Triggerfish

Triggerfish are one of the Best eating bottom-fish and probably the most versatile in our area. They live around wrecks and natural bottom that has some sort of shell fish or barnacles growing on it. They also eat Crabs, like a Blue Crab we have here. Their eyes are positioned far back from their mouth for moving in for the kill without getting their eyes bitten by the crabs pincers. With the big and sharp teeth they have, It’s no problem to make short business of the hard shell of it’s opponent. They also have the most unique defense mechanism which also gives it it’s name. On the top of their dorsal fin is a huge thick fin up front. When attacked by larger fish they simply lock this fin in the extended position and try as the attackers may they cannot get it to retract. When the Triggerfish is ready, he can move his smaller fins down behind the big fin (His Trigger) and it lets the locked fin back down. Cool Huh? The best thing about them is eating Triggerfish. Wow! Any way you want it! Delicious! Fried, Blackened, Baked, Broiled, Grilled, Sautéed in butter or my favorite - Boiled with crab boil and then lightly picked apart to make a West Indies Salad that will blow your socks off. You’ll never know it’s not crab meat. Triggerfish are usually suspended up in the water column or concentrated around the wreck. They are masters of stealing your bait without ever feeling a thing. With the scissor like teeth they just swim up to your bait and with the accuracy of a surgeon they slice it off. Sometimes all you feel is your line slowing down a little on the way down with your bait. By the time you get to the bottom you don’t have any left. That’s when you just drop, stop and jerk about 3-4 seconds down. Gotcha!