If we catch big ones, should we keep them? If so, how difficult are they to clean? I heard they aren't worth keeping because they have too many bones and are hard to clean, is this true? We haven't had the best of luck lately fishing the Galveston Bay, but we sure have caught several large Gaftops and are really beginnig to wonder if we should be keeping them to eat or not and how difficult to clean?

Gaftops are suppose to be really tasty. However, I am not big on catfish period, soo..

Its the hardheads that you should stay away from. I would assume the Gaftops have as many bones as any other catfish does. The deminsion of there bodies look to be the same as other catfish species.

slimey buggers, if you can deal with that, then clean em and eat em, taste like catfish

Just wash the slime off of them and you have catfish! I filet them just as I would a freshwater catfish. No bones! IMHO not a bit of difference. Bottom line...If you like catfish you will like gafftop.

I always toss em..

I don't like fooling with those "Slimers". Some people like the way they taste, but I'm not one of them.

Very easy to clean, Hardly any bones, No muddy taste, if you like catfish that's what it tastes like. Fry em up, the only way I will eat em. Like everyone else - if you can deal with the slime.

Thanks, guys...

Kill, toss in woods.

gafftop= eat.

hardheads= throw back.

Keep them, and give them to me...
I'll even clean-em and give you half the filets...

The blood line seems to be a little bigger than feshwater catfish...But can be cut out easily with a v-cut.
Just like I'll do with big Stripers.

Still IMO...There good fried,grilled,baked or even microwaved...

Its up to you. The slime, as you will find, is a real issue.
Its not the best tasting of fish compared to most all other inshore species but good non the less.

My big issue with them is how little meat comes of them, there is a lot of waste. I would guesstimate 70% waste / 30% meat.
I let 'em go.

I thought that was only carp?

Hello all. First time poster to this forum.
Gafftops make good eating if you can get over the slime while cleaning them.

Gafttops are no problem with bones if filleted. The meat is a little more dense than other catfish. As far as hardheads, they really taste fine. I think the reason they get the bad rap is due to size. Not much meat on even the largest. I talked with a guy last year that slipped a bunch of hardhead fillets in on fresh water cat at a fish fry. No one knew the difference.

I would check your Mercury levels

Excellent point. Especially since the latest storm.

Gafftops are great. Just cut the blood line out. I started keeping them a few years back in Florida. And I would say the mercury levels can be just as high in a trout or red as a catfish.

Catch them and then throw them on ice it will help greatly with the slime. They are good eatin! Fillet/skin like a regular catfish. Fry'em up!

Don't mess with my carp

I think the slime is a total pain but we kept about a dozen on our last outing in Port A this summer and I hit them with the sprayer before cleaning them and knocked off most of the slime. I did have them in the cooler and that helped solidify the slime. If you go to the catfishing thread Tiny has a video of cleaning cats that will work perfectly on cleaning Gafftops. You got to have a 8lb fish to get 2lbs worth of fillets. They make good chum with whats leftover after cleaning though.

I like to eat them, but keep in mind that there is a CONSUMPTION ALERT for gafftop in Galveston Bay.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/annual/fish/consumption_bans/#coast