Sooty grunter (black bream)

A chunky, deep-bodied grunter, dark brown to sooty black or bronze, with thick lips, a small head and a slightly forked tail.

10–16 in and 1–3 lb.

About 21 in and 13 lb (6 kg).

Insects, shrimp, small fish, fruit and algae — it eats almost anything.

Aggressive and hard-fighting; lives in rocky runs and pools, and charges lures in fast water.

Found from Queensland & the Great Barrier Reef, Northern Territory & Western Australia and South Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea. Rocky freshwater rivers and creeks of the Top End, the Kimberley, Cape York and north-eastern Queensland (also southern New Guinea); stocked in some Queensland lakes. Lake Argyle and the Burdekin are well known.

Rocky freshwater rivers and creeks of the Top End, the Kimberley, Cape York and north-eastern Queensland (also southern New Guinea); stocked in some Queensland lakes. Lake Argyle and the Burdekin are well known.

1–15 ft.

1–8 ft in runs and pool heads.

All year; best in the dry season.

Daylight hours, especially early morning and late afternoon.

No tide in fresh water; rising or steady water levels after rain are usually best.

Warm, stable weather; the build-up before the wet season and calm, overcast days are excellent. Heavy rain muddies the water.

Shrimp, worms, grasshoppers and small fish.

Small spinners, diving minnows, soft plastics and small poppers; flies.

6–7 ft light spinning rod; 5–7 weight fly rod.

Size 4–1/0 hooks.

8–12 lb braid.

12–20 lb fluorocarbon.

Cast small lures across rocky runs and into the white water at pool heads, and retrieve steadily.

Sooties live in fast water; a lure that runs deep in the current gets eaten fastest.

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.

Edible but not prized — strong or bony; many anglers release it.

Bleed and ice it right away. Fillet, then remove the skin and any dark bloodline.

Fair; soft flesh that can taste muddy. Most are released.

Saltwater crocodiles can be in freshwater reaches of northern rivers too; check local warnings. Sharp dorsal spines.

General freshwater bag and size limits apply; Stocked Impoundment Permits in Queensland lakes. A freshwater licence or permit is needed in NSW, Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania, and a Stocked Impoundment Permit for Queensland's stocked lakes; the Northern Territory needs none. Each state sets its own bag limits, size limits and closed seasons.

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.