When we think about saltwater fish in the Gulf species that come to mind are red snapper, grouper, king mackerel and cobia to name a few. There is one species that not too many people know about that likes to hang about buoys and other large floating objects.

Out in the world tripletail (Lobotes surinamensis) is found from Massachusetts, south along the Atlantic coast to Argentina, east to Bermuda and west to the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. It is also found in the Mediterranean and the west coasts of South American and Africa.

The tripletail is a compressed fish with a deep body that makes it look a little like a bluegill on steroids. It has a triangular shaped head. Its eyes are relatively small compared to its body with a large mouth. The tripletail got its nickname due to its large and rounded dorsal, tail and anal fins. These three large lobed fins give an angler the illusion that this fish has three tail fins.

A tripletail can get up to 40 pounds plus and longer than 3 feet. It is a fat looking lazy fish that spends most of its time floating with the currents on its side. It is often associated with floating debris such as mats of seaweed. Tripletails are also found around shipwrecks, the pilings of jetties and sea buoys.

The tripletail is most often a loner, leading a solitary life. Juveniles are common in the near shore areas and are a mottled yellow and tan. The adults are a dark charcoal to black. Due to the adults black coloration tripletails are also called blackfish.

The tripletail is primarily an ambush hunter and will drift around on its side with the head bent downward. Any smaller fish like anchovies and Gulf menhaden that comes close is a potential meal.

The tripletail is an excellent fish for the table but it has a smaller yield of flesh than, say, a snapper, which is normal for any fish that is generally flat.

Anglers can catch tripletail by using a drift-bait or jigging with live bait around pilings or buoys. There exists a small group of anglers in south Alabama that have dedicated themselves to the quest of catching tripletail. These anglers use very long cane poles in excess of 20 feet with live bait. They will move in a boat from pier to pier dangling their bait between the pilings to see if “Mr. Blackfish” is at home.

If you want to know more about tripletails browse the Internet under tripletail or use its scientific name.

Think Global-Act Local!

Dr. Skip Lazauski can be seen on his television show “Eco-Bites”, which airs on Mediacom’s channel 14 and Smartel’s channel 4. To reach Dr. Lazauski for questions and comments, send e-mails to IchiOrca@yahoo.com. For more information, see his Web site, drskiponline.com.