Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Searunner?
I added to my score last night by 1, with a nice 2lb trout caught at the Latrobe bridge, and my competitor was luckily on hand to view the spectacle. But was it a Searunner?
In Tasmania we have 3 species of Trout: Rainbow; Brown; and Brook. So why does the GTA rules list 4 species of Trout including sea-run trout (Searunner)? As I understand it, some brown trout that live in river estuaries reach a stage in their development, when conditions are right (and don’t ask me what those conditions are), when they decide to swim out and live in the sea. These trout take on a more sliver appearance, and due to the change in diet, are usually in excellent condition, and can grow very large.
Around spring time, Tasmania experiences a “white bait run”. This is when schools of small fish (smaller than tiddlies, pilchards, galaxia, minnos, or what ever people call them), swim up the river estuaries to lay their eggs and die a wonderful death, knowing they have fulfilled their mission is life. During this time the Searunners return to feed on these schools of bait fish, as do many other species such as salmon, bream etc. While searunners are brown trout, they change to a much more silver colour, and the scales fall off very easily when the fish is handled.
So the trout I caught last night was in the upper regions of the river estuary, there was white bait in the river system, but the fish is not very silver and did not lose its scales when handled, so no, nice fish, but not a searunner.
In Tasmania we have 3 species of Trout: Rainbow; Brown; and Brook. So why does the GTA rules list 4 species of Trout including sea-run trout (Searunner)? As I understand it, some brown trout that live in river estuaries reach a stage in their development, when conditions are right (and don’t ask me what those conditions are), when they decide to swim out and live in the sea. These trout take on a more sliver appearance, and due to the change in diet, are usually in excellent condition, and can grow very large.
Around spring time, Tasmania experiences a “white bait run”. This is when schools of small fish (smaller than tiddlies, pilchards, galaxia, minnos, or what ever people call them), swim up the river estuaries to lay their eggs and die a wonderful death, knowing they have fulfilled their mission is life. During this time the Searunners return to feed on these schools of bait fish, as do many other species such as salmon, bream etc. While searunners are brown trout, they change to a much more silver colour, and the scales fall off very easily when the fish is handled.
So the trout I caught last night was in the upper regions of the river estuary, there was white bait in the river system, but the fish is not very silver and did not lose its scales when handled, so no, nice fish, but not a searunner.
# posted by hillie @ 4:16 PM 
Comments:
<< Home
So... now when i'm fishing i'll be able to tell the difference... all this time when i've been flaling into a coma just THINKING about fishing i could have been reveling in the knowledge of how to identify a Searunner ;-)
I think "spectacle" may be a little over the top - perhaps if you had caught 8 fish, that would have been a spectacle! But seriously, it was good to see another fish caught from this spot - 'you have done well'... 'I will be watching your career with great interest' :-)
Post a Comment
<< Home
