 TIME TO ROCK ’N ROLL — Targeting rockcod — A SKI-BOAT Special
WHEN it comes to bottomfishing, the perennial rockcod certainly cannot be beaten as a superb eating fish. And even after the fillets have been removed, nothing goes to waste as the delicious soup that can be made from what is left will have you coming back for more.
The rockcod family is rich in relatives as there are dozens of them. A look in Smith’s book will boggle the mind, but the specimens we will be concentrating on for the purpose of this article are the captain fine (Epinephelus albomarginatus, also known as the white-edged rockcod), catface (E. andersoni, aka spotted), brown spotted (E. chlorostigma) and the big mamma of them all, the yellowbelly (E. guaza). Adding them to your species list must be something like stamp collecting — though definitely much more fun.
Not only do these members of the rockcod family supply the means to satisfy the requirement for a delicious meal back home, but you will also enjoy a good tussle with a big fish — particularly the yellowbelly.
It would be unfair on both fish and angler to say that the rockcod is a great fighter, but a good-sized fish with that big mouth of his wide open puts a lot of strain not only on one’s tackle, but on one’s arms as well.
The trick, however, is to get the fish out of his hole so that you can start the upward pull — and this is where the real problem often lies.
Watch a small rockcod in his hole while snorkeling; even a little chappie backs deep into a hole or crevice and takes a good deal of persuasion to come out. Try feeding the little ones in shallow water to watch their reactions and you will see them dart out, grab the morsel, and then reverse into the hole just as quickly.
What you witness in shallow water you will also experience when fishing off deep reefs. You will feel the bait being picked up and then — before you can strike — he will be back in his hole. If you do hook up, you’ll need to pull with all your might to stop him from retreating into his hole. If he beats you to it, all you’ll feel is the solidness of the fish on the other end, as well as the rubbing of your line on the reef.
Read the full story in the September/October 2009 issue of SKI-BOAT.
|
|
