Black Bream or Sooty Grunter?

[souva31]

Recently went on a camping/road trip with the family across to Kunnunnura and back for a couple of weeks and cast a line in a few spots. Catch and release with a small barra near Timber Creek in the Vic River on a soft plastic and also landed this smaller fish in the Douglas-Daly on a cherabin lure ... can anyone clarify if it is a Black Bream or Sooty Grunter or are they the same fish - or is it something else? The fins, shape and colour look like a Sooty from the guide it is laying on, but the eyes and gills are a little different. The night previous a lady had landed a few fish in the Katherine River and said they were black bream and were nice eating. The guide rates the Sooty as poor eating - so maybe they are different fish. Took a couple of photo's of this one and dropped him back in the creek.

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[Matt Flynn]

Black bream just a local name for coal grunter/sooty grunter ... whether they taste good depends on who you ask, some of them pong when you open them up

[souva31]

cheers Matt - thanks for the info.

[Dick]

Just don't call them late for breakfast. They hate that

[souva31]

thanks for the info flicken4em. I was trying for Barra, but this little fella took the lure. The lady from Katherine caught a few on chicken bait - hadn't seen one before and then 4 in 2 days - must be grunter season. Yes, the colour is not too far away from blackfish/luderick - used to target them off the rocks in Sydney in a different life - they were very nice eating in my humble opinion.

[souva31]

Just don't call them late for breakfast. They hate that

lol. was about 5:30pm, so early for dinner. I tried a couple of spots in the Ord while over your way (looks like you are in Kunnunurra from your profile - nice part of the world) - at Ivanhoe's crossing, then out near Parry's creek farm - but no luck.

[Sullo]

Here's a good one out of the prossy dam

[Dick]

Here's a good one out of the prossy dam

That colouration was amazing, thought you were holding up a red emperor fir a split second

[Matt Flynn]

Looks like it's already been in the smoker

[souva31]

Here's a good one out of the prossy dam

very nice ... yes impressive colouring.