By: Capt. Chad Carney
Divers get to witness fish behavior and intelligence. After 50 years of spearfishing in the Gulf, Atlantic & Caribbean Sea, I have rated popular smart and dumb fish, from A+ to F-. (Young, small fish are stupid. So, give them a pass.)
Groupers: Reds scavenge and will sit watching a spearo without turning for cover. Their fillets often have worms. Grade D
Yellowfins are beautiful and act like reds, just a bit more aware. Grade C
Scamps of fair size keep an eye on shooters at a distance. Grade C+
Blacks (Carbos), 30#+ and up will move to a safety hole at 1st glance of a shooter. 80#+ will often hide at only hearing a spearo. Favorite holes have 2 exits. Carbos flee across a reef & swim into currents. Grade B
Gags, 20#+ are as smart as blacks. They also circle out into the sand and lay in depressions, hence the nick name “rusty bellies”. They’re fast & good at shaking spears. Grade B+
Snappers: All are curious and are master spear shakers.
Mangroves are fast & know it. They turn thin to reduce their target size. 8#+ they stay afar & zip into tight holes. C+
Yellowtails are found in clear water and avoid spearos. Grade B-
Red’s & Mutton’s curiosity allows one shot, then it’s adios! Grade B
Cuberas hang unseen in shadows. I saw my first only because he flinched when I stoned a grouper. He hid in a wreck and I hung back, guessing and aiming where he’d peak out. I was lucky. A big cubera once used goliaths for cover to escape a wreck! An 82# cubera bolted a wreck with no more structure. I waited forever till he showed. A 25-ft freeshaft dropped him. Grade A+
Misc.: Amberjack (Reef donkeys) school above bottom hanging with active spearos & even bump divers. Grade D
Lionfish were unafraid at first, but now with one shot they’ll hide. Grade C
Hogfish zip to a speared buddy & start to feed in the sand, not look at a spearo. After a haircut tear-out shot, some swim 5 ft & feed again! Definitely a grade F-