M - December 17, 2020

MADAI

Scientific Name:

Pagrus major

Salt/Fresh:

Salt

Also Known As:

Red Seabream; Red Porgy; Red Tail; Silver Seabream; Japanese Seabream Tai; MADAI; Tai; Genuine Tai; Ch'amdom

Rating:

Countries:

Other Countries

Description:

Madai is a fish species in the Sparidae family. In Japan it is prized both for its flavor and for its traditional use as an auspicious food, often served at New Year's and at festive occasions such as weddings.

How To Identify:

The body of the Madai is robust, high and moderately compressed. The lower jaw is slightly shorter than the upper. The single dorsal fish has 12 strong spines with 10-12 soft rays and the spines are not elongated into filaments. The head and upper body are red/brown and the sides and belly silvery. Numerous small bright blue spots are scattered over the body. The fins are red or faint red. A narrow black margin and a pale lower lobe of the caudal fin are characteristic.

How To Catch:

Fishing methods vary from surfcasting and jetty fishing to drift fishing, jigging or anchoring to chum. They feed on wide range of bottom-living invertebrates and also on fishes, so bait selection should be fairly easy.
You should use a Genie Clip to attach the lure, as it makes changing jig weight or colour really quick and easy. As for the best jig colour, trial and error is the only way, while jig weight is determined by the conditions and speed of drift on the day. The idea is to keep the jig close to the bottom while still slowly rising.
Soft rods, small overhead reels, and either nylon line or braid with a long nylon trace (at least three metres) are best for this type of fishing, because you want some stretch and shock-absorption qualities.

Where Found:

International

Madai are found distributed throughout Japanese waters with the exception of the Eastern and Northern coasts of Hokkaido and the waters of the Ryukyu Archipelago. They continue southward to the southern part of the Korean Peninsula, the East China Sea, the South China Sea and Taiwan.

MADAI

Quick Index