Does anyone know what kind of fish this is?
 

We took a run to the corners over the weekend. Fishing was slow but we got a few. I picked up this fish, I am not sure what it is. Looks (and tastes) like some type of snapper. Caught it in 800' of water off the bottom. Any ideas?

Looks like a Black Sea Bass.. nice size one too.

I have caught many of sea bass over the years. The mouth on those looks more like a grouper (at least the fish we call sea bass in FL). This ones mouth is smaller like a snapper.

Good call on the mouth.. not a seabass.

lookslike a cross between a seabass and a tautog

If that were a black sea bass it would be a world record. I don't know what that fish is but's not a black sea bass, at least not the same ones we get in the NE.

Sorry Mr. Rainmaker......I'm not sure what is is except ugly. But if it tastes like snapper then it's not so ugly after all. :)

After some searching and asking, I think this one is a Black Snapper. That may explain why it tasted like a snapper.

Yes, it is a Black Snapper.
I've caught a very few over the years when fishing for Tile fish, usually straight off the Ball at Juno/Lost Tree 3 1/2 to 4 miles offshore, or at the Tiger Bowl, 6 miles off Delray. I've never caught one in less than 300' of water, and most have been 600'+. The last one I caught was in the mid 1990's.

Pomfret