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This fish was caught in St. Augustine, Florida. What species is it?

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    $\begingroup$ Looks like a Goosefish (aka. monkfish) to me. $\endgroup$
    – Remi.b
    Commented Apr 9, 2017 at 3:35
  • $\begingroup$ Could be a species of flathead $\endgroup$
    – CKM
    Commented Apr 9, 2017 at 5:27
  • $\begingroup$ Does it have spines? $\endgroup$
    – hamilthj
    Commented Apr 9, 2017 at 6:07
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    $\begingroup$ Did you catch it in fresh water? saltwater? brackish water? And at what depth did you catch it? $\endgroup$
    – theforestecologist ♦
    Commented Apr 10, 2017 at 19:38
  • $\begingroup$ Was the fish caught at the location of the photo? Approximately how deep was the water? $\endgroup$
    – Sudachi
    Commented May 16, 2017 at 3:43

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Looks most likely to be a Gulf Toadfish, Opsanus beta, judging from its size, location caught, and other similar identifying features.

Opsanus beta - photo by Ben Cantrell More detailed species information at: Opsanus beta on FishBase.org

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  • $\begingroup$ I live in Florida and I've neither caught nor seen one of these. I was kind of taken aback! $\endgroup$
    – CKM
    Commented Apr 12, 2017 at 13:52
  • $\begingroup$ It can depend on the environment, with this species common in bays. You would not likely catch it far off from shore. $\endgroup$
    – Sudachi
    Commented Apr 12, 2017 at 13:55
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I am not familiar with fish from Florida. However, that one belongs to the family Lophiidae. Most probably it is Lophiodes reticulatus. Need better resolution photos for identification.

http://www.fishbase.org/summary/3082

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  • $\begingroup$ It seems to me to only appear like a member of Lophiidae. There are other families that are similar in appearance because they are also benthic dwellers. According to FishBase, L. reticulatus is found at depths of 64-820 meters. From the photo provided you can see what appears to be an embankment along the shore. If the fish was caught at the same location, it is unlikely that the environment was of the correct depth for the fish to be L. reticulatus. There are physical features that do not match, for instance, the pectoral fins in the photo are not barbed like L. reticulatus. $\endgroup$
    – Sudachi
    Commented May 16, 2017 at 3:42

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