Jervis Bay today

[jaybez]

Inside the legal fishing area at shark beach.

First got a 25-30cm wrasse of some sort, heard they were good eating along the grapevine, so brain spike and bleed.

Went into the grassy area above for lunch, spotted a likely looking spot along the beach with weed on one side and rocks on the other.

Textbook flatty strike, hop hop, pause, hop hop, pause, BANG, starts running, swimming up and down the beach, not the typical headshakes like a flatty but it was definitely a solid fish. 

A little closer to shore, it comes to the surface, and would you know it, it's a flathead. Dragged it up onto the rock I'm fishing off, and it's a solid 58cm fish, measured later at home.

[Larkin]

good sized flatty! Nice catch!

Love the markings on that fish, blends in with the rock.

[bessell1955]

Solid looking fish.

[big Neil]

A successful outing for you jaybez. Flathead are definitely good eating but I can't recall the taste of Wrasse. How would you rate the Wrasse compared to the Flathead?

bn

[noelm]

1 hour ago, big Neil said:

A successful outing for you jaybez. Flathead are definitely good eating but I can't recall the taste of Wrasse. How would you rate the Wrasse compared to the Flathead?

bn

Soft and mushy………we used to eat them as kids when we used to ge “camping” around the rocks, certainly not a first choice if you’re not “starving”

[jaybez]

22 hours ago, Larkin said:

good sized flatty! Nice catch!

Love the markings on that fish, blends in with the rock.

Thanks Larkin! It blended in too, was sandy coloured when I first dragged it up as far as I can remember.

13 hours ago, big Neil said:

A successful outing for you jaybez. Flathead are definitely good eating but I can't recall the taste of Wrasse. How would you rate the Wrasse compared to the Flathead?

bn

Thanks Neil, I don't think I'll be keeping another wrasse 😆. Like Noel said it was mushy. Maybe I cooked it wrong, cos I've heard rave reviews as mentioned earlier.

 

Haven't eaten the flatty yet.

[Little_Flatty]

15 minutes ago, jaybez said:

Thanks Larkin! It blended in too, was sandy coloured when I first dragged it up as far as I can remember.

Thanks Neil, I don't think I'll be keeping another wrasse 😆. Like Noel said it was mushy. Maybe I cooked it wrong, cos I've heard rave reviews as mentioned earlier.

 

Haven't eaten the flatty yet.

Google up how to steam a fish whole Chinese style and you'll have discovered a way of making many traditionally undesired fish edible and desired species extremely tasty.

Well done on the catch.

[noelm]

10 hours ago, jaybez said:

Thanks Larkin! It blended in too, was sandy coloured when I first dragged it up as far as I can remember.

Thanks Neil, I don't think I'll be keeping another wrasse 😆. Like Noel said it was mushy. Maybe I cooked it wrong, cos I've heard rave reviews as mentioned earlier.

 

Haven't eaten the flatty yet.

Nope, that’s just how they are, some of them are kind of OK, but (in my opinion) all that kind of stuff gets tossed back. I found it interesting looking at catches at cleaning tables these days.

[JonD]

I haven't eaten that species of wrasse but others such as maori wrasse are at the top of my list for eating, above flathead, whiting and even blue eye. For years a family I fish with took the pee out of me for rating them so high but around 12 months ago were at my house just after I had crumbed a heap of wrasse fillets, everyone of them agreed it was the best fish they had eaten. These are people who regularly eat the various deep drop species. Wrasse fetch good money commercially and are unfortunately targeted heavily now in my area, so far less common. In comparison to kingfish or snapper, no thanks. 

Just about to head up north where I will be targeting coral trout, red emperor and large mouth nani etc, all of which taste much like wrasse, only far bigger and better sport.