Western Rock Blackfish
Submitted by extinctary on Thu, 2012-05-31 15:05
Hi,
I am after some info on the Western Rock Blackfish. In the Australian Fish Guide, by Frank Prokop, there are 2 Drummer listed, a black and siver . I already know that the Silver Drummer (Kyphosus Sydneyanus) also known as Buffalo Bream, is found in WA. But I am interested in the Black Drummer, also known as Rock Blackfish . In the fish guide there are a Eastern (Girella elevata) and Western variety (Girella tephraeops) . I was hoping for someone to confirm the existence of the Western variety, I enquired at the local tackle shop and they said that there was no such thing. Over east they have quite a cult following yet over in WA noone seems to target them. If anyone has any info I would be keen to find out.
Cheers
Chris fish
Posts: 847
Date Joined: 23/02/11
I've caught a few on the
I've caught a few on the south coast ( not targeting them), I've always wondered why the guys over east target them but no one does here, there was a photo of one put up on this site a few weeks ago I think.
always looking for a new challenge!!
hlokk
Posts: 4292
Date Joined: 04/04/08
Less prolific from land
Less prolific from land perhaps? I'd rather catch big buffies from shore if chasing non-edible fun.
Tried a western rock blackfish (pretty sure thats what it was) once. Tasted like nothing, so bland. No buffie type taste, but maybe it was a similar, but different species?
harry_davis
Posts: 71
Date Joined: 05/06/11
This is the others put up
http://fishwrecked.com/forum/esperance-fish-id
if that helps in anyway! :)
Limit your kill, Don't kill your limit...
watkins3
Posts: 55
Date Joined: 10/05/12
have caught a few off the
have caught a few off the south coast aswell.
PB's :
Bream - 40cm
Tailor - 43cm
more to come
crasny1
Posts: 7003
Date Joined: 16/10/08
Is this the ones they call "pigs"
on the east coast, and they seem to eat them with glee. Im not so keen to try. Got fed a buff years ago at Rotto and tried so hard not to show the waves of nausea it caused. Yuck!!
"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk
woody
Posts: 617
Date Joined: 27/02/08
Yep i seem to catch them
Yep i seem to catch them regularly.....they fight pretty damn good for their size...pull a same size queenie backwards!! Maybe thats why they like them over east?? I'll try eating one next time....something different.
mw87
Posts: 123
Date Joined: 20/07/11
Ive caught plenty of Black
Ive caught plenty of Black Drummer from the rocks over East, they taste absolutely amazing and fight like the clappers. And yep they are nicknamed Pigs because of their fight, completely locked drag and hold on! Looking at the photos of a Western Rock Blackfish on here it does look sort of similar but I don't think it's the same fish. We would always say they are Ludrick on steroids, but again I haven't seen or heard of a Ludrick being caught over here either so its hard to explain!
bod
Posts: 2321
Date Joined: 03/05/06
western rock blackfish
Also known as Black Drummer, Western Rock Blackfish are blue to brownish black with solid bodies and powerful broad tails. The pectoral, pelvic and anal fins are broad and rounded and the dorsal fin stretches back to the caudal peduncle. The eye is distinctively blue in adults, dark brown in juveniles. There are 13 spines in the dorsal of the Western Rock Blackfish compared to 11 in Drummer.
Western Rock Blackfish grow to 60cms in length.
They are considered average eating.
Western Rock Blackfish are found only in Western Australia, from Carnarvon south to the Recherche Archipelago.
Caught by Mako Magic at Two Rocks http://fishwrecked.com/image/two-rocks-unkown
Vander72
Posts: 433
Date Joined: 20/10/06
the fish is from the same family
but because w.a doesnt have green weed or squirt worms they dont get caught .. over here in the east they are caught quite reguarly and taste pretty good..... but then there is also a diff in that you can get them off the rocks on cunjevoi ( another thing w.a dont have) or cabbage weed but in the estuaries they catch them on green weed ( long stringy weed found on sand flats ) or squirt worms....... its an art setting up a pencil float and enough weight to get it to sit right in the water.......... buff bream would be the closest i came to seeing a blackfish in w.a ...... and also there is luderick (blackfish ) silver and black drummer .... same same but different
extinctary
Posts: 16
Date Joined: 12/04/12
So it seems they are not as
So it seems they are not as tasty as their Eastern counterpart, an also not as common from the shore.
Vander72
Posts: 433
Date Joined: 20/10/06
not common at all.......
as for taste its been quite a few years since i have eaten one but from what i remember they were alright!
BigV
Posts: 98
Date Joined: 22/06/11
Taste ok
I've caught a heap of em down south and some huge ones off shore around Bald Island. IMHO they taste fine, flesh is nice and white and cooked fresh they come up much better than you would think. Worth trying if you never have
Always keen to fish
waggler
Posts: 11
Date Joined: 04/08/12
I was catching these,
I was catching these, literally one every cast last week down near Denmark off a rocky island. Took a few home for a feed and they tasted great. Gutted and bled them out straight away as recommended and filleted them up. There was a lot of waste with them though - When you gut them they lose about a third of their body mass! Caught a 35cm Buffy too - great fighter but a smelly stinkfish only good for photo's!!