely surprised by the answers you got at the ramp Wrip.... I can understand people not knowing it was a Tarpon but to name those other fish as a possibility goes to show people's lack of knowledge of the fish in the area they are fishing.... Goes to show why people get caught out with having wrong species of fish.....

[Horse]

I don't do the freshwater scene but It looks more like a Boney Bream than the Tarpon I have caught. I have never heard of one at that size though
99083

[snapperbasher]

Have a look at the photos in post #9 there is really no other fish with the same mouth arrangement as that except a Tarpon.

[scorpo92]

Definitely a tarpon. Caught hundreds in the fresh abd salt in darwin up to 70cm

[Triple]

I can't believe this thread has gone on this long and no one has said it...

[Daintreeboy]

Why whatever would you be talking about triple? He he he....

[Triple]

I won't say anything, I will leave that up to Captain Picard...

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/5977/ikf0.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/18/ikf0.jpg/)

[kingcray]

where are the ausfish fish id police in this thread? or did i miss it somewhere ..

[snapperbasher]

Definitely a tarpon. Caught hundreds in the fresh abd salt in darwin up to 70cm

Thankyou scorpo92!!

I can't believe some of the possible ID's we have come up with here.....

[scorpo92]

Make good livebait for everything from barra to sailfish. Haha

[snapperbasher]

Yeah I will be chasing them for troll baits for spaniards... They swim well!

[cobiaman]

I can't believe this thread has gone on this long and no one has said it...

I cant believe you were so slow onto it....

[morphias]

Nice catch! :) The fight like a raging bull and most throw the hooks.

The question has to be asked though, if you had no idea what the fish was, why did you keep it? Without being able to identify it, you had no idea what the legal size limit was, whether or not it was a 'no take' species or if it had a closed season curfew in effect.

Ben.

[wrip109]

When I asked what it was from various people it was still alive and in my keep net. I was just trying to make sure it was legal and edible. I am not saying what I thought it was because now I will look stupid. It met all the legal requirements for the species I thought it was but then when I looked it up on the Internet I found that I was wrong and by then it was dead.

I caught four more of them this morning and the last one was attacked by a shark just as it reached my kayak. The shark missed...

[rabbi]

Is there a fish in that photo??? :-)
Fish,what fish???

[tunaticer]

Only good for crab or troll baits......I can not see why this thread went so long.
Tarpon are a nothing fish, not overly difficult to catch using the right lures, they waste a great deal of time when the show at your target area after something decent and they are stupid enough to let themselves get recaught again within minutes.

[wrip109]

You just made it longer :)

But, you are right - even the shark was not really very interested...