Blue ring

[Volitan]

My apologies if this event is commonplace, but it’s never happened to me before so here goes.

i went out in a little dingy at Brisbane Water by Wagstaffe today. Reeling in, I saw a little brown lump of weed on the end of my line. Im pretty blind without my glasses but fortunately I took a closer look before pulling it off. Beautiful little blue ring octopus. It had grabbed a prawn on a longshank hook and must have impaled itself. Getting it off unharmed wasn’t easy but good thing I had some long nose pliers.

The rings are an amazing electric blue as they swim away in clear water.

Otherwise, one good flathead and a lot of small whiting.

cheers

V.

 

[savit]

It was very good idea to use long nose pliers for blue ringed octopus.

[Welster]

I think I’d be cutting the line pronto.

[JonD]

We find them on most night dives, they are hard to distinguish at firsts as they often don't display much blue untill they get agitated.

 

[wazatherfisherman]

A few years ago, while looking for prawns and tiny squid at Battersea Park in Abbotsford we netted 2 Blue Ring's in one night and about a week later prawning near Dobroyd Aquatic club in Five Dock we got another one. Until then I'd only considered them something that lived in close proximity to the open ocean as I've seen them a few times when looking for bait crabs. I was really surprised to see them that far up the Parramatta River 

[Aardvarking]

I was once doing some wade fishing in Lake Illawarra and felt something brush up against my leg. I thought it was just some seaweed and didn't think much of it, until I felt it moving a bit. I looked down and saw a blue ringed octopus climbing up my leg. I absolutely panicked, yanked it off my leg and threw it as far as my scrawny little arms could throw. It was probably the most scared I've ever been.

It was actually the second time I've seen one in the wild. The first we saw one that had built itself a cave out of little rocks and pebbles in a rock pool. Me and my brother founds some crabs and fed it to the octopus, was very cool to see how it ate them. Coolest thing was that when he wasn't hungry anymore and got sick of us he got a rock and used it as a door to seal his cave.

[Volitan]

Reading about blue rings a bit further, it actually sounds like they’re probably the nastiest way to go of any of Australia’s venomous creatures. Imagine being paralysed by the toxin, but fully conscious and salient, and unable to tell your rescuers what happened - just watch them as they stare at you trying to work out what’s wrong. Then, as the poison progresses, your diaphragm is affected, breathing becomes difficult and you slowly suffocate, but still conscious.

No antidote.

Only 3 deaths recorded in Aus so far so I guess they’re not hard to avoid.

Edited June 24, 2018 by Volitan

[dirvin21]

When I was a teenager fishing in knee deep water a little octopus casually cruised by me so I gave it a poke with my rod tip..... I'll never forget the moment it turned that amazing blue.... and I walked on water

[masterfisho7]

On ‎6‎/‎22‎/‎2018 at 5:51 PM, Welster said:

I think I’d be cutting the line pronto.

Have to agree with that

[blindmullet]

I saw one at woy woy boat ramp maybe 2 years ago. Didnt think it was a blue ring, but now i know lol

[kiwicraig]

Wow - thanks for sharing.  I was under the impression that they liked cleaner saltier water.  I fish that area as well so good to know they can be in brackish water.