Loahius Piscatorius
Other Names
Monk, Monkfish, Oomph, Fishing Frog
Distinguishing features
The anglerfish is basically a broad flat head with a mouth and a tail. The rays of the first dorsal fin are spines and the second one has 11-12 rays. Towards the mouth there is small rod used to lure prey. The colour of the upper body varies from reddish brown to grey/green. The underside is white and the pelvic fins have a black border.
Size
The anglerfish can reach weight approaching 45 kg.
British Record Fish List
UK Shore Record: 68lb 2oz 0dms / 30.899kgs
UK Boat Record: 94lb 12oz 4dms / 42.985kgs
European Line Class Record for this species
Habitat
Tends to prefer deep water up to 550 metres where the seabed is composed of sand, gravel or crushed shells. It can be found from the Arctic Circle down to North West Africa.
Food
Anglerfish feed almost exclusively on live fish.
Bait
They are an accidental angling catch and fish baits are the mostly likely to attract this species.