Bloodworms, clams, crabs, and squid are a few of their favorites. They also prefer shrimp, most notably when it is peeled and used by anglers fishing from docks, piers, or bridges. When pigfish are caught, they emit a grunting or snorting noise, which is likely the source of their name.

Is a pigfish a grunt?

Orthopristis chrysoptera, the pigfish, hogfish, redmouth grunt or sailor's choice, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a ″grunt belonging to the family Haemulidae. ... This name derives from the grunting or chattering noise these fish make by rubbing their pharyngeal teeth together.

How do you catch pigfish?

Find a nice, shallow and flat surface that is not under more than 4 feet of water, is grassy and has sandy depressions. Drop a trap or two in there and wait for the fish to swim right in. Place frozen chum in the trap as pigfish bait. When it thaws, the pigfish will be attracted to it.