Thread: dolphins close to shore, the whiting must be running

Originally Posted by Roverlord off road spares

The King George are a southern species, further north they get sand whiting.
I fished Morton bay when I visited a mate in Wynnum, the dolphin were at the mouth of the Brisbane river.
Fishing from a boat in the bay produced Grinners, ( sort of like a whiting but with big mouths and sharp teeth , Flounder with big TEETH and some funny looking caterpillar worm type thing that swallow the bait and their body was full of hair like spines all over
I don't know if there is illegal dumping of waste into the bay but these things were creepy

Yep, grinners, rats of the sea,
Harpadonidae

Small, bottom dwelling ; mainly on silty or sandy substrate. Numerous rows of needle like teeth in jaws, conspicuously visible from outside of mouth. Large numbers often caught by trawlers, but also taken by anglers in deeper , sandy grounds. Considered a delicacy in India. [ enough said]

large toothed flounder
To 40 cm., bottom dwelling, on soft bottoms, from shallow estuaries to more than 500 m depth, flattened head & body, eyes on left side of body. Excellent eating.

what a pity you couldn't get amongst the Mangrove Jack, Snapper, Jew, Sweetlip, Emperors, Kingfish, trevallies, Tailor, Coral trout, 3 species of Flathead, Bream, Pearl perch, Queenfish, Amberjack, Moses perch, Rosy Jobfish, Drummer, Morwong, Sole , Leather jacket , & more, that live in Moreton Bay, & the river systems around here. It's not well known , but there are coral reefs in the bay, not much, but enough. You have to know where they are, & I'm not telling. Also we have 2 whiting species, Sand & Diver, or winter whiting. Tiny by comparison to their southern cousins, winter whiting are the sweetest fish you could eat. You have to know how to butterfly fillet the fish, or you lose the best part of it.

That worm thing is most likely the Purple spotted bristle worm, Occasionally caught on prawn & fish baits, the bristles can break off in the skin, & cause irritation.

From my wild guide to Moreton Bay, BTW, I have caught & eaten all of the fish above. My favourites, Winter whiting, flathead & coral Trout, Bob

My favourites to eat as well bob, although I'd substitute winter whiting for king George as I'm not aware of the winter variety. Oh and calamari. Yummy

Originally Posted by bob10

Yep, grinners, rats of the sea,
Harpadonidae

Small, bottom dwelling ; mainly on silty or sandy substrate. Numerous rows of needle like teeth in jaws, conspicuously visible from outside of mouth. Large numbers often caught by trawlers, but also taken by anglers in deeper , sandy grounds. Considered a delicacy in India. [ enough said]

large toothed flounder
To 40 cm., bottom dwelling, on soft bottoms, from shallow estuaries to more than 500 m depth, flattened head & body, eyes on left side of body. Excellent eating.

what a pity you couldn't get amongst the Mangrove Jack, Snapper, Jew, Sweetlip, Emperors, Kingfish, trevallies, Tailor, Coral trout, 3 species of Flathead, Bream, Pearl perch, Queenfish, Amberjack, Moses perch, Rosy Jobfish, Drummer, Morwong, Sole , Leather jacket , & more, that live in Moreton Bay, & the river systems around here. It's not well known , but there are coral reefs in the bay, not much, but enough. You have to know where they are, & I'm not telling. Also we have 2 whiting species, Sand & Diver, or winter whiting. Tiny by comparison to their southern cousins, winter whiting are the sweetest fish you could eat. You have to know how to butterfly fillet the fish, or you lose the best part of it.

That worm thing is most likely the Purple spotted bristle worm, Occasionally caught on prawn & fish baits, the bristles can break off in the skin, & cause irritation.

From my wild guide to Moreton Bay, BTW, I have caught & eaten all of the fish above. My favourites, Winter whiting, flathead & coral Trout, Bob

Thanks Bob, now I know what those purple worm things are, tried to google but come up zippo. Mate lived in Wynnum so launched at Manly, we only fished the bay and headed for this Island not far off shore. The water was pretty clear and you could see the bottom, there was just sand/silt and sea grass in patches. A lot of boats were heading out wide, but we were in a small tinny. Possible at those better fish where further off shore?
Cheers, Mario

Originally Posted by Roverlord off road spares

Thanks Bob, now I know what those purple worm things are, tried to google but come up zippo. Mate lived in Wynnum so launched at Manly, we only fished the bay and headed for this Island not far off shore. The water was pretty clear and you could see the bottom, there was just sand/silt and sea grass in patches. A lot of boats were heading out wide, but we were in a small tinny. Possible at those better fish where further off shore?
Cheers, Mario

The best fishing around the Bay islands is at night, you can catch snapper & the occasional reef fish as close as Mud Island, off the mouth of the River. They are very touchy, no lights, no noise. Snapper are also caught in the River, sneak in under the wharf around fishermans islands [ don't get caught] again at night. The flats off Nudgee beach were great for winter whiting, fishing with a handline & 2 or 3 hooks, you'd get 3 at a time. unfortunately, much of Nudgee is Green zone, Marine National Park. Any one fishing Moreton Bay should get a copy of the " Moreton Bay Marine Park user guide", tells you where you can & can't fish. Another must have is Brownies Coastwatch " Beacon to Beacon" directory. It shows updated maps, GPS waypoints, anchorage guide, anchorage photos from Bundaberg to Tweed heads. Full of great info. Another little tip, buy an Admiralty Chart of Moreton Bay, which shows all wrecks in & around the Bay. [ Not telling you any more ] Bob

Originally Posted by Vern

My favourites to eat as well bob, although I'd substitute winter whiting for king George as I'm not aware of the winter variety. Oh and calamari. Yummy

Can't wait to get amongst the King George whiting, when the Wife retires, Coffin Bay oysters, yummie!. The best local place for calamari is Shorncliffe pier, at night. Or it was, until they closed the pier, for safety reasons, good news is they are rebuilding it, it is an icon in these parts, Bob