Tarpon of Bijagos’ archipelago !

Megalops atlanticus is the legendary fish of the archipelago. It can measure up to 140 kg for 2,40m long. If its size is impressive, its defense against a fisherman is even more: fight of more than 1 hour, 2 hours .... !!!!! It looks like a sardine or rather an anchovy doped with hormones. The bijagos call it pis escama: the fish with scales. It lives on school of fishes and comes to the surface regularly. We can fish of all sizes. The smaller ones are caught with lures, the larger specimens are caught mainly with natural bait which remains the most effective technique. It is a rather static fishing but the fishermen will be rewarded with an unforgettable fight. Tarpons stay year-round around Kere and can be caught from October to May, throughout the fishing season. This is not the case in the rest of the archipelago !!!

This trevally, very similar to the crevalles, has been only described few years ago. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish one from the other. Its body is more rectangular than the crevalle and the fins aren’t yellow, its color of dress is quite gray, sometimes clear to white, with very characteristic vertical black shadows, visible from time to time. Same behavior, same spot, the jacks fishery can be fishing like the crevalle. It is possible, on the same spot, to fish both types of trevallies. All fishing techniques are effective.

It is one of the most common predators of Bijagos, present all year round. From the large family of snappers, there are several varieties of red snapper in the Bijagos archipelago. It presents a more or less red dress, sometimes going to the brown depending on its habitat and its species. The juveniles live in schools, the adults especially the large specimens are more solitary and live on a territory close to a rock.
From the small snapper of 500g to the bigger one of more than 20 kg, they are all brave fighters, very aggressive but also terribly cunning. They have the annoying habit of crashing into a rock right after the attack. Therefore, it is necessary for the fisherman to be able of a great fineness of fishing and a constant attention to tame this first rush. Fishing them by spinning or casting is very enjoyable and is similar to fishing the bass. All lures are effective with special mention for stick baits and swimmers. In most of cases, fishes are between 1 to 4 kg. If you want to fish larger specimens, it will be necessary to get the fish deeper: the jig and the handline allow to raise fish over 15 kg. Surf fishing is also very effective. It is possible to lure with fly but it is a very cunning opponent!

The cobias or rachycentron canadum, bijagos fish has smooth skin of a dark brown on the back and a bright white on the belly. It has a fairly flat head. It can weight up from 30 to 40 kg in the archipelago. In small groups, the cobia attacks the trolling lures but also the poppers and the sticks baits. But the best technique is using natural living bait. When a cobia follows a lure its shape looks like a shark. It is a tough opponent never vanquished. Watch out the rush when the fish sees the boat.

It is the smallest of theBijagos jacks. Silver, its largest size is 2 to 3 kg but in most cases it remains around 1 kg. She lives in large schools visible from far away. When the fishes are on the hunt : the water is really bubbling. In the boat, the hunts are quite elusive. No need to follow them too long. To fish it, it is necessary to use small lures, swimmers and especially waving spoons. The fly is also very effective. By foot, on the beach of Kere, the passages of Senegalese jacks offer to the flyers moments of intense joy and very beautiful shots lines!

This fish is a cousin of the meagre. It has a rather elongated shape with a lightly brown zebra colored silver dress, this fish can weight more than 10 kg.
It gets its name because of over-sized ossicles of its inner ear. These ossicles are very popular because they have the shape of the continent of Africa and are very pretty trophies.
This fish lives in schools and it is possible to catch several by following. We catch them with handline fish, by surf casting and especially by the jig. The attack and the vertical fight are muscular. The flesh of this bijagos fish is a delight.

The threadfin or polydactilus quadrifillis is a fish living on sandy and muddy bottoms. It is easily recognizable by its transparent nose (from what it gets its name). Its back is brownish and its belly rather white with beautiful yellow fins. It has filaments under the belly that make it easily identifiable.
It is mainly caught by jig on a sandy or muddy bottom. This fish is not necessarily present all year on the archipelago. It is easier to fish in November and December. It's a pretty rare fish. It is only found on very specific and restricted spots.

The rays belong to the large family of cartilaginous fishes. Many species are present in the archipelago and are protected. They are rarely fished specifically.
The stingray is the most common ray. It can exceed 20kg and offers fights of great power. Watch out for its poisonous sting !!
The blackchin guitarfish has become rare but it is still present in the archipelago. Its cartilaginous flattened triangular nose and its morphology make it a very beautiful trophy fish : beautiful pictures and immediate release required.
Other rays can be fished : spiny butterfly ray, menta ray. The most effective techniques are surf casting and natural baits.