queensland Mid River Moment

[Sparksie]

As Dino says, fish when you can.

Had 2 hours to kill whilst the women in my life were at the Firebirds pre-season game at St Lucia Saturday just past.

Relaxing time along Sir William Macgregor Drive. Not sure if your actually allowed to fish along there, but didn’t get hassled.

Pics are each way, down stream and up stream.

All wrong in terms of tides etc. with bottom of the outgoing. The usual million Catfish, few undersize Bream and 3 of these little fellas, someone correct me if I’m wrong – Putty Nose Perch I think.

Took a snap of this one, nice gold colour. 1^st time I’ve caught any.

Beat mowing for the arvo, that’s for sure.

 

[The Mad Hughesy]

as far as I know they are puty nose or river perch. Looks nice and peaceful there mate

[Drop Bear]

nice way to pass the time mate well done and thanks for the report. Oh and I am no expert but it looks like a putty nose to me. 

https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/fisheries/species-identification/inshore-estuarine-species/jewfish/river-perch

 

[ellicat]

Nice one, Sparksie. Looks like a good spot for a flick to kill some time.

I caught a few of those last year when catfishing. First time for me as well.

[rayke1938]

River perch.

 Memories.

When I was young on a saturday mum,dad and myself and 2 sisters used to walk a mile from ekibin up to the tram stop at Chardons corner. ( no local bus service then)

Dad used to carry youngest sister on his shoulder .

 We used to catch the tram into town and get off at the Treasury stop and walk across William Street and purchase bait prawns from the bait shop that used to be under the old Victoria bridge and then walk down to the Gray Street Bridge ( Now called the William Jolly bridge) and fish on the upstream side of the bridge.

We used green cord lines no such thing as nylon lines then. Steel nuts as sinkers and match stick sharpened and worked through the line as a stopper.

We used to stop fishing when we had half a sugar bag full of fish because we had to carry everything home.

Do not remember ever catching a forky but the occasional bream which was not kept.

Dad used to be able to cast further out into the river than us and sometimes used to hook into a jew but very rarely was able to land one as we were about 10 feet up above the water.

Used to be a long drawn out slog carrying everything up the last hill to home and then mum and dad used to have to clean and scale the fish.

Fish for 3 meals a day for the next 2 days as we only had an ice chest to keep everything cold. Even the dog ate fish.

The perch were very prevalent in the river and favorite spots were Dutton Park Davies Park,Grey Street Bridge,Near the Coal Wharves,Mowbray and Newstead parks and it was a favorite family outing even in the late 1950,s.

Cheers

Ray

 

 

We used to use cord lines

[kmcrosby78]

Nice one Sparksie, beats mowing the lawn alright!!  Plenty of rocks there, you'd think there'd have to be a cod hiding somewhere.

[kmcrosby78]

Great read Ray - different city back then no doubt!!

[ellicat]

@rayke1938, Do you remember how good they were to eat  or what they might be similar to ?

[rayke1938]

All I can remember is that they were headed and gutted and fried in dripping and eaten whole picking the meat off the bone on one side and then lifting the frame off the other side.

The chooks got fed the heads and guts.

Taste i cannot remember but they must have been ok . We has to eat everything on the plate . Only thing I can  remember not liking was mashed swede turnip which Dad used to buy by the corn bag full for the cow and we used to also have to eat it.

Cheers

Ray

 

 

[Drop Bear]

16 hours ago, rayke1938 said:

River perch.

 Memories.

When I was young on a saturday mum,dad and myself and 2 sisters used to walk a mile from ekibin up to the tram stop at Chardons corner. ( no local bus service then)

Dad used to carry youngest sister on his shoulder .

 We used to catch the tram into town and get off at the Treasury stop and walk across William Street and purchase bait prawns from the bait shop that used to be under the old Victoria bridge and then walk down to the Gray Street Bridge ( Now called the William Jolly bridge) and fish on the upstream side of the bridge.

We used green cord lines no such thing as nylon lines then. Steel nuts as sinkers and match stick sharpened and worked through the line as a stopper.

We used to stop fishing when we had half a sugar bag full of fish because we had to carry everything home.

Do not remember ever catching a forky but the occasional bream which was not kept.

Dad used to be able to cast further out into the river than us and sometimes used to hook into a jew but very rarely was able to land one as we were about 10 feet up above the water.

Used to be a long drawn out slog carrying everything up the last hill to home and then mum and dad used to have to clean and scale the fish.

Fish for 3 meals a day for the next 2 days as we only had an ice chest to keep everything cold. Even the dog ate fish.

The perch were very prevalent in the river and favorite spots were Dutton Park Davies Park,Grey Street Bridge,Near the Coal Wharves,Mowbray and Newstead parks and it was a favorite family outing even in the late 1950,s.

Cheers

Ray

 

 

We used to use cord lines

Mate i loved reading that. Thanks for sharing the memory.

I wonder what has caused the great drop in numbers. I have seen some recently but never came across them when I fished the Coomera as a teen. 

[Old Scaley]

When he was still alive, my elderly neighbour tod me a few stories about big community family picnics on the riverside around Dutton Park and Fairfield when the perch would be running. Like @rayke1938 he remembered sugar bag catches and endless fish meals after the picnics. I can’t remember if he told me what time of the year the perch run happened? 

PS. Nice report @Sparksie

[kmcrosby78]

Maybe they just didn't breed too well in sugar bags ..........

[tiotony]

I can remember stories when I was a kid, from relatives long gone now, about people lining the banks of the city reaches of the Brisbane river during the annual run of the river perch. Also remember stories from the side of the family that were originally dairy farmers from the Tamborine/ Beaudesert/ Kerry area, of cod/ bass/ jungle perch fishing (obviously the 'Brisbane River Cod' that has been extinct for a long time) in the rivers and creeks in that area and towards Gold coast. After over 20 years living in Far North QLD and extensive work/ travel in remote northern Australia where natives still survive (even with the tilapia scourge), I honestly think the root causes of extinction of this in SEQ, is damming of rivers and creeks and massive habitat destruction - notably creeks/ rivers turning into brown stormwater drains. I think overfishing had little to do with it kmcrosby. I live and work overseas at the moment, sacrificing lifestyle so I can pay off a house within walking distance of a creek that is still relatively unspoilt - I dread the day jungle perch and other natives don't live in there anymore just like Brisbane.  

[Sparksie]

I'm glad I did a post looking at all the comments. 

Looks like it got some reflective thinking going on fishing in the Briso River and how the fishing was from another time.

Thanks for sharing.