TACTICS
Allen Ford with a big male Miss Lucy caught off the Transkei coast using chokka and sardine bait.
Where and how to target red stumpnose By Francois Beukes ATCHING Them Deep was the first article I wrote in the July issue of SKI-BOAT, directing attention to those of us who derive a huge amount of pleasure from targeting sportfish or reef fish as this style of fishing is described in the styles of angling practices taking place at sea under the auspices of the South African Deep Sea Angling Association. Indeed, we get a great deal of pleasure from this style of fishing, but it also requires an inordinate amount of skill and knowledge if one is to achieve the goal of ending a day’s quest catching a few of the different species we hunt.
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I firmly believe in not only finding one reef that is fish rich, but also travelling to many different areas along our length of coastline in the quest to find new and exciting reef structure and hopefully catch the species you have set out to find. The more versatility you can cultivate, the more excitement you’ll have; it also gives one a greater sense of achievement when you catch a good specimen of the species you’re after. If this species is not caught in one’s own home hunting ground it’s even more exciting. The red stumpnose, or Miss Lucy, is just one of the reef dwelling species that has tweaked my imagination and
24 • SKI-BOAT November/December 2020
which drives me to the far reaches of the South African east coast in search of a good specimen to add to my bucket list. The name Miss Lucy rolls off the tongue a little easier than the scientific name of Chr ysoblephus gibbiceps which, roughly translated, means “golden eyed bulbous forehead”. This beautiful looking bottomfish is endemic to South Africa. It is truly an amazing fish to catch and probably one of the most sought after species among sport- and recreational bottomfish anglers from as far as Cape Point to East London and, of late, also on the Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape. The male red stumpnose is easily
