Fishing Gallery

Bludger Trevally are members of the Jack or Trevally family. Bludger Trevally inhabit tropical waters off shore and rocky coral reefs, where they prey on small crabs, prawns and fish.

Bludger Trevally are considered a good sport fish fish but are generally regarded as not the best table fish owing to the soft oily flesh,. However they are good to make fish cakes or ceviche out of, or to smoke. Bludger Trevally often school and when we are fishing on Norseman and we hit a mob of Bludgers… things go a bit crazy on the back deck!

Bludger Trevally can get to a decent size too- up to at least 90cm and weighing 14kg. You can imagine that a fish that size puts up a pretty good fight! Bludger Trevally also are good to use as bait because of the oily flesh. On Norseman we encounter Bludger Trevally quite frequently – normally around the 3-6kg mark.

These fish have a body shape that is very similar to the Yellowspotted Trevally, and as a general rule are more elongated than most Trevally species.
Smaller Bludger Trevally tend to be common in schools, where as when the fish get larger in size they become more solitary.

Cobia are easily recognised by their short spines of the first dorsal fin as well as having a distinctive pale and dark horizontal banding along the side of the fish. At first glance they look a little bit like a shark and have a wide flattened head and slightly protruding lower jaw. Juvenile cobia have a slightly rounded tail whereas adult Cobia have a distinctive forked tail.

Cobia feed primarily on crabs, squid and fish. They often follow larger predators such as sharks, turtles and manta rays to scavenge food particles. Coba can be very curious fish, and often show little or no fear of boats.
Coba are also a fast growing fish and produce massive numbers of eggs when they spawn. It is for this reason that they are being researched as a suitable species for Aquaculture.

Cobia can get really big too – up to 2 metres and weighing as much as 61kg. As table fare, Cobia are a top eating fish. The firm white flesh can be cooked in almost any way and it has the added bonus of freezing well. Being a thick skinned fish makes Cobia easy to take the skin off the large meaty fillets.

Coba can be a worthy opponent when fishing and are a lot of fun to catch. They are a great sport fish and can pull like mad and give you a great workout if you hook one. They are usually caught on Norseman when we are bottom fishing for other species.

Cobia are more commonly caught in our summer months.

Chinaman fish are a good looking fish that possess all the hard fighting qualities you would expect from a large reef dwelling species. The origin of their name is a mystery to this day. Chinaman fish are generally encountered whilst fishing for other reef fish and are famous for their brutal fighting abilities. These fish pull like a train.

Unfortunately Chinamanfish are known ciguatoxin carrier and therefore cannot be eaten. Ciguatera is a foodborne illness that is caused by eating certain reef fish whose flesh is contaminated with a toxin made by dinoflagellates which live in tropical waters.

Captain Cook reported the first known case of ciguatera poisoning in the Pacific in 1774 while in the New Hebrides. He suffered ciguatera poisoning twice, and red bass was thought to be the culprit on both occasions.

You can imagine how disappointing it is for fishermen to hook a big fish down deep, fight it all the way to the surface, see the flash of red and think its a Nannygai or Red Emperor only to discover its an inedible Chinamanfish!

Chinaman fish are red in appearance but can also be any colouration from almost orange to a deep red. Chinamanfish have fine yellow lines over the head and mouth and grow to about 15 kg

Chinaman fish take big baits and go pretty hard. They have a powerful tail and a good set of razor sharp teeth. They are a lot of fun to catch if you can get over the disappointment of not being able to eat them.

Despite the name Coral Trout, Coral Trout are members of the Serranidae family of fish, so not related to Trout at all… and we commonly catch them on our day trips reef fishing with Norseman. The Coral Trout derives its name from its appearance, as it does look similar to a fresh water trout. But that is pretty much where the similarity ends.

Coral Trout are also tropical species of reef fish, plentiful in our waters. They are probably one of the best eating fish there is to have up in North Queensland having soft delicate white flesh. Coral Trout are also a prized fish for celebrating Chinese New Year. Once eaten, never forgotten!

The Coral Trout is a spectacular looking fish, varying from dark crimson to light pink/grey in colour with electric blue spots. There are lots of variations in colouration within each species of Coral Trout.

Coral Trout have large dog- like teeth and are very aggressive feeders. They are usually caught while “bottom bouncing” the coral bommies. They like to lurk underneath a coral bommie and attack their prey from below. Coral Trout typically live in waters ranging from 10-30 meters.

The commercial fishermen that target Coral Trout use hand lines, as these fish go a bit berserk when hooked and love to try and bury you in the coral. The hand line allows you to get the fish up quicker before that can happen!

Bar Cheeked Coral Trout are very similar in appearance to Coral Trout, but as the name suggests- have a distinctive coloration of brightly coloured bars on the cheeks. Bar Cheeked Coral Trout are also a heftier build. Bar Cheeked Coral Trout usually get bigger than Coral Trout do. They are also a delicious eating fish… and we sometimes catch them on our day trips reef fishing with Norseman.

Bar Cheeked Coral Trout are a tropical species of reef fish. They are a predatory and territorial and are usually encountered either alone or in breeding pairs. They are a slow growing fish and due to over fishing in the past the numbers have declined. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority introduced Fin Fish closures to protect the populations of Bar Cheek Trout and other coral reef fin fish during their spawning periods.

Bar Cheeked Coral Trout are found in shallow reefs and also on inshore coral reefs in waters between 2 and 50 meters deep.They love rocky outcrops and hiding under Bommies to ambush their prey. Like a Coral Trout, they have a broad powerful tail and can really give you a workout. Once again, landlines are very effective with these fish as they try and bury you in the coral once they are hooked.

This beautifully coloured fish fights like a demon and is also a delicious eating fish… so we love catching them on Norseman.

Large Mouth Nannygai are a tropical species, plentiful in the waters off Port Douglas

These fish are found in different areas depending on their location on the coastline. Up here, they can be found in shallow reefs extending out very wide to the continental shelf.

Known for being a schooling fish they can be encountered in big schools and adapt to various depths and bottom structures.
Another interesting feature of these fish is that they roam and feed in the water column., however they are most commonly bottom feeders.Our crew have experienced these fish to be sometimes shy and picky about baits offered. You also have to be careful not to strike at the fish too early and “prick them” as these fish are also known to sook and go off the bite.

Large Mouth Nannygai fight extremely well and a big one will put in a very solid effort even on 80lb line!

They grow to an impressive 13 Kilos in weight and live in water depths ranging from 30 to 70 metres.
Large Mouth Nannygai are a prized table fish having firm white flesh. The overall body colour of the Large Mouth Nannygai is an intense red on the upper flanks which changes down the body to a more reddish pink colour around the belly area. The Large mouth Nannygai has a distinctive darker red saddle spot between the lower dorsal fin and caudal fin.

Small Mouth Nannygai are very similar in appearance to the Large Mouth Nannygai, but as the name suggests- have a smaller mouth and don’t get as big as the Large Mouth Nannygai do. Small Mouth Nannygai are also slimmer in body shape. They are a delicious eating fish… and we sometimes catch them on our day trips reef fishing with Norseman.

Small Mouth Nannygai are a tropical species of reef fish, found in the waters off Port Douglas. They are generally found in large schools in the deeper reef waters with a rubble bottom or near a grouping of bommies.

These fish are also found in shallow reefs extending out wide to the continental shelf.

Known also for being a schooling fish, Small Mouth Nannygai can be encountered in significant numbers as well.

They grow to an around 6 Kilos in weight and live in water depths ranging anywhere from 30 to 70 metres.
Small Mouth Nannygai are a prized table fish having delicious firm white flesh. Some people even say that the Small Mouth Nannygai tastes better than the Large Mouth Nannygai. The overall body colour of the Small Mouth Nannygai is a vivid reddish pink colour.

Red Emperor is one of Australia’s most highly regarded food fish, up there with the Coral Trout. It has beautiful firm white flesh, with large flakes and a delicate flavour. Red Emperor however, is not actually a true Emperor – it is a member of the Sea Perch and Snapper family of fish.

Red Emperor will give you a great work out, as they will fight HARD all the way to the boat. They have a broad powerful tail and very muscular body. The grow to over a metre in length and can reach weights in excess of 33kg. Red Emperor are a tough opponent when it comes to reef fish and it’s not uncommon to be wiped out by one if fishing with light tackle. Red Emperor will run hard and bust you off on the reef given the chance. The sheer size of these fish matched with their powerful head shaking and ability to fight from the bottom to the surface make them a worthy adversary for even the most fussy of anglers.
They are a very beautiful fish, being a vivid scarlet colour with slightly darker banding. The pink fins are tipped in bright crimson or red, and the fish usually has three distinctive darker red bands sweeping up the face and body to the pectoral fin.

The large mature adult fish frequent the deeper waters and channels during the cooler months in the tropics. Red Emperor generally inhabit depths between 10m to 140m. Juvenile fish inhabit inshore reefs, structures and gravel patches while the mature adults inhabit deeper offshore waters preferring coral reefs and adjacent sand areas, deep isolated reef and coral structures, as well as rubble.

Red Emperor will usually school together with similarly sized fish, if you manage to hook a few you can actually keep the school in your vicinity by your fishing activity.

We love catching these fish on Norseman

Spangled emperor are a member of the emperor and sea bream family, and are found in tropical waters. Spangled Emperors being a member of the Emperor family are a famously renowned eating fish. Spangled Emperor also put up a tough fight as they have a broad powerful tail and are also very solid.

Spangled Emperor are a very pretty fish being a golden bronze in colour with stunning pastel blue lines radiating from the eyes and over the cheek. They also have larger blue spots over the upper body. Spangled Emperor are commonly encountered ranging in size from 30 – 60 cm but sometimes can reach in excess of 80cm and weigh up to 10kg.

Spangled Emperor fight really hard for their size, and are famous for their first massive run when hooked. They are aggressive feeders and sometimes take baits close to the surface. They tend to be found near coral bommies, coral reef lagoons and sandy areas. Spangled Emperor are often caught in deeper water too. They can be hard fish to catch because if there is a hole or ledge to get into, these fish will do their level best to bury you in the coral. Plus when combined with that first massive run, they also like to give you a massive head shake. If you can get one of these up and onto the boat you won’t be sorry.

Spanish Mackerel are one of the greatest pelagic fish that we commonly catch on Norseman. They are very prevalent during our winter months between June and October especially. In the summer months when the wind is from the South East, we also catch Spanish mackerel. These fish can live for more than 20 years. They get big too.

Spanish Mackerel can grow up to a size of about 2.4m and can weigh more than 50kg. These fish have long, narrow bodies but they are all muscle. They are steel blue along the dorsal area and become silvery towards the centre of their bodies. They have a banded pattern with vertical bars running the length of their body. They are an incredibly fast and strong fish, and will really give you a work out if you hook one. They generally stay high in the water column and will take dead baits, live baits and floating live baits. Trolling for Spanish Mackerel also yields good results.

Spanish Mackerel are a spectacular fighting fish often putting on aerial displays when hooked. If you manage to catch one, it will be a fish you never forget!

They are also a tasty eating fish. Spanish Mackerel are voracious and opportunistic carnivores that cruise around the reef edges and drop off’s hunting smaller fish. They have an impressive set of razor sharp teeth and once on board the boat they have to be dispatched quickly.

The Striped Sea Perch varies in colour from red to golden brown, and has tones of pink and carries ten or more narrow yellow stripes along the entire length of the fish, lengthwise.

The fins are bright yellow with a tinge of orange.

Striped Sea Perch can be found on the coral reefs of North Queensland and along the top end of Australia. They are very common where we fish on Norseman. Most members of the Sea Perch family have firm white flesh as well as a delicate flavour. It is for these reasons that Striped Sea Perch are a very common menu item in a lot of our local restaurants. They are commonly served whole as they do not reach very large sizes, growing to a maximum of 40cm and not usually weighing more than a kilo.

Despite their smaller size, Striped Sea Perch are active predators that use ambush tactics to prey on smaller fish and crustaceans. Even so, they are certainly high on the agro scale on a pound for pound basis.

They are related to Mangrove Jack and Fingermark who are also members of the Lutjanus family of fish. Striped Sea Perch possess an array of sharp needle-like canine teeth at the front of the mouth, adapted to seize and hold their prey. Once a Striped Sea Perch has a hold of a bait, its not going to let go!

Striped Sea Perch are most commonly found around shallow reefs throughout the tropics. They are most numerous over the reef flats and edges of the Great Barrier Reef where they thrive, prowling around hunting prey near coral outcrops and overhangs, sometimes in schools of upwards of 20 to 30 fish.