Butterfish

BUTTERFISH

Odax Pullus

VIDEO

RECORD:  4.79kg, A. Rae, Breaker Bay, 1980.

DESCRIPTION:

Perhaps the most speared fish in New Zealand, Butterfish or Greenbone (they have green bones) are a good eating fish and are fun to hunt.  Butterfish start off a golden brown with a white stripe running along their lateral line and become darker as they grow larger until they are a dark bluey green.  They have long and wavy pectoral and anal fins that look like part of the kelp that they live in.  They average 30-50cm long but grow up to 70cm, especially further south.

MoF REGULATIONS:

Size:                                      35cm

Bag limit:                              Part of 20 finfish limit

HABITAT & FEEDING HABITS:

Butterfish are herbivorous and live in shallow kelp beds.

HUNTING TECHNIQUES:

Butterfish are very easily spooked and it is important not to make any sudden movements and to get low down in the weed to stalk them.  They are easy to find grazing over sunny, kelp beds in shallow water but usually disappear into the kelp when you dive on them.  Luckily they come out of their hiding places relatively quickly when you lie still.  The best way  to hunt butterfish seems to be the 'lie and wait' method: You dive straight down into the weed and hide, camoflage suits are a big help here, and wait for the fish to come out.  It can be amazing how many there are sometimes.  They are reasonably curious and will come in to check you out and hopefully swim in front of your spear.  When they do you have your shot otherwise you will need to stalk them which can be much harder and you need to employ the same tactics as when snapper snooping.  If they are not coming in to you close enough to take a shot try hiding your eyes or looking away from them.

Hi Guys,

I've got something that might be worth putting into your tips section - I've found that a really good way to hunt butterfish is to dive down deeper than them and then approach them from below. They don't seem to spook so much when you come at them from below.  This was actually something that Geoff Couchman suggested I try a few years ago and it seems to work.
We are off up north hunting fish this weekend - will let you know what it is like up there.

Aaron Cooper