Science Name: | Sphyraena barracuda |
Other Names: | cuda, sea pike, giant sea pike |
Ideal Temp: | Above 65 |
World Record: | 85 lbs. Christmas Island |
Environment: | reef |
Techniques: | medium tackle |
The great barracuda is long and slender with a large, pointed head, resembling a freshwater pike in body shape. It also has large eyes. The dorsal fins are widely separated, and the first dorsal fin has five spines, whereas the second has 10 soft rays. In a large underslung jaw, the great barracuda has large, pointed canine teeth. It also possesses a bluish gray or greenish gray body coloration above the lateral line and a silvery white belly. A few irregular black blotches are usually scattered on the sides of the body, especially toward the tail; it is the only species of barracuda that has these blotches. The young have a dark stripe down the side, which mutates to become the blotches as the fish grows. The great barracuda also occasionally has 18 to 22 diagonal dark bars above the lateral line. It grows much larger, in general, than its relative the Pacific barracuda.
Where to Find
Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico; the Barracuda mostly prefers warmer tropical
waters.
Habitat
Barracudas can be found along rocky headlands, inshore reefs, wrecks, estuaries,
creeks, beaches and jetty pylons with an attraction to weedbeds. They prefer
areas such as large sandflats, shallow rock, shallow reef or dry sandbanks, with
adjacent weedbed areas which they use to bottle up and concentrate baitfish
populations.
Feeding Habits
Great Barracuda are piscivorous and feed on many species of fish. Favorite foods
are jacks, needle fish, silversides, parrot fish, and filefish.
Best fishing is a few hours either side of high tide where fish can be found feeding in the shallows. Try spinning whole baitfish or lures just under the surface casting as close to the rock or weed as possible. A fast lure retrieval combined with a smooth action works best. Fish have a hard mouth so use a very sharp hook. A smaller hook also seems to perform better. Be ready for the violent attack on your bait or lure, sometimes often taking several hits before being hooked on. Once the bait is taken the fish accelerate away. Do not attempt to remove a hook from a live fish, its teeth are very sharp and snap shut quickly. Fish are best returned to the water and NOT eaten due to cases of ciguatera poisoning especially in the larger fish and those from the east coast.