AFO Sharking Trip In Summer... Who's Keen?

[Kat]

Hi @Drop Bear

Well said.  Yes I agree with what you have said and I am glad people take care of the fish.  I also hate seeing birds in cages, but love interacting with them.

 

Cheers Katrina

[The Mad Hughesy]

On 01/11/2020 at 5:36 PM, Kat said:

After watching the couple catch the bull shark I am a bit concerned/sad that the exercise was distressing or harmful for the shark unnecessarily.  By the look of it the shark was exhausted and isn't it hard enough for them to hunt and eat?  Should they have to waste their energy on our entertainment?  I certainly understand the excitement of sportfishing - but is catch and release really better than just catching to eat?  Or releasing fish that you didn't target or are too small?  Rather than specifically targeting another living thing just for the fun of it?  IDK - undecided...

If I am to go shark fishing I think it will be with the intention of catching something I can keep and eat. That is my general intention of fishing any species - to catch something me, my family and friends can eat- and have the fun and excitement and being out in nature at the same time.

Maybe someone who practices catch and release could explain to me why - I have always thought they were more concerned about the wellbeing of fish than I was.  But after watching that video I am not so sure.

cheers kat

i understand where you are coming from Kat, and its a hard question to answer. Is my thrill enough of a justification to go fishing in general? for me it is. The whole idea of sports fishing has developed into a huge industry of which many people make a living from. Plus my thrill extends past just fighting an catching a fish. i love the experience of being in such close contact to such a cool animal. Can only learn so much from a book or internet video.

i think it also comes down to individuals morals. As someone who as copped a lot of flak for shark fishing in the past, one thing ive found interesting is that people have zero problem with me fishing for mullet to then cut into pieces to use as bait to catch bream, but for some reason when you say the word shark...people lose their bananas. As if sharks have more feelings then other fish etc. Are my actions of taking a mullet purely for bait to catch other fish justified? for me it is. Also, the bigger the shark, the more "offended" people tend to become. When you say to people that you tag sharks for a research program, their anger usually magically disappears. Which i think just shows peoples moral compass limits on the issue. 

@Drop Bear makes a great point about the experience and education side to it. I once caught an extremely rare type of hammerhead shark in the bay which i tagged and released. I was the contacted by someone from a university who wanted as much detail about the shark, where and how it was caught etc. They were very surprised to see this capture. This wouldn't have happened if i wasn't fishing with the intent to release. Also begs the question, if someone else was to capture this and taken it to eat...would have taken a very rare shark thinking it was just a normal hammer of legal size, which was my thought at the time.

To each their own, and you make some really valid points. This will be a topic that will always be slightly contentious issue. But good on you for outlining your point of view on the matter and not just bad mouthing the couple in this video. If only everyone else was that civil and nice lol

[Kat]

To be honest I don't really know what my opinion is.  I just wasn't very comfortable watching that video.. I don't know why.

I love fishing and really always have when I look back on it.  To be honest I think people that complain about any recreational fishing are *#@$@*# idiots.  They should be complaining about commercial fishing instead.

Kat

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Well I still hope this event can go forward... Looks like @Kat, @Drop Bear, and @ellicat are keen and @christophagus you are keen if it is done online.

Here is a proposition - 

We have one month... Lets say January, where we have an online event for lots of people. Then, we have one day in this month, i.e. the 20^th of January (Sunday) where we meet up at a location, possibly Captain Burke Park, where we all have a social fish for the bullies.

How does that sound?

Cheers Hamish

[ellicat]

Sounds good to me.

[Kat]

Sounds good to me too.  Is January the best month for fishing for Bull Sharks?  It is unlikely that I will catch one.  Very rarely do I catch anything but Bream .  But if I do I will be too scared to deal with it...

Cheers Kat

[Kat]

You were supposed to say "I will help you Kat!"  Not laugh.  Where has all the Chivalry gone nowadays

[The Mad Hughesy]

January will be a great month. They are starting to be caught now and will continue to get better over summer. @Kat I’m fairly confident we can get you into a shark! Right place with the right bait, very confident it will happen

January will now be known as shark month! By then my boat floor will be fixed and I will be able to take some people out 

[Drop Bear]

23 hours ago, Kat said:

Very rarely do I catch anything but Bream

Bream are awesome. I love to catch and eat bream.

[Drop Bear]

23 hours ago, Kat said:

But if I do I will be too scared to deal with it...

I will help you Kat. Then I will eat your shark for you haha. 

[Drop Bear]

22 hours ago, christophagus said:

January will now be known as shark month!

haha gold. It will be for ever more. 

[Kat]

2 hours ago, Drop Bear said:

I will help you Kat. Then I will eat your shark for you haha. 

Deal!  As long as you show me how you cut up a shark to eat.  Even thinking about that makes me feel weird - I really do think sharks look evil.  Jaws must have messed with my mind

[Kat]

3 hours ago, Drop Bear said:

Bream are awesome. I love to catch and eat bream.

Yeah.  We had some last night.  Caught my PB on Wednesday.  May post a short report cause it was weird - someone might know why.

[Drop Bear]

10 hours ago, Kat said:

Deal!  As long as you show me how you cut up a shark to eat.  Even thinking about that makes me feel weird - I really do think sharks look evil.  Jaws must have messed with my mind

I can do that no problem. There are a few small things you need to get right or you will just blunt your knife. Big juicy thick fillets that taste delicious. 

[Drop Bear]

10 hours ago, Kat said:

Yeah.  We had some last night.  Caught my PB on Wednesday.  May post a short report cause it was weird - someone might know why.

I look forward to that. Did it have saddleback syndrome? 

https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/fisheries/monitoring-research/monitoring-reporting/commercial-fisheries/species-specific/yellow-fin-bream#:~:text=Yellowfin bream sometimes have an,fish are safe to eat.

 

[Kat]

3 hours ago, Drop Bear said:

I can do that no problem. There are a few small things you need to get right or you will just blunt your knife. Big juicy thick fillets that taste delicious. 

Mmmm 

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Hmm, well I don't want this to go to waste...

Here is a proposition everyone -

Over January, we can have a Shark Competition. 

It will run from 1^st of January until the 31^st of January.

There will be a few categories.

Biggest Shark Altogether. 

Biggest Shark Boat Based

Biggest Shark Land based

Biggest Shark Kayak Based

Most Unique Shark (as in looks, like a Cat Shark or a Banjo Shark)

Most Sharks Caught in total (not size dependant)

There can be a couple or one meet ups if anyone is keen. Maybe in some different rivers. I.E. Brisbane River, Logan River.

You can compete solo, or in a team of as many as you like. 

Main prize would probably be bragging rights but we'll see how we go. 

Any thoughts? Is this bad? Or is it perfectly OK? I do admit I feel slightly (extremely) guilty whenever I leave a hook in a sharks mouth and let him back...... They are majestic creatures in their own right and don't deserve to be affected by myself having a bit of good fun fighting them. 

Should we just do something similar but with another fish - like Sand Whiting for instance. 

Cheers Hamish  

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Oh yeah, and I should also add - if we want to change the species, it should be something accessible to everyone. Like Whiting, because you can catch it everywhere. It shouldn't be something like Mackerel, as these are very hard to land land based for a lot of people. 

[ellicat]

I think sharks handle being hooked just fine, so happy for it to be sharks.

Not sure I will devote precious weather to targeting them, but they are always a by-catch chance, so will be happy to partake in the comp.

[Drop Bear]

@AUS-BNE-FISHOI'm in mate. Are you gonna handle the leader board?

[Drop Bear]

You will probably need to have a unique item in the phot so those pesky nortsiders don't use all there old pics haha. 

RUN!

[ellicat]

9 hours ago, ellicat said:

Not sure I will devote precious weather to targeting them, but they are always a by-catch chance, so will be happy to partake in the comp.

Having said that, a landbased session if the weather is no good is definitely an option to get a fix.

[Brodie_S]

Can I participate. I’m just starting to get into shark fishing . I know I’m not from the Brisbane to GC  area but I thought I could do it like the last online fish Comp the origins one 

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

22 hours ago, Drop Bear said:

@AUS-BNE-FISHOI'm in mate. Are you gonna handle the leader board?

Hey Robbie

Yes, I will. The unique symbol will be released the night before.

So far, we have 

@Drop Bear

@ellicat

@Cavvy

@AUS-BNE-FISHO

@Breaming with bro

@christophagus

@kmcrosby78 (and Liam + George)
Cheers Hamish 

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

1 minute ago, Breaming with bro said:

Can I participate. I’m just starting to get into shark fishing . I know I’m not from the Brisbane to GC  area but I thought I could do it like the last online fish Comp the origins one 

Yep, sure thing Breaming with bro. That’s the beauty with having a competition I guess.

Cheers Hamish 

[Brodie_S]

Sweet I’m in

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Oh, and I should also mention basic rules.

No fish will be accepted after the time given.

Fish will only be accepted if caught on rod and reel 

Anyone can enter this comp, so feel free to spread the word.

The ‘Most Unique Shark Category’ can only be entered in if you catch one type of shark and it’s only you if that makes sense.

Any other suggestions?

Cheers Hamish 

[The Mad Hughesy]

1 hour ago, AUS-BNE-FISHO said:

Oh, and I should also mention basic rules.

No fish will be accepted after the time given.

Fish will only be accepted if caught on rod and reel 

Anyone can enter this comp, so feel free to spread the word.

The ‘Most Unique Shark Category’ can only be entered in if you catch one type of shark and it’s only you if that makes sense.

Any other suggestions?

Cheers Hamish 

yeah mate im in

happy to organise trophies again if people want? i think you might run into strife with measuring them potentially. Anything large caught boat based is very hard to measure.

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

33 minutes ago, christophagus said:

yeah mate im in

happy to organise trophies again if people want? i think you might run into strife with measuring them potentially. Anything large caught boat based is very hard to measure.

That’s a good point. As long as we don’t have two very similar size sharks it should be easy to see what was bigger with a good picture though, shouldn’t it? 

By the way, that is a good idea Chris. I can help you out with that if it’s to much hassle though?

Cheers Hamish 

[Kat]

35 minutes ago, christophagus said:

yeah mate im in

happy to organise trophies again if people want? i think you might run into strife with measuring them potentially. Anything large caught boat based is very hard to measure.

So how will the competition be judged if they can't be measured?  Anyway I am happy to step in and help out as deckie if any of the skippers lose their fingers - ha ha ha.  Oops - too much.

 

Yes I think I am in.  Not really sure where I will try for a shark though.

Sorry phone screen playing up so have had difficulty reading and responding.

Cheers Kat

[Kat]

Oh also - should I try and get a couple of sponsors?

[Kat]

13 hours ago, AUS-BNE-FISHO said:

Oh yeah, and I should also add - if we want to change the species, it should be something accessible to everyone. Like Whiting, because you can catch it everywhere. It shouldn't be something like Mackerel, as these are very hard to land land based for a lot of people. 

Rubbish.  I can't catch whiting anywhere

[Kat]

3 minutes ago, Kat said:

Oh also - should I try and get a couple of sponsors?

Actually.  Looking at the numbers in the comp - forget sponsors lol

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

9 minutes ago, Kat said:

So how will the competition be judged if they can't be measured?  Anyway I am happy to step in and help out as deckie if any of the skippers lose their fingers - ha ha ha.  Oops - too much.

 

Yes I think I am in.  Not really sure where I will try for a shark though.

Sorry phone screen playing up so have had difficulty reading and responding.

Cheers Kat

Well I will just have to try and be accurate. Hopefully most skippers/fishers can get a measurement. If it comes to it, it may be a draw. 
@Kat, yeah, sponsors would be nice, but like you said there isn’t any point in trying to sponsor a comp that 6 people are doing. 
Cheers Hamish 

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

10 minutes ago, Kat said:

Rubbish.  I can't catch whiting anywhere

Worms. Pipis. Yabbies.

Sand flat.

Light trace, tiny sinker, red tubing and bead, small shank hook.

Cheers Hamish 

[Kat]

1 hour ago, AUS-BNE-FISHO said:

Worms. Pipis. Yabbies.

Sand flat.

Light trace, tiny sinker, red tubing and bead, small shank hook.

Cheers Hamish 

Yep.  Tried it all many times - still nothing. I really am a terrible fisho. It is driving me bonkers.

[Ed.]

4 minutes ago, Kat said:

Yep.  Tried it all many times - still nothing. I really am a terrible fisho. It is driving me bonkers.

I wouldn't give up hope, you might just need to try to fish in different areas, because fish travel a lot, one day there may be heaps in one area and the next 4-5 days zilch, and if they are not there then no matter what bait you try you won't catch anything. You could always try adding burley to where you  are fishing but it would have to spread far and wide to attract fish to where you are,  this is assuming that they are hungry at that time, because you don't want them to nibble and pick at the bait, you want them to gulp it down like it is their last meal, and in most cases it will be.

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

17 minutes ago, Ed. said:

I wouldn't give up hope, you might just need to try to fish in different areas, because fish travel a lot, one day there may be heaps in one area and the next 4-5 days zilch, and if they are not there then no matter what bait you try you won't catch anything. You could always try adding burley to where you  are fishing but it would have to spread far and wide to attract fish to where you are,  this is assuming that they are hungry at that time, because you don't want them to nibble and pick at the bait, you want them to gulp it down like it is their last meal, and in most cases it will be.

Good advice there Ed.

I don’t mean to change the subject but do you want to enter the comp? 

[Ed.]

Thank you Hamish for the offer  but not a good time of the year for me,  I would like to but at this stage with getting the house ready for sale I am not sure if I even will have time to do any fishing for quite a while as I have a heap of work to do here. Christmas is almost upon us and I have all my daughters rocking up from all over the country side, picking up the first one, her hubby and grand daughter  tomorrow, so that will also put me further behind and lastly in the new year I have a couple of medical issues that I need sorted which may lay me up as well so it may be months before I get a chance hence the reason I didn't put my name down.

I will just have to read and drool about all the fish being caught by everyone else.

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

15 minutes ago, Ed. said:

Thank you Hamish for the offer  but not a good time of the year for me,  I would like to but at this stage with getting the house ready for sale I am not sure if I even will have time to do any fishing for quite a while as I have a heap of work to do here. Christmas is almost upon us and I have all my daughters rocking up from all over the country side, picking up the first one, her hubby and grand daughter  tomorrow, so that will also put me further behind and lastly in the new year I have a couple of medical issues that I need sorted which may lay me up as well so it may be months before I get a chance hence the reason I didn't put my name down.

I will just have to read and drool about all the fish being caught by everyone else.

Alright. That's fine Ed. Good luck with getting everything done and I hope it all goes to plan  

Cheers Hamish