queensland Quick but Very Satisfying

[Kat]

Hi All 

I almost got an invite out to fish in a boat tomorrow but had some appointments, thought seriously about cancelling them but in the end did the right thing and turned down the offer.  Karma you might say visited me today.  I decided to go fish the last of the run out tide in the local creek again.  Sunday saw a guy catch a pretty decent 38cm whiting and a flathead so I went for a fish yesterday about the same tide and met up with him again came home with a legal whiting and first legal sized Tarwhine but caught 4 stingray. 

They were good practice for when I hooked a big fish sometime.  Anyway after turning down a beautiful fishing day on a boat tomorrow I had to cheer myself up.  Got to the creek about 3pm.  Set off with yabby pump and about an hour later put my rod in the water.  The same fisho, Will, was there again along with another couple.  We had some chats and Will caught a whiting so I changed my leader from 15 pound to the lightest I have left, 10 pound and I had run out of my normal long shank hook so used a number 10 longshank I had purchased for Garfish.  I looked in my bucket for the smallest yabbie I could find to match the hook and put my line out.  The tide had almost stopped running and not much was happening so I put my rod in the holder to put a lure on my second rod.  I heard a noise behind me and turned around to see my rod lying on the ground half on the sand half in the water.  I quickly reached out to pick it up and just in time as the reel began to scream and the fish took a big run.  It stopped and felt like it dug itself in and then I managed to gain some line back.  Cursing to the others that I had got another stingray.  Well the couple fishing wanted to know how I dealt with the stingrays I caught yesterday so she started filming.  I gained line and then it would take another big run, then I gained some more and another run.  Well you get the picture.  I brought it about a metre from the bank a couple of times and on the second time Will and I both saw fins thrashing out of the water.  Will said that is not a stingray!  The fins were big. No was excited and now scared I was going to lose it.  With a bit of coaching, Will telling me to tire it out, I brought it to the bank a third time and Will had the gaff ready and helped me land it.  

After I stopped jumping up and down and yelling (Ellicat knows what that is like) it was hard to get excited about fishing again so I left shortly after to come home and write the report.

I am going to enter the photo in my fishing club comp!

I am told by Doug Burt's that my catch is a Sombre Swéetlip.

If my mates really old rusty scales are right it is about 9.6 pounds and measures 62cm long.  It feels heavier to me but I haven't got kitchen scales big enough.

[Old Scaley]

Fantastic effort @Kat. That is a quantum leap in your fishing journey. Did you eat it?

[Kat]

No dinner was already cooked when I got home.  Had fish last night.  Will deal with it tomorrow and figure out if it is too much for one meal or not lol!  I am still on a high

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Hi Kat

Awesome work on the Sweetlip. Exciting report as well.

Hope he tastes good.

Cheers Hamish

[Kat]

Thanks Hamish!

[ellicat]

That's a fair lunker of a fish, Kat. Well angled by the sounds of it. Good on you.

I've never heard of a sombre sweetlip before.

I am sure I heard your yelling, but thought it was a fruit bat. haha

[kmcrosby78]

Awesome fish @Kat - very well angled!  I too have never heard of them but now thanks to you I have, so thank you .

[Kat]

52 minutes ago, ellicat said:

That's a fair lunker of a fish, Kat. Well angled by the sounds of it. Good on you.

I've never heard of a sombre sweetlip before.

I am sure I heard your yelling, but thought it was a fruit bat. haha

Ha ha.  I am no expert but it is what Doug Burt said it was when I sent him the photo as a friend suggested I should.  And before I was told by him my brother in law picked the same fish from a poster on my wall.  I thought it was a blubberlip Bream.  I will take a better photo tomorrow and post it for the experts to weigh in...

[Cobiaaddict]

Good fish Kat,  they fight hard don't they !!!!!  

Cheers Josh <><

[Kat]

5 hours ago, Cobiaaddict said:

Good fish Kat,  they fight hard don't they !!!!!  

Cheers Josh <><

Yes they do.  I was very lucky to be fishing in the territory I was when he took my bait!  No rocks for miles as far as I am aware.  The worst he could have done was head for the mangroves.

[Kat]

Any fish ID gurus out there able to weigh in on what species it is?  Brown Sweetlip (aka blubberlip Bream), Sombre Sweetlip or something else.  Wood be good to ID it before I cut it up for dinner .

@Daryl McPhee ? I know there is another regular out there good with fish IDs but can't recall who. Sorry.

Better photos for ID

[Kat]

https://australian.museum/learn/animals/fishes/brown-sweetlips-plectorhinchus-gibbosus/

https://australian.museum/learn/animals/fishes/sombre-sweetlips-plectorhinchus-schotaf/

 

[benno573]

brown sweetlips, also known as a brown morwong or brown blubber lips.  referred to as a blubber-lip bream locally in central qld. 

not the most common capture but they show up from time to time around the southern bay/jumpinpin as @Old Scaley would know.  they are OK eating as long as you bleed them and get them straight on ice but will not compare to whiting, flathead etc, much stronger flavour.  They actually grow to nearly three times the size of yours @Kat, up to about 14-15kg.  Often targetted by spearos chasing jacks etc around snags in estuaries.

Both of the ones I have caught and @Old Scaley's one all came on yabbies and whiting gear as well!

 

and quick but satisfying... that's @ellicat's moto... 

[Kat]

28 minutes ago, benno573 said:

brown sweetlips, also known as a brown morwong or brown blubber lips.  referred to as a blubber-lip bream locally in central qld. 

not the most common capture but they show up from time to time around the southern bay/jumpinpin as @Old Scaley would know.  they are OK eating as long as you bleed them and get them straight on ice but will not compare to whiting, flathead etc, much stronger flavour.  They actually grow to nearly three times the size of yours @Kat, up to about 14-15kg.  Often targetted by spearos chasing jacks etc around snags in estuaries.

Both of the ones I have caught and @Old Scaley's one all came on yabbies and whiting gear as well!

 

and quick but satisfying... that's @ellicat's moto... 

Okay and why is it a Brown Sweetlip and not a Sombre Sweetlip?

I have caught 3 blubberlip Bream before and initially that is what I thought it was until the guy I was with said it wasn't and Doug Burt said it wasn't.

What I am asking is how do you differentiate between the two?

[Andrew_P]

Well done Kat! That’s a brown sweetlip Plectorhincus gibbosus. Also known as (one of many) mother in law fish. The story goes they are not the best eating so you give them to your mother in law

https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/455

[Kat]

4 hours ago, Andrew_P said:

Well done Kat! That’s a brown sweetlip Plectorhincus gibbosus. Also known as (one of many) mother in law fish. The story goes they are not the best eating so you give them to your mother in law

https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/455

Hi Andrew 

Yes consensus is I was right when I first pulled it from the water!  It is the fourth one I have caught.  Three locally in the Broadwater and creek and one in Moreton Bay.  This was the biggest so far.

Again I don't know what everyone is thinking about them being bad to eat.  All three previously caught were eaten by me and family and I can barely tell the difference between that and a Grassie Sweetlip!

However I am not expecting much from the bigger model.

Thanks everyone.

Cheers Katrina

 

 

 

[GregOug]

Now we’re talking. And it’s definitely not the same as the blubber lip I have caught in the past. 

[Neil Stratford]

Agree with Andrew-P  on the species .

Thats a great fish Kat , well done . 

regards

Neil

[Brodie_S]

Sorry for the late reply Kat but it seems like you struck the jackpot congratulations on landing the beast of a fish unfortunately I don’t know the proper name for the speices so I don’t know what the actual fish is but great job landing it Im sure it will taste great

[Daryl McPhee]

Hey! The one you caught is Plectorhinchus gibbosus. Known locally as the blubberlip bream. Much better eating than most people give them credit for. 

[Kat]

Thanks everyone.  I am still getting over the shock!  I have a video someone took while I was reeling it in to the bank for the third time and Will gaffed it for me.  It has me jumping up and down but us too embarrassing to post lol

[benno573]

On 14/04/2021 at 3:08 PM, Kat said:

Okay and why is it a Brown Sweetlip and not a Sombre Sweetlip?

I have caught 3 blubberlip Bream before and initially that is what I thought it was until the guy I was with said it wasn't and Doug Burt said it wasn't.

What I am asking is how do you differentiate between the two?

According to my bible (grants guide) the sombre sweetlips, also known as sooty blubber lips have 11-12 strong dorsal spines whereas the brown sweetlips have 14. This appears to match to your photo.

 

The photos in grants guide show quite different shaped fish in general as well.  

[Kat]

I will get a grants guide soon!  Ta

[Drop Bear]

Yew what a ripper!!!! 

Well done Kat!!!!

 

[natang]

Great catch and looks like a stonker of a fish! Congrats on the landing. I have never seen one of those before.