Stocking Tarpies/ox eyes?

[Quinny69]

Has anyone heared anything on Tarpon being stocked in to the local SEQ Dams, or is this just a rumor? Sounds like a good idea to me, If they grew at the same rate as the other stillwater fishes they would be awsome fun. Matt Q

[lordy]

I think its just a rumour. I might be wrong but they are not able to breed them as far as I know. Something to do with not being able to get the conditions the way they like them. Fitzy would now more.

[Voltzy]

quinny, i could be wrong but i think i read somewhere that Tarpons, bones, GH's, milkies all belong to an ancient class of fishes and all breed in roughly similar ways in that they all have a very long, planktonic larval stage. Their young apppear as small eel like creatures- sort of like those whitebaits that kiwis make fish cakes out of. all except the bones are catadromous. Anyway, i think it would be pretty difficult to facilitate large scale production of such fishes.

Anyway, like i said, I'm not too sure about those facts so it might pay to check them. Hope that helps.

[Fitzy]

The work I have is that they're too hard to breed. Not impossible tho. They've bred a small amount of their bigger cousins in the US. Can't see them being a prospect in Oz for some time.
THey was alot in Big W when it filled up. Apparent captures of 5kg horses until the first floods in 83 & then 85 & they all went thru the folld gates, same with the 20 pound mullet that folks were using pitch forks to catch.

Would be good, but highly unlikely for some time if ever.

Fitzy..

[Randall]

Now Jack, Bigeyes and Barra are a whole different proposition though!!!

These can be stocked, its just the seat warmers who are against it. And some northern anglers who dont want the tourist dollars to stay down in the SE corner!!

Most stocking group members are ready to go with it but thier hands are tied!!

DAM !!!!

Randall.

[Rosso]

Heh. I haven't yet caught a ox eyes but yeah it would be cool for them to be stocked (for what i hear they are awesome fish to catch)

Where is the best place to catch them around Brissy anyway?

Regards

R

[Jewmaster]

Come to the nt and take as many as you can carry, horrible bony buggers, catch them by the thousands up here, I have some photos that I will scan of literally hundreds of tarpon popping the surface in a small stretch of river. They fill every drain creek and patch of water up here, drains that run for 3 months in the wet end up holding huge numbers of these fish, maybe our watereays have the perfect breeding condition, but they appear to breed like rabitts up here.

The largest I have ever seen caught is in the saltwater, never caught a large one in the fresh water.

My grandma calls them bony bream and recomends boiing them in water with a rock, when the rock is soft eat the rock becuase its about as much use. Joke.

RE : Proctecting the tourist industry up north, no fear mate, stock your ponds as much as you like, the fish will never perform like the ones from the wild, there will alwas be a market for catching wild barra becuase the ones from the swamps don't fight as hard and some people say they don't taste as good.

[lordy]

RE : Proctecting the tourist industry up north, no fear mate, stock your ponds as much as you like, the fish will never perform like the ones from the wild, there will alwas be a market for catching wild barra becuase the ones from the swamps don't fight as hard and some people say they don't taste as good.

Thats what a lot of people have yet to understand. They see Barra in SEQ as a death nell for NQ fishing tourism. Some of them have it ass backwards. Yes it will take a degree of business from NQ but it will also create new barra anglers. I don't mind dam fishing but I'd rather fish rivers for wild fish. Once people get into fishing for the smaller SEQ barra, its only a matter of time before they want to go north after the big ones or wild ones.

[Quinny69]

Dam fishing and river (wild) fishin are2 DIFFERENT BALL GAMES. As for wild ones not peforming as much as a stillwater ones thats NTanti dam Bullship. Ive caught them from creeks (where they are in plauge proportions ,,,,,At times) and from a small inpoundment where they stocked themselves,, the BIG Fussy still water ones freakin smoke mate,,,,, very very tough fish. Matt Quinn

[Randall]

Dam fishing and river (wild) fishin are2 DIFFERENT BALL GAMES. As for wild ones not peforming as much as a stillwater ones thats NTanti dam Bullship. Ive caught them from creeks (where they are in plauge proportions ,,,,,At times) and from a small inpoundment where they stocked themselves,, the BIG Fussy still water ones freakin smoke mate,,,,, very very tough fish. Matt Quinn

YEAH BABY!!!! Know where your commin from there buddy.
Look at the Faust Barra....put them neanderthols against wild barra the same length and the bulked up impoundment barra would pull twice as hard. Hit 3 times as aggressively.
Randall.

[Manson]

Haven't fished Faust yet but fish Temmburra abit and youse forgot that with all the timber as well as the size you will get done quicker than any river Barra.

[Jewmaster]

I fish a freshwater river in Darwin, The fish that live in the fresh are slow and lazy, and come to the boat without any struggle and no jumping or anything, when the salt water fish move throught to breed there is big difference, they pound the lure and peel line out at high speed, It is a very different type of fishing from catching "SWAMP DOGS: to catching the saltwater fish, I love catching both and I support fish stocking and stocking DAMS but the fresh water and salt water fish behave very differently (In Darwin At Least)

SO Im not a NT ANTI DAM BULLSHIPPER, but can appreciate the differnce in the fight of the fish from fresh water to salt water, And the difference in the fighting abilty of the fish is a PLUS to your cause for stocking your ponds as mentioned earlier, It will breed new barra fishos and promote tourism.

[Muzzy]

no need jewwie mate them blokes will swear black and blue that a fresh water fish fights harder if not as much...

some do but most dont. Like some salt ones over 70 give in the towle right away and then the little fellas from corrobree fisght all the way in and keep jumping.

Fish is fish and anglers are all full of poo tis simple.

But I have caught a barra lake bennet (stocked freshwater dam fish) it went 70cm fought like a sleepycod but was fat and heavy, weather that translates to a heavy fight in qld I dont know.

But I would bet a weeks wages one of those big suckers from the wharf would pull a tinn-a-who barra inside out my opinion only not saying they are wrong just what my idea and interpritation of a good hard fight not just a heavy one.

but hey us boys up north are just jellious arent we?

as for poons they are like carp this way, I call em tampons slippery slimmy and ya dont want to pick one up...

[Randall]

Muzz, get yourself over here to Faust and you will see what we are a talkin bout mate!!!

Its hard to imagine just how aggressive these fish are.

We would dearly love to see a SE Qld impoundment stocked with these deals!!

Randall. (Fished with Muzz and saw crocs up close fella!!!)

[Muzzy]

thinking about a plan thingie sorta now mate...

I so much want to catch one, just so you blokes can say "see I told you they were hot ya big... (fill in the blank)"

Me wants to sooner than latter, needs a holiday.

I hope they do pull ike that, wish they all did mullet the lot...