copafisher Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 (edited) Ventured out off Terrigal this arvo with my 16 yr old son and his mate for a quiet fish. With a good swell, my young bloke got seasick within a half hour (with me not far behind) so ventured back into the Haven for some calmer water. Sons mate spotted a black fin breaking the surface while outside but we lost track of it and couldnt recognise it, possibly small shark. Inside, my young bloke managed a nice pb tarwhine ( not a bream as I first indicated) of about 27cm and his mate a large happy moment (rabbitfish). Lost a few more bream on the size 6 hooks while catching yakkas. The happy moment was almost "unhappy" as I went to lift it straight into the boat on handline & size 6 (before realising what it was) and had it drop onto the transom near my feet - no one got spiked thankfully. Carefully filleted the happy at home to give it a try, they have a large gut cavity though, so the large fish didnt provide quite an equivalent size fillet (see photo). Cheers Edited January 6, 2009 by copafisher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saltrix Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Ventured out off Terrigal this arvo with my 16 yr old son and his mate for a quiet fish. With a good swell, my young bloke got seasick within a half hour (with me not far behind) so ventured back into the Haven for some calmer water. Sons mate spotted a black fin breaking the surface while outside but we lost track of it and couldnt recognise it, possibly small shark. Inside, my young bloke managed a nice pb bream of about 27cm and his mate a large happy moment (rabbitfish). Lost a few more bream on the size 6 hooks while catching yakkas. The happy moment was almost "unhappy" as I went to lift it straight into the boat on handline & size 6 (before realising what it was) and had it drop onto the transom near my feet - no one got spiked thankfully. Carefully filleted the happy at home to give it a try, they have a large gut cavity though, so the large fish didnt provide quite an equivalent size fillet (see photo). Cheers The bream looks a lot like a Tarwhine. Almost the same and both good eating. Did it have a black lining on the stomach cavity? That and the more rounded nose (and the anul fin count to get technical). Seasickness is a nuisance but coming into the haven was the best idea, I always come straight back to the calm if anyone is feeling crook. Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diver1 Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 let us know what the happy moment tastes like? i been catchen them at nora head and throwen em back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copafisher Posted January 3, 2009 Author Share Posted January 3, 2009 You are correct Saltrix, it is a Tarwhine, didnt really look at it closely or note the cavity when cleaning. The swell didnt have me feeling the best either so didnt take much thought to come back to calmer waters. Diver, I dont think I would bother with the Happy moments too much after this one, just on the off chance of spiking. Looked a good size but the fillet is not as big as you would expect. Might be todays lunch. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copafisher Posted January 5, 2009 Author Share Posted January 5, 2009 let us know what the happy moment tastes like? i been catchen them at nora head and throwen em back. Diver1, I had the Happy Moment, tarwhine and a leather jacket for dinner tonight. Skinned the HM fillets and fried each separetly in a pan with olive spread (no butter on hand) and teamed up with salt/pepper and squeeze of lime. I reckon the HM was quite nice, has a fairly tight/meaty texture and I reckon nicer than the other two. If I catch a decent size will keep next time but will bware the spines as i dont want to enjoy the un-happy moment. Maybe the meaning for happy moment is "nice eating fish but the happy moment was realizing I did not spike myself" Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tastes better with chips Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 g'day all did the same thing a few mornings ago with very little luck. tried for 3 hours going from avoca back up to terrigal for only one flathead about 45cms. hardly a bite in that time. water temp was 21 degrees and the sea slight. could call it a waste of time , yet it was nice to be out on the water. will be trying again in the next few days. cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taloyoak Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 another Happy Moment thread. surely a conspiracy in the making! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamtime Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 It's a happy moment when the pain stops! I wonder - are they still painful if you get spiked after the fish has died? If that's the case that they don't, then it would be easier to drop them straight into an ice slurry without holding them, thus no risk of getting spiked. Can someone try that and let me know Cheers Mariner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now