Mackerel

Mackerel, originally uploaded by Ladymaggic.

Caught from the end of Urangun Pier at Hervey Bay
Narrow-Barred Mackerel or Tanguigue (more commonly called Spanish Mackerel or just Spaniards) are the prime target in our waters with specimens to over 60 lb (27 kg) common.
They will readily take jigged chrome slices, trolled or floated garfish and pilchard baits as well as trolled lures. Sportfishing tackle of at least 6 kg is preferred with the use of a heavy wire leader and black swivels essential for both lure and bait fishing. Their sharp, scissor like teeth will make short work of anything less and their eyesight is superb. Many a floating bait has been snipped off at the tail, irritatingly just behind any imbedded hooks which must be razor sharp.
Once hooked Spaniards will make one long spirited run and usually tire shortly after, smaller shorter runs precede gaffing at the boat.
Spaniards are excellent eating but must be killed by a sharp blow to the head and bled immediately upon capture. This will not only preserve the flesh but make them much easier/ safer to handle, most anglers will carry a heavy wooden "donger", similar to a small baseball bat, on board for this purpose.
Spotted Mackerel, or "doggies" as they are known locally, are similarly caught on our barrier reef . Drifting pilchard of garfish baits is the preferred method for these much smaller fish but captures on lures is also common.
The fish can either be cut up into steaks or filleted and skinned, either way the flesh is excellent eating. Size and bag limits do apply.

Cleaning the Bream

Cleaning the Brim, originally uploaded by Ladymaggic.

Fresh bream caught at Burrum Heads
The rocks are the perfect place to clean the fish
The rock pool provides the water and a sharp Fish cleaning knife is all that is required.
The fish is scaled, the guts are removed, and it is ready for cooking


Bream usually inhabit rough, snaggy areas, 2 m to 6 m in depth. They feed together in schools, usually around areas which give them some protection, such as sunken logs, oyster bases, eroded banks or the base of rock walls.
During the winter months they congregate in the deep fast running waters, somewhere near surf bars where rivers and estuaries empty into the open sea, and bite best during the night and at dawn.
Favoured nights in the winter months would be the big tide nights which correspond with the periods a few nights before and up to the full moon and new moon.
Round running sinkers are used to give maximum bait movement, sizes from No.00 ball to No.3 ball, dependent on the tidal run. The best rig has the sinker directly above the hook, with a small No.10 free turning swivel about 1 metre above the sinker. The sinker on hook gives you direct contact with your ball whether fishing into or against the tide and is easier to remove when snagged. It does not lessen bites when bream fishing, and the bites are better registered to the angler. To fish the right area, the angler must be prepared to lose rigs through snagging.
Bream do not like clear water, and it is rare to be able to catch any fish which is visible to you in the water. Therefore off shore, windy conditions do not produce good fishing, but the fish reappear when a sea breeze brings turbulence and cloudy water. When fishing piers or jetties, do not neglect to cast under the structure. The bream feed and shelter around the piles, often right under where you are standing. The wind and lean method is most important when bream fishing. Never attempt to set the hook by striking with the rod, or every fish swimming across or towards you will be lost.
The bream has been given credit for being a wily or clever fish, yet in reality is one of the easiest to catch. he only time it indulges in picking at food, is when the angler is not presenting the bait properly. Fish correctly and its biting method rarely varies, and the action to catch it remains constant.
While bream will feed on many types of baits, studies prove the yabbies to be vastly superior to all other baits in this type of fishing. Peeled prawns would be the next best, with such baits as white pilchards and fish gut being used by the angler who is prepared to wait for bigger class of fish. The yabbie is easily procured with an Alvey Super Suction Bait Pump, and will stay on the hook well if baited as shown, cast with a smooth action without jerking

http://www.ausfish.com.au/bream.html

Butterfly Fish

Butterfly Fish034 (800x600), originally uploaded by Ladymaggic.

They are plentiful on the bay and swim around he yachts.
Owners regard the waters below their yachts as private Aquariums and feed the fish.
Catching them was easy with a piece of squid and a fishing line.
Two made a delightful lunch cooked with garlic in butter spenkled with chopped parsley and fresh lemon juice

Found in most oceans of the world, butterfly fish are small, thin, disk-shaped fish with pointed noses. There are many varieties, the four-eyed butterfly probably being the most common from New England to the Caribbean. Others include the spotfin, the banded, and the reef butterfly. Many of these fish have a dark band running vertically through each eye. This is an aid for the fish being able to camouflage themselves on the coral reefs where they live. Most butterfly fish have pointed snouts, very useful for plucking out the small coral animals and getting into small crevices for tiny invertebrates which they feed on. Yellow, white, and black are the most common colors for butterfly fish. The four-eyed is pale yellow or whitish, with a dark eye band and a large dark spot on the tail. To a predator, the tail appears to be the fish's head and often allows the butterfly to escape being the "blue plate special" of the day. The spotfin is also yellowish and has a small dot at the base of its dorsal fin. The banded butterfly looks like a zebra, having alternating black and white stripes running vertically the length of its body. The reef butterfly starts with yellow at the top and fades to white on its belly. Most butterfly fish mate for life and raise their young together. Sometimes, if one dies, the other may also perish. Occasionally, there may be three to six in a small group. These little fish are a delight to visit on a coral reef. They are usually busy pecking away at the coral and scurry quickly if disturbed; however, if you move slowly, it is possible to follow them, film them successfully, or just enjoy them.