NEEDING SOME FISH FOR A CHURCH FUNCTION I DECIDED TO GET SOME HELP FROM A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE WHO IS A PRO FISHERMAN. NEEDLESS TO SAY I DON'T LIKE WHAT PROS DO TO OUR FISH STOCKS BUT I DO LIVE IN THE MIDDLE OF PROSVILLE @ GREENWELL POINT. AND SO I DO HAVE A LOT OF GOOD FRIENDS WHO ARE PROS. ANYWAY MY MATE ASKED IF I WANTED TO GO OUT WITH HIM WHILE HE GOT A BOX OF FISH FOR OUR CHURCH GET TOGETHER AND I SAID YEP!!

A WRITER FOR A FISHING MAG WHO DOESN'T CONDONE THE PRO CIRCUIT OF FISHOS AND I AM GOING OUT WITH ONE (ON THE WATER THAT IS ) WE TOOK OFF AT 11.30AM AND WERE BACK IN BY 1.00PM WE HAD 1 BOX OF NIGGERS AND 1 BOX OF MIXED FISH FLATTIES BREAM WHITING.

THE INTERESTING THING I PICKED UP FROM MY MATE WAS HIS NIFTY GIZZMO THINGIE THAT HE HAD HOOKED OVER THE SIDE OF THE BOAT FOR RE;LEASING UNDERSIZE FISH AS WELL AS PROTECTED SPECIES E.G BASS OR ESTUARY PERCH. THIS GREAT THINGIE GIZZMO SAW A HEAP OF SMALL BLACK FISH RELEASED BACKINTO THE BRINEY AND 6 OR 7 GOOD SIZE EP/s GO BACK IN UNHARMED. THIS GIZZMO ALSO LET THE FISH OUT DEEP ENOUGH TO PROTECT THEM FROM THOSE MONGREL PELICANS THAT WERE TRYING TO RIP THEM OUT OF THE NET BEFORE WE EVEN GOT TO THE CRITTERS.

THIS WAS AN EYE OPENER FOR ME MY MATE IS A GOOD BLOKE AND A PRO BUT ALSO SEES THE BENEFITS OF LOOKING AFTER HIS FUTURE EVEN THOUGH A LOT OF OTHERS DONT GIVE A FLYING JUMP.

THE OTHER THING WAS HOW HE LOOKED AFTER THE FISH WE KEPT. WITH HIS KILL BIN A QUARTER FILLED WITH ICE WE ADDED A FEW BUCKETS OF SEA WATER. MAN THE TEMPERATURE DROPPED IN SECONDS IT WAS SO COLD IT ALMOST STUNG YOUR FINGERS. WHEN THE FISH HIT THE WATER IT NOT ONLY KILLED THEM IN ABOUT 5-6SECONDS WHICH WAS A VERY HUMANE THING TO DO BUT IT KEPT THE FLESH IN PRISTINE CONDITION AS THE FISH WERE NOT DISTRESSED AND SO THE ADRENALIN DID NOT GET A CHANCE TO PLAY HAVOC WITH ITS TEXTURE OR TATSE.

IT ALSO SHOWED ME THAT THE SHOALHAVEN STILL HAS QUITE A FEW FISH IN IT YOU JUST NEED TO KNOW WHERE TO GO. AND NO I AM NOT CONDONING PROFISHERMEN BUT THEY DO HAVE FAMILIES TOO SOME ARE JUST PLAIN GREEDY THOUGH.

ALL IN ALL IT WAS AN EYE OPENER
PS : FROM NOW ON A ESKY PART FILLED WITH ICE WILL BE MANDATORY ON MY LITTLE SHIP. :Happy:

It's called Slurry Arnie !

& works alot better if fish is guttered

Once a fish dies bacteria inside the fish can rise internal body temp of fish up to 40 degree's it's what I call the fish cooking inside out.

Ice alone is not good enough as all is does is cool externally

The reason the Gigalo fisherman used sea water is because the salt content in the water slows down the melting proccess of the ice if you stuck a temp gauge into the slurry it would've read zero degree's perfect temp as anything colder & the fish will start to freeze

Very good arnie, Now if you could please PM me the location and techniques used to catch that many fish ;)

Just kidding!!

Mate, as long as they abide by the laws and do the right thing then they are just another peoson doing their job.. Good on him for being responsable!

JUMPY WHEN I GUTTED THE FISH THE GUTS WERE NEARLY SOLID BUT NOT FROZEN GREAT TO FILLET AS THE FLESH HAD SET.. I KNOW WHAT A SLURRY IS I TOO HAVE BEEN AROUND EONS. THE WATER TEMP IN THE RIVER IS BLOODY COLD FOR SOME REASON. YOU THROW SALT ON ICE AND YES THE ICE LOCKS UP. NOT TOO MANY PROS BOTHER BUT MY MATE DOES. HE SELLS QUALITY FISH.

IM JUST TRYING TO LET THE GUYS KNOW THERE ARE BENEFITS OF TAKING THAT BIT OF EXTRA CARE AND EFFORT TO GET QUALITY EATING FISH.

THANKS RUMPY MAN

Would be interesting to see what the Gizmo is?

Been thinking of Homer's Technique (the simpsons movie)

He throws the bug zapper in the lake, Zaps himself and then repeatedly zaps himself trying to pick the fish from the water!

ARNIE BOY thanks for shareing a great experience for a guy, like you that has fished and caught fish of all sizes and pictures and mounts to prove it has a respectable values on how to fish and what to fish for and when .....I ALWAY LOVE TO SPEND TIME AROUND PEOPLE OF YOUR KNOWKEDGE ....my dad used to say you are never to old to learn and your story proves what the old man reckons so i take my hat of to ya matey please put up some more of your experiences we loved to hear about them ..im sure the church group loved fresh fish....but what happen to my invite......hahahahaha hope you froze some for me .......thats what mates are for .......goodonya bobby....well done

Sorry I missed this the first time round. When you add salt to ice the temp gets colder. I am not sure of why the chemical reaction involved but it does. You might remember when the push carts of the ice cream man came along they did not have freezers in the carts,, they only had ice and what they did was put salt in the ice to keep things cold and prevent the ice cream from melting.

Now when i was a boy they had the ice cream vendor with the truck and not the push cart. So if any of you guys know about what I just said in personal experiences I am sorry but you could be well over 100 years old.

great stuff Arnie, is there any chance of a photo of the gizzmo, i know just how hard it can be to untangle a fish out of a net.

When you are down I will have two things for you your finished baitcaster minus the bug that jumped onto the wet epoxy and a drawing of the Gizzmo, looking fwd to catch up Pol, KK was coming down I thought but he must be tied up with other stuff maybe. Will show you a spot better than X and Y picked up some NICE breambos nasty bottom though. I had filleted a box of black fish actually 34kgs of niggers and kept all the pin bones when I butterflied the fillets. SURPRISE SURPRISE they lover the pin bone flesh. I took Waynes young bloke out with me we got Smoked over the oysters on 2kg See you and Pos soon matey