a beautiful lizardfish caught bottom fishing

This is a family of fish common throughout the islands here that is often considered a pest.  They are often caught when other larger and more sporting fish are being targeted.  These fish rest on the seafloor on sandy bottoms, rock, coral or weeds and ambush smaller fish that wander too near them.  Lizard fish are generally quite small however some species do grow larger.  It is most common to catch these fish when fishing with minnow like lures, spoons or jigs, or live/dead bait.   They strike at lures with ferocious speed and on the initial strike give the impression that they are a larger fish. Be careful handling these fish because their little teeth are quite sharp.  Here in Cebu these fish are known as Tikitiki or Tuko.  They have little value as a food fish but they do make an ok bait.

These fish do look very much like lizards