Be adventurous with catch
Some sea beasties you pull up may look strange but will still offer a tasty feed
One of the things which trout fishermen always find fascinating when they venture out on to the salt is the variety of fish which are pulled up. And sometimes the strangelooking beast flapping on the deck of the boat prompts questions like : What is it? Can you eat it?
Of the 30,000 or so species of fish in the world’s oceans and seas, many are found in our waters. And some are quite common, but we don’t see them because of their eating habits. We simply don’t catch some of them on a rod and line.
But those fishermen who pull on a wetsuit and slip into the water with a spear have no trouble finding them.
Let’s take a look at some of the more unusual fish.
Blue moki, which are actually quite common throughout the country from the Three Kings to Foveaux Strait, are a favourite target of surfcasters in the Wellington area particularly. They are also a highly valued food source for Bay of Plenty Maori, and there is a lot of tradition attached to their capture.
The mature fish travel great distances along the east coast of the North Island to spawning grounds off Cape Runaway and Maori lore explains how a ceremony was held to signal the start of the winter spawning season in June and the first fish caught was nailed to the main post of a meeting house.
These fish in prime condition were bursting with eggs and rich in body fat, a highly valued component in a diet comprising seafood and birds.
They can grow to 90cm in length and weigh over 10kg, and are a powerful fighter when hooked.
Frostfish is a long, thin creature like a cross between an eel and a barracouta, and gains its name from a propensity to venture inshore on frosty winter nights and become disoriented and end up washed up on the beach.
This seems to occur regularly on certain Bay of Plenty and Canterbury beaches, but may happen anywhere.
However, they will also take a bait as they feed on squid and small fish, and occasionally appear like a silver wraith glimmering in the depths as the catch is reeled in.
When the fish is boated the incredible bluish silver sheen on the skin shines like chrome. The skin is smooth like an eel’s but without the slime, and a dorsal fin stretches almost the entire length, which can reach two metres.
Frostfish can’t really be targeted, because they live out to great depths and can be found anywhere.
Also known as greenbone, which reflects the tinge in the backbone, the butterfish is a popular commercial catch, particularly in the South Island. To get a feed, you have to dive with a spear, or set a net close to the kelp beds which line much of the coast. And they live all around the country.
These lovely little fish feed on brown kelp, sucking it in and biting small holes. They will also eat small crustaceans, but are almost impossible to catch on a bait. They make sweet eating.
Called morwong in Australia, porae resemble tarakihi with their long pectoral fins but grow larger, and have similar rubbery lips. They feed on worms and other invertebrates but readily take a bait and are often caught when fishing for snapper.
The lovely blue-green-turquoise colouring on the back and flanks makes them a very attractive fish, and the white flesh is fine eating.
Porae are more common in the North Island, and live up to 30 years.
When snapper fishing in the Rakino Channel, we have at times pulled in what appeared initially to be a small stingray, but turned out to be a diamond-shaped ray with a pointed nose. It is in fact a skate, and while we have always put them back, these members of the ray and shark family are highly regarded for eating in some cultures.
They are found worldwide with about 100 species in different waters, and they grow to huge proportions; up to 100kg. The wings are the most sought-after bits used for cooking. Just Google skate and see how many recipes there are.
In our waters, the rough skate is the most common, and like the elephant fish and other sharks and rays, they have a cartilage “backbone” and expel excess urea through the skin which explains the unsavoury aroma which often arises from freshly boated sharks or skate. If being kept for the table, they should be cleaned and trunked immediately.
Skate are found all around the country and are caught as a bycatch when bottom fishing, often on longlines, and commercially in trawl nets.
The red pigfish, a colourful fellow, is often caught when fishing for tarakihi or snapper over a reef and mistakenly called parrotfish.
They are more common around islands off the east coast of the North Island and reefs close to deep water, and will readily take a cut bait.
Their sharp, protruding teeth are designed for crushing small crabs and sea urchins, and the long snout can delve into cracks and crevices.
The white flesh is fine to eat, but most fishermen refer to return the red pigfish to the sea.
Fresh water
Rivers in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty are low and clear, and where cold-water, spring-fed streams run into rivers trout will be stacked up like the proverbial cordwood. A similar phenomenon occurs where rivers and streams run into lakes like those in Rotorua and Taupo. On Lake Rotoiti there are few streams but the Waiiti Stream mouth attracts fish, as does the Twin Creeks stream on Lake Tarawera.