What can one expect to catch?

Fish Species list

Saltwater fish species list

Fishing terms checklist

The primary target species in the area are Tarpon, African Cubera Snapper, Guinean barracuda, Jack Crevalle, Longfin Kingfish and Giant Threadfin.

Kingfish/jacks are often plentiful and either the Longfin or Jack Crevalle species. Schools of these fish harass shoals of herring and mullet in the middle to lower reaches of the lagoon and surf zone. Cubera Snapper are prolific and found almost everywhere.

Smaller fish abound in the mangroves and around shallow structure, while bigger fish are more common around deeper structure in the lower and middle reaches of the lagoon and surf.

Guinean barracuda, a species unique to western Africa, are arguably the largest barracuda species in the world growing in excess of 100lbs. Large numbers of big fish spend the dry season months in the upper lagoon, while in the lower lagoon and surf there are barracuda around all year.

The African giant Threadfin seem to penetrate a long way up into the lagoon system, although they are generally caught in the lower lagoon and surf. Tarpon are a bit of an enigma, they appear when the want to, which usually at any time during the rainy season and go on feeding binges in and around the lagoon mouth and the adjoining surf zone.

Other fish species that are more rarely encountered are the Liche (a West African leerfish); Springer / Ladyfish; Drumb / Kob, Grunter; Guitarfish, Skates, Rays and Sharks.