Spangled emperor

A long-snouted emperor, yellow-bronze to olive, with a pale blue spot on most scales (the "spangles") and blue lines radiating from the eye across the cheek. Thick lips and a forked tail.

2–8 lb.

About 34 in and 18 lb (8.4 kg).

Crabs, sea urchins, shellfish, worms and small fish.

Roams sand, seagrass and rubble near reefs, often in small schools, and comes into very shallow lagoons on the rising tide.

Found from Queensland & the Great Barrier Reef, Northern Territory & Western Australia, Indonesia (Bali, Komodo, Raja Ampat, Sulawesi), Philippines, South Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea, Southeast Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam), Japan & South Korea, East Africa & Indian Ocean Islands, Red Sea & Arabian Gulf (Egypt, Oman, UAE) and India, Sri Lanka, Maldives & Pakistan. Coral reefs, lagoons, seagrass beds and rubble from the Red Sea and East Africa to Japan, northern Australia and the western Pacific; Ningaloo and Shark Bay are famous.

Coral reefs, lagoons, seagrass beds and rubble from the Red Sea and East Africa to Japan, northern Australia and the western Pacific; Ningaloo and Shark Bay are famous.

3–250 ft; mostly 10–100 ft.

10–80 ft.

All year.

Daylight hours, especially early morning and late afternoon.

Moving water: the hours around the tide change, when current pushes over the reef edges and bait gets swept along.

Stable weather with clean water; a few days of steady conditions beat a front coming through.

Squid, pilchards, crab and peeled prawns.

Soft plastics, small jigs and vibes.

7 ft medium spinning rod (6–10 kg).

3/0–5/0 hooks.

20–30 lb braid.

30–50 lb fluorocarbon.

Fish baits or soft plastics on sand and rubble patches next to reefs; spangled emperor pull hard toward the coral.

Fish the rising tide close to reef edges in the morning, when emperor move up to feed.

Catch and release: wet your hands, keep the fish in the water when you can, and release it quickly. Use circle hooks and a dehooker.

Excellent eating — one of the best-tasting fish in its range.

Bleed and ice it right away. Fillet, then remove the skin and any dark bloodline.

Excellent white, flaky fish; bake whole or pan-fry fillets.

Big reef fish from some tropical areas can carry ciguatera (a fish poison that cooking doesn't destroy); ask locals which fish and sizes are safe to eat. Sharp spines and gill covers — handle with a towel or gloves.

Western Australia and Queensland set minimum sizes and bag limits; Ningaloo sanctuary zones are closed. Check current rules. Licenses and rules differ by country across the Indo-Pacific: Australia's states, Asian countries and the Pacific islands all set their own bag limits, size limits and marine park zones. Check the local rules or fish with a licensed charter.

Keep only what you'll eat and release the big breeders; wet your hands, support the fish's belly and get it back in the water fast.