Orthopristis chrysoptera, the pigfish, hogfish, piggy perch, redmouth grunt or sailor's choice, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grunt belonging to the family Haemulidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.

Also known as a grunt. Feed on small fishes and invertebrates. Audible grunting is produced by grinding of the pharyngeal teeth, with air bladder acting as amplifier. Popular as bait.

Description: Pigfish are characterized by a long, sloping snout, 12 to 13 anal fin rays and the grunting sound they make when removed from the water. The fish are a pale blue-gray color at the top that shades to silver below.

Pigfish, also called "piggy perch," were probably named for their noise. Like other members of the grunt family, pigfish make a chattering sound by rubbing the teeth in their throat together. By night, pigfish use their throat teeth to grind up shellfish and small bits of other food.

Pigfish are characterized by irregular barring on the cheeks, a mottled appearance, or indistinct, irregular vertical bars. Often mistaken for pinfish, its dorsal spines are smaller, the eye is smaller and the distance from eye to mouth is greater.

Jul 12, 2022 · Pinfish and pigfish are small saltwater fish commonly used as bait. While they can look somewhat similar at first glance, pinfish are much smaller and generally only grow to be about half the size of pigfish. Pinfish also have a dark spot behind the gills.

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Inhabits coastal waters, over sand and mud bottoms. Forms schools. Mainly nocturnal and non-burrowing. Feeds on crustaceans and smaller fishes. Undergoes seasonal migration as well as local nocturnal-diurnal foraging migrations (Ref. 25).

Habitat: A variety of shallow water habitats (sand, mud or grassy bottoms). Bait and Tackle: Cane pole and light spinning gear work well with cut bait or shrimp. They will also go for jigs or small plugs. Fishing Method: Drifting, still fishing. Food Value: Large fish are good panfish.

Pigfish may refer to: Fishes in the family Congiopodidae; Redmouth grunt, Orthopristis chrysoptera (Linnaeus) Golden-spot hogfish, Bodianus perditio; Red pigfish, Bodianus unimaculatus