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FishActive now (October)

Giant African threadfin

Polydactylus quadrifilis

When
Active all year, though the way you fish or find it changes with the season.
Where it holds
Sandy and muddy shallows, surf beaches and river mouths along the West African coast from Senegal to Angola; the biggest fish stay out in the sea.
How to know it
A big silver fish with a pointed, see-through snout, a bright yellow pectoral fin with four long white threads beneath it, and a deeply forked tail.
What to know
West Africa’s great surf and estuary gamefish, reaching 2 m. The world record came from the mouth of Angola’s Kwanza River.
The tactic
Live or cut bait, or a big soft-plastic or bucktail jig, fished through the surf near a river mouth.

Seasons, size limits and catch limits change every year and differ by water body. Check the current regulations for the country and the water before you fish.

Giant African threadfin facts

Also called
Giant African threadfin; threadfin.
Family
Polynemidae, the threadfins.
Native range
The tropical eastern Atlantic off West Africa, from Senegal to Angola, with a single record from Mauritania.
Habitat
Shallow coastal water over sand and mud, surf beaches and estuaries; occasionally brackish and even fresh water. The very largest fish are found only in the sea.
Water temperature
Tropical coastal water, roughly 24–29°C (75–84°F) along the Gulf of Guinea.
Size
Most adults 80–150 cm (31–59 in); the largest measured about 200 cm (79 in).
Record
IGFA all-tackle world record: 55.4 kg (122 lb 2 oz), Stephan Bellingan, Barra do Kwanza, Angola, 20 July 2015.
Lifespan
Not well studied.
What it eats
Crustaceans and fish.
Spawning
Little is published on its spawning.
Teeth and mouth
Set low under a pointed, semi-transparent snout.
Look-alikes
Other threadfins are much smaller. The four long white filaments under a bright yellow pectoral fin, on a big silver fish, mark this one.
Eating
Fair to good eating, and an important commercial fish along the West African coast.
Status
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Try it

How big does a giant african threadfin get?

Slide it from an ordinary adult to the biggest one ever measured, next to things you know the size of.

115 cm · 45 inmost adults20406080100120140160180200220240cm1224364860728496ina 4-year-old, lying down · 100 cma canoe paddle · 150 cma grown-up, lying down · 170 cm

Most adults you'll catch: 80–150 cm (31–59 in).

This giant african threadfin: 115 cm. Longer than a four-year-old, shorter than a canoe paddle.

The record

IGFA all-tackle world record: 55.4 kg (122 lb 2 oz), Stephan Bellingan, Barra do Kwanza, Angola, 20 July 2015.

Questions people ask about giant african threadfin

What is a threadfin?

A fish with long, free rays — threads — under its pectoral fins, which it uses to feel for prey on the bottom. The giant African threadfin has four of them, white, beneath a bright yellow fin.

How big do giant African threadfin get?

Up to about 2 m (6 ft 7 in) and 75 kg (165 lb), with 1.5 m common. The IGFA world record is 55.4 kg (122 lb 2 oz), from the mouth of the Kwanza River in Angola, in 2015.

Where do giant African threadfin live?

Along the West African coast from Senegal to Angola, in surf, shallow sandy and muddy bays, and river mouths. They enter estuaries and occasionally fresh water, but the biggest stay at sea.

Found in these regions

Checked against these sources ·

Sizes, records and ranges are for the species as a whole; local fish, and local rules, vary. Records change — the record-keeper named above has the current one.

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Also active in October