Triggers Galore

That is AWESOME! I LOVE fishing for triggers!

That is AWESOME! I LOVE fishing for triggers!

I LOVE eating triggers. My grandsons think trigger fishing is the best. One loves to cook and does a great job of it. He actually was selected to be on Top Chef Jr.

Never caught or ate trigger

Easy to catch around wreckage with a #2 porgy hook and a small piece of squid. I'm fishing out of Fire Island and we have a lot of places to get them. To the west, I'm guessing it's the same. Catching them is easy, cleaning them is a bit more challenging than cleaning most other fish. My trick for cleaning is to use a 8" serrated Dexter for the two cuts through the leather hide skin and a regular fillet knife for two other cuts in the skin and to fillet off the meat.

My first cut is with the serrated knife from the top shoulder to just behind the butthole. Just like any other shoulder to butt cut but the serrated knife makes the cut soooo much easier. The next cut is the tail cut again with the serrated knife. Once those cuts are made, you're on easy street. I take my fillet knife and from inside the skin I cut along the top dorsal fin to the tail and bottom fin line from butt to tail. (the skin right next to the fins is softer and easier to get through). When all the cuts are made, grab the skin at the V of the shoulder cut with your thumb and index finger and rip it off, it's very simple to remove. Then just fillet the meat off the bone. Once filleted, there is some cleanup of the fillets such as blood lines and bones. I don't go for the rib bones, too much slicing and dicing on a porgy size fillet.

From cooler to tray.

Never caught or ate trigger

They fight like a Porgy on Steroids and are really good to eat. Also, as mentioned a pain to clean and I agree you need a serrated knife to get through the leather like skin first.

We see a few as a by-catch while Porgy fishing in the Peconics each year, but I am not aware of any spots for a targeted effort like I hear the south shore guys do. Have caught 4 so far this season and they are always welcomed.

That’s awesome,could u pm me the location..?

They fight like a Porgy on Steroids and are really good to eat. Also, as mentioned a pain to clean and I agree you need a serrated knife to get through the leather like skin first.

We see a few as a by-catch while Porgy fishing in the Peconics each year, but I am not aware of any spots for a targeted effort like I hear the south shore guys do. Have caught 4 so far this season and they are always welcomed.

I agree with Capt Mike on the Porgy on Steroids which is the way I explain them too

We get quite a few of them here in Shinnecock and they are great eating and yes tough to clean and a super sharp knife is a must
For some reason my wife thinks they make the best fish cakes!!

This is the way they do them down south also the way I do them when I catch them.

For some reason my wife thinks they make the best fish cakes!!

I love fish cakes. A recipe would be nice.

While fishing solo, just before heading offshore for some fluking, I stopped at a favorite triggerfish spot. As you can see, there was plenty to pick from. I finally just let out 18" of line and picked the ones I wanted although the little ones still made it tough.

View attachment 52229

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Did you chum them to the boat?

No. They just were very friendly and came up to say hi. You could look down and there were triggers everywhere. Went there today and could not buy a fish. From my experience with triggers, they move off the inshore wrecks and rubble when the winds kick up too much and the surge dirties the water. The past few days were windy and too rough for these spots.

Triggers love just hanging out under cover. Years back I was hired by Rutgers Ocean Research to find one of their disabled underwater drones 125 miles offshore. Fortunately, the day was gorgeous and with a satellite phone to get the position once out there we not only found it but caught a bunch of triggers hanging out under it.



Pretty cool device. They can swim it across the Atlantic without refueling it. If you notice, there's only one fin in the middle. There's supposed to be two. Upon inspection, a shark must have attacked it and ripped the fin off.



Those scratches are bite marks from a shark. They are on both sides of the drone.

No. They just were very friendly and came up to say hi. You could look down and there were triggers everywhere. Went there today and could not buy a fish. From my experience with triggers, they move off the inshore wrecks and rubble when the winds kick up too much and the surge dirties the water. The past few days were windy and too rough for these spots.

Thats awesome
I have a trigger spot where I chum them in
Its awesome when they come in so think and you see a bunch following in the one you hook
I’ve never seen them as thick as in your picture though. Thats awesome

I’ll hafta get my wife to give me the cake recipe to pass on?

Triggers love just hanging out under cover. Years back I was hired by Rutgers Ocean Research to find one of their disabled underwater drones 125 miles offshore. Fortunately, the day was gorgeous and with a satellite phone to get the position once out there we not only found it but caught a bunch of triggers hanging out under it.

View attachment 52384

Pretty cool device. They can swim it across the Atlantic without refueling it. If you notice, there's only one fin in the middle. There's supposed to be two. Upon inspection, a shark must have attacked it and ripped the fin off.

View attachment 52385

Those scratches are bite marks from a shark. They are on both sides of the drone.

Like Mahi hanging under floating structure.