I've eaten gafftop. Caught a good sized one so I figured I'd give it a try. Makes a slimy mess in the cooler and when fileted it renders very little meat. But the little bit of meat was very good. Wouldn't do it again unless i was desperate.

Nothing wrong with eating hard heads, they taste like fish. Yea noone goes and targets them when they go fishing, i know i dont. If i fry a red, spec and a hard head i couldnt taste the difference but thats just me i guess. Just because there not as popular to catch than the other saltwater fish doesnt meen it dont taste good but thats just my 2 cents also. Anyways my bd for my bad grammar and punctuation and maybe some spelling too lol.

Its amazing the REPUTATION some fishes have. I'll bet hardheads bad rep stems from 1. Too many of them, 2. Slimy, 3. Usually too small. ALL OF THE ABOVE has gotten bastardized into NO GOOD TO EAT. Amazing!!!

I'm getting worried about some of you fools. Y'all must be starving with all this talk about eating hardheads and jack crevalle and all.

You know you have your freezer stocked with hard head fillets.

Pretty much

I think I've had a change of heart. I'm going out tomorrow and catch me a mess of hardheads. I'm thinking some hardhead coubilion might be good, or fried hardhead or blackened hardhead or hardhead balls or baked hardhead or geez I don't care how its cooked. Alls I know is I just got to go and get me some hardhead!!!

Well tonight while y'all are dining on Hardhead and Jack Crevalle Surprise I'm gonna grill me some Red Snapper fillets served on a bed of dirty rice and smothered in a garlic butter white wine cream sauce. Bon Appetite.

I've had people ask me if they can have any hard heads that I catch and they were glad to get em.
Anyway, the more ya'll eat, the less of them there are for me to catch. "It's a win win situation"
I had one sink his top barb deep in my belly. That hurt!
I hate to catch hard heads!

R U guy's serious ?

24 reply's and 470 hits to discuss who is eating hardheads?

Talk about taking the bait ......

Come on - ya'll get serious about your SaltH20 fishing !!!

How were they?

I was just kiddin... I aint eatin no dad-gum hard heads!!!

You can char-broil/grill or fry hardhead catfish next to channel or blue catfish and you would not be able to tell the difference.

Done this exact thing at a neighborhood fish fry! No one could tell the difference at all!

It's mainly due to their 'bad' reputation for stealing bait, getting hooked when you're focusing on other species (specks, reds and flounder) or you are unable to get out of them while fishing live or dead bait.

Been eating them for quite a few years, but I do take the larger ones you catch at the jetties.

I guess because I seldom catch hardheads I've never been tempted to try one. I catch all of the reds and trout I care to eat. Not to mention all of the offshore species. I just don't understand why someone would choose to eat hardhead over some of the meatier and better tasting fish that occupy our coastal waters.