Carpenter (Silverfish)
Argyrozona argyrozona
Also known as: Carpenter, silverfish
Illustration: gardenroutefishing.co.za
A deep-reef schooling seabream taken in numbers over offshore reef — a ski-boat staple.
Field guide
Slender pinkish-silver seabream with a forked tail; deep-reef schooler.
Deeper reef 40-150 m
Common 0.5-2 kg
Schools over reef feeding on plankton and small prey
Bores hard for the reef the moment it's hooked — turn its head early or you'll be cut off.
Slinger, Scotsman
How to catch Carpenter (Silverfish)
Medium boat outfit, multi-hook bottom rig
Conventional boat reel (4/0–6/0) for deeper marks, or a 6000–10000 spinning reel for lighter inshore reef.
0.40 mm mono or 30–50 lb braid.
3/0–6/0 octopus/beak hooks on a two-hook bottom trace.
0.60–0.80 mm fluorocarbon or mono trace.
Squid, sardine strips
When to catch Carpenter (Silverfish)
Daytime, deep reef
Slack tide over the reef makes bait presentation easiest; the fish often feed best on the tide change.
Deep water — moon minor
Feeds across a range; roughly 15–20 °C inshore, holding deeper as water warms.
🥅 Landing
Boat: use a gaff or net for the pot, lift smaller fish by the trace. Watch spines and teeth.
♻️ Release
Use a descending device to recompress fish brought up from depth (barotrauma) and give them the best chance of survival.
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