ARE HARDHEADS GOOD TO EAT?

11-12-2013--I'm not fishing today but wanted to publish some recent pictures and forward a text I received about the delicacy of hardhead catfish,




Several times during the fishing trip on Sunday, November 10, I was questioned about eating hardhead catfish.  They wanted to know if I had tried it, did I know anyone who had and why wouldn't it be good, etc.  Against all my negative input at least two of the three voted to keep some hardheads.  They even offered to clean them at their house so I wouldn't have to be seen with hardheads at the cleaning stand.  When we came in no one else was around the dock so I cleaned the hardheads for them.  It should be noted I cleaned them first just in case someone showed up. Here is the text I received:

     "Ron, this is Robert.  You fished with us Saturday and Sunday.  I wanted to give u a hardhead report.  We took our fish to the crab"n" like us suggested.  I told the folks there I had brown snapper so they would not laugh or throw it out.  We had it fried cajun style and everyone who tried it said it was delicious.  Everything else turned out great also.  You have a chance to get in on the ground floor of a fishing revolution and become a premier hardhead guide.  Had a great time, thanks."

As I write this a serious cold front is on it's way.  Hopefully, the resulting cooler water temperatures will cause bait and fish to leave the back bays and marshes and more trout and redfish where we can reach them with bay boats.  Lately we have found good numbers of trout in some areas but almost all have been small.  To get fish for the box we have targeted redfish and black drum. The black drum are biting shrimp dead or alive.  Cut perch cut mullet, shrimp and artificial lures have all worked for redfish.  The redfish are mostly around 20 inches or 28 inches with very few being mid-slot size fish in the 22 to 26 inch

range.  

  

BIG BLACK DRUM

10-20-2013--Only had one client today.  While drifting the flats for redfish and trout we were surprised when he hooked up a monster that turned out to be a 37 inch black drum.  On the next drift very nearby, he hooked up and landed an even larger black drum.  The second one measured 42 inches.  Of course both fish were quickly released after pictures were taken.

PERSONAL BEST

10-15-2013--Early this morning a boat ran in front of us about 300 yards away.  Right after the boat passed we had two hook ups at the same time.  One got away but the other turned out to be a 39 inch redfish.  It was the biggest redfish the man had ever caught.  The fish was released after pictures.

WET DAY

10-16-2013--The north wind hit earlier than forecast this morning.  We had just finished a 20 minute run to our fishing spot which is good in a southeast or east wind but not north when the strong north wind and rain came.  We then moved 5 miles to the other side of the bay. We all had good rain jackets so the rain didn't bother us too much but I had to get out of the boat twice in thigh deep water.  The first time was when a rod shot out of it's holder with a hard hitting red on the other end.  After wading back and forth I found the line and pulled up the rod, walked back to the boat and handed it to one of the fishermen.  He reeled in the keeper redfish.  Later a hat blew out of the boat and I waded out to get it.  At the end of the day we had a good box of fish with 10 black drum, 5 sheepshead and 2 redfish.

GOOD DAY ON THE WATER

10-12-2013--Caught keeper trout, black drum, sheepshead, shark and redfish today. Also, caught lots of small fish.  Reds were good sized with one being over sized and one just shy of 28 Inches. Redfish all came on cut skip jack that the fishermen caught earlier in the day.  

ANOTHER BONNETHEAD SHARK

10-2-2013--One of my fishermen caught and released a Bonnethead shark on the same reef where the one was caught last Saturday.  Again the bait was dead shrimp.

BONNETHEAD SHARK

 9-28-2013--One of my two fishermen caught a 39 inch Bonnethead shark on dead shrimp while fishing for black drum and redfish.  Interesting part is we were in near the second chain of islands in the South end of San Antonio bay.  This is the first I've known of a keeper Bonnethead being found in that area.