Trigger Fish Bonanza and Species Caught now at 42 total

[Hunter]

Temps dipped to near 67 this am at sunrise But with a forecast of mostly sunny for today we decided to brave the elements and go fishing. Long sleeve shirts were needed until about 8:30. It's all relative I guess

Headed out to the outer reef again today and found the recent frontal passage had brought the water temps down a few degrees. We knew this would make catching fish a challenge. Didn't find any of the typical species in the mix, but did find lots of trigger fish willing to bite. Trigger fish can be a real pain in the butt as they are masters at stealing those expensive 40 cent live shrimp. If you are on your game you can sense when they start nibbling and increase your chance of having them find the business end of your hook by twitching your line. We caught a number of them and put 4 nice ones in the cooler. Here is one of the larger Ocean Trigger Fish caught by my wife Dawn...


My wife has gotten pretty good at this reef fishing stuff and also caught this beautiful Queen Trigger. Of course it was TOO pretty to be kept....


This unusual fish is called a Scrawled Filefish. Note the antenna like appendage extending above it's head ...


We hopped around the reef to a few of my waypoints but could not find anything else other than some smaller Yellowtail so we decided the 4 trigger fish would it for the day.....


Cleaning trigger fish is as much a pain in the butt as catching them. Their skin is as tough as leather. But they are excellent eating and a few filets will find their way onto the grill tomorrow night.

Below is a picture of a captive audience that always sits very patiently as I clean fish....


We have been keeping a running list of all of the different species of fish that we have been fortunate enough to catch here in the Keys. The total is now at 42. The Keys is without a doubt a fisherman's paradise.