Fish

Luderick (blackfish, parore)

Chopa australiana (luderick)

Girella tricuspidata

SaltwaterBrackish

At a glance

Typical size

10–14 in and 1–2 lb.

Depth

1–60 ft.

Best time

Daylight hours, especially early morning and late afternoon.

Found in

3 areas

Spot it, size it up and learn its habits.

Identification: An oval, gray-brown to bronze fish with 8–12 thin dark vertical bars, a small mouth with tiny teeth for grazing weed, and a slightly forked tail. Called blackfish in NSW and parore in New Zealand.
Typical size: 10–14 in and 1–2 lb.
Maximum size: About 2 ft and 9 lb (4 kg).
Diet: Mostly green weed and seagrass, plus small crustaceans.
Behavior: Schools along rock walls, ocean rock platforms and weedy estuaries, grazing on weed. Fished with a special float and weed bait.

Where, when and how deep to look.

Where to find it: Found from South-East Australia & Tasmania, Queensland & the Great Barrier Reef and New Zealand. Estuary rock walls, breakwaters, weedy channels and rock platforms from southern Queensland to Victoria and Tasmania, and northern New Zealand.
Habitat: Estuary rock walls, breakwaters, weedy channels and rock platforms from southern Queensland to Victoria and Tasmania, and northern New Zealand.
Depth: 1–60 ft.
Fishing depth: 2–10 ft.
Best season: Autumn and winter (March–August) are classic in NSW.
Best time: Daylight hours, especially early morning and late afternoon.
Best tides: Moving water along rock walls, especially the run-in tide.
Best weather / conditions: Overcast days with a slight wash on the rocks.

What to tie on and what to throw.

Best bait: Green weed (string weed) or cabbage weed wrapped on the hook, with weed-and-sand berley.
Best artificial lures: Not usually caught on lures.
Tackle setup: 10–12 ft light float rod with a centrepin or small spinning reel.
Hook size: Size 10–6 hooks.
Line: 6–8 lb monofilament.
Leader: 4–6 lb monofilament.

The rod, reel, line and lures BigJoe would use.

Also at Bass Pro Shops: Rod Reel Line Leader Lures Hooks Rig

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Step by step, from first cast to landing.

Go where it lives: Estuary rock walls, breakwaters, weedy channels and rock platforms from southern Queensland to Victoria and Tasmania, and northern New Zealand.
Rig up: 10–12 ft light float rod with a centrepin or small spinning reel. 4–6 lb monofilament.
Pick your bait: Green weed (string weed) or cabbage weed wrapped on the hook, with weed-and-sand berley. Lures: Not usually caught on lures.
Fish it: Set a slim, weighted float so the weed bait drifts just off the rocks at the right depth; strike when the float dips slowly.
Time it: Daylight hours, especially early morning and late afternoon. Moving water along rock walls, especially the run-in tide.

Fishing techniques: Set a slim, weighted float so the weed bait drifts just off the rocks at the right depth; strike when the float dips slowly.
BigJoe's tip: Collect weed from the same rocks the luderick are feeding on — they're picky.
Catch and release: Catch and release: wet your hands, keep the fish in the water when you can, and release it quickly. Use circle hooks and a dehooker.

Is it good to eat, and how to prepare it.

Edibility: Good eating when fresh.
Cleaning: Bleed and ice it right away. Fillet, then remove the skin and any dark bloodline.
Cooking suggestions: Good if bled and cleaned at once (remove the black belly lining); grill or bake.

Safety, rules and taking care of the fishery.

Safety warnings: Rock platforms are dangerous in swell: wear a life jacket and never turn your back on the sea. Sharp dorsal spines.
Regulations: NSW and Queensland set minimum sizes and bag limits; New Zealand has general limits. Check current rules. Rules differ between Australia and New Zealand: NSW, Victoria and Western Australia (boat fishing) require a recreational licence, other Australian states and New Zealand's sea fishing need none, but bag limits, size limits and marine reserves apply everywhere.
Conservation: Keep only what you'll eat and release the big breeders; wet your hands, support the fish's belly and get it back in the water fast.

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Sources & photo credits