reminds me of shooting coral trout up north in the early days before they got gun shy , you would see them in pairs shoot 1 and the second 1 would hang about to see what happened to its mate and you could reload and shoot the second 1 , really was to easy looking back on those days shooting them , other thing we did was burley them up and then jump in and shoot them , only thing you had to worry about was the pesky reef sharks and the occasional tiger shark
Like all our fish Blues can be fished sustainably.
I used to see quite a few blues while diving off Perth many years ago and and the numbers declined steadily. In all my time spearing i only got two.
The fist was a normal size, 3-4Kg. The second was the biggest Blue that i have seen ever and that includes any photo's i have seen of them. After getting this monster back to the boat and getting a photo i thought about my role in fishing sustainably. This massive female was what kept the stocks going. I had a trophy fish and was unlikley to ever top it so i made the decision to never spear another western blue again.
If you spear then now and then, or catch them on hooks, i think that is fine. If you notice they are getting rarer, not as many around as normal or getting smaller, then give them a break. I know i have left 20 or more good size blues and many smaller ones over he years so others can enjoy their sport.
And yes Barney when you swim past a cave with a nice Blue in it and have no intention of spearing it, the bloody thing will swim right up and bump your mask just to rub it in.. Lol
homaphrodite. They start life as females. When the larger blue male of the colony dies/is taken ect. the next biggest female will change and become male. That 1 male groper may have up to 10 females in his harem. At least that's the story with East Coast Blue Groper. Dunno if it is different over here?
The view expressed in this post is that of a self opinionated bullshitter and does not reflect that of this website, it's owners, mediators, other members or anyone else for that matter :-P
Along he south coast there is thousands and thousands of them and the more remote you go the bigger they are. We have seen them up to 60kg while diving and the average size of a fish at most spots is about 12-15kg ad we will normally see about 2-3 that size or bigger each dive. Just about any over 20kg are very smart and know exactly what is going on and don't let you get close to them easily. Freediving anyway they rarely will swim right up to you and some can be dumb but most larger ones and quick to get away. The 4 I've seen over 40kg have all been gone in a flash or kept their distance out of range ( not that I want to shoot one that big)
any fish is all happy and want to check you out, some are just smarter than others, but what i dont get is what the difference is, if i speared one or you catch one on a hook either way they will be fucked by the time you get them to the surface, and your going to eat it, fishing is fishing in my eyes, so i hope that none of you blokes saying dont spear them doesnt fish, for the fear of killing a poor harmless friendly fish.... and i wouldnt kill a huge one but up to 15kgs taste delicious.
Sorry mate cant agree there ive eaten them from small to big (not always cooked by me so cant blame the cook) and reckon they taste crap. You are right that they will be stuffed when you get them up depending how deep you catch them,i will try let them go same as queen snapper,small dhuies ,sambo"s etc.The difference with a spear is you have a choice ,to pull the trigger or not. If you eat them ,then all good if you pull the trigger with no intention of eating them then thats poor form. I have no problem killing anything as long as its for a feed.
I've never heard of anyone shooting one without eating it. I've let a fair few go and shot a couple and I think they taste alright. Definitely not the strangest thing for people to like eating. Great for fish head soup.
I agree with the pulling the trigger and not to eat it mate, totally, I wouldn't kill anything nor would I fish if I was not going to eat what I caught and enjoy it or share it with my family that would be poor form, and the good thing about shooting it is your right you do have a choice as to what you will eat and not pulling it up and the chance of returning it dead, especially if it's a big one, from any sort of depth.
scotto
Posts: 2472
Date Joined: 21/04/08
illegal in sa and vic
Illegal in sa and vic, but legal in wa, and that is a good thing in my opinion.
sammy85
Posts: 831
Date Joined: 31/08/10
Can't spear them around
Can't spear them around rotto. I say around as fisheries shows you a line but no gps marks for the exclusion zone
Plumber and gas fitter- 0415489103
barneyboy
Posts: 1392
Date Joined: 08/01/09
you get no points from me spearing them...
no matter what state you are in. They remind me of lost puppy dogs that follow you everywhere..
FEEEISH ONNN!!!
petermac
Posts: 2946
Date Joined: 03/03/10
your right
reminds me of shooting coral trout up north in the early days before they got gun shy , you would see them in pairs shoot 1 and the second 1 would hang about to see what happened to its mate and you could reload and shoot the second 1 , really was to easy looking back on those days shooting them , other thing we did was burley them up and then jump in and shoot them , only thing you had to worry about was the pesky reef sharks and the occasional tiger shark
Madmerv
Posts: 672
Date Joined: 24/01/15
Lost Puppies
Like all our fish Blues can be fished sustainably.
I used to see quite a few blues while diving off Perth many years ago and and the numbers declined steadily. In all my time spearing i only got two.
The fist was a normal size, 3-4Kg. The second was the biggest Blue that i have seen ever and that includes any photo's i have seen of them. After getting this monster back to the boat and getting a photo i thought about my role in fishing sustainably. This massive female was what kept the stocks going. I had a trophy fish and was unlikley to ever top it so i made the decision to never spear another western blue again.
If you spear then now and then, or catch them on hooks, i think that is fine. If you notice they are getting rarer, not as many around as normal or getting smaller, then give them a break. I know i have left 20 or more good size blues and many smaller ones over he years so others can enjoy their sport.
And yes Barney when you swim past a cave with a nice Blue in it and have no intention of spearing it, the bloody thing will swim right up and bump your mask just to rub it in.. Lol
Merv
Sometimes when the water is quiet, you can hear the fish laughing at you !
barneyboy
Posts: 1392
Date Joined: 08/01/09
Blue Groper are
homaphrodite. They start life as females. When the larger blue male of the colony dies/is taken ect. the next biggest female will change and become male. That 1 male groper may have up to 10 females in his harem. At least that's the story with East Coast Blue Groper. Dunno if it is different over here?
FEEEISH ONNN!!!
Daisy
Posts: 789
Date Joined: 24/01/08
Yep, it's the same with
Yep, it's the same with Westerns and Baldies, and Bluebone (all wrasse species).
The view expressed in this post is that of a self opinionated bullshitter and does not reflect that of this website, it's owners, mediators, other members or anyone else for that matter :-P
Chris fish
Posts: 847
Date Joined: 23/02/11
Along he south coast there
Along he south coast there is thousands and thousands of them and the more remote you go the bigger they are. We have seen them up to 60kg while diving and the average size of a fish at most spots is about 12-15kg ad we will normally see about 2-3 that size or bigger each dive. Just about any over 20kg are very smart and know exactly what is going on and don't let you get close to them easily. Freediving anyway they rarely will swim right up to you and some can be dumb but most larger ones and quick to get away. The 4 I've seen over 40kg have all been gone in a flash or kept their distance out of range ( not that I want to shoot one that big)
always looking for a new challenge!!
Willlo
Posts: 1490
Date Joined: 07/10/11
Why kill anything that
Why kill anything that tastes like an old tyre anyway ?
Call Sign - BZ785
Haynes Hunter Prowler CC
Notorious
Posts: 914
Date Joined: 23/02/12
I have never in 5 years of
I have never in 5 years of spearing had a blue follow me around. Very flighty fish......Dhufish, Baldchin, Breaksea are way easier to hunt.
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Notorious
Posts: 914
Date Joined: 23/02/12
Mind you I dont dive down
Mind you I dont dive down south
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Jaggo
Posts: 206
Date Joined: 06/05/14
In my opinion they are
In my opinion they are average eating anyway
crezz
Posts: 695
Date Joined: 12/03/12
I don't dive or spear fish.
I don't dive or spear fish. I was just curious after reading wiki
Daniel Y
Posts: 423
Date Joined: 30/09/05
Hot tip: don't use Wikipedia
Hot tip: don't use Wikipedia as your source for fisheries regulations.
tassy
Posts: 372
Date Joined: 30/06/14
I have to ask here, why
I have to ask here, why spear them ? That is about on par with using powerheads on flounder lol (seen it happen)
Five bream an counting
One tree
One fooone hand
One jetty.
petermac
Posts: 2946
Date Joined: 03/03/10
dont shot them
they are like golden cocker spaniels all happy and want to see you seen plenty didn't have the heart to shoot them
RobertMc
Posts: 326
Date Joined: 19/01/09
any fish is all happy and
any fish is all happy and want to check you out, some are just smarter than others, but what i dont get is what the difference is, if i speared one or you catch one on a hook either way they will be fucked by the time you get them to the surface, and your going to eat it, fishing is fishing in my eyes, so i hope that none of you blokes saying dont spear them doesnt fish, for the fear of killing a poor harmless friendly fish.... and i wouldnt kill a huge one but up to 15kgs taste delicious.
Willlo
Posts: 1490
Date Joined: 07/10/11
Sorry mate cant agree there
Sorry mate cant agree there ive eaten them from small to big (not always cooked by me so cant blame the cook) and reckon they taste crap. You are right that they will be stuffed when you get them up depending how deep you catch them,i will try let them go same as queen snapper,small dhuies ,sambo"s etc.The difference with a spear is you have a choice ,to pull the trigger or not. If you eat them ,then all good if you pull the trigger with no intention of eating them then thats poor form. I have no problem killing anything as long as its for a feed.
Call Sign - BZ785
Haynes Hunter Prowler CC
kmo
Posts: 127
Date Joined: 17/01/12
I've never heard of anyone
I've never heard of anyone shooting one without eating it. I've let a fair few go and shot a couple and I think they taste alright. Definitely not the strangest thing for people to like eating. Great for fish head soup.
RobertMc
Posts: 326
Date Joined: 19/01/09
I agree with the pulling the
I agree with the pulling the trigger and not to eat it mate, totally, I wouldn't kill anything nor would I fish if I was not going to eat what I caught and enjoy it or share it with my family that would be poor form, and the good thing about shooting it is your right you do have a choice as to what you will eat and not pulling it up and the chance of returning it dead, especially if it's a big one, from any sort of depth.