Q: I caught and released this strange-looking little fish while making bait near Coiba Island in Panama. It hit a sabiki rig in about 100 feet of water. I have never seen anything like it. It does not look like any snapper I have ever seen. Do you have any idea what kind of fish it is? I heard someone call it a "creolefish." Does the species grow much larger? Is it edible?

Andy Mezirow
Crackerjack Charters
Seward, Alaska

A: That handsome fish is the Pacific creolefish, Paranthias colonus, a distant relative of sea basses and groupers. Pacific creolefish grow to about 14 inches long and range from southern California to Peru, so your Panama catch is right where you would expect to find them. This reef species often gathers in schools of 1,000 or more. During daylight, they hang above the reefs picking zooplankton out of the water (which is why you caught one on a sabiki). At night they hole up in caves and crevices. Until recently, creolefish were not terribly important as commercial fish. However, as commercial fishermen depleted larger species, they have shifted to pursuing this one. – Milt Love