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Kookaburra Park Session Cut Short

amatis

By amatis
in Saltwater

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amatis Newbie

amatis

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Went down to kooka lastnight for a bit of an explore after dark. Managed to find livies easy enough in the castnet - first cast produced over a dozen giant herring. While getting them out of the net i got tagged by a bullrout about 12cm long in the pinky finger. I didn't even see it in the net but he got me pretty deep with 2 spines.

The pain was intense but i stuck it out to soak one of the livies for 15minutes or so for no result. It was time to go home when my hand was numb, 5 times its normal size and i had fire in my veins all the way up to my shoulder. Ended up going to the hospital to get a local in my arm it got that bad.

Immediate treatment of the wound at the hospital was placing it in water as hot as you can stand. This provided immediate relief (11/10 down to 6/10) for anyone that may get stung in the future. Handy to know for all of your who have kettles rigged up in your tinnies and kayaks hahaha! ;)

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amatis Newbie

amatis

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I didn't know much about bullrouts until lastnight - here's a bit more info.

Venom Effects

Pain is the most distressing feature of Bullrout envenomation with the sting variously described as '...spectacularly painful' (Patkin and Freeman 1969)and 'immediate and intense' (Frey 1994). One of the earliest reports on the effects of the venom is by Cleland (1912) who indicates '...the pain is intense. It runs through the limb like fire. The injured part becomes red and inflamed.' (272). In 1915 Kesteven elaborated further and described the pain as '..out of all proportion to the very insignificant nature of the injury' (91) he goes on to say:

...it radiates in an altogether abnormal manner, compared with ordinary pricks or scratches, in many cases extending to the shoulder, or even up the side of the neck; the temperature varies greatly in most cases going up 2, 3 or more degrees within a very short time; lasting thus for a varying time and going down as rapidly, often below the normal, when severe collapse occurs, necessitating the free administration of stimulants to counteract heart failure which threatens (Kesteven 1914).

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Angus Rookie

Angus

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Andrew thats great advice thanks very much for sharing.

There are often bullrouts in numbers up there actually so always worth keeping an eye open for them.

Hopefully the good that will come from you experience will be that more people will keep an eye open!!

Cheers mate.

Angus

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Davo_Dinkum Newbie

Davo_Dinkum

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Ouch that a bugger

2 of my nephew's got stung by bullrout at college's crossing,one got taken to hospital in the car then the other got stung and ambo's came got him.

We where fishing at Kookaburra Park yesterday, walking around in the water bare foot and the little kids swiming.i think they are more in the stone bottom not the sand or mud.but think i mite start wareing shoes.

hope u feeling better today amatis

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Gad Community Regular

Gad

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Hey Amatis,bad luck matey,Colledges/Kooka and around The Junction is loaded with them.A fair number of people get stung by them in the warmer months around these areas[more people in the water,especially at Colledges]

I`ve adopted the habit of wearing thick soled aqua booties[cost about $35/45],even when I launch the boat at places like Bribie,Tweed,etc,[Caught stone fish near the ramps]maybe over cautious but I`m not into pain!!

Just a warning to any one who fishes Buckleys Hole [bribie]from the shore at low tide,heaps of stone fish get pulled in there.

cheers

PS.. I know, this does`t help if you pick them up!!!!

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batman Newbie

batman

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For everyone who didn't know what a bullrout was:

Find a Fish

Bullrout

Notesthes robusta (Günther, 1860)

Two Bullrout at a depth of 3 m, harbour entrance, Nambucca Heads, New South Wales, April 2000. Photo © E. Schlögl. View larger image.

A 4 cm long Bullrout caught at a depth of about 0.3 m, Clyde River Crossing on the River Road, New South Wales. Photo © M. Jones. View larger image.

A Bullrout caught in Lake Curalo, Eden, New South Wales, March 2006 (AMS I.43943-001). Photo © I. Merrington, NSW DPI. View larger image.

Head of a Bullrout caught in Lake Curalo, Eden, New South Wales, March 2006 (AMS I.43943-001). Photo: A. Hay © Australian Museum. View larger image. The Bullrout has a large head with seven spines on the operculum. It has a big mouth with a protruding lower jaw. The spinous dorsal fin is slightly concave posteriorly and the last soft dorsal ray is attached by a membrane to the caudal peduncle. The body is covered with small scales but the head is scaleless.

It has variable colouration from pale yellowish to dark brown, with blotches and marbling of dark brown, red-brown, grey or black. These markings sometimes form broad irregular bands.

The Bullrout can grow to 30 cm in length, but is more commonly seen up to about 20 cm.

The species lives in tidal estuaries and slow-flowing freshwater streams. It is recorded from northern Queensland to southern New South Wales and has infrequently been caught at sea.

This fish should only be handled with extreme care. The dorsal, anal and pelvic spines all have venom glands. A puncture wound from one of these spines can be excruciatingly painful.

Mate that is heeeectic! get better soon! I always where my booties when fishing especialy in the Brisbane river. Yet cast netting wow I will watch out for dem buggers!

Batty

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Gad Community Regular

Gad

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Hi folks,

If I had to vote between manglers and amatis`s pain report`s I`d have to go for mangler`s[sorry amatis],mangler gave a full report on his whole w/end camping and fishing,that was up untill he headed for hospital.Sorry fellas,just adding some levity to the topic

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flatty_catcher Newbie

flatty_catcher

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lot of people mistake those "happy moments" fish as

bullrouts, the happy moments are about as painful as a bee sting.

But i have heard people recount stonefish stings and the likes and the "hot water treatment is the first aid for a stonefish sting"

heres a pic of a bullrout, they are much uglier than "happy moments".

They even look a bit like a stonfish.

http://www.amonline.net.au/fishes/fishfacts/fish/nrobusta.htm

the second pic looks like a "happy moment" to me but the first one is definetly a bullrout.

Dan

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werewolf Newbie

werewolf

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amatis wrote:

Immediate treatment of the wound at the hospital was placing it in water as hot as you can stand. This provided immediate relief (11/10 down to 6/10) for anyone that may get stung in the future. Handy to know for all of your who have kettles rigged up in your tinnies and kayaks hahaha! ;)

I have never had to use it myself, but I have heard that for fish stings where heat helps, warming up your car, cranking the heat and holding your hand over the vent (or foot in footwell if you stood on one) can do wonders.

By the way, where you throwing the castnet from the bank?

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Mack_attack Newbie

Mack_attack

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For years i couldn't get away from them but as soon as i decided i wanted one for a pet i never caught one again.

Then i got a pet yabby which i've had for about 4 years now and then they came back again :P

So all you need to do is to actually want to catch one and they won't come back again. ;) worked for me any way...:silly:

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Cowfish13 Newbie

Cowfish13

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Brisbanebound: I feel that this song pretty much sums up Australian wildlife for you:P haha

[video type=youtube]wy_TB6onHVE

note: "poisonous thing that lives in the shell, that spikes you when you pick it up" is NOT a Hermit Crab:D SWLG were refering to a Coneshell :cheer: hahaha

flatty_catcher wrote:

lot of people mistake those "happy moments" fish as

bullrouts, the happy moments are about as painful as a bee sting.

But i have heard people recount stonefish stings and the likes and the "hot water treatment is the first aid for a stonefish sting"

heres a pic of a bullrout, they are much uglier than "happy moments".

They even look a bit like a stonfish.


/>http://www.amonline.net.au/fishes/fishfacts/fish/nrobusta.htm

the second pic looks like a "happy moment" to me but the first one is definetly a bullrout.

Dan

They are all Bullrout's in that link. This is what a Happy Moment looks like

HappyMomentSiganusnebulosusAFO.jpg

These are usually white-ish when pulled from the water and are much narrower across the shoulders

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flatty_catcher Newbie

flatty_catcher

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brisbanebound wrote:

Jeez, sometimes i forget im in oz and that most living creatures can kill you here!!

Even seen the tail of a snake at the building site on Breakfast Creek Road this morning going to work, it was brown too! :(

snake dont hardly kill anyone, even though we got some of the top venomous ones.

The trick is with snakes is when your in an area where you think they might be, is to make a lot of noise, they will take off,

its a suprised or cornered snake that will bite you just out of fear, but it genral they prefer to leave without attacking.

PS. Cowfish , PMSL at that clip

Dan

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Cowfish13 Newbie

Cowfish13

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flatty_catcher wrote:

brisbanebound wrote:
Jeez, sometimes i forget im in oz and that most living creatures can kill you here!!

Even seen the tail of a snake at the building site on Breakfast Creek Road this morning going to work, it was brown too! :(

snake dont hardly kill anyone, even though we got some of the top venomous ones.

The trick is with snakes is when your in an area where you think they might be, is to make a lot of noise, they will take off,

its a suprised or cornered snake that will bite you just out of fear, but it genral they prefer to leave without attacking.

Dan

Very very true!:cheer: You don't really need to fear Snakes

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werewolf Newbie

werewolf

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Cowfish13 wrote:

Brisbanebound: I feel that this song pretty much sums up Australian wildlife for you:P haha

[video type=youtube]wy_TB6onHVE

note: "poisonous thing that lives in the shell, that spikes you when you pick it up" is NOT a Hermit Crab:D SWLG were refering to a Coneshell :cheer: hahaha

flatty_catcher wrote:

lot of people mistake those "happy moments" fish as

bullrouts, the happy moments are about as painful as a bee sting.

But i have heard people recount stonefish stings and the likes and the "hot water treatment is the first aid for a stonefish sting"

heres a pic of a bullrout, they are much uglier than "happy moments".

They even look a bit like a stonfish.


/>http://www.amonline.net.au/fishes/fishfacts/fish/nrobusta.htm

the second pic looks like a "happy moment" to me but the first one is definetly a bullrout.

Dan

They are all Bullrout's in that link. This is what a Happy Moment looks like

HappyMomentSiganusnebulosusAFO.jpg

These are usually white-ish when pulled from the water and are much narrower across the shoulders

Mmmm interesting about the white happy moments, the ones I have seen before have been blackish.

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hulk Newbie

hulk

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I don't know but I think it may be a tongue in cheek:P name as it can sting you with its spikes and leave you with a very UNHAPPY moment.:angry: Believe me, I have been spiked twice at once and it leaves you with a feeling similar to that of being stung by about twenty green ants all at once but the sting remains for quite a while.:(

Hulk

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