[kj]

Can anyone tell me if you can eat Spiny Dogs, skate and other stuff you catch over the winter months in Canterbury. I figure Red Cod are edible but anything else and some tips on how to prepare them would be much appreciated.

[Miliwolf]

Most fish are eatable, but many taste like crap.

Never tried doggie, but prepare it like any shark. I know of a few people who eat them.

Skate, the best meat is in the wings. I release them myself.

Moki, some people really like them. Best to only eat the ones just over legal limit and release the larger specimins taste even worst. I have typically cooked them whole in tinfoil with lemon. Bleed and gut them quickly, the meat detroiaties quickly so keep them on ice if possible. Kaikouria is probably better for Moki then canturbury itself.

Most members of the Wrass family are eatable, the meat is quite nice but heaps of bones. I have only eaten them cooked who like Moki.

Threre is also trout in the rivers and lakes which can be eaten.

Must get back down that way myself for a bit of a fish and play around.

[yellowfin]

Lyttelton Harbour
School shark, or tope, is sold in the shops under the name of flake or white fillets. Rig is sold in the shops as lemonfish. Spiny Dogfish is sold in the shops as snow fillets. All are very good to eat and are quite expensive to buy!

My son and I went fishing today off the rocks near the naval point slipway in Lyttelton Harbour. We fished as the sun was setting and for a couple of hours into the night. We caught and released several young spiny dogfish but there was no sign of red cod.
A couple of blokes returned just before dark in a runabout. They had been fishing around the heads at the entrance to the harbour but had not brought back a single fish. They reported catching and releasing only small dogfish! I have had some good catches of cod from the harbour in past years. Has anyone else had much luck fishing Lytrtelton Harbour lately?

It is worth mentioning that the road that ran along the water’s edge from the fuel terminal to Naval Point is now closed as part of work being done on the new sewage outfall. You can’t even get to the purpose built fishing platform any more.
Yellowfin

[yellowfin]

There seems to be more red cod around Christchurch this year compared with last year, at least at the pier.
I’ve been to Lyttleton 4-5 times in the last year and haven’t caught anything decent (numerous small dogfish, a wrasse, and a crab).
Maybe the fishing will get better at Lyttleton over time from Jim Andertons red cod and inshore net restrictions.

[yellowfin]

We went fishing at Lyttelton again this evening – from the rocks at Naval Point. Started fishing around 4.00 pm and left at 7.00 pm. To begin with we were catching heaps of small undersized dogfish and threw them all back. After dark we caught a total of six larger spiny dogfish. These yielded a 1.5kg of fillets (snow fillets). We were fishing with frozen squid. Good sized spiny dogfish were still being hauled in when we decided to head home so could probably have caught more. Again not a single red cod! A bit of fun all the same.

[yellowfin]

went for a fish at waimak mouth sat night 5 good sized red cod. about 20 mullet 5 large doggies a kaiwhai and something huge but busted my off on 50lb braid

[Sevengillz]

Any idea what might of busted you off TFG? ray or shark or something? I see there is still a good number of Kahawai gettin caught up and down the coast…good sign considering the time of year.May be a cracker of a summer for kahawai fishing coming up..

[Miliwolf]

My guess is a large red cod.

[yellowfin]

nah dont think it was a red they are rather crappy fighters and it woulda hav to of been a huge red cod to bust me off.i reckon it may hav been a real big doggie

[Miliwolf]

Think I might go down to Clifford bay or Seaview tomorrow and capture myself a huge red cod to prove my theory right

[yellowfin]

also was swimming way to fast could even have beena huge kaiwhai for all i know. took me on abit of a walk as well

[Author]

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