# Please explain triggerfish season



## notnksnemor (Sep 27, 2016)

Back from Mexico Beach.
Wanted to get in some late season snapper fishing. I couldn't get a bait down for all the triggerfish. Huge ones, 5 lbs. or better. We must have caught over 100 in a morning. They were on the surface around the boat waiting for you to try to drop a bait.
Bait wouldn't make it more than 15 feet down before one had it.
Why do they have such a short season? They definitely aren't endangered.


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## lampern (Sep 30, 2016)

Because in the past gray triggers were overfished.


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## Nicodemus (Sep 30, 2016)

I remember when they were just about considered trash fish. That was when they were sold in fish houses as "ocean perch". Long time ago.


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## grizzlyblake (Oct 1, 2016)

How far out were you? We had the same issue with red snapper about 20mi off MB when trying to get some grouper.


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## dtala (Oct 1, 2016)

Nicodemus said:


> I remember when they were just about considered trash fish. That was when they were sold in fish houses as "ocean perch". Long time ago.



I remember going to Destin in the 60's and catching 30-50 king mackeral and near as many triggerfish on a half day charter. We'd give the triggers to the deck hand and keep the stinking mackerel.


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## Nicodemus (Oct 1, 2016)

dtala said:


> I remember going to Destin in the 60's and catching 30-50 king mackeral and near as many triggerfish on a half day charter. We'd give the triggers to the deck hand and keep the stinking mackerel.





I don`t even remember what the limit was on those trashy reds either, but the limit on trout was 50 per person per day. We used to clean up on them on the flats out from Econfina Creek.

Then Paul Prudhome came along.


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## notnksnemor (Oct 3, 2016)

lampern said:


> Because in the past gray triggers were overfished.



They need to be overfished again.




grizzlyblake said:


> How far out were you? We had the same issue with red snapper about 20mi off MB when trying to get some grouper.



State water inside 9 miles.


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## humdandy (Oct 3, 2016)

The taste great!  We used to keep and eat them years ago.


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## grouper throat (Oct 3, 2016)

Never saw a shortage here and it's the same with the AJs. Nothing is more annoying than not being able to get down to your target species..


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## GLS (Oct 4, 2016)

It hasn't been that long ago that local fish markets were practically giving triggerfish away.  Now there's not much difference per pound between it and snapper and grouper.  Trigger and tripletail are my two favorite saltwater panfish (white meat).  Well, just a little behind pompano. Gil


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