Running of the Bull's Pensacola

[Shark Hunter]

You know, it is funny how guys fish and Sharks get in the way.
I am fishing for Sharks and the Bull's get in the way.

[fishgrain]

What MO said ..... throw in some grub cooked over open flame (plus something to wash it down) and think we have all the bases covered   

[sdlehr]

Our slot on Red Fish is 18-27 inches here in NW Florida, Sid.  Very unusual here to see worms in the slot fish.  I've never eating a larger Red, but would assume they toughen up like the larger Black Drum. 

It's my understanding the redfish (Red Drum) are good eating, but once they are over 18-20 inches they are old enough to get pretty wormy, and the prep grosses a lot of people out. I don't want to eat worms with my fish, not even cooked worms. I'm selective about my protein sources. I have no firsthand experience here, just book knowledge.

Sid

Thanks for correcting me, Joe. My understanding is 18-27" is the slot throughout the state, with different bag limits in the different regions. I think I read what I wrote in Tom Greene's book, "A Net Full of Tails".

Sid

[handi2]

A Cajun way of cooking them is to cut the sides off leaving the skin and scales. Thrown on a BBQ pit and seasoned. I tried it one time. Too much blood line left in.

The only good ones are the smaller ones.

[pompano joe]

We call that "Red Fish on the Half-Shell...that or blackened is the only way to fly!

Didn't mean for that to be a correction Sid, just sharing what little I know.  Funny thing about the limits on Reds and others.  The Alabama line is 30 minutes away and they have different bag limits...can even keep one over slot on the Reds.  Their Pompano limit is 3,but our is 6.  Same fish, they just come by here a week or two later in the fall.  I'll stop before this turns into a rant!!!

A Cajun way of cooking them is to cut the sides off leaving the skin and scales. Thrown on a BBQ pit and seasoned. I tried it one time. Too much blood line left in.

The only good ones are the smaller ones.

[oc1]

When Louisiana celebrity chef Paul Prudhomme, came up with the blackened redfish recipe back in the 1980's it forced a change in the fishery management. 

The coarse meat and worms had traditionally provided some protection for the adults. Some bulls were released and once they moved offshore they were not fished for heavily.  The pups were eaten in coastal areas, but not targeted commercially.

The blackened redfish craze created a nation-wide demand that fostered an intense targeted commercial fishery both inshore and offshore.  Red drum aquaculture techniques were quickly developed.  It never really took off but they are still farmed in a few ponds.  Fishery managers responded with regulations that will be with us from now on.  Paul Prudhomme eventually came to regret and even apologized for his signature dish.

-steve
redfish = red drum = channel bass = spot tail bass = Sciaenops ocellatus

[fishhawk]

A Cajun way of cooking them is to cut the sides off leaving the skin and scales. Thrown on a BBQ pit and seasoned. I tried it one time. Too much blood line left in.

The only good ones are the smaller ones.

Yep, they sho ain't no delicacy !

[newport]

Tastes like striped bass to me--white, mild, and meaty. I tried blackened redfish, as well as blackened recipes on several other species of fish. I don't know what all the fuss is about.

[bluefish69]

Some of the Noreast crew made lighted Shadow Boxes. We get Worms in the Cod in N.H. & Cusk [ulgly sucker]. Make the box long enough for you biggest skinned fillet. Put fillet on glass & they are easy to see the worms. I don't eat Cod so I have no worries.

Mike

[Cone]

Way to go Keith! I know you and Joe had a blast. Too bad they changed the bag limit! There are no shortage of reds here. The purse seiners were the ones who decimated the population. I hope they raise the limits soon.

[Lowprofile]

I wish we had reds here. I miss catching those between shark bites in the winter (or catchi Sharks between red bites depending what we were doing lol). Nothing beats tossing live craoker to reds finning in the surf.

[handi2]

This video was taken right behind my house but too far to cast to.

Keith

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=Usm5qfzi9Uo

[Shark Hunter]

Keith,
First off, that Video was very cool.
I have fished the waters in your back yard quite a few times.
Caught my first shark there. A Nice spinner.
Me and my boys have Kayaked a lot of that bay.
Sharks, Redfish, ladyfish, puffers, Blues. Hard to tell what is cruising through that bay. Dolphin Experiences on the Kayak make me nervous.
I witnessed my Brother out there about 200 yards and the Dolphins were jumping all around him.
I've seen Jellyfish out there four feet in diameter.
I can't wait to fish it again.
When the Ocean side is too rough, that is where I go.
6 months and counting.