DOWN SOUTH NEWS
While travelling the north west I manage to keep in touch with what’s going on down south through regular emails and of course, facebook. Now whatever you think about facebook, it is certainly a good way to find out what your friends are up to, especially when you can’t always find the time to phone them. I must admit to taking some time to take on this form of social media and on my business facebook page always try to keep the postings related to marine safety issues, fishing, special wildlife photos or even outback camping. So here are some insights I have gained while surfing the facebook pages, which I would otherwise not known about, as we do not have television for six months of the year.
Simon James recently posted a picture of a baby whale sadly being washed in and out along the coast near Gracetown, during the massive eight metre swell a week or so ago. I cheekily commented that if he was serious about wildlife conservation he would have attempted to rescue it in his sea kayak. During the same swell, many would have seen the photo posted by The Margaret River Discovery Co, showing the huge shore break hitting Gnarabup Beach, with local grommets testing their ocean skills. Simon also posted a photo ( attached here ) of his Salmon catch earlier in the year, as part of the ‘ten day fishing photo challenge’. Greg Crawford responded by posting his photo of his favorite fish, a Flounder and so of course I had to get in on the action and posted a photo of a Red Emperor and Coral Trout double header caught a few years ago on a night time trip out to the Muiron Islands, near Exmouth.
However, for another good down south mate, Jungle Jim Nilsson, who I used to include in many articles last year when he came up to the Kimberley, facebook is never going to be in his repertoire, so we resort to texts and occasional emails. As we speak, he is on an African adventure and to date has experienced monkeys, baboons, impala, zebra, elephants, hippos, crocs and large cats. I have given him the mission of catching a Tiger Fish, bit it seems no success as yet. I myself was given a mission this year by another Margaret River local, Darren Arthur, who insisted the best eating fish in the north west is the Tripletail. Those that know Darren know he can be sometimes just a little cheeky also, so I did some research of my own on this species recently to test his credentials. Some websites indicated that this species is often released by fishermen and are regarded as poor eating. However, sure enough, on digging deeper, I found a site that confirmed Darren’s opinion after some renowned seafood chefs were researched on the most underrated and overrated seafood. And I quote, “Underrated: Tripletail Fish. Tripletail fish is elusive to some — they can be hard to catch, and are a little intimidating in whole form, with three scaly fins that give the appearance of three tails (hence the name, ‘tripletail’). Once you get past its prehistoric exterior, pearly white meat awaits, which is sweet, flaky, and similar to a prime-rib cut of grouper. Its versatility allows it to be served a number of ways, whether broiled, baked, sautéed, or simply grilled.” To date the Tripletail has proven elusive for me also, but you’ll be sure to hear from me if I succeed in this mission.
To answer last week’s question, darters have to swallow fish head first so the fins do not get stuck on the way down. This week’s question is, ‘What are other common names for Tripletail?’
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