Triggerfish, The "Jack Russel" Of The Flats
Triggerfish! What word can you possibly use to try and describe these creatures? They are some hybrid cross between a Manatee, Permit, Terrier and a set of bolt cutters.
The humble Triggerfish is a bizarre-looking creature that appears perfectly placed to be in its natural habitat on the coral fringes and rocky flats of Mahahual and Chetumal bay. It is quite unlike any of our other flats species in many ways. For a start, the Triggerfish seems to be very comfortable tailing in 6-8 inches of water all day long, regardless of tide and swell. They can be seen on their own or in schools of up to 30, going about their business in a rather casual and relaxed fashion. Unlike many other species, the Triggerfish is rather curious and allows you to get very close to him, sometimes within a rods length. They will happily chase down a well-presented fly some 20ft, pecking at the fly and trying to pin it to the bottom to try and squeeze it inside their small mouths.
For the most part, Triggerfish are somewhat relaxed and can be seen gracefully manoeuvring along in the swell as they search out their next meal. They are not an overly picky species either, as most well presented flies will typically elicit a response. They range in size from 2lbs for a real small guy, to over 8lbs; however, we usually encounter them in the 4-6lbs range. They are also unusual in that they possess a set of extremely tough, bolt-cutter like jaws that will destroy any fly and finger that is unlucky enough to find its way inside their mouth. You can see this below with this handy before and after:
All these attributes come together to form a rather unique and utterly fantastic game fish for our clients to target on fly and spin gear. We generally get shots at these guys throughout the day, and they can be a great species to pursue on those days with harsh conditions. For more info on how we target these fish, check out our tips and tricks page or if you would like to spend a day targeting them, drop us an email to info@flyfishcm.com or visit the 'CONTACT US' page.
Tight lines
Will