WOLF EEL DANGEROUS PLUS

Don’t let the prey be your fingers or feet.įound: Shallow sandy beaches in California and Mexico Stories of divers feeding morays and losing a chunk of flesh or a digit are not uncommon. We’ve had some interesting encounters with morays whilst fishing these areas – such as returning a fish in the shallows at night and feeling a giant moray trying to bite the hand that’s in the water holding the returnee. Be especially wary when fishing around rocks in the deeper harbors and jetty systems at night as they often live in these environments and will come out to find prey when the light goes. This is probably the one fish on the West Coast we’d be very keen to not touch at all because they’re strong, flexible and aggressive when out of the water, making them hard to handle.ĭe-hook with minimal interaction and be wary of their ability to twist back and around on anyone nearby. Potential injuries: Finger removal, deep bite-inflicted wounds MORAY EELS are commonly encountered in California.Įver seen the Alien films and winced at the creepy second set of jaws the xenomorphs are rocking? If so, we’ve got some bad news for you moray eels have the exact same setup, they’re very real and they like biting meaty things like fingers. Just don’t get spiked.įound: Rocks, reefs and harbors Danger rating: 8/10 The good news is that the flesh is amazingly tasty and sought after by many in the know, so it’s often worth the hassle of getting it safely in the sack should the opportunity occur. Think proper de-hooking devices, long-nosed pliers and heavy-duty, puncture-proof gloves. Likened to a rattlesnake bite, the venom is delivered via hollow spines in its fins and has been known to cause heart and blood pressure issues lasting for days, making this one to handle very carefully when it hits the deck or shore. (Photo Ben Harvey-Murray)ĭespite being one of the prettiest marine critters around and a common sportboat catch, the California scorpionfish, known locally as sculpin, packs a spectacular array of venom- laden fin spikes that can ruin an unsuspecting angler’s week if stuck during the unhooking process. Potential injuries: Puncture wounds and poisoning from fin spines SCULPIN have poison-laden fins and need to be handled with care. You don’t need a bigger boat.ģ – California scorpionfish / sculpin (Scorpaena guttata) Found: Southern California and Mexico Thus, whilst they may be capable of tearing any of us in half with one shake of the head, they’re not high on the list of fish to be genuinely afraid of and aren’t interested in things with two legs, most of the time.

WOLF EEL DANGEROUS PLUS

Surfers and free-diving spear fisherman are recent recipients of unwanted attention but these are rare and great whites are commonly filmed or witnessed in populated waters paying little attention to the humans nearby, plus it’s illegal to target them.ĭespite the films, they are not actively engaged in hunting humans and pose little threat to the average angler. The West Coast is home to large numbers of the planet’s apex predator, but incidents are usually restricted to one or two encounters a year with anglers not on the menu. Just take great care in returning with a very long set of pliers or dehooker over the rail so it goes straight home, and can’t chow down on your digits. Wolf eels are pretty unique they mate for life and are long-lived, so we’d encourage you not to kill or damage them if possible. So, handling one when it hits the deck presents a real danger of losing a finger or chunk of flesh once those backward-facing layers of teeth clamp down on whatever gristle they can find.

Famously, they’ll make splinters from a broom handle in one bite and can crush a can of pop, even when their head is no longer attached to the body. Not an everyday West Coast catch, the horror-movie-ugly wolf eel is usually caught on lingcod or rockfish tactics and boasts one of the most formidable bites in the piscatorial world. THE WOLF EEL boasts one of the strongest bites of anu fish (Photo: Dylan Depres). Potential injuries: High-pressure bites that’ll crush bones. The Pacific boasts some of the world’s deadliest fish with an array of weaponry that any angler should be aware of – here are the top five most lethal critters you’re likely to encounter on your next trip.įound: Central and Northern regions of the West Coast

Wolf eel dangerous