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[Jethro]

I would be suprised if anyone could honestly tell me that they enjoyed the taste of a flathead over 80cm long.

50019[/snapback]

I took an 83cm fish home a couple of months ago and was very impressed with how it ate. All I have ever heard is how dry and tasteless it but it was great.

I normally release all my larger flatties over 70cm or so. Just a personal choice.

If someone wants to keep ANY fish and it is legal to do so none of us have the right to condemn them. If you are not happy with the laws do something about changing them rather than take it out on someone who has done nothing wrong (not aimed at anyone just a general comment )

[bombora]

Personally I let go anything over 60; particularly in an enclosed environment like Narra lake or the goon. Figure, even if its legal, that they need all the help they can get.

However I wonder how many fishos who release big flatties don't even consider whether they should even be fishing for em during their breeding season. More and more evidense that released fish won't/can't spawn afterwards. Already well known in bass circles. And I also understand big flatties are very easily stressed generally by handling, even if its out of breeding season, so I wonder how many dedicated release fishos spend too much time taking pics. I scored an 82cm mumma from Narra lake last year and really really wanted a pic, but she hit a Slider crappie grub on no 4 hooked jighead on 4lb leader aimed at bream in two foot of water and took some time landing. Fish was knackered and figured she didn't need an extra couple of minutes out of the water for happy snaps. Still wish I had a pic, but memory will have to do. cheers Bombie (ps slot limits are the go! Science on its side, but just as importantly, soon enough people will get into the frame of mind that "let the big ones go" is better than the old "let the little ones go"")

[jewnut]

sorry, posted the following in the reports section and just saw this thread...my bad.

guys, neither myself or the others never intended attacking moonlight or anybody for that matter, as i said its a nice fish and i dont think badly of anybody keeping anything of any size within the rules, i love eating fish and keep my share for the table as well. no one was abused or attacked, merely an opinion raised for a good purpose. as i said in my post i have kept a flattie of that size so im not professing to being a saint myself. i still reckon they taste like crap at that size, dry and tasteless.

moonlight, well done on a fine capture, and congrats to u for not taking offence as none was intended. and mate your a much better angler than me and hats off to u and your mate for releasing jewies which as u say takes alot of guts and willpower to do.

im yet 2 catch a big one but have been reliably told that the bigger the better. if the day ever comes i have said to myself that i would keep my first big one and the rest would go back.

my lips are now sealed ...

anthony...

Edited June 1, 2005 by jewnut

[Livie]

Chris, I was shown a honey pot as well as a method for 100cm + flatties in the hacko. Ill confess , I kept my first biggie.

That was over ten years ago. Nowdays, The biggies are still there and are easy pickings but I let all the bigger ones go, Say 60cm and over.

The smaller ones are much better eating. So Ill still catch the biggies but only to target the 50cm class.

There is no sport in the 'ultimate' way to catch duskies so I wont post it here.

I prefer sand flathead as a meal and will drift for them rather than a sure fire big dusky, So I rarely fish the honey pot except if the kings are there.

I believe your personal concernes re big duskies are comendable and I thank you for bringing it up.

There is only "SO" much habbitat for them and "Huge" increase of interest in angling for them.

Id like to see bag limits change big time so that my sons can catch some too.

Mick

[Ken A]

harping a rewinding argument on an internet site....

I think last time we had this subject up it got about 130 replies before it finally went away & died Fishn. maybe its time for a "yawn" emoticon.

[pogo]

Just a question and not wanting to offend anybody.

If the Kingfish traps are reintroduced, which according to another thread on here is a possibility, then kingfish traps would be legal. Where woud we stand on that issue, imagine the response if a pro posted a picture of boxes of kingies pulled from a trap.

Fisheries dont always get it right, Orange roughy is a good example, and from the searches I did the other night they dont seem to know a lot about flathead either. The other problem with fisheries is that they are driven by the pros agenda as well.

Ther certainly was I time not that long ago when I would have kept a big flathead but then some of the things I have read in mags, books and sites like this made me have a think about it and the thing that has really swung me is the stories that I hear about how much the flathead fishing in QLD has improved since they brought in slot limits.

The reason we all post on forums like this is to have a yarn about fishing, share reports, share techniques, find out how other guys are fishing, read and see other blokes great catches and part of that is talking about conservation of our sport.

and as long as it stays a debate or discussion and doesnt end up an argument, its a good thing , we are sharing the different opinions we have and the reasons why we have them. No different on this issue than discussing if watermelon is a better color than pumpkinseed.

It is legal and it was a great catch, no doubt about it. and the discussion has made me do some research on flathead and I found out some stuff I didnt know.

Regards POGO

[EVAN]

Wow -- what a read... i think i now know more about the flatty than the , Good to see that most people are letting the bigger fish go.. I reaslise most fish and always the bigger flatties--Bream, but i fish because a love fishing , Not for a feed. I never go out thinking i'm going to catch dinner, But if you do and its legal then why not!

Cheers Evan,

[Livie]

For me a do-gooder is someone who feels compelled to influence others by their personal (but often misguided) perception of righteousness.

My point is that discussion/debate and preaching are different things. This thread is an objective exchange of ideas on a valid topic where expressing a point of view is appropriate. Conversely responding to a fishing report by imposing a personal stance in an attempt to criticise or discredit (usually by a subtle but nonetheless flippant remark) is out of line.

50516[/snapback]

I hope I read your post the wrong way, But the content seems over the top.

The_Lure was "inspired" by some other topic to state his own personal method for duskys. and called for others opinions. Hardly a Doo-gooder out to criticise or didcredit other fishos.

He has a bloody conscience mate and is also one of the keenest fisherman I know.

Barking up the wrong tree mate.

Anyhows, If the run of the mill fisherman doesnt pull his head out of his arse , clean up there act and fight fire with fire, The real Doo-gooders will have us loose fishing alltogether one day soon.

That leeds me to another thought that could be an interesing topic.

[Guest Jocool]

I hope I read your post the wrong way, But the content seems over the top.

50723[/snapback]

No need to get riled Livie. Might want to tone it down a little.

I'm sure he isn't having a dig at Chris. If he was, he would name him. Iain wouldn't take a backwards step on an issue such as this. Iain has his opinion, just like Chris, you or I do. I happen to disagree with Iain. I would rather set a big flattie free.

But thats me!

This thread seems to be de-generating, and that will not be tolerated. If you guys can't play nice, and respect each others opinion then perhaps we will have to moderate a bit more viciously. Everyone has been given a great deal of latitude...Don't abuse the privlege!

[Livie]

No need to get riled Livie. Might want to tone it down a little.

I'm sure he isn't having a dig at Chris. If he was, he would name him. Iain wouldn't take a backwards step on an issue such as this. Iain has his opinion, just like Chris, you or I do. I happen to disagree with Iain. I would rather set a big flattie free.

But thats me!

This thread seems to be de-generating, and that will not be tolerated. If you guys can't play nice, and respect each others opinion then perhaps we will have to moderate a bit more viciously. Everyone has been given a great deal of latitude...Don't abuse the privlege!

50724[/snapback]

Sorry mate , But Im not riled , I was only conveying what I saw as a bit of roughing up from one member towards another, For unnesessary reasons.

As I said I hope I read It wrong .

[bombora]

Hiya Naked; beg to differ on casual anglers not getting big flatties; have a look at the weekend papers up and down the coast (including Sydney) with their old fashioned Catch Of The Week pix. They seem to feature a damn lot of big mumma flatties being held, gilled and gutted, by five year olds, by 75 year olds who fish once a year at Xmas, by mums who were just dangling a line while the kids played on the family boat. A big hunk of fish flesh on the bottom will eventually score one. In an estuary I'd say a big flattie is the easiest of the relatively larger fish around to catch.

As far as populations go, the world's fisheries contain many many stories of what were thought to be healthy, or at least OK, fish populations plumetting with no warning. When it goes pear shaped in the ocean, it happens quickly.

Locally, King fish traps took very very little time to decimate hoodlum numbers. Its taken some time for them to start to recover.

Respect your POV Naked but have to disagree on this one; when I see a pic of a big dead lizard, I don't see one dead fish, I see several thousand less baby flatties in our estuaries in the near future, cheers Bombie. I think the big breeders of most fish are worth a better level of protection.

[jewnut]

as i already said earlier, i believe big flatties taste like crap and i think most people who have tried them would agree (sure, there will be a few who disagree)...so i see no point in keeping them IMO.

theres bloody hundreds of them !! Big fat flattys sitting in and around the weed beds, in the rocks, theres stacks!!

even if this is true Naked, it would be very ignorant of us to think that this will always be the case so if we can do our part to help maintain their stocks, no matter how small it may seem, isnt it worthwhile??

If you all that fvkken worried about the poor bloody flattys then don't target them at all!!! Why risk the life of "Oh sacred flatty" by dragging the poor thing out of the brine with a bloody hook just to smile for the camera and toss it back ?? Has anyone got any data on the survival rate of released flathead ? I'm betting no!!! If you all want to be purists to the environment your doing a shitful job and behaving like hypocrites!!

at least they have a chance at survival, whatever the percentage may be.