What sort of fish did I catch?

Ben · Post by **Ben** » Thu Jan 05, 2006 11:07 pm

Didn't get a photo, but have a pretty good description...

Fishing off the breakwall in the surf at Coffs, mixed sand/weed bed and some rock, using whitebait.

Landed two fish, about 30 cm long, I was dead certain they were Mangrove Jack, deep red/gold colour, teeth, sorta fat with a deep body. Only thing telling me it wasn't a jack is the black spot near the tail like on a fingermark - I have never seen a red fingermark before, and this certainly didn't have the yellow stripes of fingermark...

Any ideas? Did a Jack root a fingermark? well, whatever the hell it is that fish do to make babies...

mollstar · Post by **mollstar** » Fri Jan 06, 2006 5:59 pm

i live in karratha and we get red finger mark which look close to a jack.
thats the size i use as live bait over here.

Ben · Post by **Ben** » Sat Jan 07, 2006 4:00 pm

Was just watching ET and he caught a good jack off the coffs breakwall, looked identical to the fish I was catching only less the spot.

He was floating live slimey's - might have to look to getting some sort of live bait system in play... Jacks are a good feed right?

Outback bloke · Post by **Outback bloke** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 8:39 am

You don't get much better than a Jack to eat.

Jacks don't have any sign of a "Finger mark". My guess is you have got yourself a Moses perch. Pretty well identical in shape to a jack, slightly lighter red and they do have the fingermark. They are both members of the Lutjanid family and are found in similar sorts of areas. Moses perch taste pretty good too, but they don't get to the same size as Jacks. The ones you caught would ahve been at the upper end of the size limit for common catches. They do grow to about 45-50cms but they aren't often seen at that size.

http://www.amonline.net.au/fishes/fishf ... sselli.htm

http://www.grantsguidetofishes.com/ Best book that money can buy for fish identification.