Fish ID please

[Zay]

Hello everybody.

Like a lot of people - long time lurker, new poster. I caught this fish in the bay pretty late in the evening. It out up a good fight and is pretty much the biggest fish I’ve caught out of San Diego Bay aside from a bat ray. I have no idea what fish this is. Excuse my ignorance on grabbing this guy since he had teeth and I didn’t have any grabbers with me.

I caught and released as I personally didn’t feel worthy to eat something I couldn’t even identify.

Any and all information would help. Thanks.

Zay.

[William Ritchie]

Shortfin Corvina , Member or the Croaker family . They are legal to take , no size limit . Some call them vampires due to the pronounced fangs in the upper jaw . Take the time to study a bit so you can positive Id them vs a White Seabass as they are close cousins and Seabass are regulated differently . Handle gently as they do not take it well and generally a released fish is more than likely going to die of the trauma . Nice catch . Thanks for the report ADD Edit They do make pretty good table fare . The people that target these are pretty tight lipped and in general don't give away any info as to where and when . There has been in recent years , efforts to establish some size and take limit other than 10 daily . 10 to 12 pounds is record / trophy class . My PB is a surf caught model Local beach Krocodile . For reference the rod is 35 inches butt to first guide .The short pectoral fin is evident in the photo .

[Gotfish?]

Maybe the hardest fighting fish normally caught in the bay. FYI, you can identify a fish on the spot using Google image search on your phone. Late evening or early morning close to shore with a topwater or jerk bait is the standard method to fish for them but lots are caught otherwise too. They roam the bay in schools looking for bait so they don't stay in one spot for long.

[Zay]

Shortfin Corvina , Member or the Croaker family . They are legal to take , no size limit . Some call them vampires due to the pronounced fangs in the upper jaw . Take the time to study a bit so you can positive Id them vs a White Seabass as they are close cousins and Seabass are regulated differently . Handle gently as they do not take it well and generally a released fish is more than likely going to die of the trauma . Nice catch . Thanks for the report ADD Edit They do make pretty good table fare . The people that target these are pretty tight lipped and in general don't give away any info as to where and when . There has been in recent years , efforts to establish some size and take limit other than 10 daily . 10 to 12 pounds is record / trophy class . My PB is a surf caught model Local beach Krocodile . For reference the rod is 35 inches butt to first guide .The short pectoral fin is evident in the photo . image.jpeg

Hey Will,

Thank for the information and the advice. I initially thought it was a WSB but immediately changed my mind after seeing those fangs. It’s my first time so I’ll take this all as a learning opportunity. Thanks for being extremely informative! I wish I would have taken it home now, but it’s better to learn than to assume. Moving forward I’ll keep things a little more on the hush side hahahaha.

[Zay]

Maybe the hardest fighting fish normally caught in the bay. FYI, you can identify a fish on the spot using Google image search on your phone. Late evening or early morning close to shore with a topwater or jerk bait is the standard method to fish for them but lots are caught otherwise too. They roam the bay in schools looking for bait so they don't stay in one spot for long.

You’re right! Definitely a good fighting fish! I was super stoked when it jumped out the water, but that’s when I realized that I had no idea what I was fighting. I’m used to the normal bay things like Spotties, Rays, Lizards and other common species. This was definitely an honor and an extreme case of luck on my end. I look forward to catching more with the information you all have provided. Thanks for the information!

Zay

[Midnightpass]

Nice fish, and 1st post.. Keep ‘em coming..
Butch