GRAY TRIGGERFISH = TRIGGERFISH ((Triggerfish) Balistes capriscus)
◎Deep bodied fish with a large first spine in the first dorsal fin; grayish overall in color, some individuals may show some darker mottling; mouth features pronounced lips and large teeth; body is covered with tough skin.
◎Size: up to 12 pounds; average size 1 ~ 5 pounds.
GRAY TROUT (=WEAKFISH) (Gray Trout, Yellowfin Trout, Squeteague, Tiderunner) Cynoscion regalis)
◎Silvery body and sides with some olive shading along the top of the back; numerous dark blotches appear on the back and the sides, some of which may appear to align and form wavy lines; fins are a uniform dusky color, some of which may have a yellowish margin; body is long and slender; upper jaw possesses two large canine teeth.
◎Similar Fish: closely related and similar in appearance to the Spotted Seatrout; distinguishable by the dorsal and caudal fins which are a uniform dusky coloration without any markings (spotted seatrout have black dots on these fins).
◎Size: up to 20 pounds; average size ranges from 1/2 ~ 8 pounds.
GREAT BARRACUDA ((Barracuda) Sphyraena barracuda)
◎A long, slender fish with a pointed snout and a large mouth full of sharp teeth; coloration is silver with a green or grayish green back; several black or dark spots may occur on the sides toward the tail of the fish.
◎Similar Fish: Sennet, which are small relatives of the barracuda.
◎Size: up to 60 pounds; average size ranges from 7 ~ 20 pounds
GREATER AMBERJACK ((Amberjack) Seriola dumerili)
◎Large, streamlined fish with a deeply forked, crescent shaped tail, caudal peduncle features a keel without scutes (which are hard, bony projections), a short, rounded pectoral fin and a dark nuchal band (stripe) running from the first dorsal fin through the eye; coloration is olive to dark amber on the back, fading to silvery sides and a white belly, although the overall color has a light yellow or amber tinge.
◎Similar Fish: Almaco Jack, Banded Rudderfish, Lesser Amberjack. Differentiation of these species is tricky. Banded rudderfish are a very small jack with six prominent dark bars, running down their sides (juvenile amberjack have similar bars, but the bars fade and disappear in larger amberjack). Amberjack have 7 spines in their first dorsal fin, 30 ~ 34 dorsal rays in their second dorsal fin and 11 ~ 19 gillrakers; banded rudderfish have 8 dorsal spines in their first dorsal fin, 34 ~39 dorsal rays in their second dorsal fin, and 12 ~ 16 gillrakers. Almaco jacks have 7 dorsal spines in their first dorsal fin, 28 ~ 31 dorsal rays in their second dorsal fin, and 21 ~ 26 gillrakers. Lesser amberjack have 8 dorsal spines in their first dorsal fin, 29 ~ 32 dorsal rays in their second dorsal fin, and 21 ~ 24 gillrakers.
◎Size: up to 130 pounds; average size ranges from 30 ~ 60 pounds.