Planehead Filefish
Stephanolepis hispida
Also called Foolfish.
How to tell it
Palm-sized mottled filefish with a single trigger spine above the eye and sandpaper skin.
Often mistaken for
Two fish that get called planehead filefish, and what gives each one away.
- Orange filefish: Much larger, orange-freckled. Tell them apart
- Gray triggerfish: True trigger — bigger, with a three-spine dorsal lock. Tell them apart
Rules for
Every state
| State | Size | Bag | Season | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida (Atlantic) | No size limit | 5 per species within 20-organism marine life aggregate | Open year-roundFWC 2026 · likely · checked | Open |
| Florida (Gulf) | No size limit | 5 per species within 20-organism marine life aggregate | Open year-roundFWC 2026 · likely · checked | Open |
Not specifically regulated in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia: each state’s rule for unlisted species applies there (on its page).
On the table
Edible but tiny — mostly a bait-stealer.
In the app
Point the camera at a planehead filefish and the name appears before you take the picture, with these rules for the water you’re standing in. No signal needed, and every catch goes in the log.
Get the appQuestions anglers ask about planehead filefish
How many planehead filefish can you keep?
Florida (Atlantic): 5 per species within 20-organism marine life aggregate; Florida (Gulf): 5 per species within 20-organism marine life aggregate.
How do you tell planehead filefish from orange filefish?
Planehead Filefish: Palm-sized mottled filefish with a single trigger spine above the eye and sandpaper skin. Orange filefish: much larger, orange-freckled.