JIGGING Fish Species

» Dog Tooth Tuna : Found generally around reefs, channels, rocky areas or wrecks. Can be caught all year round, but more active in summer, especially around the full moon. Mauritius holds a world record for the Dog Tooth Tuna, 230 pounds on 130 pound line class caught off the coast of Le Morne. The local record for the jigging is 225 pounds on 80 pounds spectra line, and was also also caught off Le Morne. When hooked on trolling, its first run is fast and long, then followed by deep circling coming up easier. On the other hand, when hooked on jigging, it’s like pulling a wreck off the bottom, the fish will try to reach a hole in the reef or a wreck, giving you a non stop fight.

» Giant Trevally : A highly rated sport fish worldwide. The largest of the caranx family can reach over 145 pounds. The Mauritian record is 110 pounds. Usually seen cruising along the reefs or drop-offs, this fish prefers rocky areas and feed itself especially at night, the new moon being the best period.

» Amberjack : Can be found near the water surface in some countries. In Mauritius, we find it in considerable depths around offshore reefs or wrecks. The Amberjack is a fierce fighter. Only a few specimens caught so far as the jigging is a new emerging sport in Mauritius.

» Great Barracuda : Can be caught all year round. Generally found offshore and inshore around reefs, wrecks, sandy and grassy flats. Small barracuda up to 30 pounds sometimes school, but the larger ones reaching over 80 pounds are almost invariably loners.

» Yellow Fin Tuna : Very active from December to April, the big ones reaching 215 pounds will be there around March.

» Skipjack Tuna : Found all year round. A fast swimmer, has the best weight to power ratio. The world record was caught off black river, weighting 41 pounds. It feeds near the surface, but remains often in the deep blue. We find schools forming up to 50,000 or more individuals.