Australian coarse fish

[chevin]

Surely if our Perch grew to that sort of size in Oz Chevin would be aware of it and have mentioned it?

 

While there are perch in some local waters, and by local I mean within 300 miles, I have only heard of them achieving weights of between four and five pounds. While I would be happy to catch a perch of that size, I have never visited any of the waters that contain them because I don't know anyone else sufficiently interested in them to go with me.

 

I haven't heard anything about the monsters that are being discussed here, but that is not necessarily surprising. Some of the waters that have been mentioned are as far away from me as Moscow is from London! Indeed during a recent drive across the country which included a couple of deviations from the direct route, I clocked 5,000kms! (3,000 miles).

 

About the only thing I have gathered from anglers I have heard discuss them is that the average size of those caught in Western Australia is a bit bigger than the average sized perch caught in the UK.

 

Bobj - good to see you here mate.

[Vagabond]

Hi Chevin and Bobj

 

Thanks for responding - I have also started a thread requesting information on Fishnet - Hook-'n-Cook, so might get something there

 

Look forward to hearing how Chevin's trip to Queensland went. Norma and I certainly enjoyed the Cape York trip last November.

 

Stop Press - quote from a poster to fishnet

 

""I've heard a few reliable reports of Redfin as big as 13 pounds in places as diverse as Blowering Reservoir, NSW and Tooloondoo Reservoir, Victoria""

 

...glad I didn't promise to eat my hat, but still no pictures.

Edited March 9, 2006 by Vagabond

[Newt]

Do ya think the humongoid perch sightings are something like These Dam fish?

[Vagabond]

, according to Dr Gerald R Allen, grow to 10.4 kg. I have caught several over 5 lbs, a young friend of mine has caught a few over 6 lbs and lost one to a murray cod that he believed was upward of 9 lbs. The cod was in the 40 lb class. These fish were from his property near Glen Innes, NSW on the Severn River.

 

Ah, now we are getting somewhere - I thought my email to Chevin would bear fruit!

 

..so Gerry Allen says the same as the other authors - wish I knew who said it first...

 

"several over 5 lb" eh - well done mate.

 

several other guys on hook'n'cook report they personally have had fish to 5 lb, and there's a second-hand report of 13 lb

 

Just looked up the map of Glen Innes - so your mate had those 6lb fish just west of the divide - ie in the Murray Darling system? Do you know if the river is fairly clear water up there? - I assume the stretch is above Pindari Dam ?

 

6 lb is a fantastic perch, but still a long way from 10kg

 

Keep diggin'

[Bobj]

Just looked up the map of Glen Innes - so your mate had those 6lb fish just west of the divide - ie in the Murray Darling system? Do you know if the river is fairly clear water up there? - I assume the stretch is above Pindari Dam ?

 

6 lb is a fantastic perch, but still a long way from 10kg

 

Keep diggin'

 

G'day mate, yes, my friend's place is well above Pindari dam and, I would expect some very big redfin will be in Pindari. On a personal basis, I have only ever heard of 1 redfin at 10 lbs but none in the 20 lb class.

In the Beardy Waters, where I used to fish, it was quite common to catch 3-4 lb reddies and, when the big summer thunderheads were in the west, to catch anything up to 10 3-4 lb fish with the odd one at 5 lbs.

[Bobj]

I can't get over hearing, in connection with the recent UK perch record, a comment on another site that the Oz perch record is over 10 kilos (22lbs)! Do other fish grow big there? If not, what's it about perch? If yes, why is it? Is it all the lager that eventually finds its way into the rivers? And is there hope for here?

G'day mate, indeed, some native freshwater fish grow to more than 22 lbs. We have the murray cod that grows to 100 kg, the yellowbelly grows to 24 kg, the salmon tailed catfish grows to about 35kg and the mighty barramundi grow to over 40 kg

Personally, I believe the reddie size was a bit of an overstatement.

[Dick Dastardly]

Bob Ive always been very interested in freshwater fish that top 100lb.Never new that the Murray cod did.Any pictures,information,links etc would be most apreciated.

[dogfish]

Here is a start:

 

http://www.fishnet.com.au/default.aspx?id=225

 

It seems that the Murray cod used to grow to much larger sizes but was heavily fished commercially when Australia was first settled and for many years after. The stocks have never really recovered

 

Cahal

[Dick Dastardly]

Thanks mate.I see it lists the Australian record at just over 100lbs.I take it that treble figure fish arnt that common?

[Bobj]

Thanks mate.I see it lists the Australian record at just over 100lbs.I take it that treble figure fish arnt that common?

Here is a link for the murray cod:

 

http://www.murrayriver.com.au/fishing/cod.htm

 

Unfortunately, when the early settlers discovered the eating qualities of the MC, they took virtually every fish they caught. It is still the norm to take the fish today

Incidentally, the modern trend is to call the murray cod "goodoo", it's aboriginal name, or, greenfish.