Fish Almanac

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Fish Almanac

This fish species guide is being developed for for anglers by anglers. If you have images or information that you would like to see on these pages or you have a picture of a fish and don't know what it is, drop us a line by clicking here.

Barramundi

barra

Scientific Name
Lates calcarifer

Other Common Names
Barra, Silver Barramundi, Giant Perch.

Size
2m and 60 Kg common to 1.2m

Description

Barramundi are large predators, belonging to the giant perch family, and are similar in general appearance to freshwater perches and grunters. They are greenish-bronze along the back, silver along the sides, shading to white on their bellies. Juveniles have creamy and dark blotches, and may have yellowish pelvic and tail fins.

Small Barramundi are mostly male as the species are sequentially hermaphroditic. Starting life as males, reaching maturity at around 3 to 4 years of age, at around age 5 they change gender and become females.

Distribution and Habitat

Barramundi are warm water fish, being found in tropical coastal and freshwaters in northern Australia with temperatures above 20°C. It inhabits a wide variety of habitats in rivers, creeks and mangrove estuaries. Ranging from Shark Bay in Western Australia to the Logan River in Queensland, Barramundi are found in estuaries and coastal waters during their breeding season and move between freshwater and saltwater during various stages of their lifecycle.

Most common in rivers and creeks with large catchments with a steady flow , they can also be found at depths of around 40m. Regular stockings of impoundments have produced an artificial population of Barramundi specifically for the pursuit of angling. Barramundi have a distinct preference for structure predominantly found located close to submerged trees, logs, rock ledges, mangrove roots and other structure in the water.

Food

A carnivore, feeding mainly on smaller fish as well as crustaceans. Juveniles feed on zooplankton, smaller fish fry and smaller crustaceans.

Angling and Blue Acres Lamiglas Rods

Barramundi provide exciting angling, with leaps clear of the water to avoid capture. They are also capable severing line and leaders with their razor-sharp gill covers. When hooked in heavy cover as described in their habitat, Barramundi fight dirty. Responding well to trolled or cast lures and live bait they will also take dead baits and flies. Large minnow hardbody lures are popular and productive while recent trends in soft plastics have produced very good results. It is imperative if you want to land large fish to have well tied knots and extra strong hardware on your lures.

Edability

Estuarine saltwater Barramundi have a reputation as a fine eating fish with a firm, white flesh. However, impoundment fish or those from muddy water usually offer poor eating qualities.

Barramundi Cod

Bream - Yellowfin

Cobia

Cod - Estuary

Dart

Garfish

Emperor - Red

Mangrove Jack

Scientific Name
Lutjanus argentimaculatus

Other Common Names
Jack, Snapper, Red Bream, Dog Bream

Size
Up to 1 m and 10 Kg, commonly caught between 1 and 3 kg.

Description
Mangrove Jacks are reddish-brown or a copper greenish brown in colour (as shown above) becoming paler in reef waters, and often have a pearly mark in the centre of each scale. Jacks have large and razor-sharp canine teeth and often snap ferociously when caught.

They are aptly described by this quote from Grant's Fishes of Australia:
"It is a violent ruffian; a hooligan; a thug; a close associate of terrorists."

Distribution and Habitat
Mangrove Jack range throughout the Indo-Pacific region and the Red Sea. Australian distribution ranges from incidental captures in Port Stephens, New South Wales through to the Ashburton River System in Western Australia and includes all coastal rivers systems in between.

As the name applies, Mangrove Jacks are found in mangrove estuaries, coastal swamp areas, lower river reaches to the extent of tidal influences (although have been found more than one hundred kilometres up stream), salt water creeks, rockbars, mangrove beach areas and offshore reefs. Juveniles usually live in mangrove estuaries and freshwater streams. Adults live on deeper offshore reefs down to depths of 100 m

Structure dwellers that ambush their prey with a vicious attack on anything passing near its hideout, with a powerful broad tail a Jack will swim past their prey and hit it heading back to its cover. Good specimens to 50cm can be caught many miles upstream in amongst weed beds and structure such as snags, submerged vegetation, roots, rocks, logs, rock walls, bridge pylons and jetties, however juvenile specimens are present throughout the full length of our rivers all year round.

Food
Carnivorous, feeding on other fish and crustaceans.

Angling
Mangrove jack are energetic, powerful and dirty fighters. An excellent sport fish, best results are produced through the warmer months although Jacks can be found all year round. The two pictured specimens were captured from the same piece of structure in the mid reaches of a river system during autumn and winter respectively.

Mangrove jacks respond well to lures cast into heavy cover. The angler needs to be alert and turn the fish immediatly on sensing the bite, or risk getting busted off by these aggressive specimens. Jacks out pull many other fish many times their size and are challange to catch.

Live bait or a well-presented lure is essential when fishing for Mangrove Jack. If you only have dead bait available your best options are whole bait fish, crabs and prawns. Lures such as minnows, swimming plugs, soft plastic bait fish profiles and lures with inbuilt rattlers are best and should be trolled or cast into or near snags.

Edibility
Excellent eating and much sought after! One of the best eating qualities of any fish species.

Sweetlip - Brown

Sweetlip - Grassy

Sweetlip - Slate

Perch - Spangled

Scientific Name
Leiopotherapon unicolor

Other Names
jewel perch, spangled grunter, bobby perch

Size
Max 250mm 500-600 grams

Distribution and Habitat

A hardy species found over a wide area from northern NSW, all of Queenslan and parts of the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia. Spangled perch are a schooling fish that inhabit streams, creeks, ponds, farm dams and large impoundments. They can tolerate salinities from fresh water to seawater, a wide range of water temperature and pH content from an acidic 4.5 to alkalinity of 8.5.

Angling

Normally a by-catch species Spangled Perch are a carnivore and eat a wide variety of prey including small aquatic insects, molluscs, fish and crustaceans. Spangled perch will eagerly bite on a wide variety of baits and lures. The fish shown in the images was caught on a Jackall Mask Vib from Lake Somerset in SE Queensland while targeting bass. Huge schools were showing on the sounder with constant small bites being sensed on 3" soft plastics, ice jigs, Jackall T/N 60's and the mask

Edability

Spangled Perch are considered to be good eating, however, bonny. Due to their size they are often disregarded as a table species.

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