# Some fight like champions, others like sooks...



## Beekeeper (Aug 20, 2011)

K1 and I were yarning on the phone today, and the subject of how one fish will fight well above its weight, and another of the same species well below par.

I've noticed that when snapper were full of the blue-jellies which sometimes abound in Redcliffe waters, they fought well below par... so much so, that one time when having just hooked a snapper in the fifties (cm) I happened to sever the braid main-line on the back of the reel's roller guide. Although knowing that I could possibly severely slice my hands, I actually hand-lined that snapper to the kayak... it fought like a wet sock!

When I hauled it onto my work-bench, (spray-skirt) it spewed up heaps of blue-jelly pieces. This gave rise to a theory that perhaps they become a trifle intoxicated after eating the jellies... snapper dope???

On the reverse side, sometimes after quite a torrid battle, a pinkie of around 50cm hits the deck, leaving you wondering where the hell did the 80cm beast that hit like a train go to, and how did this little tacker get on the line!

Prior to this we had been on the subject of long-fin tuna and how sometimes a reasonably large on will come in quite tamely (for the species) and another smaller one will keep you straining for ages.

I'll bet that we're not the only ones to notice this, eh?

Jimbo


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## Beekeeper (Aug 20, 2011)

salticrak said:


> i thought you and Kev fought like girls.


Bit of a mis-match there, don't you reckon Salti?

5'8" Jimbo... 6'8" Kev...

Will never happen!

Jimbo


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## anselmo (Aug 26, 2008)

Do the hard fighters taste different to the softies when you eat them?


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## anselmo (Aug 26, 2008)

Owl


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## Beekeeper (Aug 20, 2011)

bertros said:


> Noticed this also... I put it down to nothing more than chance, but I like the theory Jimbo. Is it just the blue jellies you think that dopes them out, or is it more random than that? I'm wondering if food plays a part, but it also has something to do with weight and muscle tone.


Definitely more random, bertros... weight and muscle tone would have to come into factor... look at Jim's (wrassemagnet) recent snapper which was as fat as, specially when compared with those I've been catching recently.



anselmo said:


> Do the hard fighters taste different to the softies when you eat them?


I seldom eat snapper, Nick... so shouldn't really give an opinion... just love catching them.



salticrak said:


> I reckon water temp and when last they had a decent feed has a lot to do with it.The mackerel we have been catching up the beach lately have been fat and go hard.Also the cobias have had their guts full of food. One had 12'inch squid,crab and stargazer in it's breadbasket.


Hey salti... one of my most recent large snapper fought well, and when I was releasing it I noticed something was poking out of its anus... pulled it back in for inspection and pulled a full crab claw out of its bum. From the claw size, I'm sure it would have been of legal size. I don't think it got much nutrition from that claw... it looked quite unbroken.

Cheers all... Jimbo


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## Guest (May 31, 2014)

Who wouldn't be angry with a crab claw stuck up their bum


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## krustayshen (Oct 14, 2013)

I don't know about jellies but I have been intoxicated after eating Snapper.

No.... Hang on.... I think that is from some thing else?

Cheers Greg


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## sweed (Oct 1, 2011)

Hey Jimbo did ya take the crabs claw home and cook it up.


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## Beekeeper (Aug 20, 2011)

sweed said:


> Hey Jimbo did ya take the crabs claw home and cook it up.


Urkkk!!!

Shit that's an awful thought, Gaz!

Jimbo


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## krustayshen (Oct 14, 2013)

Lazybugger said:


> Thought I had a snapper around the 55cm mark yesterday at Brays Rock. Ended up with one in the low 40's. Found a pretty decent size squid inside when filleting it today.


Calamari for entree and Snapper for main what did you catch for dessert


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## grinner (May 15, 2008)

Very interesting theory Jim.

you do notice bream after they spawn are quite messed up with bite marks and bits of fins missing where they fight each other.

I've found the bigger female flathead often fight poorly in comparison to the 55 cm males.
I think the big females have to make a bit of a trek to breed at the estuary mouths, might explain a bit.

sometimes I think it may be to do with the lighting, silhouettes of craft etc which spook them.
sometimes I think they have a very strong initial run if they are in a school and feeding competitively and grab the bait and run and hide so another member of the school doesn't grab it off them.

Loving your theories.


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## BIGKEV (Aug 18, 2007)

grinner said:


> sometimes I think they have a very strong initial run if they are in a school and feeding competitively and grab the bait and run and hide so another member of the school doesn't grab it off them.


I like this and think it carries heaps of merit.


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## Beekeeper (Aug 20, 2011)

grinner said:


> sometimes I think they have a very strong initial run if they are in a school and feeding competitively and grab the bait and run and hide so another member of the school doesn't grab it off them.


Finkin' Pete... allatime finkin'!

Could be on the money, Pete.

Jimbo


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## Joshua (Dec 22, 2010)

No evidence, just a feeling, but does how / where the fish is hooked make a difference?


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## Beekeeper (Aug 20, 2011)

Joshua said:


> No evidence, just a feeling, but does how / where the fish is hooked make a difference?


It certainly would Joshua, but none of these fish were foul-hooked... all in the mouth.

Jimbo


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## Joshua (Dec 22, 2010)

Beekeeper said:


> Joshua said:
> 
> 
> > No evidence, just a feeling, but does how / where the fish is hooked make a difference?
> ...


Jimbo,

Granted.

But a fish hooked in the corner of its mouth with the bait / plastic on the outside would find it easier to get oxygenated water over its gills than a fish hooked deeper in the mouth ending up with a gob full of hook / bait / plastic. Again, only a thought.

On a different note - what about depth? I have read that fish coming out of deeper water struggle with the pressure change and don't pull as hard throughout the fight.

Cheers.
Greg.


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## Beekeeper (Aug 20, 2011)

Joshua... the waters around Redcliffe Peninsula rarely exceed 6 mtrs, and mostly the snapper give a good account of themselves...

Occasionally a snapper will inhale the lure and be hooked well inside, but I haven't noticed a lack of fight in them.

Others on the forum would have fished for snapper in deep waters, so I guess they can give better info on those fish than yours truly.

Cheers, Jimbo


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## mangoinorange (May 16, 2014)

some of the bigger trout we catch in the lakes over here have distended, enlarged a holes from passing the shells of the native freshwater crayfish that they feed upon,(when they can get them). the upside is freshwater crayfieh are beaut eating and the trout that feed on them are better tasting for it.mangoinorange.


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