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The dreaded hardhead
#12876721
08/25/18 09:35 PM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 4,692
uncle_bagster
OP
TFF Team Angler
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OP
TFF Team Angler
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 4,692 |
Back in the '80's, I was told if you wanted to keep from catching hardheads, use mullet for bait. I remember trying that, and it seemed to work. Now I read posts about hardheads being caught on mullet. Did the hardhead's diet change, or was I caught up in the Mandela Effect?
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: uncle_bagster]
#12876753
08/25/18 10:15 PM
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,925
smooth move
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,925 |
hardheads will eat anything. i've even caught them on spinnerbaits and topwaters.
es le bon ton roulet
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: uncle_bagster]
#12876787
08/25/18 11:13 PM
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Joined: May 2016
Posts: 1,078
karstopo
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 1,078 |
Ive caught one or two on topwaters and a few on various fly patterns like clousers. Gafftop seem to be much more likely to hit artificials than hardheads. I fished with live and cut mullet or shad some, but it seems like gafftop are what I get instead of hardheads. I havent fished with shrimp in saltwater in many years and never liked fishing with shrimp partly for the hardheads. .
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: uncle_bagster]
#12876948
08/26/18 03:25 AM
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Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 6,854
V-Bottom
TFF Celebrity
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TFF Celebrity
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 6,854 |
Big Gafftop like fresh Squid.
Texas Anglers Recognition Program TPWD Official Weigh Station,77563 Coastal Bend Weigh Team, Cert. Weigh Master USMC66'- www.troutsupport.com
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: uncle_bagster]
#12877049
08/26/18 01:05 PM
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Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 121
PerksOutdoors
Outdoorsman
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Outdoorsman
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 121 |
Second that as far as hardheads eating everything. I remember a trip where we were catching them left and right on dead shrimp. When we ran out of shrimp, we cut the hard heads up for bait and continued to catch hardheads on hardheads
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: uncle_bagster]
#12877126
08/26/18 02:21 PM
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Joined: May 2016
Posts: 1,078
karstopo
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 1,078 |
Fishing memories are notoriously unreliable. Its one reason I kept a fishing log for years and the only reason I gave it up recently was that Im lazy.
So whatever one, including myself, might remember about fishing years ago I treat as mostly fiction unless there is some documentation and evidence to say otherwise.
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: karstopo]
#12877292
08/26/18 07:27 PM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 4,692
uncle_bagster
OP
TFF Team Angler
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OP
TFF Team Angler
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 4,692 |
Fishing memories are notoriously unreliable. Its one reason I kept a fishing log for years and the only reason I gave it up recently was that Im lazy.
So whatever one, including myself, might remember about fishing years ago I treat as mostly fiction unless there is some documentation and evidence to say otherwise. You may be right because that 5 pound bass I caught last year is now up to 7 and a quarter.
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: uncle_bagster]
#12881380
08/30/18 12:14 PM
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Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 197
sfotw
Outdoorsman
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Outdoorsman
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 197 |
Hardheads will eat pretty much anything but if you use larger pieces of cut bait, roughly 5 inch piece or larger, then they cant eat it quite as easily.
I usually pick up and move to a different spot if I get more than one hardhead. I just try to avoid their schools if I can.
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: uncle_bagster]
#12886281
09/04/18 01:45 AM
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Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 4,712
Txmedic033
TFF Team Angler
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TFF Team Angler
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 4,712 |
They don't eat cracked blue crab. Just the red and black drum is all I've caught on crab so far.
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: uncle_bagster]
#12896099
09/11/18 11:36 PM
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 11,146
9094
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 11,146 |
Anyone ever ate a hard head or gaff top?
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: 9094]
#12897035
09/12/18 07:07 PM
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Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 27,569
Uncle Zeek
aka "Dad"
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aka "Dad"
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 27,569 |
Anyone ever ate a hard head or gaff top? Yes. I'll eat gafftop again happily. Hardhead ... it's edible, but not worth the trouble to me.
"Decency is not news; it is buried in the obituaries --but it is a force stronger than crime" ~ Robert A. Heinlein Artim Law Firm, PLLC Estate planning & tax attorney 2250 Morriss Road, Suite 205, Flower Mound, Texas 75028 972-746-0758 mobile zac@artimlegal.com
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: uncle_bagster]
#12897278
09/12/18 10:43 PM
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 254
Immortal13
Angler
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Angler
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 254 |
I've heard gafftop are good, but I'm catch and release when it comes to those guys and all their slime
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: uncle_bagster]
#12902746
09/18/18 01:09 AM
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 10,261
Rayzor
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 10,261 |
I have always heard that gafftop are good but they are 100 times slimier than a freshwater catfish!
Be safe, Rayzor 2001 Triton Tx-21/225 Mercury EFI
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: uncle_bagster]
#12904861
09/19/18 10:45 PM
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 17,022
Pat Goff
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 17,022 |
Hardhead might taste like banana pudding. I'll never know.
Gafftop are a total pain to try to clean. Forget that. Snot rockets.
Flounder, trout and reds are the targets. Everything else is something less.
Pat Goff Seadrift TX
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: Pat Goff]
#12904941
09/19/18 11:45 PM
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Joined: May 2016
Posts: 1,078
karstopo
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 1,078 |
Hardhead might taste like banana pudding. I'll never know.
Gafftop are a total pain to try to clean. Forget that. Snot rockets.
Flounder, trout and reds are the targets. Everything else is something less.
Im kind of with you on this. Ill toss in a few others if I get them like whiting, croaker, Spanish mackerel, but 95% of what I eat is the big three. Dont envision gafftop or hardheads breaking into the line up any time soon.
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: uncle_bagster]
#12925432
10/07/18 12:35 PM
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Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 590
Stanley Orchard
Pro Angler
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Pro Angler
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 590 |
Hardheads will take mullet... the trick is to use mullet that are too big for them to eat (or extend your leader and put your bait higher off the bottom).
Ugh hardheads... i went camping last week (video posting in teo weeks!) and forgot to bring food. All i had to eat was hardheads, great times.
Stanley Orchard Texas Family Fishing Vlog-eneur! YouTube.com/stanleyorchard Insta/Twitter: @OrchardStanley
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: uncle_bagster]
#12925507
10/07/18 02:05 PM
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 17,022
Pat Goff
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 17,022 |
I've been hungry enough to scrape the mold off a cheese sandwich. Never hungry enough to skin a hardhead. That's impressive.
Pat Goff Seadrift TX
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: Pat Goff]
#12925531
10/07/18 02:40 PM
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Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 590
Stanley Orchard
Pro Angler
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Pro Angler
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 590 |
Less impressive... more sad. But i was hungry and i'll own it.
Stanley Orchard Texas Family Fishing Vlog-eneur! YouTube.com/stanleyorchard Insta/Twitter: @OrchardStanley
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: uncle_bagster]
#12926223
10/08/18 02:01 AM
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Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 590
Stanley Orchard
Pro Angler
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Pro Angler
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 590 |
I just did a video on our channel (posting at the end of the month). Camped on the beach, forgot to bring food so i ate hardheads. They are edible. Not bad, kinda mushy but not bad. Gaftop are really good eating; fileting them is the problem. Theybhave excessive amounts of really thick mucus. Otherwise the meat is really good.
Stanley Orchard Texas Family Fishing Vlog-eneur! YouTube.com/stanleyorchard Insta/Twitter: @OrchardStanley
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: uncle_bagster]
#12926237
10/08/18 02:11 AM
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Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 1,149
Ocelot
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 1,149 |
I think gafftops are really good eating and when I catch them usually 3+ pounds which is fun on my catfish or bass rods in the surf. Very slimy but I thought they were easier to clean than a freshwater catfish.
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: uncle_bagster]
#12927575
10/09/18 01:09 AM
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Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 590
Stanley Orchard
Pro Angler
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Pro Angler
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 590 |
I agree... the slime is a mess (way worse than hardheads) but the meat is really good.
Stanley Orchard Texas Family Fishing Vlog-eneur! YouTube.com/stanleyorchard Insta/Twitter: @OrchardStanley
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: uncle_bagster]
#12928146
10/09/18 03:51 PM
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Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 590
Stanley Orchard
Pro Angler
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Pro Angler
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 590 |
Gaftop are good, just as good as trout (which is essentially indistinguishable from whiting). Hardheads are not as good, kinda mushy but totally edible.
I do have a video coming out on our channel at the ens of the month ddtailing my camping at the beach and eating hardheads (was all i could catch the first day). So if youre interested in watching me suffee through cone on over and check it out.
Stanley Orchard Texas Family Fishing Vlog-eneur! YouTube.com/stanleyorchard Insta/Twitter: @OrchardStanley
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: Stanley Orchard]
#12928285
10/09/18 05:32 PM
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Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 23
David a B
Outdoorsman
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Outdoorsman
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 23 |
I eat Gafftop all of the time. They are one of the best fish to grill because they don't fall apart as some of the flakier fish do. I have found the best way to clean them is to put the on ice in an old cooler when you catch them. Let them chill and they will stop producing the slime. I put them all on the cleaning table and wash off with a water hose. Filet like a fresh water catfish. I like to target Gafftop, they will give you a good fight.
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: Stanley Orchard]
#12928416
10/09/18 06:57 PM
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,925
smooth move
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,925 |
Gaftop are good, just as good as trout (which is essentially indistinguishable from whiting). Hardheads are not as good, kinda mushy but totally edible.
I do have a video coming out on our channel at the ens of the month ddtailing my camping at the beach and eating hardheads (was all i could catch the first day). So if youre interested in watching me suffee through cone on over and check it out. i'll have to disagree on that. i like gafftop alright, but it's definatly distinguishable from any of the drum family and not on the same level as far as table fare. JMO.
es le bon ton roulet
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: uncle_bagster]
#12928689
10/09/18 10:13 PM
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 17,022
Pat Goff
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 17,022 |
If you think a snot rocket tastes as good as a trout or flounder, you're doing something wrong.
Pat Goff Seadrift TX
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: uncle_bagster]
#12930820
10/12/18 12:50 AM
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Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 590
Stanley Orchard
Pro Angler
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Pro Angler
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 590 |
At Pat Goff very true... I often do a lot of things wrong. But the meat is good man. All depends on how skilled you are at being able to filet them I guess.
Stanley Orchard Texas Family Fishing Vlog-eneur! YouTube.com/stanleyorchard Insta/Twitter: @OrchardStanley
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: smooth move]
#12930822
10/12/18 12:51 AM
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Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 590
Stanley Orchard
Pro Angler
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Pro Angler
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 590 |
Oh yeah no, not making that comparison. Im comparing trout and whiting. Not saltcats and... we anything.
Stanley Orchard Texas Family Fishing Vlog-eneur! YouTube.com/stanleyorchard Insta/Twitter: @OrchardStanley
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: 9094]
#13008101
12/28/18 06:10 PM
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Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 81
CharlieA
Outdoorsman
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Outdoorsman
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 81 |
Yes, both of them are Ok to eat. Gafftop being the best. I had always heard hardheads were no good to eat but were in Murdocks on the Seawall one day talking to a clerk told us they were good to eat. we have tried them and they are ok.
Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most !!
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: uncle_bagster]
#13008128
12/28/18 06:41 PM
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Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 667
BSanders
Pro Angler
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Pro Angler
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 667 |
They get chunked back in the water!
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: uncle_bagster]
#13008312
12/28/18 10:04 PM
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 17,022
Pat Goff
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 17,022 |
If you truly believe a snot rocket cooks up as good as a flounder, you're seriously doing something terribly wrong with that flounder.
Or, you've just never caught enough flounder to know.
Pat Goff Seadrift TX
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: uncle_bagster]
#13012720
01/01/19 04:38 AM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 13,595
Fishspanker
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 13,595 |
They said "beat" not "eat" a hardhead.
Nobody I know would even think about eating one. They are despised. One place in Venice last year you could catch one on a plastic on everycast if you slowed it down much. There wasn't anyway to totally avoid them. Absolute menaces.
The Sheep who only fears the Wolf is eaten by the Shepherd.
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: uncle_bagster]
#13014599
01/02/19 04:43 PM
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Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 26
Kanepole
Outdoorsman
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Outdoorsman
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 26 |
I won't consider eating a hardhead but gafftop are pretty decent when blackened. There are a lot of fish I prefer over them tho. The secret I found to removing slime is to put them on a stringer (no float) and let them roll around in the surf on the beach. They come out completely slime free....the stringer on the other hand, not so much!
"But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
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Re: The dreaded hardhead
[Re: uncle_bagster]
#13014961
01/02/19 08:34 PM
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Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 15,303
Mo
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 15,303 |
I fished with a Captain out of Delacroix , I woud hear him say " The world is coming to an end " this meant he had just hooked a hardhead on a plastic bait,
Mo
MY BACKYARD , 20,000 ACRES , NO MOWING
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