Red Stumpnose (Miss Lucy)
Chrysoblephus gibbiceps
Also known as: Red stumpnose, Miss Lucy
Illustration: gardenroutefishing.co.za
The famous Miss Lucy — a bucket-headed red seabream of the deeper reefs, prized on the table and increasingly rare.
Where & how: deep reef from 30-120 m, especially off Stilbaai westward and Algoa Bay. Chokka and sardine baits on standard traces; big specimens have crushing plates for shellfish, so strong hooks matter.
Conservation: slow-growing, endemic and depleted — 30 cm minimum, 1 per day. Another prime candidate for descending devices when released from depth.
Field guide
Rose-red with darker saddles; older fish develop a bulbous head.
Reef 30-120 m
Common 1-4 kg; over 6 kg
Crushes shellfish and invertebrates on reef
Bores hard for the reef the moment it's hooked — turn its head early or you'll be cut off.
Roman, dageraad
How to catch Red Stumpnose (Miss Lucy)
Medium-heavy boat outfit, strong hooks
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.
Chokka, sardine
When to catch Red Stumpnose (Miss Lucy)
Daytime, deep reef
Slack tide over the reef makes bait presentation easiest; the fish often feed best on the tide change.
Daytime; deep-reef, 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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