Left MI at noon, lines in at 1:15 - seas were flat.
Several short strikes, didnt even pop the clips or take the whole bait! Where is a stinger hook when you need one?
One cuda, two hits on the deep Wahoo plug, and a few fish jumping out of the water - dancing and laughing at us - just out of reach.
We started bottom fishing in 180 feet, and brought up the ugly…two scorpion fish(?) and a huge Lionfish - where did that come from? What was it doing here?
Alas, two nice scamps, and then back to the hill.
The ride in was wet and wild for the last 10 miles.
Cuda = GREAT shark bait! I am still in search of the elusive (to me) tiger shark. I would hope the tiger shark will eat cuda chunks for dinner.
What is one to do with a Lionfish? I didnt keep it - killed it, yes, but didnt keep it. We were afraid it was going to poison the grouper in the box. Has anyone tried to fillet it and lived to tell the story? And then we thought, what if it were a state record? Is there a record for Lionfish? I wonder if they would make a good tiger shark bait?
Cuda = GREAT shark bait! I am still in search of the elusive (to me) tiger shark. I would hope the tiger shark will eat cuda chunks for dinner.
What is one to do with a Lionfish? I didnt keep it - killed it, yes, but didnt keep it. We were afraid it was going to poison the grouper in the box. Has anyone tried to fillet it and lived to tell the story? And then we thought, what if it were a state record? Is there a record for Lionfish? I wonder if they would make a good tiger shark bait?
Tiger or sand tiger or do you care? I know where you can find plenty of them.
Set the trap boys, we going to pass through them again!!
Lots of people eat lionfish. It seems to be the new “fad-food”. Just look on you-tube and you will find videos on how to fillet them. The meat looks real white and flaky. Killing it is the main thing that matters.
kill every lionfish you see or catch. They are going to destroy our reefs. Thanks to the dipshizzle in Florida who let one escape after Hurricane Andrew.
Short grass and tight lines, make a man feel so fine!
if you want to eat the lionfish i would suggest wearing thick gloves, like industrial rubber mid fore arm length- or thick leather… the point being stay away from the spines. some youtube video shows a guy blowtorching the spines to kill the toxin. personally if i gotta blow torch something to clean it- i think that i will pass. anyway, grip the fish by the head, and filet it like normal, flop it over and skin it. carefully dispose of the carcass as it will poke you thru a garbage bag. my favorite is to stick them with a paralyzer then scrape them off on a rock. thats a big one but there are bigger down there. kill all you catch please.
That’s a big lionfish, but not uncommonly so at shelf depths. We’re right at 8 years since the first verified record of them in SC, so you’ve got some nice sized spawners by now, overwintering in the deeper water.
As stated by jd - kill them all. Fillet them like any other fish, just be careful. Remember the pectorals fins (big, wing-like) are NOT venomous, but dorsal, anal, and pelvic are. If you do get hit, take comfort in knowing there are no reported fatalities, just a couple hours of intense pain. Ever cut the jaws out of a shark? Did you slice your wrist open on the teeth? No, because you were aware and careful not to. Same with lions. Be aware and be careful.
Is it worth the trouble? I’ve eaten them 3-4 times and compare it to black seabass. Firm, white, tasty. And, you become part of the solution.
Is it a fad fish? Man, I hope so. These fish are here to stay, and control (versus eradication) is the best we can all hope for.
A final take-home message: DON’T RELEASE AQUARIUM FISH INTO THE WILD.
