![]() “I have observed through underwater cameras triggerfish driving grouper from a bait by nipping at their fins.” Tactics and Tackle for Triggerfish Surprisingly tough fighters, triggerfish will put a bend in a snapper rod. “They are extremely aggressive and will often beat other fish to the bait as it is descending into the water column,” he said. Dave Zalewski describes the triggerfish as a bold species. A Trigger Happy FishĬutting squid into strips rather than chunks creates a smaller target, thereby facilitating hooksets. Both captains give squid top billing because it’s easy to handle and its toughness keeps it on a hook longer than other bait. Gaskill adds barnacles and fiddler crabs to the list of likely triggerfish baits and Zalewski throws in chunks of grunt or pigfish. The same should hold true for the invasive Asian green mussels that litter Tampa Bay area bridge and pier pilings. ![]() Knowing this, sheepshead anglers may fare well by carrying a bucket of oysters, shucking them on-site and dropping the fresh meat to a trigger spot. (Triggers use the same flipping technique for sea urchins.)Įlsewhere, triggerfish feed on benthic invertebrates such as mollusks and crustaceans. With the softer underside of its prey exposed, the triggerfish would resume the vertical position and thrust its closed jaws into the sand dollar’s center to crack the shell and access the soft, edible insides. Industrious triggers repeated the action until the sand dollar landed in the right position. Once a triggerfish uncovered a sand dollar, the cunning predator would grab it by the edge, rise a couple of yards and drop the sand dollar in an attempt to flip it onto its back. Divers observed triggers moving away from their reef habitat, inverting themselves to face the sandy bottom and blowing jets of water to locate sand dollars. “The fish ate a live shrimp and weighed five pounds.”īest Baits for Triggerfish A tiny strip of squid is a good bait for this wary reef fish.Ī study by Auburn University’s Marine Extension and Research Center documented interesting triggerfish feeding that demonstrates the species’ craftiness. “I have caught a few inside Tampa Bay, but the shallowest I’ve ever caught a trigger was under a residential dock in about six feet of water,” he said. Petersburg and commonly finds triggers as shallow as 20 feet–although he’s seen them in some pretty unbelievable places. Captain Brent Gaskill runs out of south St. Dave Zalewski of the Madeira Beach-based Lucky Too II says he’s seen them while diving on the Pinellas County mitigation reefs about 100 yards from tourists strolling the sands between Clearwater Pass and Johns Pass. Occasionally, some of those gray encounters occur in surprisingly shallow water. His colorful cousin the queen triggerfish ( Balistes vetula) roams waters much deeper than the 50- to 80-foot range than the gray trigger commonly inhabits, so the duller variety is what most Florida anglers encounter. In aquariums, the common gray triggerfish ( Balistes capriscus) is easy to spot–he’s the one with the compressed, oval body covered in thick, diamond-shaped scales, broad secondary dorsal and anal fins and narrow tips extending from the tail. × Where to Look For a dependable triggerfish bite, look for lively bottom structure such as ledges, limestone outcroppings and artificial reefs. ![]() Some believe the trigger’s preference for sand dollars and sea urchins may contribute to its uniquely delicious flavor, but more on that later. Back at the dock, these reef residents certainly stand out from the snapper and grouper headed for the cleaning table, but at dinner time, the trigger’s firm, white fillets actually outshine those of even their tasty gag and mangrove neighbors. ![]() In fairness, Maisano and his crew were more focused on the latter and they put several keeper triggers on ice. Those fake grins and awkward silence mean it’s time to stop playing with the fish and return to catching them. Overdoing it is like telling the same dumb joke you told on the last trip. Depressing this “trigger” spine automatically lowered the main sail, hence the fish’s name.įor the uninformed, the trigger trick is always a hit, but once or twice, maybe a third time for laughs, is plenty. Sam Maisano reeled up a chunky trigger, held the fish upright and showed me the small spine at the base of the primary dorsal fin. Take, for example the triggerfish–a species with nearly as much user control as the classic G.I. Fish are not toys, but occasionally you catch one with clear entertainment value.
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