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How to catch Prickly puffer

Ephippion guttifer (Bennett, 1831)

About Prickly puffer fishing

The prickly puffer is a robust marine fish belonging to the family Tetraodontidae, characterized by its fusiform body shape and the unique ability to inflate its body and erect prominent spines when threatened. Growing up to a maximum length of 80 centimetres, this demersal species inhabits shallow coastal waters, estuaries, bays, and lagoons over hard substrates across the eastern Atlantic. It feeds primarily on benthic macrofauna including crabs, echinoids, and hard-shelled mollusks using its powerful beak-like teeth. Valued in commercial fisheries and recognized as a gamefish, it offers an exciting challenge for specialized anglers exploring inshore marine habitats.

  • Difficulty

    Medium

  • Average size

    55 cm TL

  • Market value

    Very high

  • Habitat

    Brackish, Saltwater

  • Season

    Spring, Summer, Autumn

  • Also known as

    Common puffer, Globefish, Pricky puffer, Swamp

Prickly puffer

White Spots

Numerous small white spots scattered across the body distinguish this puffer.

Prickly Skin

Small prickles covering the body characterize this specific puffer species.

Prickly puffer fishing facts

Characteristics

  • Typical size

    55 cm TL (max 80 cm TL )

  • Typical weight

    0.4 kg (max 4.3 kg )

  • Preferred temperature

    19.2–27.9 °C

  • Depth

    10–100 m

  • Body shape

    Fusiform / Normal

  • Commercial?

  • Vulnerability score

    49.2

Best hours

  • Dawn

    First light

    Low

  • Morning

    After sunrise

    Peak

  • Midday

    High sun

    Peak

  • Afternoon

    Late day

    Active

  • Dusk

    Last light

    Low

  • Night

    After dark

    Low

When to fish for Prickly puffer

01
January
02
February
03
March
04
April
05
May
06
June
07
July
08
August
09
September
10 Now
October
11
November
12
December

How to catch Prickly puffer

Tips for catching Prickly puffer

Targeting this heavy-jawed benthic predator requires robust tackle capable of withstanding sharp shells and powerful crushing bites. Anglers should focus their efforts around rocky outcrops, structured reefs, and estuary mouths where hard bottoms provide abundant crabs and mollusks. Presenting natural baits directly on the sea floor using heavy sliding ledger rigs yields the best results during warmer daylight hours. Strong hook patterns and abrasion-resistant leaders are essential to counter the crushing power of the fish and its defensive spiny inflation.

Other names for Prickly puffer

Local and alternate names anglers use for Prickly puffer.

  • Globefish
  • Prickly puffer
  • Swamp
  • Pricky puffer
  • Common puffer

Best equipment to catch Prickly puffer

Compare fishing methods for Prickly puffer — sized kit for each technique.

Note: Typical fish is 0.4 kg Our algorithm will suggest the best equipment for you based on this weight.

Best lures and baits for Prickly puffer

Ranked lures and natural baits from every method, best first.

How Prickly puffer migrates — Inshore–offshore

Shifts between shallow inshore water and deeper offshore grounds with the season.

How Prickly puffer migrates — Inshore–offshore 1. Warm months: Stay close inshore through the warm months. 2. Cold months: Move offshore into deeper water as it cools.
Inshore Offshore

1 Warm months

Inshore

Stay close inshore through the warm months.

2 Cold months

Offshore

Move offshore into deeper water as it cools.

Hover or tap a number to read each stage.

Diet and behavior of Prickly puffer

  • Diet

    Carnivore

  • Feeds by

    Hunts animals

  • Hunts

    Morning · Midday

  • Feeds over

    Hard bottom

Where Prickly puffer lives

Lives on or just above the bottom. Work jigs, bait, and lures along the seabed.

Habitats
Brackish, Saltwater
Depth zone
Sublittoral
Continental shelf · 10–100 m
Water column
Demersal
On or near the bed

Where this species lives