13 Comments
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Bryan Fobbus's avatar

Great story, great pic! Never knew you could eat rudder fish raw.

Just returned from LA (lower Alabama ) after chasing redfish 4 nights. First time ever.

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Alicia Winter's avatar

Squidding. Come spring, I smile just thinking about it. Ceviche, stuffed, calamari, cioppino, over pasta, in fried rice. It's a pain in the butt to clean, but great fun in the evenings on the beach.

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Andrew S Behler's avatar

When spring comes around I start to day dream about crappie. I love watching the slip bobber take a dive and set the hook on a fat slab. Good eats. In late summer, its squirrel hunting. Those first few hunts when its the leaves are still on, its a little too warm, but fall is coming. Its quite enjoyable living in cycles. This morning, after reading this article I'm excited to hunt big bluegill this weekend. Simple things.

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Rob's avatar

Wow, sounds like a fun day. I've caught about half of the species you mention, would love to latch onto a king mackerel or a big shark. Smaller bonnethead sharks are everywhere, where we fish in the Florida Gulf, but I have not kept and eaten one yet......plan to do that next. Gag grouper are indeed fantastic eating, it's just too bad that the season had to be shortened so drastically.

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Hank Shaw's avatar

Bonnetheads are excellent eating! Great as fish and chips, but you need to bleed, ice and then gut them ASAP. That's the key.

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Rob's avatar

Yeah, I have heard that - thanks, Hank. I was fishing with a friend a month or so ago (for seatrout, mainly) down there and he brought in a nice bonnethead to the boat, around 30 - 35" long. I wanted to keep it, but before I could say anything, he did a quick release and it was gone. I'll catch one next winter when I go back, and will definitely be trying it.

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Linda R's avatar

Wow Hank! Maybe we were fishing side by side the other day. Love EYW in May 🎣 Entertained our Pine Island pals with three days of non stop “catching”. Glad you had a great trip 😊

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Amy Viny's avatar

Great post Hank and greetings from Cleveland! Quick question, I'm looking for a day fishing charter out of the Miami area to celebrate a big birthday. We're a group of 6 less than novice fisherman but would love a day (or half day) on the water with a few tasty souvenirs to enjoy later. Would appreciate any suggestions you might have! TIA!

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Hank Shaw's avatar

Sorry, no idea! We were all the way up in the Panhandle, which is like 10 hours to the north.

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Peggy's avatar

Oh gosh...as a diver, there's nothing better than to catch a tube full of lionfish. Nasty little opportunists of the Gulf, they are also delicious, with a tender sweet flesh. There's usually a bottle of soy sauce and a tube of wasabi on the boat, and those fish get eaten on site, raw with a dab of seasoning. There's also something special about coming across a grouper in it's natural habitat, woofing (did you know they WOOF?) at you when you get too close to it's home. They're like an old man yelling at you to get off his lawn.

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Hank Shaw's avatar

Really! That's hilarious.

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James Brandenburg's avatar

How is it that you regularly put a name to that little red light blinking just at the edge of my peripheral vision? Yes, I do need a day like that. Or perhaps two or three. Thought this spring’s turkey hunt had provided the medicine but evidently I didn’t get enough of it. Thanks for sharing Hank. What you’re doing makes a difference.

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Hank Shaw's avatar

Thanks, man. I really appreciate that.

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