South Africa's Kosi Rockskipper (Pereulixia kosiensis) Pictures & Info
The Kosi Rock Skipper is a strange looking
South African
saltwater fish species that is related to the Blenny family of
fishes. Please see various
images and
photographs on this page that show you exactly what the Kosi
Rockskipper looks like. The Kosi Rockskipper is a common catch on the
KwaZulu Natal coast with small
baits
off the rocks and even in deeper water reefs. The Kosi Rockskipper has
quite wide distribution range and occurs from KwaZulu Natal in South
Africa all up the Eastern coast of Africa and occurs in Madagascar as
well. The Kosi rock Skipper has one prominent scientific (Latin) name
Pereulixia kosiensis, but
sources say that it is also referred to as Salarias kosiensis and Cirripectes kosiensis.
These scientific names and the common name for this fish no doubt
indicates that it was first discovered or named in the Kosi bay region
of Southern Africa.
In
Afrikaans the Kosi Rockskipper is known as the Kosi Klipspringer. The
Kosi Rockskipper can easily attain 20 centimeters in length and it is
not uncommon to occasionally find specimens that are 25 centimeters in
length or more! These fish can be a nuisance when targeting other
species as they will eat almost any fleshy bait.
How To Catch The Kosi Rockskipper In South Africa?
When targeting the Kosi Rock Skipper light tackle and small hooks and
baits are essential. As mentioned above the Kosi Rockskipper can be a
greedy fish. Their favoured baits include chokka, pink prawn, sardine
and oceanic worms. If you wish to target the Kosi Rockskipper you can't
go wrong with these baits. The Kosi Rockskipper often occur close to
rocks, sea weed or any structure where they blend in with their
surroundings so a cast close to these areas should produce a fish. They
can often be found in large, deep rock pools, gullies and where there is
white water where they can be a nuisance while trying to target larger
edible fish.
When
trying to catch the Kosi Rockskipper the best size hooks to use would be
from a size 12 to a size 4. Even though the Kosi Rockskipper is a small
fish it has quite a large mouth and can easily get hooked on larger
hooks opposed to other small fish species such as the
Klipfish. Light line and leader should be used to maximise the
pleasure of catching the Kosi Rockskipper and this fish can be fun to
catch using
float
fishing techniques.
