Guest Guest123456789 Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 Hi Raiders, Fisheries came down to my local spot on the weekend. They measured my catch and the girl there told me a tip I didn't know which is really useful. Apparently you can measure fish length by crimping the tail down. To give you an example, one of my trevallys was 31cm with the tail in its natural position, but she showed me if I crimped the tail with my hand so it stretched out a bit it actually measured 34cms. Good to know because there is nothing more annoying than having to throw back a nice fish which is 1cm below the legal limit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krispy ! Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 I didn't think you could do that, interesting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyNurse Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 I can see the next toy coming on to the market. The all new, UV resistent, glow in the dark, fish tale crimper. One size fits all! Never be caught out by fisheries again. Ha ha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratchie Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 Generally, if I have to measure a fish, it's going back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest123456789 Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 I can see the next toy coming on to the market. The all new, UV resistent, glow in the dark, fish tale crimper. One size fits all! Never be caught out by fisheries again. Ha ha. Only $18.50 (with a landed cost from China of $2). We need Starlo or Worsteling to put their name on it, that will cost us $16.00. 50 cents left for you and me Generally, if I have to measure a fish, it's going back! Mate I wish I was so fortunate to live in your neck of the woods an own a boat. Central Coast is heavily fished and I'm land based so I need everything I can get. My freezer isn't exactly overflowing with fish unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 4myson Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 Really ? Isn't that cheating ??? Would they measure the fish that way if you were fishing COMP ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 Really ? Isn't that cheating ??? Would they measure the fish that way if you were fishing COMP ? A lot of tournaments are measured to the fork to stop such things Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krispy ! Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Personally not a fan of crimping the tail back because fish shrink after death anyway so if you have to stretch it out, its probably going to be undersize after rigor mortis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsswordfisherman Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Ridiculous! I am with Scratchie on this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boattart Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Ridiculous! I am with Scratchie on this one. Do you mean it's ridiculous that you agree with Scratchie?.. I must admit I agree but I can think of a few times when I've released just legals early in the day then get 1 or 2 good ones later only to think the just legals would have meant a decent feed. Frustrating but really there's not much meat on the just legals anyway. I'm pretty sure Fisheries do it that way to remove any potential argument from the equation...If you fish cant make length that way then it is way under normally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krispy ! Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Do you mean it's ridiculous that you agree with Scratchie?.. I must admit I agree but I can think of a few times when I've released just legals early in the day then get 1 or 2 good ones later only to think the just legals would have meant a decent feed. Frustrating but really there's not much meat on the just legals anyway. I'm pretty sure Fisheries do it that way to remove any potential argument from the equation...If you fish cant make length that way then it is way under normally. just legal kingfish provide a nice platter of sashimi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameldownunder Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Generally, if I have to measure a fish, it's going back! Same here. Even if it does not happen often ( that I catch a fish that is ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsswordfisherman Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Generally, if I have to measure a fish, it's going back! Boattart this is Scratchie's comment and it is what I agree with Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razzell Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 With Scratchie on this one - if there's doubt, it goes back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krispy ! Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 With Scratchie on this one - if there's doubt, it goes back. that's why I bought my new brag mat, no more doubt if a kingfish is 65.1 or 64.9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nolongeramember Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Hi Raiders, Fisheries came down to my local spot on the weekend. They measured my catch and the girl there told me a tip I didn't know which is really useful. Apparently you can measure fish length by crimping the tail down. To give you an example, one of my trevallys was 31cm with the tail in its natural position, but she showed me if I crimped the tail with my hand so it stretched out a bit it actually measured 34cms. Good to know because there is nothing more annoying than having to throw back a nice fish which is 1cm below the legal limit. Do you mean the female fisheries officer gave you that tip or just some bystander that was there? Kind of hard to tell with the way you have worded it. Very interesting if the fisheries officer told you that.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twinfisher 4.9 Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 If I may dip my oar in here, fish do shrink after death, even on ice, so what was legal once you landed it and maybe 6 hours after that, it may be below legal. Given that you are not permitted to clean your fish until ashore, how do you argue that you measured it and it was legal upon capture. As George from Seinfeld once said "Shrinkage does happen"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crossfire63 Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 (edited) I'm with Scratchie on this one as well. If you need to stretch it to make it legal you should have chucked it back in the first place Edited September 2, 2015 by Crossfire63 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest123456789 Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Interesting points, this isn't as black and white as I thought it might be. I can't see this rule anywhere on the NSW fisheries website, I'll call them up and see if some clarification can be published. In any event, my catch was checked and the fisheries girl said of my smallest trav "yeah your catch is easily legal". Nothing wrong with measuring a catch if not sure to make sure you're fishing in accordance with the law in my book. NSW fisheries puts out guides with the rulers included - measuring fish is encouraged by them too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest123456789 Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 So I rang up fisheries and spoke to one of the rangers there. They confirmed the best way to measure a fish is to get a ruler where at the zero cm mark there is a hard edge (like a ruler with a small part that swivels up). That way, you can put the fish lips up hard to the zero cm point. As long as the fish lips are on the zero cm mark, it's the farthest point of the tail and yes you can crimp it with your hands. I want to test the 'dead fish shrink' theory for myself but logically it does make sense in my mind. For me, depending on the type of fish tail (IE more or less forked) I'll be happy to take a fish that is exactly the legal limit in its natural position (ie no tail crimping). Whilst it may shrink after death the extra cms you get from crimping the tail should more than offset this. Again, I'll test the 'dead fish shrink' theory for myself. I can understand those of you who have been fishing for a long time scoffing at me(a relative novice) for measuring my catch. For you, given your experience, when you bring up a fish no doubt you know what the species is, what the legal limit is and what the approximate size is of that fish. I'm like that with cooking, I consider myself very skilled in that area. I often don't need to measure ingredients using cups and tablespoons, I just know by eye what the right quantities are to use. I didn't start out as an expert though, the first few times I made a recipe I measured everything down to the milligram. Recently I've been helping my wife learn to cook and she likes to measure everything, I certainly don't deride her or belittle her for doing so, actually I prefer she does so she can't get it right! I'm not fishing from a 6 metre boat in 100 metres of water every weekend hauling up 10's of kilos of fish with a chest freezer that is overflowing. If I were, absolutely I'd be throwing back anything remotely in doubt of being legal (or super tasty). I'm fishimg from a crowded, overfished local rock platform hauling up the odd small trevally. Don't have a go at me for keeping a small, legal fish and measuring it to make sure it's legal. As I said, it was 31cm laying naturally which is easily over the limit and it was checked by two fisheries officers. I made this contribution to fishraider with the goal of helping others, seems fair as I have gotten a lot of valuable information from this site to date. There are plenty of other anglers out there doing the wrong thing you can hate on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratchie Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 Flatheadluke, That is great that you have gone to the lengths you have to make sure that you are only keeping legal fish. I commend you for that. Some people place importance on different things whilst fishing. For you it seems that you like to catch legal sized fish to keep and that's great. For me, I don't even care if I don't catch anything, I just enjoy being out there having a go! So my comment was generated by the expectations I have when I go fishing, "if I have to measure it, then it's going back". I don't always come home with a feed and sometimes I choose to let everything go back but geez I have fun while I'm out fishing albeit from a boat, rock, beach or a crowded wharf! I don't think anyone was having a go and infact the information you have provided will certainly help someone on this site. So thanks for that! Cheers scratchie!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cammo27 Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 Well said Luke. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest123456789 Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 Thanks scratchie, I had no problem with your comment mate. Is that invitation to go fishing with you at port Stephens still open? One of my close mates just dropped a knee. Bucks party and visit to pacific palms bowling club will be coming up in the next 18 months no doubt. I don't know how many more North Coast bucks parties I can survive if you know what I mean........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratchie Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 No worries! I'm here to help out any raiders that travel in my neck of the woods! I always need an excuse to go fishing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike89 Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 (edited) Thanks Luke, this is a great piece of info. I actually caught a small questionable trevally both yesterday and today and used this crimping to push them over the 30cm mark. Another couple I caught today were undersize. I agree with the poster who said fisheries probably do this to remove any doubt. I crimped their tails and they were still only 28cm. Easy throwback, no argument. Could someone explain why there is a rule against cleaning your fish at the jetty or in the boat? Has it got to do with discarding the insides into the water? Cheers Edited September 8, 2015 by Mike89 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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