who keeps their catch

[ellicat]

Will keep enough for a feed fresh I wont eat frozen fish.

The benefits of a reliable working motor....

[Gcarj]

I keep enough to feed my parents in-law and the wife. Usually about 4. Thats about as good as I get anyway. Dont see the point in filling the freezer with fish. Not a big fish eater myself

[tikki169]

I'll keep enough for Myself and the wife (she only eats seafood, no meat) and if I'm really luck I'll give some to my parents but that's things like tuna and macs.

Whiting and Gar I never bag out and always only keep ones I consider a decent size (well above the legal size for whiting). I've often caught over 20 whiting in a session but will just keep 10 or so and upgrade as I go along.

I don't fish fresh at all so nothing there for me

[rosco1974]

i eat fish prob 2 times a week so i pretty well keep most,always try to give the rellies without boats a good feed when i can as well..mind you i do release a few.

[Enormoss]

saltwater= 90% release for me, it all depends what the species is and location and freshwater 100% release unless its redclaw or the dreaded talapia.

cheers

[J-DOG115]

yeer we always try to keep a good feed when we go offshore but tend not to keep the fish out of the creeks

cheers

joel

[rayke1938]

Saltwater will keep a snapper or thready or bully.With threadys or bullys I only eat one meal and give rest away as dont like frozen fish.

Fresh Waer, I like my impoundment bass and yellas but am over impoundment barra they are ok fresh but do not freeze well.

Will probably only eat bass or yella once a fortnight ( if i can catch one). Only take from impoundments as they are a put and take fishery.

Redclaw once a fortnight or else I get gout so give them away,

Cheers

Ray

[Zeezu]

Haven't fished fresh here.

SW the plan is to keep a feed for myself, the wife, and rotate between the in-laws (as they store and paid for my kayak) and my parents (for obvious reasons).

- Only keep a fish if I plan to eat it that day.

- Eating species are snapper, flathead, bream.

- Release larger specimens of the above.

Well thats the plan atleast. I probably average only 1 legal fish per outing so short straw gets dinner? Its survival of the fittest in the zeezu household :whistle:

[tugger]

We are big fish eaters in my family and will also pass it onto my folks and inlaws so we keep all saltwater fish i target within the bag limits and don't like coming home empty. Fish are some of the healthiest food you can eat and fishing is becoming that expensive to waste the oppotunity. The way i catch and keep fish they freeze just like fresh and we always write on the bags before freezing what the fish is and when it was caught.

[Greenmachine]

My exception is when im camping, happy to live off tailer for a week! especially when there on the hot plate 10 minutes after capture!

plus 1. Done a few allnighters and take a smoker, Straight off the hook, quick fillet, into the smoker then straight in the gob!

Also if I catch a fish I have never tried before I will take it for a feed to see what its like.

And if I go for an early morn weekend bream or flattie bash, You cant beat getting back home and chucking em staight in the pan with butter. Bestest brekies.

Never frozen fish to eat later.

[rosstralia46]

i usually dont catch enough to eat but dont mind a feed of fresh bream, flathead or soul as for freshwater my mum loves fresh water fish so usually keep a few eel tail catties and the odd yela

[ellicat]

We are big fish eaters in my family .....

I believe that would be the case in both possible meanings -

big fish eaters and eaters of big fish :woohoo: :cheer:

[madmullet]

that is some good reading. lots of differant apinions. thanks heaps guys.......

[malram]

I release nearly 100% of my fish, I only really keep squid. On the very rare occasion I take fish for myself.

When I take out my friends who are keen for a feed I don't mind if they take a fish or two home but when it comes to certain fish I advise them of their sacredness to fishing in general.

A recent trip to lost world found ourselves landing quite a few pan-sized bass but when I explained to them how alot of anglers cherish bass as the freshwater sporting fish of Australia and are held in high regard they feel empathy towards my feelings and happily go without, they understand.

But that's just my opinion on it all of course

[Manni79]

Most of the time i catch fish for sport however i do like taking a feed home every now and then.

Nothing better than eating something you have caught !!!

I generally catch & eat fresh, don't often freeze my catches

Cheers, Manni

[Damien2Rad]

I absolutely love whiting and tailor. So if I plan on getting a feed, I'll Target these species specifically

For my general fishing most goes back. Depends though, I usually only have my rod and bag of tackle as I like to be mobile.

But if I have the esky in the ute I might keep a couple.

Usually I don't like keeping just one fish (unless its big) but i never keep more than I need.

All Bream and barramundi go back.

[wesfish]

with the cost of living these days and the price of fuel and cost to fish(rods , reels, line, lures etc)i tend to keep a few salt water species as i like fish and so does my mum. And quality species cost an arm from the shops.

fresh water i dont keep 98% of fresh water fish caught. only the odd bass, yella or decent size spangled are kept while camping to throw on the bbq.

[Okuma82]

100% catch and release

[keen_as]

Depends on the day and if I want fish for dinner.

Some times catch and release, some times catch eat release.

If I want to keep fish I'll generally target what I want to eat (normally flatties, whiting, jacks.) Will NEVER keep wild bass though.

I get this type of question with hunting too. Do you hunt for meat or for sport/trophy.

Personally I hunt for meat, but if there's a nice trophy head to mount on the wall it's a more than welcome bonus.

Be it deer, goat, I've been known to eat a few clean wild boars as well.

[Malcolm]

Do Dear look that in Aus

[keen_as]

They do once I'm done with em ,

The big fella's not mine that's the old mans from NZ

[ellicat]

100% catch and release

Having just read your NPD thread, I have to ask - how do you know for sure ? (J/K)

[Jords]

Sick deer mate!

[Gad]

Sick deer mate!

well past sick, well and truely stuffed IMO

[ellicat]

@ Gad.

Good to see some vermin out of the forests.

[bootyinblue]

Before I consider the keep or release question, I need to accomplish the catch component!

But seriously I will ever only keep fish for the next 2 meals for people to eat, and I wont freeze fish as unless you have a blast freezer the forming of the ice crystals breaks the cell walls of the flesh resulting in a 'mushier' consistency.

[max pwr]

Before I consider the keep or release question, I need to accomplish the catch component!

But seriously I will ever only keep fish for the next 2 meals for people to eat, and I wont freeze fish as unless you have a blast freezer the forming of the ice crystals breaks the cell walls of the flesh resulting in a 'mushier' consistency.

I'll bet some of your "clients" wouldn't mind breaking some cell walls occasionally.

[madmullet]

Depends on the day and if I want fish for dinner.

Some times catch and release, some times catch eat release.

If I want to keep fish I'll generally target what I want to eat (normally flatties, whiting, jacks.) Will NEVER keep wild bass though.

I get this type of question with hunting too. Do you hunt for meat or for sport/trophy.

Personally I hunt for meat, but if there's a nice trophy head to mount on the wall it's a more than welcome bonus.

Be it deer, goat, I've been known to eat a few clean wild boars as well.

[madmullet]

this has been a really good read. thanks very much to all AFO'ERS that contributed

cheers kurt

[woody1]

I think I would keep more fish if there was a good live tank in my boat. Sometimes I catch a good eating size flatty or whiting that isnt enough for a meal and throw it back because its not worth keeping if I dont get any more. That way I could keep it alive and throw back at the end of the trip ig its the sole keeper

[madmullet]

I think I would keep more fish if there was a good live tank in my boat. Sometimes I catch a good eating size flatty or whiting that isnt enough for a meal and throw it back because its not worth keeping if I dont get any more. That way I could keep it alive and throw back at the end of the trip ig its the sole keeper

that is a very good point, thats the same with me

[woody1]

anyone know how big of a tank you would need to keep a couple of 50cm flatties, or a just legal squire alive in? I have seen the kits pretty cheap to turn an esky into a live tank

[Damien2Rad]

The other night some blokes pulled up to the boat ramp and start walking up to the bin with a 115cm black Jew...

We called out and he said "we caught 7, this one is the smallest and won't fit in the esky"

We took it off his hands.

But man, that pisses me off. What the Hell do you need seven jewies for?

[Gcarj]

The other night some blokes pulled up to the boat ramp and start walking up to the bin with a 115cm black Jew...

We called out and he said "we caught 7, this one is the smallest and won't fit in the esky"

We took it off his hands.

But man, that pisses me off. What the Hell do you need seven jewies for?

I hear you mate.........no need for that many fish. Bloody joke

[RedHerring]

I love a good flatty fillet battered in the pan, I will release the big ones and others but when in the mood for some fillets you can't go past a few 50 - 60cm flattys.

Nice 30cm bream fried whole in garlic butter and batter is quite tastey too but I don't eat the Brisbane river Bream I reckon they smell funny.

Nice feed of Threadfin, I eat them but prefer release, mainly because of habitat and I don't like eating them as much as other species.

Jewfish, yes 80-90cm Mulloway, some of the best fish I have eaten have been Mulloway of this size.

Estuary cod, can't bring myself to kill they are such a good lookin fish.

Grunter, yep fry em up...

Trick is to take a feed when you want just don't go overboard, I remember the old days when nothing was released and you would get sick of eatin a freezer full of fish.

[fishingnut]

I love a good flatty fillet battered in the pan, I will release the big ones and others but when in the mood for some fillets you can't go past a few 50 - 60cm flattys.

Nice 30cm bream fried whole in garlic butter and batter is quite tastey too but I don't eat the Brisbane river Bream I reckon they smell funny.

Nice feed of Threadfin, I eat them but prefer release, mainly because of habitat and I don't like eating them as much as other species.

Jewfish, yes 80-90cm Mulloway, some of the best fish I have eaten have been Mulloway of this size.

Estuary cod, can't bring myself to kill they are such a good lookin fish.

Grunter, yep fry em up...

Trick is to take a feed when you want just don't go overboard, I remember the old days when nothing was released and you would get sick of eatin a freezer full of fish.

Didnt you get a 55cm grunter on your gary howard 1-3kilo from the brissy river?

[Travis]

I love a good flatty fillet battered in the pan, I will release the big ones and others but when in the mood for some fillets you can't go past a few 50 - 60cm flattys.

Nice 30cm bream fried whole in garlic butter and batter is quite tastey too but I don't eat the Brisbane river Bream I reckon they smell funny.

Nice feed of Threadfin, I eat them but prefer release, mainly because of habitat and I don't like eating them as much as other species.

Jewfish, yes 80-90cm Mulloway, some of the best fish I have eaten have been Mulloway of this size.

Estuary cod, can't bring myself to kill they are such a good lookin fish.

Grunter, yep fry em up...

Trick is to take a feed when you want just don't go overboard, I remember the old days when nothing was released and you would get sick of eatin a freezer full of fish.

Didnt you get a 55cm grunter on your gary howard 1-3kilo from the brissy river?

Cant go past an estury cod... yummo

[RedHerring]

Didnt you get a 55cm grunter on your gary howard 1-3kilo from the brissy river?

Funny you should mention that, I do own GH and they are nice little rods, can't comment on the grunter though I did see a guy here last year land a nice one down west end which was massive compared to a 55cm grunter.

[fishingnut]

Didnt you get a 55cm grunter on your gary howard 1-3kilo from the brissy river?

Funny you should mention that, I do own GH and they are nice little rods, can't comment on the grunter though I did see a guy here last year land a nice one down west end which was massive compared to a 55cm grunter.

bet its a 1-3 kilo too