A 16-year-old fisherman from Fassifern, Will Ashcroft, has caught what is believed to be one of the largest bream ever recorded in Lake Macquarie. The fish, measuring 55 centimetres, was caught on Christmas Day evening while Will was fishing with his family on a houseboat near Pulbah Island.
Will initially thought he had hooked a jewfish due to the size, but after netting it, he realised it was a yellowfin bream. The legal size limit for yellowfin bream in NSW is 25 centimetres, and they typically grow no larger than 40 to 50 centimetres.
Geoff Allen, manager of Hot Tackle in Warners Bay, described the catch as an 'exceptional bream' and estimated the fish to be over 20 years old due to its slow growth rate. He noted that a 40cm bream is considered good, making this 55cm specimen enormous.
Will, who works as a concreter, is considering having the fish taxidermied but acknowledged that taxidermy services are backed up due to high demand. He called it a 'once-in-a-lifetime fish' and said he doesn't expect to surpass it anytime soon.
