blueether Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Just back from a productive night out spotlighting. Only saw 2 eels and a single koura but much to my delight found a stream full of shortjaw kokopu with a few banded in there as well :happy1: :happy2: Shortjaw about 220 - 230mm long Another shortjaw, about 120mm Another shortjaw? about 130mm Next time I go out I think I'll have to borrow my dad's waterproof camera. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 ooooh very nice! (those Warehouse nets are great! I got one recently, not tried it out yet but it seems really sturdy.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted March 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 ooooh very nice!We saw about 8 Kokopu in about an hour (and a very large trout, maybe about 3kgs). I would say 6 were shortjaw. (those Warehouse nets are great! I got one recently, not tried it out yet but it seems really sturdy.)I have siliconed some (split) 5mm airline around the outer edge to stop the net rubbing in the rocks/bottom, about the only improvement that is needed to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted March 20, 2011 Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 I haven't heard of siliconing the airline on - was that necessary because the wire is a heavy gauge or just something you like to do? I very nearly bought another one just now. Will test mine out tomorrow night then probably go and get more. I already have a fairly full umbrella-stand of nets! :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted March 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 I siliconed the airline on as the netting fabric was getting cut... I'm too cheep to buy another net, and it is easier than re-attaching the netting after each second or third time out. You can see a few holes in the second pic that are now safely under the tubing. I'm about to head back to this stream with a waterproof digital camera :happy2:.Will have a look a bit further up stream, then head a way down stream out of the bush cover if I have time. I wonder if I'll see Koaro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted March 20, 2011 Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 don't forget your snorkel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey Posted March 20, 2011 Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 Nice pics... looks like it was a good night out. Looking forward to seeing any underwater ones you got last night Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted March 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 So, went out last night and spotted a few more, all shortjaw kokopu. Going by the colour the ones that i spotted the othernight could have all been shortjaw as well. Two of the ones lastnight were as big as the 20+cm one fron the other night. This stream has good fish stocks in it. Photos to come I also went back to my normal stream and found shrimps, some 150km from the sea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted March 20, 2011 Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 Small kokopu can be quite hard to tell apart, up to about 10cm. There are a few tricks that make it easier. They ALL can have vertical stripes! Giants: the stripes have a crisp edge all the way around Bandeds: the stripes are most defined at the lateral line and fade out towards the top and bottom Shortjaws: the stripes are quite blurry, not well-defined at any point. Amazing about the shrimp, I was impressed to see a solitary one at palmy, 60km from the sea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted March 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2011 First fish we spotted, decided to play hide and seek: Second, again big and fat: Third, a bit smaller, same fish as in the second photo in the OP (was in the same hole)? Fifth and sixth, spotted together. These two were more orange, like the ones I thought were banded the other night...? P3200063 by blueether, on Flickr Didn't get pics of the forth and last fish, the last was in the same pool that the large trout was in the other night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey Posted March 21, 2011 Report Share Posted March 21, 2011 Awesome. Love the underwater pictures! :bounce: I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest the last set of photos (fifth and six fish?) are indeed banded kokopu, they look very similar to the ones I've been chasing in my area, whereas the other's look quite a bit different in the jaw and colouration. *Sits down on limb and awaits confirmation from Stella & co.* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted March 21, 2011 Report Share Posted March 21, 2011 hmmm... hard to tell, I think still a shortjaw though. They just look a bit more 'docile' in the eye and the mouth is less GET IN MA BELLY! (it is late, I am tired) just got back from spotlighting myself, went up Kahuterawa (near palmy) with a friend collecting fish for the aquarium going in at the museum here soon. 2 big shortjaws (released) 6 redfin bullies 2 Cran's bullies 3 baby giant kokopu 1 baby shortjaw (it is a 10L bucket inside a 20L one, so the fish aren't quite as enormous as they look! The shortjaws were around 20cm though) Interestingly the baby kokopu are all the same length, but the shortjaw is distinctly slimmer and with a narrower head than the giants. I think I have seen this other times I have been catching small ones, just not consciously realised. (the four small galaxiids are at the top in diamond formation, the shortjaw is the one on the left) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey Posted March 21, 2011 Report Share Posted March 21, 2011 *Crawls back along limb so doesn't fall off into the ravenous Kokopu* Nice looking bucket of fish there Stella... it is cool seeing them all together Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nativelover Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 nice fish everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galaxiid Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 It is so good to see all those great big shortjaws! Seeing these photos makes me keen to go collecting bullies again, or even just to spotlight . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazy4crays Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 My feet feel a lil too dry now. Nothing walking up a stream wont fix I think I'll go for a bit of a hunt tonight. Thanks guys for the motivation. :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Yeah, fishhunting gets addictive! The introduction to my book ends with "Welcome to the obsession." I was talking with a complete fish-nut friend of mine recently who said those four words pretty much sum it all up for him Am getting the gear ready for some friends to go spotlighting tonight (without me) then tomorrow we are electrofishing. :happy1: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galaxiid Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Lucky devils. Hunting out a spotlight on the net as we speak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 yes, I wish I was!! Am exhausted. I tried sleeping earlier but just lay awake - ARGH! There are some amazing LED spotlights these days. They last sooo long. I have a 1w headlight (kathmandu) that apparently lasts 10 hours, and a 3w spotlight (energiser) that lasts 3+ hours. I tried my supervisor's small hunting spotlight on Monday night, it is the type the plugs into a great big battery. it is like holding a small SUN infront of you! I am not keen on the wires to the battery in the backpack though, can't easily put it down or wedge between your knees when you need both hands on the nets. I am now in love with my new $10 landing net from The Warehouse - nice big mouth, and teamed with a long-handled square-ended net I could easily get into good positions to get the fish. We should start a kit thread, with photos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueether Posted March 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Not that keen on the LED head torch that I have (Cyber-lite), is bright and all but there is just something I don't quite like about the way the light plays on/in the water... the same thing that makes LEDs so good for that sparkle in marine tanks? I think a kit thread is a good idea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 I too agree with a kit thread. Nice pics people. Hmmmm, Im wondering where I should go looking myself. I have one of those big suns you are talking about Stella. I made u a special bag to carry the battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazy4crays Posted March 24, 2011 Report Share Posted March 24, 2011 Well I managed to get wet but last night was pretty uneventful - saw heaps but nothing took my fancy to bring home. Been looking for a crown jewel for the tank. The local species just wont do. Does anyone know where I could get a lil Giant, Koaro, or Shortjaw? Prefer the Galaxiids but only got the Inanga and Bandeds around the local streams. Willing to do a bit of travelling to get one. No stream is too deep, too cold, or too wet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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