South Africa's Epaulette Surgeon Fish (Acanthurus nigricauda) Information & Photographs
Information, Images And Facts On The Epaulette Surgeonfish (Acanthurus nigricauda)
The Epaulette Surgeon is a little known species compared to other
Surgeonfish in South Africa. The Epaulette Surgeon is a tropical warm
water saltwater
fish species that occurs amongst reefs and other tropical waters in
South Africa. The Epaulette Surgeon is not often caught and its
distribution in South Africa is very limited, only from Durban, up the
coast, to Mozambique.
The Epaulette Surgeon is one of 25 species of fish that form the group Acanthuridae, which is made up of Surgeon fish, Bristletooth, Unicorn Fish, Tangs and true Surgeons.
The Epaulette Surgeon can grow up to a length of 45 centimeters and is a very popular marine aquarium species. The Epaulette surgeon is generally found in shallow water but it has been known to inhabit reefs of up to 30 meters in depth. The Epaulette Surgeon can be poisonous and occurs in lagoons and offshore reefs.
How To Catch The Epaulette Surgeonfish In South Africa
The Epaulette Surgeon is quite an aggressive species and will readily take small baits such as chokka, sardine, prawn and other fleshy baits. Light tackle is best when trying to catch this species. A thickish leader as you will be targeting them around very rocky areas, but small hooks, no bigger than a size 2 hook. Make sure you have a good quality hook as these fish have got very strong mouths and the bigger fish can easily straighten the smaller hooks.
