Baldchin groper

The Western Australian Baldchin groper is found along the west coast from Augusta all the way up to Exmouth and is targeted by anglers and spear fishermen for the thrill of catching one and for the brilliant eating quality.

Baldchin groper are found on many different types of ground.  They can be found on shallow reefy lumps and ledges in about 20 feet of water or can be found in much deeper water where there is a drop off or weed running off on to sand usually in about 60 to 80 foot of water. This is where much larger Baldchin are found.

The name Baldchin comes from the fish’s unmistakable large white chin. The fishes body is a  light to dark brown colour, with the big thumpers being an all white colour, their fins are yellow in colour with blue outlines.

The Baldchin groper is in fact a member of the Tuskfish family, with their stout canine like teeth, Baldchin like to eat crayfish, sea urchins and many types of shell fish, turning over rocks and digging up the sand to find these crustations. Baldchin can grow to around 9kgs but are most common around 4-6kgs with the legal limit being 400mm. The current bag limit is 8 of these fish but is soon to drop to 4 Baldchin in July.

The northern specie on tuskfish that is most similar to a Bladchin is a black spot tuskfish or may be known as a blue bone, as when these fish are filleted the spine can be seen which is blue in colour. These fish also have a large chin yet it is more yellow in colour then a Baldchins, their body is a greeny, blue colour and they grow much larger, up to around 16kgs

 

Around the start of the rock lobster season (November, December ), when the white rock lobster are soft shelled and vulnerable, Baldchin seem to be at their peak and are so common that schools may even be seen. In these schools, up to 30 fish can be milling around on the bottom at a time. One thing that is always the case with Baldchin schools is that the ground is always flat and weedy. On a sounder this ground may be hard to find so anglers may have trouble finding these schools of fish.

 

Up north around the Abrolas Islands, Shark bay and Dirk Harthog Island the Baldchin groper is found in very large quantities, by far the best places to find and fish for Baldchin.

Baldchin are also know to associate and hang around with coral trout and spangled emperor, so the chances are that next time you are fishing and you are catching spangled emperor, there are coral trout and Baldchin not too far away

 

The main areas we go spear fishing for Baldchin are out from Lancelin and Cervantes, the best approach we have found in finding and catching these fish. Is to find a reasonable depth then jump in the water and swim, trying to cover as much ground as possible, these fish are always on the move and can be found on any ground, so usually the further you swim the more Baldchin you will find. When you find a Baldchin the best way to approach it is to get a good breath, then dive as calmly as possible, trying not to make any sudden movements or noises to spook the fish, as they are very timid. As you are getting closer to the fish, don’t rush your shot make should you spear the fish in a good spot, like the head which keeps the fillet undamaged and doesn’t stress the fish which will give you a better product for eating.

 

A personal experience I had only a few weeks ago up at Cervantes, lead me to find a large school of Baldchin.

It was right at the end of the day and we had not seen many fish so Dad decided to check out a spot we had not been to in a long time. I was driving the boat while dad was looking through the glass panel, when he saw a nice edge running along the sand, he told me to jump in and swim along for a bit and see if anything was around. I jump in and swam along for a while till I found a little lump on the sand with weed all around it, there was a nice Baldchin on this so I dived and speared it. With all the commotion another baldy came along and then another and before I knew it there was about 30 Baldchin beneath me. Its an amazing sight to see there is still so many of these fish still around.

 

 

 

To prepare these fish for eating you must always gut and gill them first, this stops contamination of the flesh and stop the flesh from becoming bloody. After the fish is filleted there are many ways to eat it, My personal favourite would have to be a simple egg and bread crumbed fillet fried in butter. They can also be cooked in the oven with vegetables inside them, spices and butter then wrapped in aluminium foil.