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non-glamour fish

1K views 10 replies 9 participants last post by  kjackson 
#1 ·
What are some of your favorite fish that don't get all the press and limelight? Obviously, jacks get less press than permits. Of course, the reason is because jacks are hungry for real food whereas permit are actually vegetarians (that's what I keep telling myself). Anyway, what are some of your favorite fish in this category? I think it would be fun to catch a grouper or halibut on a fly.

Personally, I've thought about going fishing for sharks, cuda and jacks and forgetting all about permit and bones. Why you ask? As someone once said, "I go fishing to relax not stress."
 
#2 ·
Barracuda are a big favorite of mine - when they are around in numbers and size the bonefish get left well alone:devil: I also enjoy throwing flies to mangrove snappers - they have a seriously bad attitude when hooked - I'd swear they actually look you in the eye and cuss at you :eyecrazy: It's nice to take time off from the flats to explore reef edges and mangrove channels - you just never know what's going to show up :smokin:
 
#3 ·
A freshwater perspective...

Here in the Northeast, it's always been the same for me. In years back, we would spend from April 1 to mid-June spending every free moment in pursuit of trout and landlocks.

Now, it's worse - we have steelhead, too, and just as soon as the weather gets any sort of reasonable and the ice melts on the streams to mid June, it will be steelies, trout and landlocks.

But in mid-June, I want some REALLY SAVAGE action, and a change of pace. For that, I look to the fresh water wolf, Northern Pike. And big ones, too!

Yeah, I always start off with a fly rod, but these fish respond their best in both hits and in fight with a plain ol' fashioned bait caster.

And with fish of 3 feet to 4 feet in length (if you know where to go), that gets all the cobwebs out of your mind. Then, after a good session of this, I am ready to go back to salmonids, and finesse fishing.

BobK
 
#4 ·
It's interesting to read these replies. Many of the fish I would like to spend more time with are cuda, pike, tigerfish, sharks, etc. There's something about them that entices me. I like hunting and fishing for animals that are at the top of the food chain.

We have some decent pike around here on the sloughs. Some of them run 36" or so. I've seen some decent ones caught on a soup can. I live in a major waterfowl nesting area and they sure like to eat baby ducks and geese. Some adult birdss have lost feet too.
 
#5 ·
Hi gang,

When I'm waiting for the tide to turn on bonefish flats, I think it's an absolute hoot to play with the bigger needlefish/houndfish. It just blows my mind how aggressive they are. On Eleuthera last March, I nailed a needlefish about 2-3ft long only to have an even larger (4-5ft?) blueheaded houndfish totally cream the needle on my line (looked like a swimming crusifix)...WOW! life and death in the foodchain.

In Mexico on the Yucatan, you run into alot of large Triggerfish on coral flats. These guys are like a poor mans permit. They can be quite selective and are definitely hard to hook. Once hooked, they can run off a surprisingly large amount of line in no time. I understand that they're supposed to be great eating too... once you skin their leathery hide off of them.

Heck!, i'd sooner be getting my line stretched rather than standing around like some fool waiting for a bus.

Keep the sun at your back...

Hank
 
#6 ·
I should have mentioned Crap on the freshwater target list. Thye have almost made it into a sepcialist category of their own - "Freshwater Permit" - but for now they enjoy a certain "cult" following. I'll certainly be chasing them a lot more this coming season.
 
#8 ·
These are all good responses so far. On my list would be crevalle jacks ( my favorite saltwater gamefish, btw), cuda, mangrove and yellowtail snapper, sharks (blacktip is the only species I've landed so far), pike, pickerel, shad, and yellow perch (yum :smokin: ).
 
#9 ·
Hi YukonJack -
When not chasing the other flats fish, I find it very hard to pass up cudas. The viciousness of their strike has almost pulled the rod out of my hands. I compare them to a quarter horse - they don't have the same stamina as some of the other fish, but they are quick out of the gate and give a get fight.
Slowbone:smokin:
 
#10 ·
Rockfish in saltwater....

I have had some real enjoyable days fishing for the various species of Pacific Coast Rockfishes. The juveniles around the floating "Bull Kelp"forest are my favorites. They take poppers readily and are small enough to be landed with a minimum of effort. If a person wants larger Rockfish they can usually be found nearby, but I really like the antics of the small ones as they attack my poppers.
 
#11 ·
No-glam fish

Rockfish are a hoot, no doubt. I haven't tried them with poppers (will definitely do that now, though) but I've been throwing flies and jigs at them for some time.

But for me, the real non-glamour fish is a bluegill on a popper. They are a blast-- don't fight a long time, but they are aggressive and downright tasty.

The only problem I have is that there aren't many (if any) decent bluegill lakes in western Washington. On the eastside, however...


Keith
 
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