FISHO writer Mark Williams was out in his Hobie fishing for flathead on Lake Macquarie last week when he caught an unusual fish he hadn’t seen before.
“I took a few pics of the fish and released it and when I got home I checked my copy of Sea Fishes of Southern Australia and it turned out to be a red bigeye (Priacanthus macracanthus) which the book says is a tropical species occasionally caught in deeper offshore waters of NSW,” Mark told Fisho.
“Well this one ate my Flexivibe lure in nine metres of water in Lake Macquarie!
“It fought quite well and at first I thought I had a small snapper, which are quite common on vibes in the lake. However, on seeing that massive red eye I suspected it must be a deepwater ooglie of some sort.”
He concluded “Sea Fishes of Southern Australia says they are only fair eating so I’m glad I let it go (I had a 47cm flattie for dinner already). Apparently they grow to 35cm and around 1kg in weight.”
What the…? Mark caught this red bigeye on a Flexivibe lure in Lake Macquarie in nine metres of water.
Has anyone else caught a red bigeye? Let us know.
Fisho has previously reported weird catches from Lake Macquarie – see HERE and HERE.
