i eat a lot of types of fish - my various fishing partners over the years have looked down on me for keeping really small croacker (ohhhhh man they fry up spo sweet), gafftop, and sheepshead. small drum as well. i even like kings, thats great because it was more fish for my freezer. its funny how i remember in florida they thought you were dirt low for eating gafftop - but they eat mullet smoked. when i worked on a swordfish boat we even had the rare sailfish and marlin smoked - whoa it was good.

but i draw the line with hardheads. this article is interesting though....

http://www.louisianasportsman.com/details.php?id=2009

never tried it. the largest i've caught was probably about 12" long. usually they're in the 6"-10" range. they're quite bloody too, and not that much meat on them. basically they have large head and stomach. all you really get is the back half, and i just use them for shark bait, since they're so bloody.

Tried them. Didn't care for them.

friends wife made a courtbillion out of them and it was great! we went fishing all day and she caught them off the deck of the sailboat they lived on while we were gone and had it ready when we got back. when she told us what it was, you could have knocked me over with a feather.

Hardheads might taste like fillet Mignon, I'll never know.

I am just not that hungry

Me neither. I wouldn't even step on one, much less eat it.

cobia love them........

but I'm not a cobia.

Ling gotta be some bad dudes to eat hardheads, back in the day we heard stories about it......

Most people don't have the culinary 'aptitude' to attempt any fish cooking outside of their comfortable range. Habits. People miss out on opportunities because of lack of information on topics. It's like people swearing off of eating deer because the only way they had it was 'unbled' fried to a crisp with gravy on it instead of bled, marinated and not overcooked. Fish are the same way, some more 'desireable' because of less prep time or intuitiveness not required. Gar is actually very tasty, soft and admirable, but because it is bony-(inconvenience), Hard to fillet (inconvenience)---do you see where I am going? Take time to look at how 'other countries' approach this issue. They eat carp! Americans call it a 'trash' fish. We miss out on 'cheek meat' because its small and 'not worth the effort'.

American bias pushed down through generations can cloud culinary opportunity. Look at the 'bigger picture than what most see! It will reward you! Look up Florida dept. of Agricultural Study on them. Try them 'blackened' or fried with some jalepeno Bearnaise sauce!!!! YUMMMMMMM---Just get past the negativity that is put out there and try for yourself...you'll see. B.T.W. Smoked smallmouth buffalo is excellent!

Don't listen to the 'naysayers' on this fish. They most likely are ill-informed or not motivated to try something outside of their 'comfort zone'.

That was really well written.
I'm still not interested to find out.
If the crabbers won't use them in their traps then there's really no point in fighting nature.

No, I couldn't eat a hard head. That is bait not fit for eating

not even worth bait! unless for cobia i suppose, that was a new one for me

Didn't they used to feed lobster to prisoners to save money way back when until they found out it actually was really good steamed. The rest is history...

Here we go again
same old **** again
marching down the avenue
10 more posts and we'll be through

Your left, your left...