Nannygai Species
I'm in the heart of tropical fishing heaven - Port Hinchinbrook in North Qld. We're heading out with Jeff Clarke on his brand new 34 footer - Black Magic.
But we won't need witchcraft in these waters - the reefs around Hinchinbrook Island are teeming with fish.
I've brought along a big group of mates and today, we're targetting small and large-mouth nannygai. These fish forage around the coral in schools, so we're
Jeff lands number one nannygai… and my father-in-law Neil's right on his tail.
These small-mouth nannygai can range from bronze to bright red. And both small and large-mouth species have a black spot near their tail.
But don't let the name confuse you - these guys have nothing to do with the nannygai down south.
These guys should be called crimson snapper, so you don't get it confused with the southern nannygai.
Both small and large mouth nannygai are found from about Shark Bay in WA, across the Top End and often as far south as Sydney. They're also scattered around the reefs wide of Queensland.
We're catching so many here off Hinchinbrook, that it's time to go mate against mate. Starboard side of the boat - Les and Dad, versus port side - Bob & Neil, versus Dave & I in the middle.
My old footy mate Les Davidson scores the icebreaker for the starboard side. Les is a former Australian & NSW rugby league rep. My Dad John follows suit - that's two-nil to starboard.
Also along for the trip is our show's chief editor Bobby Blasdall. Bob's emerged from the edit suite ready for a rumble!
The battle of the nannygai is nigh. Keep score of bloke next to you !
I tell ya - the tension's mounting, and Bob's big bait finally works - maybe too well!
We're on the Black Magic targetting a reef called Engadine wreck, about ten miles off Hinchinbrook Island. Now nannygai feed mainly at night or in the cooler months, but when you find a patch of them, it's all systems go! Other nannygai are attracted by the vibrations of the hooked fish.
Would you believe these nannies are just spring chickens? Small-mouths grow up to ten kilo and live for 7 years.They're very close cousins to the red emperor - and their colour is not just for show!
It's not quite night - but the nannies are on the prowl. A triple Hookup - a perfect way to end the day.
Did I say end? While there's daylight, there's fishing to be done.
Now we haven't
sighted many large-mouth nannygai, because they prefer feeding
on rubbly ground after dark. And sure enough, once the sun drops
from the sky…
This is a serious fish boys.
Well we let lot of fish go on this show but this one is going on the big BBQ ! He hit hard like a train... what a great fish.
We caught these magnificent nannygai with Jeff Clarke aboard Black Magic. Jeff's based at Port Hinchinbrook, so give him a call for bookings.
And we stayed at Port Hinchinbrook, which has luxury accommodation and a fantastic deepwater marina. Jump on their website to find out more.
Big W supplied all my reef fishing gear. Head to your nearest Big W store for a great choice of gear and tackle.
We flew to
Townsville with Virgin Blue. Give them a call or go to virginblue.com.au
to check out all their flights and fares.
