Fish has hairy Eyebrows, what is he??

He looks suspiciously like a type of scorpion fish to me. I'd be careful and put him back.

 

I guess to be sure... How does he behave? Does he swim all over the place or stay on the bottom? Did you handle him bare handed?

 

this is the only kind of scorpion fish i found on the net (in florida)

Scorpion Fish - Florida Keys Fish Photo, Picture

i still think hes a sand perch but i guess better safe than sorry

 

He stays pretty much on the bottom which rules out sand perch since they are pretty active swimers and they don't have hairy forheads..caught my far share fishing as a kid. The scorpoin fish was definatly a concern, and yes a did touch him bare handed, no pain, and yes is was stupid, but how would I learn if would hurt otherwise right? its just not ugly enough for a scorpoin fish, and they do get rather big I see them dining on the reefs, I though may be he is a juvi but the fin structure is not right.....So the quest goes on
Thats for all the work though gator

 

And the answer is.......

So the scorpion fish got me thinking...I looked for the juvenile version and the majic of the web I stubled on to the........ wait for it............. ROCK GREENLING. He, yes it is a male as the color patter is told, can also adjust color to addapt to suroundings, comes from the Pacific and I could not find any matterial about him being in south Florida...invasive species? Anyways the rock greenling is considered a eating fish that will grow to 16" long. I think he will fit in just fine in my preditor tank. He willl live with a Clown Barbed Grouper and a Six-line Grouper.
Hey Thanks Again for the imput, got me on the trak

 

cool! yea entirely possible that its here but not native. I mean, there's lion fish now in the keys and they will soon spread farther up the coast and possibly decimate reefs in the process

 

nothing ever stays in the same area forever.when i was in del i would see fish from time to time that did not belong there.there are alot more lionfish than what you normaly see in the hobby trade.there are even fresh water ones.

 

Good guess but it's not a greenling.
The rock green ling have smaller mouths and are cold water fish. I go fishing for them every year on the oregon coast. is the inside of its mouth green or blue?

 

Red fish blue fish

Hey snooop I see your point about the mouth color. this one is neither blue or green. My guess is an invasive addaption of the species the the Warm Atlantic waters. I looked at the fishing pics from up on your coast, cool fish by the way, how do they taste?
he are a few pics I based my guess on. Color is a little pailer but the body and head detail are dead on, both site listed these as "Rock Greenling