First proper deep fish

First proper deep fish

Well, after several attempts (and seemingly lost line for various annoying reasons most times) I finally managed to get a fish out deep that isnt a pinky, sambo, leatherjacket or greeneye.

 

Species book says its a Radiant Rock-Cod and that it lives in the NW. My ID book is a NW one though, so perhaps theres a southern species that looks fairly similar. Anyone with a southern ID book that can confirm? Perhaps just another northern visitor ;)

 

 

Note the object on the horizon ;)


aussie_breamer's picture

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from fishwreckapedia

Mon, 2011-04-11 21:51

Radiant Rockcod - Epinephelus radiatus

 

 

 

 

f

radiant rockcod top  /  comet cod bottom

 

i would say radiant rock cod as well!!!

cheers

tom

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snappermiles's picture

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been fishing deep for years and never seen one

Mon, 2011-04-11 21:56

 how did it taste??

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hlokk's picture

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I was hoping for a

Mon, 2011-04-11 23:39

I was hoping for a greyband/harpuka/trevalla/ruby/bass groper/etc but it ended up being a weird one. Rough scales and some really nasty spikes on the gill plates (and the teeth and the gill rakers).

TBH, I was a bit disappointed how it cooked up. The flesh was very white and had a bit of fat on it but it came out a bit tough. My ID book says they only get to 70cm. Maybe it was an old one.

 

 

Nah Oracle, not near the FAD's (and deeper too).

Oracle's picture

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Near the fads?

Mon, 2011-04-11 23:35

?

fishnut's picture

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this season is amazing me. 

Tue, 2011-04-12 08:55

this season is amazing me.  You are correct mate - that is a Radiant Rockcod.  It is a very long way south - great catch!  shame about the taste

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wierd eyes......... scary.

Tue, 2011-04-12 08:56

wierd eyes......... scary.

crasny1's picture

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TonyT

Tue, 2011-04-12 09:33

Thats barotrauma that pops their eyes out. Hlokk was probably so happy to have something on the line he skull dragged it up and popped its eyes. LOL

Neels

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hlokk's picture

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Hehe, in that depth, after

Tue, 2011-04-12 10:01

Hehe, in that depth, after lots of drops with huge sinkers it gets hard to wind em up quick :p. Sometimes certain fish just cant handle it no matter how slow (unlike pinkies or greeneyes). We were expected a keeper anyways though. In that depth, it doesnt make a lot of sense to drop unless you're going to keep what you catch (as chances are its not going back well).

crasny1's picture

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Fully agree Matt.

Tue, 2011-04-12 10:20

Just taking the piss out. LOL.

Neels

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hlokk's picture

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Haha, yeah, got that one. You

Tue, 2011-04-12 10:26

Haha, yeah, got that one. You shoulda seen the first fish from the deep though, that sucker came flying out the water, hehe.

 

Though, if this fish was nearing his maximum size, it would make him in his later years. Maybe he came down this way for retirement. Usually the human gray nomads move north, not south, lol.   TBH though, not being a pelagic, and being some 250m+ deep, I doubt the warm water temps this year actually brought it down for the season. Probably just one of those oddballs that turn up from time to time.

fishnut's picture

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you might be correct, given

Tue, 2011-04-12 10:53

you might be correct, given its size and the fact its not pelagic, but the leeuwin current which provides the warm water (and marine species) from the north is about 300m deep.

hlokk's picture

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True, but I dont imagine a

Tue, 2011-04-12 10:59

True, but I dont imagine a lot of demersals would cover distance as fast as the pelagics too. Perhaps possible though. Certainly the currents draw demersal fish, such as around the abrolhos (coral trout, spanglies, redthroat). Also, I was thinking that the super warm water this year is due to la nina which is changes in the surface temps (deep temperatures would be a little more buffered).

Would be interesting to read more about it.

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Ah ok neels, thought it

Wed, 2011-04-13 15:22

Ah ok neels, thought it looked a bit odd, i know of barotrauma where the stomach comes thru the mouth but didnt know it did that to the eyes too, ouch.

cheers

crasny1's picture

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The eyes is a classic with some species

Wed, 2011-04-13 15:30

Baldies have to be the best or saddest example. If you pull one up from anything deeper than 20m the poor suckers look like popeye gone mad, and if they are undersize you have to return them with no chance of surviving. And yes, their stomach stick out of their gobs too.

Up here I dont like fishing very deep, because if you are sporty and bring the fish up slow, the taxman is going to come and collect a free feed, and if you yank them up the barotrauma is going to kill them, especially important if they are U/size.

JMO and I then just dont fish deep, but also the best fish up here is deep, like saddletails, rubies and ofcourse red emps.

Neels

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jay_burgess's picture

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Get a release weight Neels :)

Wed, 2011-04-13 16:05

Get a release weight Neels :)

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Yep, definitely no releasing

Wed, 2011-04-13 17:18

Yep, definitely no releasing that one. Spewing it didnt cook up well, would have expected better from a cod. Congrats anyways!