Saltwater
Gray Triggerfish
Where to find them, how to catch them and the tackle to use.
01Introduction
The gray triggerfish is a tough, olive-gray reef fish with leathery, plate-like scales, a small mouth full of chisel teeth and a locking dorsal spine that gives it its name. It's a staple of southern reef and wreck fishing and has become a regular summer catch around jetties and pilings in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Most weigh 1 to 4 pounds, but triggers fight far harder than their size suggests, and they're excellent eating.
02Where to Catch
Range: the western Atlantic from Nova Scotia to Argentina, including Bermuda and the Gulf of Mexico. In summer, triggers show up around inshore structure as far north as New Jersey and New York.
Habitat: hard bottom, natural and artificial reefs and ledges, usually 80 to 300 feet deep offshore, where they share structure with red snapper. Inshore in summer, look around jetties, rocks, docks and bridge pilings; you can sometimes see them circling pilings or cruising along rocks.
03How to Catch
Bait fishing
Triggers eat crabs, clams, urchins, shrimp and other hard-shelled prey. Fish small pieces of squid, clam or cut bait on the bottom next to structure with a small, very sharp, strong hook; a high-low rig with short droppers and a small sinker works well. Triggerfish nibble in quick bursts, so set the hook hard at the first rapid taps. Unlike tautog, they like a bit of movement in the bait, so lift and move it around the structure.
Lures
Inshore triggerfish are aggressive enough to chase and hit small soft plastics, especially fish you can see around rocks and pilings.
The fight
Hooked triggers turn their broad sides and dig for the bottom and structure, so pull them up quickly after the hookset or you'll lose them in the rocks.
04Tackle
Light to medium bottom-fishing tackle; 20- to 50-pound line on reefs, lighter inshore. Carry small, strong, sharp hooks, high-low rigs and small sinkers. In the South Atlantic and Gulf, gray triggerfish are federally managed with size and bag limits; check federal and state rules before keeping any.
05Questions anglers ask
Why is it called a triggerfish?
Its first dorsal spine locks upright, and only pressing the smaller second spine, the "trigger," releases it. A threatened triggerfish wedges itself into a crevice and locks the spine to anchor in place.
Why do triggerfish keep stealing my bait?
They have small, hard mouths with strong, chisel-like teeth and are notorious bait stealers. Use a small, very sharp, strong hook and small pieces of bait, and set the hook hard at the first quick taps.