er1c_the_reefer,
At first glance, this looked to me like the start of Lymphocystis (a common viral disease). Looking closer though, it seems that the lesions are focused around an underlying lesion - possibly an injury (the vertical brownish coloration under the white spots). This probably happened when the fish was caught up in a net before you took it home. That could also mean a bacterial infection - BUT the Lymphocystis virus also can enter a fish through an injury - so it may be that after all. If it is Lymphocystis, the only treatment is time - it may get worse before it gets better (rarely is it fatal) but there is no treatment for it. If it is a bacterial infection - a treatment (other than copper) may be required. Watch for more positive signs of bacterial infection such as redness, rapid growth of the lesion, and other symptoms like rapid breathing, not feeding, etc. Otherwise - my advice woud be to just wait and see.
Jay