Monkfish

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#1 Post by **frodo baggins** » Thu Nov 08, 2007 2:30 pm

I'm just wondering are they caught from time to time? I was rereading Ken Whelans book Sea Angling in Ireland last night and he described tactics on fishing for them. In the past I've seen trawlers with boxes of dead ray, as a by catch of commercial monkfish fishing, so they must share the same ground. It just got me thinking......
Has anyone ever caught one?

Patrick

#2 Post by **petekd** » Thu Nov 08, 2007 2:39 pm

I remember Michael Bourke telling me about catching one himself one night a couple of years ago off Cappagh Pier in Kilrush.

#3 Post by **Bradan** » Thu Nov 08, 2007 2:59 pm

Heard of a big one (40lbs) caught from Old Head pier in Louisburgh a couple of years ago

#4 Post by **Peter Kinsella** » Thu Nov 08, 2007 10:19 pm

Catch one or two each year. BUT - less than the size of your hand. In these parts it would seem that the juvenilles come into shallow waters but those of size are well offshore. I recall from the trawlers that off the west coast they are to be found beyond the 300 foot contour on muddy marks. P

paulocallaghan · #5 Post by **paulocallaghan** » Thu Nov 08, 2007 11:48 pm

i often saw the trawlers in ballycotton bringing them in in good numbers, often too big for a fishbox

#6 Post by **thebigman** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 12:07 pm

Not sure if it's the same in Ireland but over here in Scotland the commercial monkfish are actually angler fish, only the tail and sometimes the cheeks are sold.

The monkfish I remember hearing of being caught in the Fenit area years ago by anglers were the proper monfish or angel shark.

paulocallaghan · #7 Post by **paulocallaghan** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 12:00 pm

angler and monkfish are 2 completely different species, often confused with each other by those that dont know the difference, and angler fish are often mislabeled as monk in order to sell them in shops and restaurants.

dont know where they ame frombut i saw the remains of a few monk in helvic over the weekend, that and 4 boxes of salmon (is it still legal to target salmon since the driftnet ban)

Rockhopper · #8 Post by **Rockhopper** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 1:31 pm

Paul you are totally right there and the Angel Shark is also a different species too.

Tom.

#9 Post by **Bradan** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 5:38 pm

paulocallaghan wrote:angler and monkfish are 2 completely different species, often confused with each other by those that dont know the difference, and angler fish are often mislabeled as monk in order to sell them in shops and restaurants.

dont know where they ame frombut i saw the remains of a few monk in helvic over the weekend, that and 4 boxes of salmon (is it still legal to target salmon since the driftnet ban)

Its only legal if you have a draft net licence and quota. Season only runs from May to July, so its highly illegal at this time of year. Contact the local fishery board with details of what you saw.
Not surprised when i saw the location.... :roll:

teacher · #10 Post by **teacher** » Mon Nov 12, 2007 6:20 pm

It's the Skate and Ray debate again!!

Apparently this is what we in the UK and Ireland call a Monkfish (Squatina squatina):
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/Species ... php?id=736

But in the USA, Monkfish can be a "market name" for Lophius piscatorius, also called anglerfish.

Maybe it depends on which side of the Atlantic you're on ...

To confuse matters, if you look up fishbase for angel shark, you get lots of things. It looks like angel shark refers to a genus, which includes what I would call monkfish.

:? :? :?

#11 Post by **hush1** » Tue Nov 13, 2007 2:15 pm

Can get monkfish out of Clew bay

Sea Angling Ireland

Monkfish

Monkfish

Monks