Fish identification

[fishmagnet]

Can anyone please tell me what kind of fish this is? The photo is pretty crap, but the fish has a flat rounded head and at first glance you think its a flathead. That opinion soon changed when I saw the set of chompers this thing has, pretty agressive too. Tried to bite us on the boat.

It was about 30ish cm long with gold & silver scales.

[Doug]

I think it might be a barracouta. One four foot long attacked me in the Bahamas - came up the f*cking beach after my fly and bit me on the leg!

[fishmagnet]

I pulled this out off Southport (Gold Coast) on the reef. It was not happy to be out of the water and it kept snapping at me.

[chin]

Grants guide to fishes says it's a Painted grinner.:)
Or a Large Scale Grinner.

[fishmagnet]

It seems you are actually on the money Chin. Better photos attached

[fishmagnet]

And another

[fred]

Iwould be careful holding on your lap or are finished with chidren

[fishmagnet]

I wasnt holding on my lap that is someone else with more guts (or less brains) ;-). I was too busy jumping out of the way of the one on the deck trying to bite my toes off.

I really hope I never catch one again.

[Dave]

[QUOTE=fishmagnet;1113] Tried to bite us on the boat.QUOTE] laugh1

nothing worse that being bitten on the ba.... ooohhh boat.. i thought you said ... oh never mind doh

anyway Yep its a grinner.. they make great bait. Catch them like flies on a sandwich in Hervey Bay. Pretty much everything seems to love to eat them.
Only problem is, if you start pulling them in, bugga off somewhere else as they come in what seems like plague proportions once they start... unless you want to get a heap of bait to go after other bigger stuff.

Caught one on a lure one day. Didnt know he was there, dragged that lure for about an hour before I pulled it in and there he was, deader than Diana in a Merc, hanging off the lure, They got a pretty high opinion of themselves as the lure was almost twice his size.

[Brucesta]

we call them lizard fish over herre and make a good mackie bait, i too have had them hanging off a lure for too long before also