My fresh water fishing experience did not pay off when catching a salt water catfish. The razor sharp / saw toothed spine went right thru my flip flop and into the bottom of my foot...
Never seen a whiting in that color phase if it is one. Northern Kingfish / King Whiting maybe? http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/artkingfish.htm Musta been a sailcat you caught. Pro tip -- cut loose salt water catfish. They suck.
Got another tip from a local. Which should have been a logical thought process my first day.... He said to not let the bait sit at the bottom, but keep casting and reeling in as the catfish are lazy. Duh..... And yeah, I've cut two loose since then.