Elephant fish
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Saltwater Fishing
Forum Name: Landbased & Surfcasting
Forum Description: From rocks or beaches, here's the place for the landbased fishos to share information
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=42053
Printed Date: 29 Jun 2026 at 2:14am
Topic: Elephant fish
Posted By: Youngfisherman
Subject: Elephant fish
Date Posted: 15 Jun 2009 at 5:33pm
| Gonna head out today and want to see if i can get me a elephant fish...since they are bottom feeders should i use hook and no sinker? |
Replies:
Posted By: felixx
Date Posted: 15 Jun 2009 at 5:37pm
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in canterbury we normally get them in summer, I use a sinker and tuatua or small crabs for bait ------------- Originally posted by TG LMAO felixx, you a sick puppy! hehe |
Posted By: Youngfisherman
Date Posted: 15 Jun 2009 at 5:47pm
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ah crap guess its back to red cod. |
Posted By: Big H
Date Posted: 15 Jun 2009 at 6:06pm
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You'll want a big cast off Seatoun wharf to get into elephant fish. Best wait for a southerly and float ya gear out with a balloon. Use a bit of candy cane to connect the balloon as it will disolve and release the bait to the bottom. They are around YF so it's well worth a go. If you use crab you possible pick up spotty shark as well |
Posted By: Kiwicaster
Date Posted: 15 Jun 2009 at 6:08pm
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They will also take pilchard trev and squid . They dont seem to be overly fussy rig wise . You will know about if you hook one as they put up a very good fight . ------------- A recent survey has revealed that only one in seven dwarfs are happy. |
Posted By: Youngfisherman
Date Posted: 15 Jun 2009 at 6:11pm
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awsome never heard of the candy cane trick, how yould you connect it to the candy cane? Probably just use squid cause dont got no crabs. |
Posted By: Big H
Date Posted: 15 Jun 2009 at 6:47pm
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You tie a small piece of nylon from your sinker onto the candy cane and then tie another piece from the balloon to the candy cane. Keep the connection as short as possible as the closer the sinker is to the balloon the less drag there is...
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Posted By: DeKay
Date Posted: 15 Jun 2009 at 7:04pm
 Elephant fish, I have caught them on pilchard only. Seatoun or the bays north from there on the sand. Decent fillets, I think they are best in curries and soups as well as deep fried goujons. I've caught them on ledger rigs and pulley rigs with 4oz sinkers. |
Posted By: fish food
Date Posted: 15 Jun 2009 at 7:28pm
| Hey Dekay what depth do you find them in and the viz around seatoun? |
Posted By: Youngfisherman
Date Posted: 15 Jun 2009 at 8:43pm
| Not even a bite tonight. |
Posted By: Kenshin
Date Posted: 15 Jun 2009 at 8:47pm
try peanuts (jk)
------------- Be patient and calm – for no one can catch fish in anger. –Herbert Hoover |
Posted By: Catchelot
Date Posted: 15 Jun 2009 at 9:13pm
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This is really interesting stuff to me, because not only have I not caught one of these creatures, but I have not even laid my eyes upon one in the real life as I have only seen them in the fishing books and have always felt that they are a cold water and south island fish...
So good stuff YF, you keep the post up and teach me what they are all about. As I come from the north where we never see these wonderful creatures, I also wonder if they are indigenious to NZ only...? Anyone?? Are they good to eat also? ------------- "The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever." - Jacques Cousteau |
Posted By: ThomasW
Date Posted: 15 Jun 2009 at 9:57pm
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I have never seen one while fishing the Marlborough beaches, think I might head out to see if there is any around, never do much fishing at this time of year because I normally only catch Cod and Doggies. Would try using squid and crab with a slow retrieve across the bottom... |
Posted By: Youngfisherman
Date Posted: 16 Jun 2009 at 5:19pm
| " The meat is of exellent eating quality" is what a google search showed me...my dad caught one years ago and i found a filleted carcass on the sand, i think they used to be used for fish n chips and they are also quite rare now. Good luck. Arnt doggies good eating? |
Posted By: sooshee
Date Posted: 17 Jun 2009 at 12:03am
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I had difficulty filleting them as I had expected the usual backbone and rib cage. I've been told that because they belong to the shark family, they don't have them. Eating wise I find them okay but prefer terakihi anytime :) You can catch them on squid or baitfish, although I've caught both of mine on trevally. |
Posted By: Youngfisherman
Date Posted: 17 Jun 2009 at 7:24am
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yeah they have boneless fillets, I dont rally like tarakihi its kinda flavour less.where abouts are you fishing? |
Posted By: ThomasW
Date Posted: 17 Jun 2009 at 8:57am
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Doggies are plain, very white flesh and no taste. Probably needs ingredients added to enhance the flavor. |
Youngfisherman wrote:Posted By: sooshee
Date Posted: 17 Jun 2009 at 9:18am
I caught mine off a boat near the harbour entrance. You can catch them landbased off seatoun wharf and greta point.
|
Posted By: mole
Date Posted: 17 Jun 2009 at 4:57pm
| anywhere theres abit of sand some of the bays in evans bay are worth a look mostly at nite. |
Posted By: Ces
Date Posted: 17 Jun 2009 at 6:42pm
| i might give greta point a go tomorrow night... you keen YF? hey can anyone post a pic of a doggie? |
Posted By: Jaapie
Date Posted: 17 Jun 2009 at 6:52pm
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[QUOTE=Catchelot] As I come from the north where we never see these wonderful creatures, I also wonder if they are indigenious to NZ only...? Anyone?? Are they good to eat also?[/QUOTE] Catchelot mate,
No, not indigenous to NZ only-
You find them on the southern coastline of South Africa as well.
They are not bad eating at all, but given some of the other species of fish available, I guess they would rate quite poorly if you offered it on a restaurant menu. They do have elevated levels of ammonia that need to be gotten rid of before cooking. Usually a soak in milk does the trick.
Just on a different note, these fish are very slow growers and not a lot is known about them. They have been harvested in unsustainable numbers in both NZ and Australia for some time now and what was a common catch is now a bit more scarce.
The commercials in South Africa targeted them quite a bit in the late 80's to late 90's and stocks there are also low compared to what they were used to. ------------- "Only when the last tree has died, the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught,will we realize that we cannot eat money" - 19th Century Indian Creed |
Posted By: Youngfisherman
Date Posted: 17 Jun 2009 at 7:34pm
| Wheres gretapoint?, it depends if i got work. |
Posted By: Kiwicaster
Date Posted: 17 Jun 2009 at 7:37pm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiny_Dogfish They are a pain.. they have tiny rasp like teeth that make a mess of your traces and you have to watch out for the spines especially the one at the second dorsal as the doggie tries to stick you with that when your trying to unhook the thing . ------------- A recent survey has revealed that only one in seven dwarfs are happy. |
Posted By: StPaul
Date Posted: 17 Jun 2009 at 10:52pm
| Ele's are yum! used to catch lots down in canterbury. Great for making home made fish and chips. |