Bentstick Pipefish
Trachyrhamphus bicoarctatus
A slender Indo-Pacific pipefish that lives in shallow coastal waters and seagrass habitats, where it uses its long snout to pick tiny crustaceans from vegetation and bottom cover. It is not a common angling target, and most records come from scientific surveys rather than fishing catches.
Identification points
- Long, narrow tubular snout much longer than the eye opening
- Elongate, stick-like body with bony ring segments typical of pipefish
- Camouflaged mottled brown to tan coloration that blends with seagrass and debris
Habitat
Shallow coastal waters, especially seagrass beds, algal growth, mangrove margins, sheltered reefs, and other structurally complex nearshore habitats in the Indo-Pacific.
Bait notes
Rarely targeted by anglers. If caught incidentally, it is more likely on very small live or dead shrimp fragments, mysid-sized prey, or tiny soft plastics worked slowly around seagrass and weed edges.
Behavior
Cryptic and slow-moving, usually holding vertically or nearly so among plants and fine structure. Feeds on small planktonic and benthic crustaceans by suctioning prey with its tubular snout.
Caution
Handle gently because pipefish are delicate and can be easily injured; avoid prolonged air exposure. Local collection or retention may be restricted in some areas, and this species is not a standard food fish.
Fishing notes
Best treated as a bycatch species in ultra-light, quiet shallow-water fishing around seagrass and sheltered flats. Use very small hooks, minimal weight, and slow presentations; release promptly and keep it submerged as much as possible.