Thanks guys, well here it is, a picture of the big old hogfish.
You're not too far off with that guess as I do most of my diving in NC when I get away from here. I found this guy on a wreck where we hadn't been to in 3 years near Morehead City/ NC offshore of Cape Lookout. It seems to be their northernmost extent. I've never seen hog fish in Hatteras for example, north of Cape Lookout. Aside from this fish we got another nice one that was 16lbs on the same wreck, a couple nice mahi-mahi my friend Pat is holding in the picture, a few good grouper, a king mackerel, some cobias and a couple lobster. Oh and two African Pompano, one 26 and one 30lbs. The cobias were right at 25lbs, nothing impressive. This was over the course of three days.
Each of the days we never had more than 6 fish in the fish-box since they were all quality and it makes us feel better at the end of the day to look at a few good fish rather than a bunch of smaller ones. We were diving deep water about 100ft with relief to 85 for these fish so we really try to excercise caution and safety spotting each other very closely. When one guy gets tired we both go to the boat for a break. We know that doing any different is pure folly out there, 40 miles from land. A blackout could always happen if some unforeseen circumastance presents itself and no one is there to watch you. Any fish that doesn't come on two or three dives and we give up on it as the fish has wised up by that point anyway. I did miss another big fish that obviously earned his keep, a nice grouper. I got one close to 20lbs but the bigger one eluded me. The bluewater fish came by every once in a while and took our minds off the deep fish.
There really isn't much of a story to the Hogfish as anyone whose speared a hogfish knows, they're either there and you get them or they're not. I still think of a hogfish as a tropical fish considering it's a wrasse and not a snapper as they sometimes get called by mistake, just like it's cousin the Tautog that lives North of it, or it's other cousin the California Sheepshead. All these fish are fairly aproachable and the only worry is making sure you get a solid shot and the fish doesn't take you into the wreck. It's funny I've shot probably a hundred or so of these fish in my life and I always feel sorry after I shoot a really beautiful specimen like this one. Of course I wouldn't not have shot it but to see these guys parade with their little three masted dorsal fin erect all around you and watch them is a pretty cool site. I guess I only take a few a year and don't shoot the small ones so it's okay but they're really a neat creature none the less.
Well there it is, a few servings of baked bread encrusted hogfish platters me and the famiglia will enjoy...
Mark