Sparids
When longline fishing at depths of over 100 m, it's not unusual to find fish from the Sparidae family, which is very common in the Mediterranean. Depending on the season and the type of bottom you're fishing on, you may find several of them. On gravel and sandy bottoms, pagres, which can weigh over 5 kg, are a very common catch. They are usually accompanied by the smaller but very combative pageot. In winter, on rocky bottoms, you'll also find large dentex.
Finally, throughout the year, we can encounter the famous pink bream, a highly prized fish that can live in depths of over 600 meters. When we practice longline fishing, we can regularly find them in 100 to 200 m, which means we don't need an electric reel to catch them.
Rock fish
The most common deep-sea fish are generally found on rocky bottoms. They are particularly fond of the drop-offs at the edge of the trench, where they gather in large numbers.
They include redfish these fish are generally highly prized for their taste. These fish are generally highly prized for their gustatory quality, but they are also very interesting to catch on light tackle. This is the family of fish most frequently found in large numbers. Once you've found the right spot, you'll be able to land one bite after another for maximum pleasure.
The big fish
Deep-sea longline fishing can also hold some wonderful surprises. Although the average size of the fish is not very large, some species, a little rarer, can offer magnificent fights. These include the hake with its teeth worthy of a science-fiction film. Large conger eels are also a frequent catch, reaching up to 2 meters and easily exceeding 10 kg. They are obviously great fighters for which the equipment must be solid and adapted if breakage is to be avoided.
Depending on the depth at which you fish, you may also find cerns, which can be compared to a grouper, also pulling hard and reaching weights of over 20 kg! Different species of shark also cohabit these areas, albeit by accident.
