Help identify please

[Fransvg]

Hi


My son caught a number of these fish off the harbour wall in Harbour Island, Gordon's Bay, yesterday evening.


We did not know what kind of fish it was and asked another angler on the wall. He said that he thought it was a small shad, but it does not look like the pictures of the shad that we have found.


Could someone please help us to identify the species so that we can do some more reading on it?


Thank you in advance.


Franscois

[Desperatezulu]

Looks like a maasbanker - one of the most common live bait fish!


AKA Atlantic horse mackerel

[Fransvg]

Thank you Desperatezulu. I appreciate the help.


We have not come across them yet. I googled them and it certainly looks like the same fish. Tomorrow we will read up in "A guide to the common sea fishes of Southern Africa."


Thanks again.
Franscois

[GUPPIGETTA]

Not a maasbanker but a Gorrie aka Pinkie. Good live bait.

[Fransvg]

Thanks GUPPIGETA. I wonder though.


I did some reading and looking at photos today and I think it may be a maasbanker. I thought at the time that it was too elongated and large for a gorrie. (That fish is more than 20cm in length.) Also, and I don't know if it makes a difference, but it was caught on a tiny piece of chokka on a size 10 Mustad baitkeeper hook. Lastly, the tail seems different from that of the pictures of gorries that I looked at.


On the other hand, I should mention that the three fish did make little grunting noises that I have read gorries make.

[GUPPIGETTA]

Does it look as though those fish have their ribs and backbone on the outside? The maasbanker has that rib like bony structure on their sides. Maasbanker have the same shape and elongated shape as a mackerel.

[Fransvg]

Hi GUPPIGETTA


Now you are asking questions about things I just don't or didn't have the knowledge to notice when he caught the fish. It was his/our first in several years of trying. In the moment we were way too excited to notice anything really. (We even photographed the klipvis which he caught a couple of minutes earlier.)  😁


I think we must try to catch some more this weekend and see if we can take photographs of the fish and not the smiles.


Once again, thanks for your engagement and help.


Franscois

[Eddie dp]

Definitely a maasbanker

[Fransvg]

Thanks Eddie dp.
Reckon we’ll go try and catch some more anyway. My son was so excited and I think my daughter wants to catch some too.