Fancy Catching Something Slightly Different? How About an Angler Fish?

The true Angler Fish lives in both shallow and deep water and there is regularly confusion over their identity as either Angler Fish or Monkfish. It is more a case that there is more than one variety of both and at some point the two species cross over. Some Angler Fish can legitimately be called Monkfish and vice versa, but then again, there are some Monkfish (although equally entitled to the name) which are actually from the Shark family. To go into that further would involve getting into the Latin names of the species which I'm not going to do here!

It is not the sort of fish that most people target but more the type that you would happen upon by accident when fishing for Flatties. They're prefered habitat is a sandy/mud seabed but gravel or shell beds also offer much of an attraction where they eat anything in their path, especially smaller fish and shellfish. Their enormous mouths are adorned with large, extremely sharp and backwards facing teeth and they even have teeth in their throats so as to stop their prey from escaping until it has been safely swallowed.

It is, therefore, advisable to use a wire rig when targeting Angler Fish!

A good rig to use would be the standard paternoster or flapper rig with a grip lead as an anchor on the bottom and a flowing hook trace of about 3-4 feet. This allows the bait to move freely and naturally just above the seabed giving a great presentation and covering a wider area. Good baits to try would be baitfish such as Launce, Sandeel or a strip of Mackerel, Shellfish or Squid. Use a strong forged hook.

Scotland is a good place for Angler Fish including marks such as the islands of the Firth of Forth and the Summer Isles. Also, the offshore reefs around Wales, many areas within the Irish Channel and around the Isle of Man, and the northern and southern coasts of Devon and Cornwall.

If you catch an Angler Fish, it is advised that you operate a catch and release system as the Angler Fish has been suffering from a certain amount of overfishing due to its lovely flavour. Although it is only the tail of this fish which can be eaten the taste has been likened to lobster and they are sometimes used as mock scampi. We would definitely recommend that you release any Angler Fish to fight another day!

SeaFishingSupplies.co.uk is a secure online tackle shop specific to UK sea fishing. Our shop is VAT Free and delivery starts from 99p. http://www.SeaFishingSupplies.co.uk

---

Fishing For Bass In Deep Water

When fishing for bass in deep water try a spinnerbait... Read More

Ice Fishing in the Wisconsin Winter

It's late December... temperatures are racing towards 0 degrees. Ice... Read More

Marine News Fall 2004 - Endangered and Threatened in Florida

Our oceans are home to many marine mammals, fish, turtles,... Read More

Saltwater Fly Fishing -- A Tide Runs Through It

Saltwater fly fishing is all the rage these days. This... Read More

Trout Species ? Cutthroat Trout and Golden Trout

Cutthroat Trout: Cutthroat Trout are generally found only in high... Read More

Introduction to Lake Fly Fishing Techniques

Often lake fish will gather in schools and cruise around... Read More

Bass Fishing Tips

3 Lures You Must HaveDo you know what the top... Read More

The Worlds Top Water Bass Fishing Champion And His Techniques

I was fishing a small lake in central California back... Read More

Trout Species ? Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout

Rainbow Trout: Few freshwater fish can match the fighting spirit... Read More

Tips To Getting Sponsored For Fishing Tournaments

One of the most important steps in getting sponsored to... Read More

Choosing Steelhead Gear

Steelhead GearLike many things in fly fishing you can ask... Read More

The Wet Fly Swing

The wet fly swing sounds like something one does at... Read More

Bass Fishing In The Winter In The North

The next few days in Ohio are supposed to be... Read More

Fly Fishing for Largemouth Bass

Like all bass fishing, bass fly fishing has exploded in... Read More

Spinnerbait Fishing Tactics for Spotted Bay Bass

Like most fishermen my age I originally learned about spinnerbait... Read More

Organization is Key to Successful Fishing

Talk to a professional angler like Kevin Schweder(2003 PWT Rookie... Read More

Fishing the Points

Sometimes bass fishing in a big lake can be overwhelming.... Read More

Grandpas Pond

We can learn alot from kids.Last Friday, which incidently was... Read More

Do Fish See in Color

Fish do indeed perceive color. Every fly fisher knows that... Read More

Four Fly Fishing Tips

Good Fly PresentationObviously, the goal when casting a fly is... Read More

Do you Know How to Take the Perfect Picture of Your Fish?

Nothing is better than to snap a photo of your... Read More

The Advantages of Underwater Fishing Cameras

Want to see what's really going on under the water... Read More

A Technique To Catch Trophy Size Bass

There is a craze going on that produces big bass,... Read More

Further North to Alaska

With the excitement of my first trip to Alaska still... Read More

Fort Lauderdale Swordfishing - The Perfect Fix for the Experienced Angler

If you are looking to do battle with the toughest... Read More