Hooked tortoise release opinions, PLEASE!
Me and my mate Luke went down to Fishmarket Reserve in Guildford for a beer and a cast in the sun yesterday arvo, usually hit a couple of bream, 1000 reels with 4lb braid, prawns, good fun. I got a couple of serious bites, bait be gone, same a Luke, beer number two. I got a little Redfin (sorry bloke, can't put you back), and Luke got something sneaky, taking a little bit of line, thinking it was a big blue manna (caught some on line before), ended up a long necked tortoise, hook swallowed. I've read from Fisheries sites that undersized fish with swallowed hooks, cut the line 150mm to 250mm from their mouths, interferes with their feeding abilities the least. Did that and let him go. Late Saturday arvo, no vets were open and two wildlife rescue sites, we got answering machines. Have we done the righty? Any info would be appreciated.
Notorious
Posts: 913
Date Joined: 23/02/12
You done your best,
You done your best, unintentional catch.
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Versus
Posts: 918
Date Joined: 06/03/09
Redfin in the river?Bit off
Redfin in the river?
Bit off topic but i was passenger in the car with my brother, pulled up at the Charles street exit to turn down Newcastle street, sitting at the lights when we notice a tortoise is crossing the road right in front of us haha. Got out and dropped him back over the fence.
Did he put up much of a fight on the light stuff?
BigDunc
Posts: 35
Date Joined: 27/11/11
Not much of a fight...
He was the second one I've pulled from the water at Guildford. They feel like a bream's taken you into a snag and is unwrapping itself from a log, bit of powerful movement, then snag. Luke's yelling "what do I do with it, what do I do with it?!". "Pull it in, varnish it's shell and use it as an ashtray mate!", he didn't appreciate that. Had mates catch redfin a bit further up the river, first one for me at Fishmarket Reserve. But the water is fresh enough for tortoise and redfin, salty enough for blue manna crabs and dirty enough for me not to eat anything out of it, catch and release always on the bream. A tortoise at Chalie and Nookie? Seen alsorts of "things" at that intersection in my "nightclub" years, usually coloured animals hiding in the bush or coming out of the ground with coloured halos around their bodies, but never a tortoise. Care to share ya gear?