Show us your best fish you ever caught and tell us why???

[Yowie]

12 hours ago, Scratchie said:

Gees Yowie, were you around with the dinosaurs? 🤣🤣🤣

I actually don’t have a photo of my most memorable fish that got me addicted. I was at Stewart house when I was a young boy and they took us fishing at Narrabeen Lakes. I cast out a prawn on a hand line and next minute the line took off. After the fight of my life, with me chasing this thing up and down the bank, I landed the biggest bream I’ve ever caught to date. It went 46cm. What a rush that was and it started my fishing journey! 
 

cheers scratchie!!! 

Yes. I had a Tyrannosaurus Rex as a pet in my backyard.  😂

As a kid, I spent holidays at Windang on Lake Illawarra. I pumped squirt worms in shallow water, then returned later to wade about in less than knee deep water, pulling out many whiting, while those people in their boats caught only a couple. Some of the older people thought I was wasting my time, when I showed them what I had caught, the expression on their faces soon changed.

When you start fishing early in life, you can learn tips and tricks to fool the fish, and adapt them for later times.

Several times while fishing in the past, I have had a fish hooked on a handline, someone motors past and asks what's happening, I say all is quiet while I pretend to look relaxed, when in reality I have a 7 or 8 pound jewie swimming about like mad under the boat. 😎

[JonD]

Bycatch of broadbill fishing. Hands down these big eye tuna pull harder than any other tuna Ive ever caught. First run went from 15m under the boat to around 300m straight down. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it was just a small fish by tuna standards, these must have twin turbos!!!!... only ever had the one and haven't found anyone else who can comment on their opinions on fight quality from them.

 

 

 

 

[rickmarlin62]

Large big eyes were always the hardest to fight on the trace and fight line on longliner i worked on jon

[Black CC]

The best fish I've ever caught was a 81cm Snapper. I have caught a lot bigger fish (Marlin, Sailfish, GTs etc) but I rate it the best fish I've caught because of what I had to do to catch it. I sent my kayak on a train from Sydney to Perth, where a mate picked it up. I then flew to Perth and drove to Denham (820km North) with the kayak on a trailer. I was then taken on a large dive boat to Steep Point (Southern point of Dirk Hartog Island) with the kayak on the back of the boat. I then kayaked over 6 days to the Northern End of Dirk Hartog Island where I caught the Snapper below. The Northern End of Dirk Hartog Island is in the background, which is about 50km from the nearest point of mainland Australia.

[kiwibrown]

Like others I've had a few really memorable fish. I got this guy off the island at balmoral beach which I thought was pretty  cool/rare for Sydney harbour. Also caught a 47 cm snapper at cremorne point.

[Loomesy]

40 pound Murry Cod caught between Pooncaire and Menindee way back when set lines were legal.  The biggest of the trip went 98cm and 75 pound.  Am still looking for pics of the big fella.  All fish released successfully. 

 

Cheers Loomesy 

[wizza]

Well done scratchie.Looks like Stewart House helped in your life.Its a Rotary cause,and its good to hear a positive mention.Cheers.

 

[JonD]

Come on, surely there are more bored fishers at home who could post a few shots. Here's a more unusual catch, who knows what it is ?

 

[mrsswordfisherman]

Here one of swordies efforts

A mako taken off Botany in the early 90’s on 15kg gear. It was the best jumper he ever saw - 14 aerial summersaults! 

It is a great story when he describes his brother and him taking it home in the boat along the M5. Cars were almost running off the road trying to get a look!

Their Mum was also surprised when they turned up and said “look what we caught Ma”

[JamoDamo]

Here are some of my pb's 

Here is a my first sand whiting that measured 43cm to the tip and had the girth of a ginger beer bottle with a 1.5cm on that. To add to that I caught on a noodle rod paired with a Steelite centrepin reel! The bait was oyster suspended under a blackfish rig on a size 8 blackfish hook excuse the hairdo😂: 

Edited March 30, 2020 by JamoDamo

[JamoDamo]

Here is a mud crab that I got 6-7 months ago caught in a trap up the coast that measured 10.6cm from its mouth to bottom of its carapace: 

 

Edited March 30, 2020 by JamoDamo

[JamoDamo]

And then to add to all of that a 78cm Dusky flathead that had a width of at least 20cm. It was  caught on a "lollipop" livebait, I got this quality model on a 2500 reel loaded up with 8-10lb line with a 8lb fluorocarbon leader, me and @SaltyGreek worked so hard to get this fish after losing 4-5 HUGE fish that busted us off so many times. The fish took 3-4 big runs peeling off line like no tomorrow until I finally wrangled her in. Got her into my small landing net and brought her up and out of the water for 1 minute to a minute and half got a few quick photos and plopped her back into the drink to go harass some more baitfish:

[wazatherfisherman]

1 hour ago, JonD said:

Come on, surely there are more bored fishers at home who could post a few shots. Here's a more unusual catch, who knows what it is ?

 

Hi JonD is that a gemmie or king barracuda? Can''t get to storage shed to retrieve any photo's currently

Edited March 30, 2020 by wazatherfisherman
added info

[Blackfish]

Could it be a Oilfish Jon ? "Ruvettus pretiosus"  can't see the Pelvic or pectoral fins.

[Koalaboi]

Over 40 plus years I've caught lots of fish that gave me a lot of fun as well as a sense of achievement. Like most of us i don't have pictures of them.

I caught this rock blackfish a bit over a year or so ago. It was off the rocks on blackfish gear. A big fish which took a long time to play out and then wash up onto the platform which was about 5 feet above the average water level. Great day with a good mate and a big fish.

KB

 

 

[61 crusher]

43 minutes ago, Blackfish said:

Could it be a Oilfish Jon ? "Ruvettus pretiosus"  can't see the Pelvic or pectoral fins.

I think you might be spot on @Blackfish I remember seeing a fishing show a few years back where they were fishing a deep trench off Rabaul in New Guinea & caught one twice that size & called it an Oilfish

[SaltyGreek]

8 hours ago, JamoDamo said:

And then to add to all of that a 78cm Dusky flathead that had a width of at least 20cm. It was  caught on a "lollipop" livebait, I got this quality model on a 2500 reel loaded up with 8-10lb line with a 8lb fluorocarbon leader, me and @SaltyGreek worked so hard to get this fish after losing 4-5 HUGE fish that busted us off so many times. The fish took 3-4 big runs peeling off line like no tomorrow until I finally wrangled her in. Got her into my small landing net and brought her up and out of the water for 1 minute to a minute and half got a few quick photos and plopped her back into the drink to go harass some more baitfish:

Felt so good to finally land a fish off that wharf lol. Out of 5 hook ups on big live herring, we have only landed 2 flathead both over 65cm. Congrats on your pb 

[SaltyGreek]

Here’s one of my flathead that I have landed land based on a live herring. It went over 60cm (ruler length is 60cm) I’m estimating 65cm. I spent 7 hours every weekend for 2 months fishing live baits off the wharf  with @JamoDamoand like he said before I have lost some huge flathead. I lost one fish that would’ve had to be at least 90cm flathead or a Jew. I’m still not sure exactly but it’s first run was huge and the power it had was incredible. To finally land this fish after so many fish lost felt so good. It gave me a feeling that I actually am doing something right.

[New Signing]

On 3/29/2020 at 8:06 PM, JonD said:

 

Plan was to chase dolphin fish on light tackle but after hooking into marlin which flicked the lure on  kids $20 rod we decided to up the class. Unfortunately didn't have any mono over 80lb for a trace but that didn't stop my daughter hooking into this 160kg stripe.

 

 

 

That's a monster Striped if its in Australia. I know they get big fellas more regularly in NZ

[New Signing]

8 hours ago, wazatherfisherman said:

Hi JonD is that a gemmie or king barracuda? Can''t get to storage shed to retrieve any photo's currently

Oil fish? the scales dont seem right though

[New Signing]

On 3/29/2020 at 11:11 AM, JonD said:

First try at river bass ( wild not stocked ) fishing for my eldest, 55cm. Now addicted to beating that!!!!

I've got a 55cm bass to my name but it was an impoundment fish from Glenbawn. A wild caught bass is always a better fish than impoundment fish

[rickmarlin62]

Heres a 14kg gemmie

[rickmarlin62]

Local caught 53cm bream

[LuckyFil]

Firstly, Scratchie this was a great idea giving us something read and think about other than the big C!

Secondly thanks to all the other Fishraiders for their great stories and pics.

I'm 63 and I've been fishing since I was four years old. My father and grandfather were very keen fishos. That partly came from the depression years when they were fishing to help put food on the table. Consequently they fished for eating fish mainly bream, snapper, flathead, tailor, whiting etc, which was my grounding in what to catch and how. All my fishing was in Pittwater and inshore reefs near there for many years and I caught some decent snapper and flatties in those days many flathead in the 7-8 lb range and one of 10lb - we didn't measure by length much then. Unfortunately not many pics then and none I can find at present.

So when thinking about my best fish I tend to go for more recent catches. I've got into drummer fishing in recent years so my most memorable fish was caught at Seal Rocks a few years ago and I recall it nudged 60cm and was around 4.5kg. I was fishing off a high rock and had seen the drummer take my burley a few times before he finally took my bait. After a long fight I managed to wrestle him away from the barnacles and lift him onto a ledge about 2 meters below me. As soon as he landed on the rock the hook fell out! Luckily my quick thinking fishing buddy jumped down to the ledge and held onto him until I could get down. So it was a drama filled catch as well as being my best pig.

I do annual trips to Weipa (apart from this year) and while we catch a shed load of different species, many  bigger than this fish, but for for me my most memorable  from up there was a 5kg back spot tusk fish. We were in shallow water maybe 6 meters deep but with coral heads all around us. As soon as you hook them tuskies go straight for cover which means under the nearest reef. So you have to lock the drag and pull like buggery or you lose them. It  was a mammoth effort to get this one clear of the bottom . I was fishing 80lb leader which while badly shredded as the fish did his best to reef me held on long enough to get the fish into the net. So that tuskie would be the other fish I often think about. (Not sure if the pic of this fish has loaded, if not I'll add it separately)

 

[JonD]

The fish in my earlier post I believe to to be rudderfish which looks very simular to oilfish, apparently the meat is very good but unfortunately gives people the runs.

The marlin was out from Narooma and the biggest striped marlin we have seen. It would of most likely been a female record if we had kept it and certainly a junior record. Seeing the girth of it when it first rolled over at the surface we thought it had to be a blue at first.

As for the wild bass, she's now had several over the 50cm size and knows where there's a couple she hasn't been able to stop. The light lure fishing seems to be what's ticking her box at the moment, with her best bream going 54cm from right in front of our house ( I will try to find a pic of it ).