saltwater catfish

[greasemonkeyjmj]

what is the deal with saltwater catfish ? i have heard that they are not fit to eat, like the freshwater cats . if so, has anyone tried them, and what is the taste like ?

 

[Bard1]

Re: saltwater catfish

blue cat/ sail cat--same cat fish.yes ,not too bad to eat. the trick is 1-5lb. peel'em like any catfish. but!!! clean as much slim off as you can.because they are bad with it. good trick, salt cats have three stab'ya fins. both pecks as well as the dorsal. if ya get stuck(you will) rub the slime on the wound ,it will make the pain go away.

 

[greasemonkeyjmj]

Re: saltwater catfish

blue cat/ sail cat--same cat fish.yes ,not too bad to eat. the trick is 1-5lb. peel'em like any catfish. but!!! clean as much slim off as you can.because they are bad with it. good trick, salt cats have three stab'ya fins. both pecks as well as the dorsal. if ya get stuck(you will) rub the slime on the wound ,it will make the pain go away.

thanks for the info. i notice when i am on the gulf that i see the folks throw back the cats, and i have heard they werent any good so i was just wondering. in my opinion a 3 or 4 pound cat is alot better for eating that a 50 pounder, but the 50 pounder is good for bragging about ....LOL and just what i need, more fins to deal with. but o well i had approx 1500 head of 1 to 3 inch channell cats hit me in my chest one day, while unloading them. you talk about a stinging burning sensation.

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: saltwater catfish

Lots of people eat them.I don't like ANY kind of cat fish.I have tried them many ways and still don't like them.
Blue cat and sail cats are a different breed.Sail cats tend to stick to saltier water.Jerry

 

[tnduc]

Re: saltwater catfish

We always catch a ton of them, but I always throw them back. We've got two types of cats here in south Texas- gafftops and hardheads. From what I've heard the gafftops are OK to eat and the hardheads not. I consider both trash fish....

 

[Bard1]

Re: saltwater catfish

Yeah, saltwater cats do tend to stick to salter water. I also fish the gulf around Sarasota fl. I really don't keep'em much because the slim gets everywhere. 50lb.--- yeah that's fun.

 

[Jack Shellac]

Re: saltwater catfish

I grew up here on the Gulf of Mexico and heard all my life that you couldn't eat hardhead saltwater catfish [gafftops OK]. A few years ago, I caught a couple of good size hardheads and just for the heck of it, fried them up. I couldn't tell any difference from freshwater cats and neither could any of the people who ate them. I havn't made a habit of it since then, so can't give any additional reports.

 

[Bard1]

Re: saltwater catfish

I grew up here on the Gulf of Mexico and heard all my life that you couldn't eat hardhead saltwater catfish [gafftops OK]. A few years ago, I caught a couple of good size hardheads and just for the heck of it, fried them up. I couldn't tell any difference from freshwater cats and neither could any of the people who ate them. I havn't made a habit of it since then, so can't give any additional reports.

I'm thinking " gafftops" are the samething as what we call sail cats. gafftops will stab ya good right?

 

[xxturbowesxx]

Re: saltwater catfish

gafftops=sailcat

 

[thurps]

Re: saltwater catfish

I always thought you found sailcats in the road .

 

[LX Kid]

Re: saltwater catfish

No, those are "flatcats" in the road!

 

[StuBone278]

Re: saltwater catfish

Also don't misunderstand. I go to the saltwater (more like brackish) marsh to catch blue catfish along with redfish. Some spots have such fresh water you'll even catch channel catfish, and I'm pretty sure i've caught a hybrid channel/hardhead. When there is no north wind, and an incoming tide, you'll sometimes catch hardheads and gafftopsail catfish, as they come in with the saltier water. They do have poision and I've heard of somebody getting stuck and part of their hand getting a huge bruise.

 

[thurps]

Re: saltwater catfish

LX Kid; Those are sailcats. When you find them on the road you pick them up and sail them like a frisbee. Also sailsqurrles, sailskunks, sailpossums, etc..

 

[mthieme]

Re: saltwater catfish

On the Chesapeake, you either like 'em or you don't. Most people do.
I grew up eating them regularly (along with perch, spot, croaker, etc)...already had my fill.
I'm a fish snob now. Only rock or flounder out of the Bay and fish out of northern waters like cod and haddock.

 

[flatboy]

Re: saltwater catfish

Down in south louisiana hard heads are a pain in the a--! If you start cathing that its time to move,the hard head will grunt when you bring them aboard,but dam they fight.If you get stuck by one keep a spray bottle of clorox/water 50/50 spray the stab wound will kill the sting and possible infection.Channel cat have longer wiskers also.Dont eat either one cant stand catfish of any kind.(give me redz,specks,flounder,drum,sheephead,and spanish macs.)

 

[Boatist]

Re: saltwater catfish

Caught lot of Saltwater cats in the Biloxi Area. Some said they were posion and some said they were good to eat. We tried them and could not tell the difference form fresh water cats.

One thing I got fined by a large one pretty bad. 6 months later I went to the doctor because I still had a big lump like the bone had swelled up. Doctor said normal and said nothing would help but time. He was right a few more months and finger was back to normal.

I loved to fish catfish since I was 2 years old and it still my favorite fish to eat.

 

[Benny1963]

Re: saltwater catfish

love channell or blues but hard heads i dont deal with

 

[Fly Rod]

Re: saltwater catfish

U fellas must be talkin about a differant kind of salt water catfish.

Up here off of New England they are one of the best eating fish that comes out of the Atlantic, also known as wolffish and to make it more cosumerable they came up with catfish. They are a clean fish and eat mostly shell fish.

I did try your southern fresh water cat and they were just terrible.