Possible Kelp Greenling?

My buddy caught this fish in Monterey Bay near the Navy Jetty. Has a Greenling shape, but the pattern is completely different, any idea what it is?

Not a greenling.

I'll be interested to learn what it is.

Thought it was a kingfish at first lol. It does look a bit like a croaker but the fins are wrong.

With the solid top fin and forked tail I would say it's one of the many types of wrasse that frequent the area. Search "kelpfish" on google to see some examples. I find many various species in lingcod.

Best example I can find minus the barred coloring.
http://www.californiaunderwater.com/graphics/kelpfish2.jpg

How'd it taste?

+1 on kelpfish.

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Looks like A barred sand bass.

+2 on kelpfish of some kind.

But why'd you keep it if you couldn't identify it?

Not a kelpfish. The dorsal is wrong. It's some type of greenling. Eitehr a painted greenling or possibly the elusive whitespotted greenling. That's the cool thing about the coast Guard jetty in Monterey---so many different species!

OK wait, I just looked it up because the forked tail was tripping me out. And the dorsal seemed weird to me. But its hard to tell from the picture if the dorsal runs the length of the body & is just damaged...or if it is separated naturally. Ugggh, I don't know what the heck this is. And everybody loves a good mystery fish!

Agree with Andy, I'm pretty sure that's a sand bass.  You can catch them every day all day down south along the breakwaters from LA to San Diego.

100% that's a sand bass.  You can catch them every day all day down south along the breakwaters from LA to San Diego.

Hah!  And I'm absolutely sure it is NOT.   

-Allen

LOL Pole you beat me to it, I was already editing it (my edit time beat your post time ), because one thing that struck me after I hit send was the 3rd spine wasn't pronounced as I remembered them (sharp and sticky).  I looked up a pick and it was as I remembered, so I changed it to "pretty sure" lol since the fin doesn't match.

I'm stumped. Not a greenling.

Juvenile?  Exotic that came in with warm water?

fin structure looks wrong for a kelpfish too.

-Allen

I thought sablefish, but the coloring looks wrong.