size on pinkies

[fishing_dave]

After bring home some pinkies yesterday, biggest was 38cm, I have come to the conclusion that there isnt much on them, only bought them home because good wife said she wants a feed of fish, her comment was that they were small, as i had never bought them home that small b4,

would be interested on your opinions on trying to riase the size tosimular to S.A. I know that its upto the indervidual if they want to keep them 27cm+, but your thoughts would be appreciated

dave

[linchpin75]

We don't keep them under 33 anymore. My first couple of legal ones I kept but when you look at them later they look so small and in photos look well undersize

i think it would be good to raise the size - SA has a great snapper fishery - I just can't see them doing it because of the snapper run the last couple of years has been so good. It still won't stop people taking the undersize ones day in day out though

[grant]

We had a bag of circa 40 cm ones and we came to this conclusion filleting under 50cm was useless so if you cook it whole its much better for the small ones.

g./

[fishing_dave]

I used to have my own limit as well, but as the fishing has been scarce and good wife wanted a feed thats the only reason i bought them home that small,

[linchpin75]

Yeah... the fish have been scarce. Usually under 40 we also cut the head and tail, gut and scale and cook

[maraudingmado]

Personally wouldn't keep any under 50cm as the others have said "not much of a feed on the smaller ones."

[grant]

you cut the head and tail off....


I think they look soo much better on the the plate with them, although a lot of girls wont eat them that way....

g./

[linchpin75]

Do look better with a head... but........

just don't like all its goo bits cooking and I can judge better how cooked it is

[rentlo]

Hi guys I would like to see them raise it to 35cm .....I dont keep any this size either as they seem to small as well ........regards mick

[hillbilly]

I think they should raise it to 35 or 40 cm, throw em back and let em grow.if they are under.
Karren :wink:

[seaeagle]

throw them all back after taking a picture, and feed the man meet.... :P

[fishing_dave]

love a feed of fish,

[hillbilly]

Apart from my family, friends and my work Fishing is right up there as my number one past time, hobby and sport and I cant get enough of it but my Doctor says he fails to understand why Im so into fishing when I dont eat the fish I catch. What about you guys ? am I the only worshipper thats not into eating thier catch ?? although I do enjoy a piece of flake from the chip shop and love a seafood salad and prawns.

Karren :wink:

The snapper are comming, YOU BEAUTY

[fishing_dave]

My mrs and kids love a feed of fish, mind you though i do let alot go, all i keep are snapper, whiting , flathead and the odd bream, and of course shark and jewies

[grant]

I C&R 90% of the fish I catch. I would love alive tank so i can take my pick instead of gambling. I have relased a couple and the caught nothing. Even A basket on the side of the baot might work.

g./

[Dekka]

We tend to eat a lot more fish over the warmer months, I guess because I generally cook it on the barby.

So what I keep is directly related to when the next 'trip' is planned or whether I have promised 'someone who doesn't have an opportunity to fish' a feed of fresh fish.

Have set myself 'size limits' for any take home catches this season due to it being my 3rd season and the fact that I am getting a little better at it and generally get a feed.

[grant]

So Des what are your size limits? I am setting my self 45cm. What about others?

g./

[Dekka]

Have always maintained 1m for gummies and from now on 45 to 60cm for snapper.

Snapper outside this range will be photographed and returned. Last season I kept a couple of big ones and found they were too big for our family.

My kids don't each a great deal of fish apart from flathead tails and flake at the moment so with the larger snapper hurricane and I were eating it for the next couple of days. It was okay but wont do it this year.

[grant]

I hadnt thought of an upper limit. I will do the same.

g./

[fishing_dave]

mmmmmmmmmmmmm thinking,

[kingrichard]

Snapper I just fillet out so i do tend to go for the bigger one.45 cms gives us 2 fillets. which is one to two meals
Whiting anything over 35 I have trouble throwing back
Gummies around 1mtr or 20 kg which ever comes first
Flatties dont get many biggish ones so try and get 12 or so
again a couple of feeds

[Steve-G]

http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/dpi/nreninf.nsf/childdocs/-B1F754E6F182011F4A2568B30006520E-905220B6865AA85CCA256BC80006E4C2-FACFA433D245428A4A256DEA00290564-F28D5B63598D6E61CA256BED000A0803?
something to look at,gives approx ages vs. size for snapper. :roll:

[meggsie]

You know,
If a size limit of, let's say, 35cms was imposed now, it might be lean pickings for a year or so. But after that, all those little pinkies would have grown up and there would be heaps more of the larger ones around.
So I am all for raising the minimum size to around 35cms, BUT, I don't want to see pros taking little 27cms fellas while we are doing the right thing!
It has to be the same size limit for both pros & recreational fishos.
Meggsie

[Dekka]

Couldn't agree more Meggsie, but like anything it has to start somewhere.

By my self emposed size limit this season I feel that I've started and by posting these threads and getting more and more recreational fishos thinking and talking about it, it can only get better. Who knows where it may lead.

Last year there was a lot of fishos I met at Patto talking about the same thing. Hopefully this year there will be a lot more actually doing it. Me for one.

[Steve-G]

All being said and done its still going to be hard for us novice schnnnnapppper fishers to throw back a legal size fish,
If I had a live bait tank onboard I could keep them alive long enough to catch a bigger one.then throw them back.

[grant]

I was reading a Whitworhs catologue last night and they have live bait pumps to turn an esky into a live well. I hope to have one set up soon to do just that.

http://www.whitworths.com.au/main_itemdetail.asp?item=66800&search123=bait&intAbsolutePage=1

g./

[fishing_dave]

I have an airator that i use in a foam box ( same size as esky ) to keep mullet alive for the jewies, have kept them for 3 weeks, water changed every day, but if you have one set up in the boat, I am sure you can st something up like that in a boat with out any probs.change

[Steve-G]

I was reading a Whitworhs catologue last night and they have live bait pumps to turn an esky into a live well. I hope to have one set up soon to do just that.

http://www.whitworths.com.au/main_itemdetail.asp?item=66800&search123=bait&intAbsolutePage=1

g./
Thats clever!!!!!! But... Where do I keep the BEER????????