Jewel Runaway Bay Jamaica 2017

[MuskieBait]

First fish looks to be a Houndfish of the Tylosurus genus...although it's is impossible to tell if it was Tylosurus crocodilus (Houndfish) or Tylosurus acus acu (Agujon needlefish)...because the anal fin is covered by the hand and there's no way to take measurements.

Tylosurus crocodilus - anal fin long, 5.5-8.0 times in body length
Tylosurus acus acus - anal fin short, 9.7-11.7 times in body length

Second fish is Common Squirrelfish (Holocentrus adscensionis). It is not a Longspine Squirrelfish (Holocentrus rufus)

Holocentrus adsecensionis - NO white triangles at the tips between each dorsal spines, reddish or pinkish second dorsal fin
Holocentrus rufus - white triangles at the tips between each the dorsal spines, yellowish second dorsal fin

People are often insistent on fishing lures in saltwater for predators. Yeah, that's fun...but people miss out so much action if they would simply suck it up and use some bait. Smaller fish are not timid. If you drop a piece of raw shrimp into the water, you'll see a swarm of smaller fish on the shrimp immediately. Smaller fish far from shy. Larger predators often show a level of caution and reduced aggression...which is why they don't usually attack lures that moves slower (more time to inspect the lures) but will only attack instinctively to fast moving lures.

Small snapper will hit anything...but a big tarpon can stare at or nose a live herring for a long time if it remotely senses something isn't right...and if something really isn't right, the tarpon will not hesitate to refuse the bait and swim off nonchalantly.