Reds & all the usuall suspects

[samson]

If you don't like the in possession limit not my problem I guess you can fish nsw and fill the freezer it doesn't apply there but if you put your limit up in trips less than a week apart and they are all quality fish and you have fish in the freezer which was stated by the skipper you run the risk of comments as such like I said good catch no problem with me but it only takes one fillet in the freezer and on your next trip you could be over, if you want to whinge to someone I suggest you talk to fisheries they make the rules not me.

[bannana]

20 years ago I did the same so I am not trying to be nasty about it or make any personal attack. You certainly have a nice catch there and I have no idea of your circumstances. It's just that in 50 years of fishing I have seen a definite severe decline in wild fish stock everywhere and some of these last frontiers like 1770 are now getting hit hard with the modern high tech boats and gear from both pro's and rec alike. I don't wish to single anyone out or expect everyone to feel the same as I do but I just live in hope that commercial fishing can be managed in a sustainable way so that there are some fish left to catch for future generations of rec fishers and that rec fishers can also think about taking only for enough for their personal needs. So it would be nice to think that everyone can fish responsibly and not catch the upper limits just because we can.

I had enough fish in my freezer for my family just lately from a successful day out to last me a couple of months and my mate who just came back from 1770 also had fish to spare so he was kind enough to give me some beyond what he needed and I am guilty of accepting it, so now I have plenty so it will be catch and release and just enjoying the time on the ocean for me for the next few months.
End of rant

What's the difference from someone averaging once a week fishing bringing home 5 fish to another person once every four weeks and keeping 20?

I realise I have fished twice in two weeks and it appears poor form to keep 40 but I have given fish to my family and friends as well as ate our fair share. Usually I fish with guys who may only get away once or twice a year and I always let them take home there 20 before I take any. So if we don't bag out I don't keep my equal share because I get out more often and I like seeing them take home a good feed for there family.

I'm all for a sustainable fishery and green zones.

I was introduced to 1770 a long time ago by a great mate who I still fish with and over the years my opinion is it's as good now as it was before green zones were introduced.
I dont always keep what I catch but once I drive 5.5 hrs either way by car and an hr or two either way by boat contributing $$ towards the local economy I don't leave feeling like I've raped the joint. Your entitled to your option and we both agree on sustainable fisheries so if your not happy with the bag limits or size limits vote GREENS or lobby your local member.
As I said I don't keep more than 20 and I have a family of 5 who love eating fish!!!! Sometimes I go months without dropping a line and there is no way I keep enough fish to last me that long so my wife is a regular at the seafood shop buying Barra.

Your welcome to pop around and look in my freezer you will see fillets bagged and named ready to cook!!

Just had Gold Band tonight.

[samson]

Like I said no dramas with me the Big kill shots will always bring controversy and having a family you won't have drama's with possession limits anyway, and any information people give always helps the punters so kudos for doing so well you look like you know your stuff.

[bannana]

Like I said no dramas with me the Big kill shots will always bring controversy and having a family you won't have drama's with possession limits anyway, and any information people give always helps the punters so kudos for doing so well you look like you know your stuff.

Mate the only reason I posted in the first place was because a few of the boys had been at me for a while to post our catches. I hardly ever let the boys take group photos because it causes shit when sent around in group emails but I do enjoy looking at other guys posts and thought it only fair to start putting a few posts up myself.

I realise you were not having a crack and I take on board your comments especially with the fillets in the freezer you are 100% correct. I make sure those boundary's don't get crossed so usually thats when the mother in-law gets a feed just before i leave.



Cheers mate.

Keith

[part time]

Hey Banana,
Im with soulfish eating fish day and night just to catch more. By they way the Coral Trout was a huge success on the BBQ on Sat night fed all the girls at the wifes tupperware party and had a few left over for fish cakes.....mmm
When is reefer, soulfish, banana and part time going to slay them next

[bannana]

Hey Banana,
Im with soulfish eating fish day and night just to catch more. By they way the Coral Trout was a huge success on the BBQ on Sat night fed all the girls at the wifes tupperware party and had a few left over for fish cakes.....mmm
When is reefer, soulfish, banana and part time going to slay them next

Gaz,

That was the first trout ive ever seen caught after dark and he was a good one. Heard of a few but good to see with our own eyes.

Mate you and Reefer have something in common - new jobs that require 100 hrs a week. Myself and Jason however are just subbies with no work so mid week fishing is doable and as long as Jason gets his boat ready we will be there on the next available good patch of weather. Of couse you guys would be invited but we both know you wont be able to make it due to work commitments.
I think Moejoes has already moved in and taken your spot.

I'll be heading up to 1770 end of June/Early July for a trip in Giddy-Up and as yet no crew so if you want to organize a few days off (flexible due to weather), just let me know and i'll pencil you in.

Keith

[perko]

Great catch mate. Please keep posting, even if its just a few pics and no story. Keeps the jealous ones guessing. Too many great fisherman have stopped posting all because they get slammed for being successful. Its not right, and those people would have no idea of the effort and costs involved in pulling off such trips.

[aus2045]

Great catch mate. Please keep posting, even if its just a few pics and no story. Keeps the jealous ones guessing. Too many great fisherman have stopped posting all because they get slammed for being successful. Its not right, and those people would have no idea of the effort and costs involved in pulling off such trips.

Being successful is great, but perhaps in this day and age where fish stocks are under massive sustained pressure and stocks are disappearing faster than Labor voters, pictures of 1970s style mega-catches do get a few jumping up and down?

By the way nice catch. I could not achieve even one of those reef fish in my lifetime, so congratulations. Just leave one or two for my kids, or their kids. lol

[aus2045]

I think what we have done here is just found a separation between those fishers that fish for fun and recreation (take home a feed or two when they can) and those that fill freezers because they can (share the bounty). Both are right, both are within the laws, both have the right to do as they please. There is just a difference on goals, attitudes and outcomes.

[bannana]

Great catch mate. Please keep posting, even if its just a few pics and no story. Keeps the jealous ones guessing. Too many great fisherman have stopped posting all because they get slammed for being successful. Its not right, and those people would have no idea of the effort and costs involved in pulling off such trips.

Cheers Perko,

Mate your not wrong when it comes to effort or cost. Usually our trips cost $1500 ($375 each) for fuel, bait, tackle, food and of course a few coldies. We travel land and sea approx 1350 kilometres and trips take 3 days including return travel from Bris to 1770 and filleting time.
It's fairly often a crew member or two pulls out at the last minute and then it's a matter of weighing up the costs if its worth it or not if we are unable to gather a crew member to lower costs. Trust me 5 knots and around the new moon its almost worth going on my own but usually someone jumps in at the last minute. A couple of trips ago i took one of my apprentices and he obviously wasn't asked to chip in so i covered for him costing me almost $750 for the trip. I could easily of bought my share of fish at the local seafood shop but thats not why I go.

[perko]

No worries. I did similar trips out of Turkey Beach for 5 years or so and fully appreciate your efforts. Great part of the world up there. Itching to get back into it soon. Post like yours gets me fired up.

[johncar]

I certainly have no bad feeling towards anyone personally here for maxing out on a fishing trip that I know is hard work and quite expensive. I say well done!
Perhaps because I am getting older, it is just becoming apparent to me over the last 20 years that all of us rec fishers just need to think about it and not try and weigh up the inputs and outputs so that we feel we need to catch plenty to make it all worth while. It's putting a $$ value on the fish which is bordering on commercial thinking. I used to do that many years back and wasn't happy until I felt I had paid for my trip in fish and all my trips were planned for maximum return. I bought home silly amounts of fish, like a whole years supply in one catch and it was perfectly legal to do so.
Found out a fishing mate of mine was trading off his share of the fish we caught for return favours from friends and neighbours, so I stopped that because it is bordering on commercial fishing and told him I wouldn't take him if he ever did that again. I certainly have no issues with giving some fish to our family members though, so long as is not being traded for something in return.
Anyway after a big catch I then thought "what now?" don't go fishing for 12 months?? family have plenty of fish, I am not going to give all the fish away and certainly not going to sell it....so I had to change my attitude towards fishing.
No I like getting out there just to be there and wet a line and I always can catch a feed any day and don't care now if two fish cost me $200 or no fish for that matter and I feel better about fishing these days not pressuring myself. I don't have to find deckies to help pay for my trips, I am not a commercial fisher, I do it for recreation and side benefit of a feed on the table.
I am certainly not jealous, I have everything I need to do the same and I was doing this when we only used a compass and crude sounder. There was fish everywhere and my box was most often full in short time. There is not the numbers any more and bag limits or not it is only guesswork and suck it and see type of science that formulates these current limits and they do not equate to sustainable fishing by any means IMHO. It's not rocket science, humans will hunt down every last fish and then ask where did they all go??
1770 not too long ago was a terrible road to get there and only few braved the trip, now it's almost Queen street with all the lastest electronics, good cars and boats that anyone has with a bit of desire can now much more easily access and plunder this and similar natural resources.
I think it may be a lost cause though because so many seem to have the desire and feel the need for reward to get there and max out, it is only human nature I guess. I am just trying to appeal to the good people here on Ausfish as a starting point to try and strike a good balance and continue to enjoy our fishing.
Certainly show your great photos, I very much doubt if we are a bunch of greens on here, it is not envy, jealousy, personal, just realise that it is in fact becoming a scarcer resource that some of us are becoming truly concerned about for the future and may question the need for such quantities. This catch alone is fairly insignificant but there are no doubt hundreds doing this now with these sorts of catches and I hear it everywhere, not just ausfish. Heard of a guy just last week from down Springwood way who by his own admission and a bit of embarrassment deliberately hides his huge catches from the 1770 locals through fear of criticism.

If anyone really thinks it is OK and our right to take as much as we can, go ahead, that is your legal right, but nobody should be getting defensive firing any bullets at other rec fishers who are trying to take or promote a more conservative approach to fishing, I assure you that our plan is not to stop people enjoying fishing and putting a nice feed on the table, but the exact opposite.

So I never said anyone is doing anything wrong, or whinged about anything, I just made an observation and comment that it was a big rec catch which should be a fair comment looking at such a photo..Didn't foresee anyone would be a bit sensitive about what i said. The problem with forums I guess when we don't really know each other and where we are coming from.