Leerfish fishing
The leerfish (Lichia amia) or garrick, is known by anglers as being a fast, aggressive and strong fish of the Mediterranean Sea and the coastal waters from Western Africa to south Africa. They are fun to target and give a real challenge to anyone who comes across them while fishing.
Leerfish are generally found in small and loose groups rather than large schools of fish. They can grow up to 1,70m (5.5ft) and weigh up to 25kg (55lb).
Popping, spinfishing, trolling artificials, dead or live bait in shallow murky waters near beaches and estuaries, are the best way to fish for leerfish. They don't have sharp teeth, so you don't need wire traces to catch leerfish with natural bait. In fact, for leerfish fishing you need to make a discrete fuorocarbon leader with single hooks. In opposition to bluefish, who attack the tail of the baitfish, leerfish use to attack the head - keep this in mind when making your rigs.
Top Leerfish Fishing destinations
You can target leerfish in a variety of popular fishing locations in the Mediterranean Sea and the coastal waters from Western Africa to south Africa. Locations to find and fish for leerfish include Croatia, Italy (like the Po Delta near Venice), the French Riviera (especially the Rhone Delta in the Camargue region, the Ebro Delta and the area of Valencia (Albufeira) in Spain, the area of Dahkla in Morocco and Dakar.
Other Fish Species similar to Leerfish
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The Amberjack species are a game fish that are found both in the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Jigging and live bait fishing are the best techniques to target these magnificent fighters. Greater Amberjack can weigh up to 170 lb (80 kg).
MORE INFO >Amberjack
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The Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) is known by anglers as being a fast, aggressive and strong fish of the ocean. They are fun to target and give a real challenge to anyone who comes across them while fishing. They inhabit temperate and subtropical waters around the world. Bluefish have extremely powerful jaws with razor sharp teeth. They can grow over a meter and weigh over 10kg.
MORE INFO >Bluefish
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The dentex (Dentex dentex) is a common saltwater fish in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and sometimes they appear in the Canary Islands, Morocco and Senegal. They have very strong teeth to feed on fish, squid and mollusca. Dentex are a great species for sportfishing and are targetted mainly trolling or jigging. The larger fish are 1m long and can weigh up to 15 kg (35 lb).
MORE INFO >Dentex
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Mahi Mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) are also commonly referred to as dorado, dolphin or dolphinfish. They are recognizable by their bluntly shaped heads, long dorsal fin and their bright colouring, dark blue and green on their dorsal side and yellow on their sides and underside.
MORE INFO >Dorado
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The pink dentex (Dentex gibbosus) is a saltwater fish distributed from Portugal to Angola, Canary Islands and the warmer areas of the Mediterranean Sea such as southern Spain and the Gibraltar Strait area, Morocco, southern Italy, Tunisia and Algeria. The larger fish are 1,2 m long and can weigh up to 18 kg (40 lb).
MORE INFO >Pink Dentex
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Best Leerfish Fishing Charters
