North Australian FISH FINDER TM forums

Did a solo trip out to anglers reef today, bottom bounced for a few small reefies and put a live Spanish Flag out on a balloon, set up a berley pot and waited. Got a small shark on an unweighted pillie. After 2-3hours I was packing up my lines to head in, and less than a minute before I was gonna pack the Thunnus up off it went, I've never had it screaming like that. 15minutes later and a few laps of the boat and under the anchor rope I had it at the boat, managed to gaff it and get it in. 1.5m and bl..dy heavy, I'm guessing a good 25kg. Not a bad wedding anniversary.

Great stuff, BIG spaniard in any language.

Stonker, gotta love Lee Point

Perfect end to any day!!

Nice way to spend your R@R mate, and your wedding anniversary!

Always love it catching the corker of a fish just as about to pull stumps. Well Done.

Great fish but don't eat it, its too big, probably full of cigaterra, top bait for just about all species though, last one i caught lasted for 12 months as bait, was out east point today for donuts, even had a live stripey out the back.

Beautiful fish, well done

Nah ciguatera shouldn't be a problem here mako

Ciguatera doesn't sound good, might've done me a favour just in time. I've heard of it in big trout etc on the east coast. I did have second thoughts about keeping this, but I was pumped up and gaffed it.

Great fish, well done. I thought ciguatera was from the coral on the barrier reef, reef fish eating it, then pelagic eating them. Some people got really crook from a 20kg spanish last year from South West rocks though, which is a long way south of the reef.
Anyway, I haven't heard of any cases here. I was wondering about the red bass and chinaman around here that are notorious for carrying it on the barrier reef, along with big trout.

No ciga over here mate, she's apples to chew on

I have eaten plenty of big Macks never had a problem.Not to many that size though.What a stonker.

People scoff big macks off Darwin all week long in the dry season and don't get ciguatera. Pretty sure you'll be right.

Mercury is more of a worry in big fish, if you are eating them a lot.

Ciguatera tends to be localised in well known spots, but it can turn up in "clean" areas after big storms with bottom disturbance.

Thats either a big maccie or a little boat

I chucked a big trout back on a charter to the GBR last year Because of possible ciga. Then when we got back to the mothership, they cooked uP an even bigger model.

Absolute thumper