BajaNomad - Your favorite..and LEAST favorite fish to catch?

Your favorite..and LEAST favorite fish to catch?

Pompano - 4-4-2011 at 04:21 PM

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The Sea of Cortez contains a vast variety of fishes. Which are your favorites?...and which do you really dislike?

Here's one that I truly hate to bring aboard, but I had to a couple days ago..so I could release it as quickly as possible.

The lizardfish.

About as palatable as lutefisk.

If this ever becomes a target fish, I'm going back to golfing.

The following courtesy of Mexfish.com.

The Lizardfishes (Synodontidae): The Synodontidae or Lizardfish Family has 40 species, of which 31 are of the genus Synodus. Five of these reside in the eastern Tropical Pacific and all five are found in Mexican waters and are known as Chiles.

The lizardfishes have slender cylindrical bodies, pointed "lizard-like" heads with large mouths that have many rows of fine teeth. They have one dorsal fin, mid-body, and a small adipose fin along the back, large pelvic fins with eight or nine rays that are located on the abdomen behind the pectoral fin, and a forked caudal fin. The fins are without spines and they have a straight lateral line.

Lizardfishes are sedimentary bottom dwellers found sitting motionless, perched on their pectoral fins, or buried in the sand with one eye exposed, waiting to ambush unsuspecting prey. They are voracious predators feeding primarily on small fishes, krill, squid, and shrimp.

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[Edited on 4-4-2011 by Pompano]

fishabductor - 4-4-2011 at 04:24 PM

My favorite fish has got to be the Wahoo...the worse is a toss up.

Oso - 4-4-2011 at 04:40 PM

To catch- Snook. To eat- believe it or not-Trigger. Worst for either- Sculpin.

mike odell - 4-4-2011 at 04:42 PM

Another favorite vote for Wahoo.
Least favorite, damnedable Needlefish!

baitcast - 4-4-2011 at 04:44 PM

The worst is easy " the Bigmouth Bastard" of BOLA the best very tough choice but its got to be the Bluefin Tuna of Guadalupe island.
Which is just to the west of the SOC :lol:

Which is close enough.
Rob

[Edited on 4-4-2011 by baitcast]

Iflyfish - 4-4-2011 at 05:18 PM

Gotta chime in here:

Love this "sedimentary bottom dwellers" Must find someone to apply this great metaphore to. Any ideas? Ask your tackle box, it no doubt has the answer. Good to see you back amigo.

Iflyfishwithsedimentarybottomdwellers

24baja - 4-4-2011 at 05:49 PM

Yellowtail best and needle fish or barracuda worst.....

fishabductor - 4-4-2011 at 06:04 PM

I have to defend the needlefish, as they are wonderful to eat. Blue meat that turns white when cooked. lots of bones...so to make them easy to eat, steak them instead of filleting.

they are a blast to catch on light gear and ranger lures on the drop.

Just stay away from the teeth! I had one attack a zodiak and puncture the tube several yrs ago. :!:

[Edited on 4-5-2011 by fishabductor]

Pompano - 4-4-2011 at 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Iflyfish
Gotta chime in here:

Love this "sedimentary bottom dwellers" Must find someone to apply this great metaphore to. Any ideas? Ask your tackle box, it no doubt has the answer. Good to see you back amigo.

Iflyfishwithsedimentarybottomdwellers

Good thought there, iflyfish...that term 'sedimentary bottom dwellers' reminds me of an old Baja amigo, Jake who once long ago referred to folks he disliked as 'bottomfish and reloads'.

Being somewhat a recluse, Jake pretty much included all of mankind into that category.

His favorite fish was cabrilla..and his least favorite was sculpin.

[Edited on 4-5-2011 by Pompano]

24baja - 4-4-2011 at 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by fishabductor
I have to defend the needlefish, as they are wonderful to eat. Blue meat that turns white when cooked. lots of bones...so to make them easy to eat, steak them instead of filleting.

they are a blast to catch on light gear and ranger lures on the drop.

Just stay away from the teeth! I had one attack a zodiak and puncture the tube several yrs ago. :!:

[Edited on 4-5-2011 by fishabductor]

I had no idea you could eat them......maybe we will try one someday. Thanks fishabductor!

Pompano - 4-4-2011 at 06:16 PM

The needlefish flesh changing color when cooked remnds me of green ling cod...??

Cypress - 4-4-2011 at 06:19 PM

My choice of worst fish is the hardhead catfish. My favorite? Snapper or grouper! No! Speckled trout! Or maybe cobia? Redfish? Halibut! Heck, just can't make up my mind on the favorite.

Sirena - 4-4-2011 at 06:20 PM

Trumpet fish....

tiotomasbcs - 4-4-2011 at 06:23 PM

Sculpin as a Fav and then despised because of poison spines!! I have never seen them in Baja Sur, however. Anyone else? I have stepped on a Pufferfish, even tho one adorns my house as an artistic object! Life is just as weird! Tio

fishabductor - 4-4-2011 at 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pompano
The needlefish flesh changing color when cooked remnds me of green ling cod...??

Cabazon also have green/blue flesh that turns white...yummy!

fishabductor - 4-4-2011 at 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tiotomasbcs
Sculpin as a Fav and then despised because of poison spines!! I have never seen them in Baja Sur, however. Anyone else? I have stepped on a Pufferfish, even tho one adorns my house as an artistic object! Life is just as weird! Tio

I have caught a Scorpion Fish on the eastcape's shallow reefs. It is a variety of the sculpin, the spines are extremely poisioness, but the meat is delicious.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpaenidae

Cypress - 4-4-2011 at 06:30 PM

tiotomasbcs, Yea, you can catch sculpin in the Sea of Cortez.

Skipjack Joe - 4-4-2011 at 08:20 PM

That's what I like about kids:

They don't have a least favorite fish.

I can remember when a pufferfish was a prized catch. And the barracuda we caught at Pt. Escondido were the talk of the playground for weeks after coming back home. And the needlefish we got at Carmen on the only day it didn't blow looked so fierce and exotic, especially after I told him how sharp and dangerous their teeth were. And the excitement of looking down from the Pt Escondido pier and seeing a trumpetfish spear his shiny kastmaster.

So there you have it: an inverted pyramid.

mulegemichael - 4-4-2011 at 08:29 PM

scorpionfish are most certainly my least favorite after seeing what they can do...an amigo i've worked beside for several decades as a ranger was staying at our place a couple of years ago in mulege...doing a little jigging when not trolling for dorado....he hauled this little red fish in and before i could stay stop he'd been stuck...his hand swelled up the size of a large zucchini!..nasty stuff..he was trolling feathers the next day, tho

Cisco - 4-4-2011 at 10:13 PM

For eating , Sculpin are my favorite although baby Calicos are delicious also. Bull Bass not so good. Any of the deepwater, 100 fathom plus bottomfish are generally a good bet.

Catching, locally, Scooters (Barracuda) although I do not care to eat them. Right time of the year when they have roe, the roe is DELICIOUS fried in butter.

Best catching for me is not sportfishing but rather a one-pole Albacore stop of three or four hours.

The worst case of fish poisoning I ever had was working the tank on a black skippy stop and getting stuck with an anchovy spine. Had those long black, really hurt bad veins running up from a grotesquely huge hand and lower arm. Just junk the anchovy had picked up while hanging out in the tank I guess.

Iflyfish - 4-5-2011 at 07:02 AM

Favorite Fish: Pufferfish, used to create Zombies in Haiti, true story. I like it cause of the lore. See The Serpant and the Rainbow penned by a Harvard Ethnobotanist, yup, there is such a thing. Wish I had thought of doing that! Go out in the jungle, hang with the folks and occasionally blow your consciousness away with some mind altering plant sitting next to someone dressed in a funny feathered headress spewing rum all over you as you hallucinate. Now that indeed will leave you hearing voices in your tackle box!

Least favorite fish: The fetid one that slithered under the boat seat and released it's decomposing stench through out the entire garage, "'What the hell is that smell anyway?" "I don't know dear, it wasn't me"

Iflyfishonoccasionnow

monoloco - 4-5-2011 at 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Iflyfish
Favorite Fish: Pufferfish, used to create Zombies in Haiti, true story. I like it cause of the lore. See The Serpant and the Rainbow penned by a Harvard Ethnobotanist, yup, there is such a thing. Wish I had thought of doing that! Go out in the jungle, hang with the folks and occasionally blow your consciousness away with some mind altering plant sitting next to someone dressed in a funny feathered headress spewing rum all over you as you hallucinate. Now that indeed will leave you hearing voices in your tackle box!

Least favorite fish: The fetid one that slithered under the boat seat and released it's decomposing stench through out the entire garage, "'What the hell is that smell anyway?" "I don't know dear, it wasn't me"

Iflyfishonoccasionnow

Wade Davis is the author, he also wrote "One River", one of my favorite books.

MitchMan - 4-5-2011 at 07:53 AM

Got to defend baracudas.

I have caught my share of them in Ensenada and off shore in So Cal. Most people dismiss them. Fact is, the meat is very good, especially if you can clean the fish not too long after catching. Easy to clean and filet. The meat cooks absolutely white and is flaky and tender, not fishy at all (BTW, fishiness doesn't bother me in the least), and virtually no bones. A legal sized baracuda (22 inches) gives you four perfectly rectangular sized filets.

Sautee barry filet over a very low flame in butter and garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and the juice of 1/4 of a fresh squeezed lime. Pull off the fire just when the flesh goes from translucent to white, and not a second later.

The really great thing about baracuda is that they take smoking really well. In my view, baracudas are a great catch. To me, they are an unsung hero. Haven't caught any in baja sur. Still hoping to, though.

Favorite fish to catch, Dorado. Favorite fish to eat, raw tuna as sushi, and cabrilla cooked, with pargo mulato a close third. Actually, just about all fish is great if you can gut them right away after catching (except trigger fish, but they are good for ceviche, fish tacos, and soup).

Man, I am getting peeed! Just now talked myself into a frenzy and I can't do anything about it today. I am missing out on the great fishing in La Paz. Pompano says that he listens to the voices in his tackle box. My boat and truck are screaming at me right now. Damn!

Pompano - 4-5-2011 at 07:59 AM

I agree about smoked barracuda, Mitchman. Been doing that for years and it is a annual favorite when returning to fishing Baja..especially these days when the fishing has deteriorated somewhat. Viva barracuda!

baitcast - 4-5-2011 at 08:24 AM

Finally got a pic of this lovely,big head no body,try eating this guy and this meat swells up and looks like some sponge,and there is the mouth!!
And there you have it the Big Mouth Bastard or Jawfish of the Mid Drift.

Phil S - 4-5-2011 at 09:28 AM

My favorite is the winter steelhead, caught in the North Umpqua River. Then the Brown trout for summer fishing.
Worse would be the chub, found in the South Umpqua River :lol:

[Edited on 4-5-2011 by Phil S]

fishabductor - 4-5-2011 at 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Phil S
My favorite is the winter steelhead, caught in the North Umpqua River. Then the Brown trout for summer fishing.
Worse would be the chub, found in the South Umpqua River :lol:

[Edited on 4-5-2011 by Phil S]

you ever night fish for browns with mouse and rat patterns?

When I lived in bozeman, we'd fish the east Gallatin after closing the bars. We'd go on moonless nights and creep up to the bank and then wait a 1/2hr in silence before slingshoting the 5-6" rat patterns into the bushes. we'd them thrash around in the bushes using weedless setups and then let them fall into the water.
Some of the browns we caught were in the 20lb range, most were over 15lbs. We used 10wt flyrods for this fishing with 25lb handtied flouro leaders. We lost way more fish than we landed, the fish would dive into the car bodies that were used as erosion protection back in the 50's/60's. The biggest brown lived in a car hull in the middle of the river. My buddy who turned me on to this fishing hooked him a few times, but never landed him. we released every one we landed....What fun it was.

David K - 4-5-2011 at 05:19 PM

Most favorite to catch... dorado (mahi mahi, dolphinfish) for fun and food. Corbinas and croakers for food, too... gee most anything is good!

Least favorite... totuava... because you got to let it go!

Paulina - 4-5-2011 at 06:00 PM

My least favorite fish to catch is the one that comes up without a body because it was chomped on by a sea lion just before being brought to the gaff.

My favorite fish to catch is...pretty much all of them, specially the ones that make you work the hardest.

P>*)))>{

dtbushpilot - 4-5-2011 at 06:19 PM

I thought this would be easy when I first read the topic but after reading the posts I can't decide. If I had to only pick one of each category I would pick yellowfin tuna as my favorite "catching" fish because they are a terrific fighter, they are far from my favorite eating fish though. That would probably go to the grouper. My least favorite is the needle fish because they really tear up your line and will often cut you off especially when you are trying out your new $15 lure. They do fight like crazy though.....dt

fishabductor - 4-5-2011 at 06:38 PM

Now that I have had plenty of time to think about it...the worse fish I have ever caught has got to be a morrey eel. I basically just cut the line, leave the hook.

They roll up your line and make huge rats nests, they are nasty, dangerous and they taste like rubber. I catch them at night on calamar cut bait. Not fun to release in the dark...not one skinking bit.

No wonder you find them thrown up and down the beach after the locals shorefish. They obviously don't like them either! :lol:

[Edited on 4-6-2011 by fishabductor]

pauldurazo - 4-5-2011 at 08:54 PM

i hate barriletes
and love to catch a good cabrilla or botete yumm yumm

mulegemichael - 4-5-2011 at 09:01 PM

one time while snorkeling at the north end of frailles on the rocks with my entire family, i was chumming in little fish with crackers and little pieces of squid...all my kids were out finning around...then, out of nowhere, a big ol moray came a lurching up and clamped on to my oldest sons swimfin....jake fairly jetskiied across the water up on the rocks and the eel was still holding on...quite the experience!

fishabductor - 4-5-2011 at 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mulegemichael
one time while snorkeling at the north end of frailles on the rocks with my entire family, i was chumming in little fish with crackers and little pieces of squid...all my kids were out finning around...then, out of nowhere, a big ol moray came a lurching up and clamped on to my oldest sons swimfin....jake fairly jetskiied across the water up on the rocks and the eel was still holding on...quite the experience!

great spot to snorkel when there is a north wind. lots of big fish. I really dislike moray eels, they are like pitbulls with rabies.

Pompano - 4-6-2011 at 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by fishabductor
great spot to snorkel when there is a north wind. lots of big fish. I really dislike moray eels, they are like pitbulls with rabies.

Years ago I dove all the time and really had some memorable adventures underwater. Jorge, a friend from the old Punto Chivato crew, and I would make a lot of night dives off Santa Inez. That will make the hair rise on your neck for sure. I have a scar on my left eyebrow put there by a moray eel. Another time a sea lion mistook me for a harem competitor when I was bugging some rocks in my black wetsuit. He almost got me. His pressure wave banged me into the rocks twice. Remember when those Mares California air guns first came out? Surprised many a Baja grouper, cabrilla, parrotfish, bass, you name it, I speared it.
Maybe I will again in the next reincarnation.

Good hunting.

Howard - 4-6-2011 at 06:06 AM

Mrs. Fridays beer battered Cod. :biggrin:

bajabass - 4-6-2011 at 07:51 AM

My favorite one is the last one that pulled massive drag! Last Sunday, 30-40lb jurel just off Punta Arena. Least favorite, bait stealing, slimy burro, razor toothed needlefish!

LaloinBaja - 4-6-2011 at 08:26 AM

Best has to be yellowfin tuna....And there is bad fish...onle some are better than others!! :yes:

Skipjack Joe - 4-6-2011 at 09:09 AM

Good point bajabass.

Favorite fish? Why, it's the one on my line right now, of course.

Sallysouth - 4-6-2011 at 01:40 PM

Fav fish, Yurel, to catch, Cabrilla to eat.Not so fav, needlefish, and Barillete.They wear you out while trying to get to the good stuff!Baracuda is good smoked, agree w/mitchman.Try brushing a little Yoshida on them while smoking.Edit to include:needlefish are full of worms.Some don't mind that, but i do! :barf:

[Edited on 4-7-2011 by Sallysouth]

bajabass - 4-6-2011 at 01:57 PM

There is a bar in Orange, CA, that I used to frequently visit. A "Cheers" type place with great food. When I would get cudas, "slimers" in Socal, I filleted on the spot and iced them. :yes:

The owner of the bar would batter fry them with a medium strong Cajun seasoning, along with huge plates of fries and ranch dressing, I fed the whole bar several times. :bounce:

Seems the Cajun spices made people more thirsty, and he liked that! :tumble:

The key to making mediocre fish taste great, is to bleed, and/or clean, then chill A.S.A.P. !!!!!

[Edited on 4-6-2011 by bajabass]

Another 'well, maybe not?..fish' to pull aboard...

Pompano - 4-6-2011 at 04:11 PM

..unless you have those really looooong hot dog buns?

Matt (Mateo)my amigo and neighbor in Coyote Bay with a Reef Cornetfish from Coyote Bay in 1999.

Note: Mateo built the present day El Candil bar & restaurant in Mulege..purely as a gift to the Mexican family that owns the property at an expense of $75,000 USD. He told me.."I just want a place where I can always come for a cold beer." Wow...a pretty high bar tab for a few beers. He had remarkably good taste in setting a barstyle and was a master craftsman, carving me a birthday scrimshaw out of a sperm whale's tooth one year. Quite a Baja Character.

Sadly, Mateo passed away in 2004 and very few remember him today.

[Edited on 4-7-2011 by Pompano]

Pompano - 4-6-2011 at 04:30 PM

I've had these guys aboard my old African Queen-type 'Pompano' boat before.

Believe me, it's not something I would recommend to a novice... :rolleyes:

This is Junior..at 9 feet.

.
.

Above - Also these golden mysteries from way deep. Gara...? Or...?

Mi amigo, Ed The Plumber, is asking me, "Is This Good To Eat?"

My answer: NO

[Edited on 4-8-2011 by Pompano]

Soooo close to being my favorite eating fish...

Pompano - 4-6-2011 at 04:41 PM

..that it's miles ahead of whatever is in 3rd place.

The cabrilla.

..from the ocean...

... to the grill that night...simply great both times.

Now THOSE are some SLABS!!

Sallysouth - 4-6-2011 at 05:19 PM

Wow! Now THATS what I'm talking about!!! I'm drooling....The Best!!!

moogie - 4-7-2011 at 10:21 AM

My favorite fish to catch are Roosters. My least favorite is Needlefish.

[Edited on 4-7-2011 by moogie]

[Edited on 4-7-2011 by moogie]

[Edited on 4-7-2011 by moogie]

[Edited on 4-7-2011 by moogie]

moog rooster 1.jpg - 19kB

castaway$ - 4-7-2011 at 02:23 PM

I've fried barracuda that I caught at Inez and it was delicious! Are there any reports of Ciguarta from SOC cuda's?

AmoPescar - 4-7-2011 at 04:14 PM

I couldn’t decide on only one FAVORITE and one LEAST FAVORITE…

So here’s my FAVORITES …

# 1 Favorite: ROOSTERFISH …they put up one heck of a fight and are also a real challenge to hook!

# 2 Favorite: YELLOWFIN TUNA …no matter what size they are, they put up one heck of a fight. The Bigger they get, the harder they are to catch!

# 3 Favorite: Striped Marlin/Sailfish …their acrobatics can make them a really tough battle!

But hey…if the fishing for favorites is slow…anything caught on light equipment and line can be a blast. Catching a 1 lb. Mack on 4# test on a fresh water outfit can be an amazingly fun fight!

My LEAST favorites…

# 1 Least Favorite: Sculpin …I hate anything with a poisonous tip that can hurt me!

# 2 Least Favorite: Giant Squid …getting constantly shot at with Ink and sea water gets annoying after a while! BUT…they sure are good eating!

# 3 Least Favorite: Rock Cod/Rock Fish …catching them in shallow water one at a time is alright, but pulling up a 5 fish stringer from 500’ is a real Pain in the b_ _ t …and also a real pain in the forearm!

Some others on my LIST…

# 1 Favorite to eat: Wahoo …without a doubt my favorite…VERY tasty!

# 1 Favorite to see: Dorado …such a cool looking fish …amazing colors!

# 1 Toughest to catch: Triggerfish …their tough little mouths make them a real challenge to catch…but they sure do make great Ceviche!

Though these fish may all be favorites or Least favorites …We ALL KNOW what they say… “Any day fishing is better than any day at work!” (or insert anything else you want for ‘work’)

Miguelamo :yes:

acadist - 4-7-2011 at 07:35 PM

My favourite is the first fish of the trip

My least favourite is about the 20th needlefish :lol:

Sallysouth - 4-7-2011 at 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pompano

What is that Pomp?Looks like a Girabaldi!!(sp)

[Edited on 4-8-2011 by Sallysouth]

Skipjack Joe - 4-7-2011 at 08:59 PM

Popeye catalufa

Never was fortunate enough to see or catch one.