What's the MOST Challenging Fish...

Most challenging on this side of the world (at least for me) are White Sea Bass. Very skittish (and I'm very amateurish). One fin clicks on the other - they're gone - I've had my ear squeek when clearing, and spooked one out of the kelp.

Some guys (Bill McIntyre on this forum) are good at bringing down the big ones though.:martial

Lockedin said:

Most challenging on this side of the world (at least for me) are White Sea Bass. Very skittish (and I'm very amateurish). One fin clicks on the other - they're gone - I've had my ear squeek when clearing, and spooked one out of the kelp.

Some guys (Bill McIntyre on this forum) are good at bringing down the big ones though.:martial

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I have heard that these are a tough fish to shoot. Its got to be pretty creepy hunting them in the kelp beds and listening to them "croak."

Bill Ernst just got the new WR at 93.4lbs:hungover

Our .5 lb freshwater Perch are incredibly good sport. Really small, usually skittish, and the big ones always stay at the back of the school. Sometimes the 'next in line' tough one will come up and stare down the spear to show the rest that he's the new boss haha.
Hitting a 'big' one at the back of the school from more than 2 metres is serious good shooting!
They taste great but obviously you have to shoot lots for a meal.

We don't see alot of large fish here but some of the smaller fish are hard to hit - shooting mackerel requires pretty quick reactions or luck ! Same with garfish (thin). I think that gilthead bream are hard to shoot - don't know of anyone who has landed one with a speargun over here despite a few caught each year on rod and line.

I'll throw a vote in for Bream, of all breeds to actually get a shot at, but hardest to land in UK, big congers!

blaiz said:

I have heard that these are a tough fish to shoot. Its got to be pretty creepy hunting them in the kelp beds and listening to them "croak."

Bill Ernst just got the new WR at 93.4lbs:hungover

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And he did it in my neck of the woods. I've heard them croaking before, but usually they just laugh at me.rofl

Marwan said:

parrot and napoleon are not shot over here you can basically pet them..but i do realize their behaviour is not the same all over the world, i think the parrot is one of the elusive fish in hawaii..

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Not so much, parrots here(depending on where you are) usually come in pretty close. popular dive spots obviously warrent more warry fish. Maybe it cause they know I dont like to shoot them but Im always seeing 8lb plus uhu(parrots)swim right up to me. I just wish I could switch them for an 8lb plus Mu!:blackeye

by the way, I posted a recipe for a Mu I shot the other day. Check it out. There is a couple of pictures too. Its gutted and scaled but you can get the general idea of what they are.

hey boys (& girls i suppose)

parrotfish....different kinds, but i think they all eat coral, yes?? i went with a local in cape green an he nailed a couple of parrots...took the liver and sauteed it with some oil, then boiled the fish and put some rice all together, damn good! but i ate it thinkin bout "siguatera" (not sure if thats spanish or english), its a problem you can get from eatin fish that eat coral, or even eating fish that eat fish that eat coral, like barracudas. i'm weary of them, but maybe its ignorance on my part. anyone know about this stuff? i even ate a couple of monster triggers there (an kept my fingers crossed), but never had no problem.... anyone know bout this?
happy huntin..
z-ya

when in doubt ask the locals..that seems to work..

I've heard (but have no way to verify) that one way to tell is to lay the fish out, and watch for flies: No Flies = No Eat. :yack

Again, I have no way to verify.:head

Marwan's way would probably be more advisable.

cubanoperdido said:

hey boys (& girls i suppose)

parrotfish....different kinds, but i think they all eat coral, yes?? i went with a local in cape green an he nailed a couple of parrots...took the liver and sauteed it with some oil, then boiled the fish and put some rice all together, damn good! but i ate it thinkin bout "siguatera" (not sure if thats spanish or english), its a problem you can get from eatin fish that eat coral, or even eating fish that eat fish that eat coral, like barracudas. i'm weary of them, but maybe its ignorance on my part. anyone know about this stuff? i even ate a couple of monster triggers there (an kept my fingers crossed), but never had no problem.... anyone know bout this?
happy huntin..
z-ya

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Yeah, we have a pretty big problem with ciguatera in hawaii too. I havnt heard of too many cases from parrot fish(uhu) though. Usually it comes from the fish that eat the algae off of the reef e.g. Kole(gold ring sergeon fish) and then like you said bigger predators, Ulua(giant travalle),Kahala(Amber jack),Roi(peacock grouper), sometimes even Uku(green jobfish) though I try not to think of the later!

They do sell a kit that you can test your fish with. Its called the cigua-check. Its not that cheep and doesnt have much of a shelf life so alot of fishing/dive shops dont stock it. You can order them online but even still I hear that they are not that accurate. Its easy to get false posotives.

Here are a couple of quotes from an article in the last issue of Hawaii Skin Diver.

"Ciguatoxins are neorotoxins that act on nerves and muscles and can cause a wide range of gastrological, neurological, and cardiac disorders. It is a hardy toxin that in that it has no odor, taste or color to make it obvious to the potential consumer.

"Ciguatoxin is produced by a type of algae called Gambierdiscus toxicus"

"This microbe lives epiphytically on macroalgae that grow on the reef. When herbiveorous fish graze the reef, they can ingest [the toxin], and the fish absorb it into their bodies. As carnivorous fish consume the herbivores, the toxin is magnified as it is passed up the food chain until it reaches humans."

"The general onset of symtpoms occurs within 1 to 24 hours, though it could be as early as 30 minutes, or as late as 48 hours. Gastrological symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain, and are exhibited more than 50% of the time. Often, but not always, neurological disorders follow the gastrological symtoms, and may include a tingly sensation in the lips, hands and feet. A classic sign of ciguatera poiconing is the perception of temperature reversal in things you touch, i.e., hot feels cold and cold feels hot. When touching something cold, you may fees a burning or itching sensation in your finger tips. Muscle, joint, or tooth aches are possible, as well as fatigue and/or anxiety. In severe cases, hypotension with bradycardia, respiratory difficulties and paralysis can occur. Death from ciguatoxin is very uncommon."

They also note that some "areas" of reef are more toxic than others.
"Typically 10-15% of the "usual suspects" (namely jacks, surgeonfish, groupers, snappers, and wrasses) will be ciguateric."

(Hawaii Skin Diver, Ciguatera in Hawaii by Suzanne Defelice+Paul Bienfang+Mike Lameier)

Hope this doesnt turn you off at all. I would just talk to the local fisherman and see which areas are more toxic. Stay away from certain fish known to have it. Thats what I do, I havnt had it yet and Ive been eating reef fish in Hawaii for 20 years!(knock on wood!!)

Aloha
Jake

From what I know parrots are the fish that will not get ciguatera,very safe fish to eat.

I am starting to go easy on the big parrots because of what I have read recently.

Basically the big ones can be up to 20 years old and they are one of the few gardians of the coral reef against algae(wich they eat) .
This algae bleachs and kills the coral.

They also have to be pretty old to mate,so the big ones are the ones that we need the most.

Just my thoughts.

Lockedin said:

I've heard (but have no way to verify) that one way to tell is to lay the fish out, and watch for flies: No Flies = No Eat. :yack
.

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I heard about that one too, i dont know rick, could be just me,,but i dont think ill have much of an apetite for a fish with flies over it either rofl

Coral Sniper said:

From what I know parrots are the fish that will not get ciguatera,very safe fish to eat.

I am starting to go easy on the big parrots because of what I have read recently.

Basically the big ones can be up to 20 years old and they are one of the few gardians of the coral reef against algae(wich they eat) .
This algae bleachs and kills the coral.

They also have to be pretty old to mate,so the big ones are the ones that we need the most.

Just my thoughts.

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Is Ciguatera a big problem in Tonga too?

Yep,but its not as bad as some other places

Gilthead bream are the trickiest to shoot here in Ireland. I've lain on the bottom for two minutes, being circled by a mixed shoal of bass, mullet and bream. The nbass and mullet come into range, sometimes within a foot of the guntip, but you could black out waiting for the bream.
The average size is under a kilo but they taste mighty fine. Sneak and peek works sometimes.