Roman
Chrysoblephus laticeps
Also known as: Roman, red roman
Illustration: gardenroutefishing.co.za
The classic red reef fish of the Cape — bold biting, hard-fighting and superb eating, but slow to replace.
Field guide
Brick-red body with a white bar below the eye and blue speckling.
Rocky reef 5-60 m
Common 0.5-2 kg; over 4 kg
Territorial reef feeder on invertebrates and small fish
Bores hard for the reef the moment it's hooked — turn its head early or you'll be cut off.
Red stumpnose, dageraad
How to catch Roman
Medium boat outfit, two-hook bottom trace
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, redbait
When to catch Roman
Daytime over reef
Slack tide over the reef makes bait presentation easiest; the fish often feed best on the tide change.
Daytime; moon minor for reef fish
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.
📏 Limits & restrictions
⚠️ Endemic, slow-growing — release in good condition with descending device
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