Amberjacks

Amberjacks belong to the jack family but have a more elongated body and lack the prominent bony scutes along the lateral line. Their powerful mouths have fleshy lips.

Their pearly colours include a dark brown back, a yellow stripe along the flank, lighter brown sides and a pale belly.

In Guadeloupe, we encounter two similar-looking fish known locally as “grande sériole” and “sériole limon”.

The larger amberjacks inhabit fairly deep drop-offs, generally from around 100 metres. They stay close to the bottom, where we mainly catch them on jigs and other bottom-worked lures.

They are extraordinarily powerful, with strong head shakes, repeated runs and renewed bursts of energy throughout the water column. When a good one is hooked, we always wonder what monster will eventually appear at the surface!

They generally cope better with pressure changes than some other bottom fish, allowing many to be released.

The smaller “sériole limon” is also a strong fighter. We encounter it on drop-offs and sometimes in large numbers offshore. On some days, their abundance and eagerness make them frequent incidental catches; they seem to attack anything that moves.

Catches from guided trips

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