Queen Triggerfish
Balistes vetula
Also called Old wife.
How to tell it
The painted trigger — curving blue face lines, gold-to-purple body, trailing tail filaments.
Often mistaken for
Two fish that get called queen triggerfish, and what gives each one away.
- Gray triggerfish: Drab gray with saddle blotches. Tell them apart
- Ocean triggerfish: Plain gray-brown, offshore. 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).
State records
| State | Weight | When, where | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 7 lb 8 oz | 1999 | Outdoor Alabama Saltwater State Records · checked 2026-08-23 |
| Georgia | 9 lb 6.24 oz | 2024 | GA DNR CRD Saltwater Records · checked 2026-08-23 |
| Louisiana | 8.93 lb | 2025 · Gulf of America | LOWA Louisiana State Fish Records (Saltwater, Rod & Reel) · checked 2026-08-23 |
| Mississippi | 7 lb 6.4 oz | 2007 | MDMR State Saltwater Records (Conventional) · checked 2026-08-23 |
| North Carolina | 10 lb 11 oz | 2012 · Off Jacksonville | NCDMF State Saltwater Records · checked 2026-08-22 |
| South Carolina | 10 lb 7 oz | 2025 · Edisto | SCDNR Saltwater Game Fish Records · checked 2026-08-23 |
| Texas | 10.49 lb | 1989 · Gulf of America | TPWD State Records (Saltwater, Rod & Reel) · checked 2026-08-23 |
On the table
Good — skin it; ciguatera caution on big island fish.
In the app
Point the camera at a queen triggerfish 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 queen triggerfish
How many queen triggerfish 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 queen triggerfish from gray triggerfish?
Queen Triggerfish: The painted trigger — curving blue face lines, gold-to-purple body, trailing tail filaments. Gray triggerfish: drab gray with saddle blotches.
What is the record queen triggerfish?
10 lb 11 oz in North Carolina (2012), Off Jacksonville. Other states’ records are in the table.