Guest Posted March 24, 2011 Report Share Posted March 24, 2011 Hi AllWas just digging through some photo archives and come across pictures of some Milk Fish i caught in Darwin Harbour.Brought back fond memories of how hard they fight and the blistering speed with which they run after gulping down a piece of bread.On the right tackle the power and speed of these fish has to be experienced to be believed. Runs of over 100 metres in probably less than 20 seconds under 3 or 4 kgs of drag pressure is normal and a big milkie of say 15 pounds or more will do several of these runs over the 20 odd minutes they take to get in using 15 pound braid.I've not experienced another fish that runs so fast that you can hear your braid slice through the water.They also smash a piece of bread like a big kingie smashes a garfish or salmon trout. You see a bow wave coming towards your bread then a massive surface explosion where your bread was once floating.I've caught plenty of tuna, samsons, sharks etc but none of them get my adrenalin pumping like milk fish do. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
urhookedfish 12 Posted March 24, 2011 Report Share Posted March 24, 2011 Pound for pound the old Puffer fish has to be one of the toughest adveraries in the ocean.When they "puff right up" its like pulling an AFL football in.:woohoo: hahaHeard the Milkies are a handfull - I reckon if you got a 15lb slimey mackeral it would pull like a Milkfish..haha Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Savagelip 4 Posted March 24, 2011 Report Share Posted March 24, 2011 Holly :c look @ that tail :ohmy: never heard of e'm but sure sounds like fun, are they similar to tarpon? & can you eat them? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jack. 10 Posted March 24, 2011 Report Share Posted March 24, 2011 I was going to say Drummer for light tackle sport down here......them fish of yours look brilliant mate, nice captures :)I reckon they look like bone fish crossed with a giant herring ....with a GT frame of mind Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted March 24, 2011 Report Share Posted March 24, 2011 I've never had a puffer fish puff up whilst still in the water. Guess it would be like pulling up a tennis ball.I think Milkfish are eaten is Asia but i've never tried one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
urhookedfish 12 Posted March 24, 2011 Report Share Posted March 24, 2011 Yeah just stirring ya man.Those things are true beasts, theres a local celeb fishing guy (belongs to one of the darwin fishing clubs) by the name of Blue (cos of his ranga red hair) who likes to fish landbased for them with bread too.Seen some footage of him catching a few of them.True torpedoes of the sea. Like salmon on steroids!!:blush:Now what would be fun is to hook up a puffed up puffer fish up to a Mily and have the Milky tow it around at high speed. (sorry no cruelty to animals intended) LOL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted March 24, 2011 Report Share Posted March 24, 2011 Yeah you have to catch one to believe what they are like. I was told all about them but took a lot of it as exaggeration util i actually caught one an relaised it wasn't exaggeration.In my opinion theres just nothing else like them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted March 24, 2011 Report Share Posted March 24, 2011 Ever wonder why anglers from all over the world spent great wads of cash to travel to remote islands in the paicific and indian oceans to catch a fish that looks little more than an oversized whiting?My take on it is Bonefish must be like Milkfish in that they possess power and speed that for their size totally defies all logic. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rollas 2 Posted March 24, 2011 Report Share Posted March 24, 2011 In the Whitsundays there are a couple of estuaries that hold Milky’s and they sit in the filthiest of water slurping down the weed floating on the surface. Have not landed any as big as your pics but a couple about half that. The big ones just blew us away.Windy Bay on Hazelwood Island was good spot for them as well and we would pick up bonefish as well. Old man tried to eat a bonefish thinking it was a whiting. You have never seen so many ultra fine Garfish like bones in a fish that weighs 2 – 3 kg.Heard that they soak Milky’s in vinegar for a couple of weeks and it dissolves the bones and makes the soft enough to eat.Your right though they are a great sportfish. Savagelip 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
brenton 637 Posted March 24, 2011 Report Share Posted March 24, 2011 I've only seen the vids but yeah the milkies do look mental....i'll forget mentioning salmon now. cheers brenton Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jigsaw 0 Posted March 24, 2011 Report Share Posted March 24, 2011 i'll forget mentioning salmon now.nothing wrong with salmon on 4 and 6lb in the surf Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Piranha 76 Posted March 26, 2011 Report Share Posted March 26, 2011 Pink salmon from Canada are the hardest fighting sportfish pound for pound Iv'e hooked,, hooked around 60 landed 4:blink: Heard the milk fish are great fighters,,great post:) cheers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twinpower 151 Posted March 27, 2011 Report Share Posted March 27, 2011 they look like a giant tommy hahaha im in love i wana catch one haha great pics mate Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Breamin Good 0 Posted March 27, 2011 Report Share Posted March 27, 2011 I reckon pound for pound the silver trevally would be up there expecially around jettys and warfs:) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted March 31, 2011 Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 Pound for pound i doubt there's anything in the ocean that would match the speed and power of a milkfish. From what i hear maybe a bonefish would.If you get the chance to head up to Darwin and catch one you'll know what i mean. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rollas 2 Posted March 31, 2011 Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 Milky's grow twice the size of bones if not bigger. there have been reports of bones growing bigger than 16lb's though but they are a rarity. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
whyallabrad 0 Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 Love this post nanman. I got one in 2004, 6.9kg on 4kg and it took 1hr 52minutes to boat, when i finally had it to the boat it took another 20 minutes agonisingly just out of net range before we boated it.....didn't try for them again after that on light gear....they fight too hard! Great fun and a coldie went down well afterwards! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rollas 2 Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 Thats a mammoth effort...top catch on that sort of gear whyallabrad. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 Hey BradThey're just gold aren't they!!I would've loved to have hooked one on 4kg gear but everytime i visited darwin the lightest outfit i took was my 10kg barra rod.1hr 52minutes with 4kg line doesn't surprise me at all. They're insane. Maybe its the energy they get from all the carbs in bread!One fond memory i have i've them was the day my younger brother used dad's barra rod. The reel was a calcutta 50 or 100 (can't remember which) with about 100 metres of 30lb braid. plenty enough for barra.Dad told him not to take it but he took it anyway. He hooks a big milkie which took off in the direction of the naval base. He was screaming for me to pull the anchor and chase it. There was no time. About 30 seconds after hookup the braid went crack as the last millimetres busted off the spool.When dad went to get his barra rod out of the shed and see no line of the reel he yells out "ya little bastard i specifically told you not to take it"! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
urhookedfish 12 Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 I watched footage of Robson Green catching BONEFISH in cuba and although not Milkies he was amazed at how it pulled a hundred metres in a few moments.He was gobsmacked so they obviously have some unbelievable power.Its great seeing underwater footage of them takin off.I think its got to do with the way they swim. Like a whiting they have heaps of power for such a narrow body Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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