looks like by the regs, if you choose to keep a bonnet head, they dont have to be 54 inches? Are the eatable? I am still learning how to fish the Jetties, and have caught some nice bonnet heads, just shy of 54 inch. but have not kept any.
I really like this site, plan to post some pictures some day of something I can keep and eat! LOL…
Chip
1 per day, no size limit. you can eat it.
Mixed opinions mostly, some say its great, some say its bad, some stress the preparation (bleeding out immediately, soaking the meet ), my friend wanted to keep one and we did not bleed it out because it broke my knife, sat for 3 to 4 hrs before cleaning and setting in milk. He served it at his brothers birthday fried and everybody said it was good but the batter was over seasoned.
17ft Key west
Do I remember correctly that they made a 54 inch limit for about a year until they realized that they don’t usually get that big or something?
What or how is the best way to bleed the out?
cut a few inches up from the smallest part of the tail, through the vein. do not cut the tail off, leave it attached. let the heart pump out the blood. get it iced asap.
THANKS!
22’ CC Hydra Sport
Do you cut the bottom part of the tail or the top? I guess what I’m asking is can you see the vein? I’m going to be fishing for Bonnets in about two weeks and wanted to know.
Hey Chippy, read all of the link below. They are good.
http://old.charlestonfishing.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=138013
NN
07, 23 Key West, Twin 115 Yammys
“Coastal Bound”
They are good to eat for sure. Just bleed them. I’ve always done it.
One of my favorite memories of fishing is because of bonnetheads. They changed the size limit from 54" down to “no size limit” back around 2005 or 2006. The law took effect on July 1, but they did not print new Rules-N-Regs books for a month or two because of some other game laws that were pending up in Congress in Columbia.
You could go online and see the current law (no size limit) but there were no new Rules-n-Regs anywhere, so all the folks on the pier seemed to know was the old law (54").
So, I go fishing at Fripp Inlet at the pier there around mid July before the new books were printed. Within a couple hours, I caught pretty sizeable bonnethead around 8-10 pounds. I put on my gloves, hand-lined it up (not wise, but it worked) and promptly filleted it and put it in the cooler since it was far too big for the cooler whole. Well this really angered a guy on the pier who proceeded to rail at me about it. So he went and “tattled” to the park ranger at the base of the pier. She came out and gave me the what-for, and said she had called the DNR Law Enforcement and they said I was breaking the law.
I informed her of the change in the law, and the fact that you can see the law plain as daylight on the DNR website. The warden never showed up, but I continued to fish. Mr. Whiny left, seemingly disgusted at me lol.
A couple hours later, the same ranger came out to the end of the pier and apologized. She got on the DNR website and found the change.
“Sire, it belongs in truth to the Church of God, in whose name I speak, to endure blows and not to inflict them. But it will also please your Majesty to remember that she is an anvil that has worn out many hammers.”…Theodore Beza
Thanks again. I will be trying one out.
22’ CC Hydra Sport
Why do people think you need to soak in milk?
Cape, I think its like when I marinade my ribs…
22’ CC Hydra Sport