How do you know what fish to spear?

[Colby193]

Hello all

I was wondering how people know what fish to spear? Apart from being told by friends etc.

In the UK I am fairly familiar with what to spear but I am planning a trip to Madeira, Portugal. Apart from using common sense, I wouldn't know what to look for. Is there a book or anything that can tell me?

Also, I read that there aren't any sharks around the shore but other places I read say different. I ask this because I watched a video of a guy speafishing in Madeira and he just attaches his catches to himself with a line. I'm in the UK so I tend to use a fish stringer attached to my float or attach a catch bag to myself. If there is no chance of attracting sharks then I'll do my usual otherwise I'd rather swim to shore every time.

Thanks for reading!

Colby

 

[charlie.]

look for a fish species chart for the area your going to then cross reference it with local super/fish markets and recipes. then you'll know for sure whats edible and buy cost whats highly prized

 

[Eurico]

Hi!

I’ve work there for one year and a half. You are a lucky guy!!!
The tip to pass by the market it´s a good one! Although you gone find there a lot of deep water’s fish.
In Madeira all the fish that you see are eatable and have a good taste!
If you gone stay in the shore you will find small (but very tasty) catches. Like sargo (Diplodus sargus), bodião (Labroidei), salema (Sarpa salpa) and octopus. These are the most common on the shore. But you can also find: enxaréu ( Pseudocaranx dentex), mero (Epinephelus) that it’s forbidden the catch, garoupa ( Epinephelus), anchova (Pomatomus saltator)… and several others.
If you go to open waters you gone find every normal fish that you would find in the Atlantic.
I hope you enjoy Madeira!!!

 

[Colby193]

Thank you for that, that is brilliant, especially the Latin. I bought a little handbook too. Yeah I'm not that experienced so I don't go that far out. I heard that Sarpa Salpa cause hallucinations though, also trying to avoid any poison or ciguartera stuff :L I have no experience with anything like this so I don't know how common this sort of thing is.