Fishing Victoria Forum

Took a mate fishing yesterday fishing was well below average to say the least. His light rod baited with worms goes and he brings it in my initial thought was on worms it had to be a Macca, at the time he caught the fish I was approx 30m away n didn't get a good look at it but when he pulled it up the bank it definitely didn't look like a Macca so another mate n u were convinced it had to have been a carp..

My mate who caught the fish doesn't go fishing often n he came over n said it was a Redfin or something this raised suspicions as I've never seen a reddie caught outta the Yarra (not saying they aren't there but..) he said it was on the bank if we still wanted to figure it out.. at first glance I was shocked.. the Yarra yella does exist.. wasn't a horse 38cm but still.. then I seen its mouth n I'm thinking hmmm too small of a gob for a yella.. so I'm claiming it as a Macca..

Which got me thinking.. is it possible the legendary Yarra yella were just horse maccas named by ill informed fisherman?

If there's someone more technologically advanced than I that would like to resize the pic to post for the rest of us pm me n I'll email it to u

I'm still in two minds but I think it's a Macca

Gav

pm'ed you.

There are yellowbelly in the Yarra, Ive seen pics of them, but in fifty years of fishing it I have never caught one. I have caught Macquarie perch well over 40 cm in length.

Resizing pics is easy! Open the image in paint, click on resize, select pixels, and type in say 800 in the first line.

Best Wishes

Truedogz

I've sent the pic to a few old blokes n they all verify it as a yella.. looking at some old pics of maccas I've got other outta the Yarra the color of the fins makes it a clear distinction it isn't a macca.. seems u can catch a fish as rare as rocking horse shït

Have at it boys.. my gut says yella but my brain says macca

You don't happen to have a picture of it without the mouth being held, do you? It looks like it might have the little down-turned snub-nose of a Macquarie Perch, but with the mouth extended it's hard to see. I can see why you're not sure, though. Its shape is very much like a yellowbelly.

I'm having a look in Freshwater Fishes of South-Eastern Australia, and the biggest point of difference it is throwing up (apart from number of scales and number of vertebrae) is that Golden Perch have a longer mouth, extending back further behind the eye on average and with a protruding lower jaw, whereas Macquarie Perch have shorter mouth and jaws of equal length (giving them a slight underbite).

a view of the mouth from front on

It's a yella Gav. I saw a mate catch a small yella at Griffiths park about 20 years ago so they are in there. :thumbsup:

The other thing the book said was that Golden Perch's pelvic fins insert in line with the base of the pectoral fins, and Macquarie Perch insert behind (posterior) to the base of the pectoral, which is what this fish appears to have, to my eye.

But it's not something I've ever thought to look at (or for), so take of it what you will.