any comment on this any may help please saw a huge wat i thought it was brindle not sure thou didnt shoot was to pretty man any one know of a site i can see the differences in the fish what i am aloud to shoot and what i cant much help please dont wana get locked up

If you have seen them both under water they quiet easy to tell apart, not so easy to explain though.

If it’s over about 40kg it’s almost certainly a Brindle. If you look at the Malabar it’s got lot small spots all over it with areas of light and dark colouration.

Most of the Brindles I’ve seen are almost always plain dark brown. Only the small ones have some mottled colouration. Both go dark brown on death. The Malabar’s spots are still visible long after death. Would load a pic for you if I could work out how to do it.

Big ones in Moz steal your fish like Potatoes.
If you planning to shoot one in Moz be careful, the Maritimo’s usually consider any brownish rock cod to be a “Garupa”, a no take species in Moz, locals can pull them out with impunity but be careful as a tourist. Not so easy explaining to a guy in your broken Portuguese that your 30kg Malabar that looks a lot like a Brindle is legal when he has got your boat, your gear and your passport.

Also be careful where you take your pictures, bubble blowers, greenies get up tight about their pet rock cods.
Kind of thing that can ruin holidays.

thanks adrian but i have also been doing some research and i think it was a malabar rock hard ah but it was alsome just chilling with it probably watched it for around 15 min forgot about everything else my eyes were on that thing wow!!!was alsome and probably the biggest fish i have ever seen would of been cool for a shore dive shooting that thing he was round the 40 kg mark i rate but was also worried as i was ace out and i think that fish could of taken me for a ride if i didnt stone it dead haha any ways wana get a fish book and check it out would like to know the differences between them dont need a fine hey this guy was on a kzn reef so yeah not in moz but yeah not gana tell you were i am gana go look for it maybe this weekend if i get the chance thanks adrian

A brindle is always very easy to spot - with that long spikey dorsal fin and pig face, it looks just like a prehistoric dinosaur to me. And that's generally the first thing I see when I see one in the water - that dragon back. Also the fish normally looks pretty black in the water - esp. in poorer viz.

The malabar has a classic rockcod look about it, while the brindle doesn't. If you see a big cod-like fish and it doesn't have a spikey dragon back, then it's almost certainly not a brindle. The other large black cod that you might mistake for a brindle is a purple rockcod, but again the purple looks like a rockcod - it's very easy to see. Other big cods like the malabar, orange spotted, etc all have the large head, large rockcod lips and good looking colouration. The brindle has a small piggy head (the head can look too small for its body) and the tell-tale spikey back.

Very easy to spot!

what i saw had a huge head i rate i just watched a record fish swim away from me been dreaming about this fish all week darn man ah well now i know and thanks for all the help guys this guy was def over 40 kg wow any ways thanks guy next time i am shooting cause u guys just expanded my knowledge thanks for the help

A juvie brindle looks nothing like the drab grey brown adult, they got lots of yellow on them, especially the fins, and as they get bigger to 20-30 kilos then they start loosing the yellow, but I am scared shooting yellow bellys because the brindles are so similar when they juvies.

I think the easiest way to tell them apart, is the size of the spots, the brindles have big spots when they juvies,

The same as the potato juvies with the malabars and cat face's,

I think it's not worth taking a long shot in murky water, just make 100% sure before you pull the trigger.