# need help identifying fish



## FLnewfisher (Jan 2, 2007)

Just got a boat and had a chance to head out bottom fishing today for the first time. Catching fish I have never seen before! I know this is the "pier and surf" forum, but you guys have been helpful in the past and I could use some help here. What are these fish? Are they edible? What size, if any, do they need to be to keep (if they are any good)? We threw all of them back because we didnt know... We caught a boatload of triggerfish too. Those any good?

#1









#2









#3









#4









#5









#6









by the way, at the end of the day we caught this 5' or 6' nurse shark. that was a lot of fun!


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## hengstthomas (Mar 11, 2006)

Nice pics..I'll let someone local identify the fish. Triggerfish are excellent table fare but have thick skin and are hard to fillet.Its well worth the effort.


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## derekxec (Apr 26, 2006)

#1 looks like a sheepshead 12 inch to keep
#2 not sure
#3 looks like a grunt no size limit good for bait
#4 looks like a tilefish or slippery dick haha not sure on size but my friend loves to eat them
#5 and 6 are scorpion fish....DO NOT TOUCH DONT EVEN BRING THEM IN THE BOAT JUST CUT LINE...they are poisonous and youll probably end up in the hospital


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## KodiakZach (Mar 16, 2005)

2. Red Grouper
6. Sea Robin

5? Looks like a sea robin but hard to tell with the pic...


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## cpn_aaron (Apr 11, 2006)

I'm not sure if #3 is a grunt. But #1 is a sheepshead (12" TL), #2 a red grouper (20" TL). Both of those are great eating. I agree with Zach that #5 looks more like a sea robin than a scorpionfish. Looks like you had a nice productive day on the water, congrats.


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## FLnewfisher (Jan 2, 2007)

I have been reading that some triggerfish are poisonous. How do you know which ones are? I am interested in keeping some next time but don't want to kill myself.

Also, where can I find a good book/chart that will help me ID fish in the palm beach area? I have seen a few books/charts but none of them were very good or comprehensive.

Thanks!


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## barty b (Dec 31, 2004)

This is a red grouper
Red Grouper







The one in your pic could be a Red Hind,In the grouper family.
That first one is the ugliest cracked out lookin sheepie I have ever seen,How deep did you catch him? Actually ALL the fish you caught look abnormal,except the Nurse and the Sea Robins. Were you fishing over a toxic waste dump site? Those fish look MUTATED Not dogging your catch,just some wierd lookin specimens.


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## FISHING4LIFE (Jul 14, 2006)

5 looks like a toadfish to me and the other one i think for sure is a sea robin.


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## barty b (Dec 31, 2004)

FISHING4LIFE said:


> 5 looks like a toadfish to me and the other one i think for sure is a sea robin.


Yeah #5 IS a toad,


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## FLnewfisher (Jan 2, 2007)

caught them all just south of the palm beach inlet in about 70-100 ft water. was using a guppy rig with cut up pieces of frozen sardines.


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## KodiakZach (Mar 16, 2005)

I agree, if that is a sheepshead, it's the weirdest one I've ever seen. His scales almost look like he mated with a porgy or mojarra or something.

I can post the grouper lookin pic on the FS forum and probably get an accurate ID. The juvenile Red Grouper I've caught in the river looked like that. I'll get back to ya after I ask on FS...


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## KodiakZach (Mar 16, 2005)

The consensus so far seems to be a:

Speckled Hind/Strawberry Grouper


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## VICIII (Apr 8, 2005)

KodiakZach said:


> I agree, if that is a sheepshead, it's the weirdest one I've ever seen. His scales almost look like he mated with a porgy or mojarra or something.


Or a Black Drum...


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## Dolphinpier (Aug 15, 2006)

Not sure but I think #1 is a merber of the porgy family. Possibly the Jolthead Progy.


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## LiteTackleChamp (Jul 29, 2005)

i believe number 1 is a sheepshead, i believe it just looks funny because of the sun, and water reflection


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## Newsjeff (Jul 22, 2004)

bmcox86 said:


> i believe number 1 is a sheepshead, i believe it just looks funny because of the sun, and water reflection


I agree - sheepshead.

The dorsal is wrong fer a black drum.


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## hokieboy (Jan 19, 2006)

Look at the mouth of #1 guys. No teeth. Im not sure that is a sheepshead...


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## bassZooKa (Feb 4, 2007)

i agree these are some ugly lookin specimens
maybe its just the lightning
#4 is not a triggerfish. Looks like some sort of eel
#3 is a grunt
#1 is a juvenile red grouper


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## KodiakZach (Mar 16, 2005)

# 4 is a sand tilefish


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## Fisheadgib (Jan 7, 2006)

I'll toss in my .02 . #1 is probably a black margate, possibly a grunt. (If you lay fish flat and open the dorsal fin and get a full length pic, it's a little easier to identify them.) #2 looks like a speckled hind, #3 looks like a margate,#4 is a tilefish, #5 is a scorpion fish(venomous spines on the dorsal), and # 6 is a searobin. The grouper is good eats, the tilefish is pretty good, and a few folks around here eat grunts and pogies too. Incidently, there are a couple of ways to clean triggers that won't destroy a knife. Triggers are a very popular fish around here and one of my favorites.


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## cpn_aaron (Apr 11, 2006)

after taking a look I would agree that #1 is a Black Margate or Jolthead Pogy. No sheep shaped teeth. #2 is the speckled hind, too bright red for a juvi red grouper.
An good beginner book with pretty nice pics for fish ID is Angler's Guide to Saltwater Fish fo Florida. It has nice color illustrations with distributions and it is pretty comprehensive. It's not the best out there but it doe sthe trick and is easy to locate (check the outdoors section of WalMart).


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## jettypark28 (Jun 23, 2006)

*fla*

How are you setting up your rigs?? It looks like you are doing droppers tie to the main line, with two sinkers on the bottom....Just asking because of the three hook rig you ask about...:fishing:


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## FLnewfisher (Jan 2, 2007)

just ordered a used copy of the ID book for $3.50 from amazon...

jetty, as far as the rig goes I describe it more in my other thread. I am not interested in using the triple hook with the guppy rig. I wanted to try the triple hook w/out a weight at all.

I was using (2) 2oz weights as seen in the pics because I lost my 5oz and only had small weights left...


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