Snoek (barracouta)

A long, slim, silver-gray fish with a dark steel-blue back, a long low spiny dorsal fin with a black spot at its front, a jutting lower jaw and big, sharp fang-like teeth.

4–9 lb.

Usually under 4 ft; about 13 lb (6 kg) is the top published weight.

Anchovies, pilchards (sardines), squid and krill.

Hunts in big schools that follow the anchovy and sardine shoals along the coast; in South Africa the 'snoek run' brings them close to the Cape in winter.

Found from Southern Africa, South-East Australia & Tasmania, New Zealand, Northern & Central Chile, Peru and Southern Brazil, Uruguay & Argentina. Cool southern-hemisphere waters: South Africa and Namibia, southern Australia and Tasmania, New Zealand, Chile and southern Peru, Argentina and Uruguay, and remote southern islands.

Cool southern-hemisphere waters: South Africa and Namibia, southern Australia and Tasmania, New Zealand, Chile and southern Peru, Argentina and Uruguay, and remote southern islands.

Surface to about 1,800 ft, usually 330–1,600 ft.

Surface to 150 ft when schools come inshore after bait.

South Africa's west coast: about May to September (winter).

Early morning.

Not important offshore; follow the bait and birds.

Cold-front weather pushes bait and snoek inshore.

Pilchard (sardine) and squid strips.

Feathered jigs, chrome spoons and metal jigs jigged up and down.

Medium hand-line or a 6–7 ft boat rod.

Strong single hooks or trebles on jigs.

30–50 lb mono or braid.

Short wire or heavy mono — the teeth cut line.

Find the fleet and the birds, drop a feathered jig or spoon to the school and jig it hard; snoek often hit on the drop.

Kill and bleed snoek right away and keep them out of the sun — the meat softens fast.

Catch and release: wet your hands, keep the fish in the water when you can, and release it quickly. Use circle hooks and a dehooker.

Good eating when fresh.

Bleed and ice it right away. Fillet, then remove the skin and any dark bloodline.

A South African classic: braaied snoek with apricot-jam glaze, smoked snoek and snoek pâté. Bony but rich and oily.

Snoek bites are deep and bleed a lot, and they're known to get infected — never put a hand near a live snoek's mouth; use a cloth and pliers.

South Africa: 10 per person per day with a 60 cm (24 in) minimum, and no sale by recreational anglers. Australia and New Zealand have their own rules. Rules are set by each country and state, and many have size or bag limits for this fish — check the local regulations where you fish.

A traditional fishery for Cape communities; take only what you'll use.