queensland Identification Please - Flounder?

[Kat]

Is this a flounder?

Cheers

Katrina

[Cobiaaddict]

Sure is

[Kat]

Thanks.  I presume as I caught it local and I havent heard any other local anglers mention them that they don't grow very big where I am?  Coombabah Creek area - GC.  Anyone know? Sorry - should have mentioned it was about 8cm long...

Edited September 5, 2020 by Kat

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Hey Kat

Yep, that sure is a flounder. You find them on sand bars, and they are like flatties in the way that they lie down on sand bars and ambush their bait.

I don't know the exact size, but I think they get a bit over thirty centimetres. My biggest ever was 32cm out of the Pine River, and they taste bloomin' good too! 

Here is a NSW DPI link on them with some helpful characteristics - 

https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/fish-species/species-list/flounder

They have no size limit in QLD but do have a bag limit of twenty. (I am happy to be corrected though).

Cheers Hamish  

[Kat]

Cheers Hamish.  Yes I remember my Dad used to catch them off the mangrove flats in Auckland when I was a little one - I remember they taste great.  I am surprised I caught one as I havent heard any of the local fishos mention them at all? I am wondering if I could get bigger ones here too.  Hooked up five fish today but only two were legal size. 3 Bream, 1 Flathead and the baby flounder.  Had a great day though.

[Brodie_S]

Yeah it sure is a flounder .i sometimes catch them when fishing for flathead . There the worst though cause the chew and bite your lures up one time I fishing and every cast i was getting bites and losing parts of my plastic after going through a plastic or 2 I finally hooked it . It Was a flounder I’ve only hooked small ones 

[Kat]

Yep it was definitely on a sandbar about two minutes after catching my baby flathead!

I cant wait to try that spot again and see whether i can hook anything bigger than 8cm - maybe as big as Hamish's

Cheers Kat

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Hey Kat

Despite their seemingly good fighting and excellent eating qualities, they seem to be over looked a lot compared to your typical bread and butter species (which are things such as bream, whiting, flathead - basically estuary species). 

I'm sure you'll be able to hook one eventually as they should be there.  

Cheers Hamish

[benno573]

Also quite hard to target specifically over here - hence not a lot of people specifically chase them. Always a welcome by catch for me - second only to stargazer for edible qualities from the estuaries in my opinion.

[Kat]

Thanks guys.  

[Drop Bear]

Yum. Did you eat it? 

[Kat]

Hey Drop Bear

No it was only about 8cm long if that.  I saw another one much bigger caught today.  This was in a completely different location but still near me.  So obviously they are around just surprised I haven't heard anyone mention them.  BTW what is a stargazer?

Cheers Kat

 

[Another Wazza]

Congratulations Kat!, like all great fishos it seems you’ve mastered the art of making the fish in the photo look bigger then it actually is , it can take some people years to perfect this illusion, It’s a shame he wasn’t bigger though, they’re pretty tasty

[GregOug]

1 minute ago, Another Wazza said:

Congratulations Kat!, like all great fishos it seems you’ve mastered the art of making the fish in the photo look bigger then it actually is , it can take some people years to perfect this illusion, It’s a shame he wasn’t bigger though, they’re pretty tasty

Just ask a Southsider how to do it. They are experts.

[Kat]

6 minutes ago, Another Wazza said:

Congratulations Kat!, like all great fishos it seems you’ve mastered the art of making the fish in the photo look bigger then it actually is , it can take some people years to perfect this illusion, It’s a shame he wasn’t bigger though, they’re pretty tasty

Lol

[Another Wazza]

The stargazer is a funny looking fish, I caught one in Tingalpa creek many years ago, I don’t have a pic of one but they’re quite box shaped up front and taper down near the tail, pretty dodgy explanation?

[Kat]

Found a picture

[Old Scaley]

They are delicious. Similar to monkfish if you have ever tried that.

[Kat]

No I haven't.  I just read about them - they are called the poor man's lobster apparently.

[benno573]

Serious fake new in this article... but has some good pictures of them.

https://m.northernstar.com.au/news/rare-poisonous-fish-caught-off-lennox-head-beach/3128487/

 

A) not poisonous (or venomous for that matter)

B) not rare, just rarely caught

C) not a deep sea species at all

D) do not believe the stuff about being electric is correct either. Will research further.

Here’s what grants guide has to say