We caught a huge barracuda on our last offshore trip. His belly looked to be swollen/distended a bit. Does anyone vent barracuda before releasing them? If so, what is the best venting tool for the job? Their scales are pretty tough.
If you’re not effecting the world around you in a positive manner…you’re taking up too much space.
We usually vent them with the gaff. Just prior to release of course.
My preferred cuda venting procedure is usually accomplished by twin counter rotating stainless steel blades.
Russ B. Formerly known here as “Top2Bottom1”
www.joinrfa.org
God is great, Beer is good, People are crazy
I’ve always vented them but inserting filet knife just behind the gills and cutting the head off
26’ Twinvee Cat
Twin Suzuki 175’s
www.creeksidemetalworks.com
quote:
Originally posted by Last chanceWe usually vent them with the gaff. Just prior to release of course.
X2
unless its really really small.
I like the “pickens county release” vents and returns the cuda back to nature. Gullible and expendable: that’s a 2fer
ColumbiaDawgfan
Sea Hunt Triton 220
and dont forget to poke the eyes out i hear they are sight preadators
Half Mine II/ TEAM GEICO
2660 Sailfish
150 Yamahas
Raise the engine, rev to 2800 rpm and place its head on the prop! Works like a charm every time!
REELIN N DEALIN II
I like to use the “cut a big fat nasty filet off and use as shark bait” venting technique
yella bote
black motor
Sorry,but I disagree! To me the thrill of offshore fishing is when that reel starts screaming. Yeh, it"s disappointing if it"s a cuda ,I"m grocery shopping, but if it happens to be a cuda that"s ok, I"m not going to kill a fish if I dont have to because it was hungry and ate my bait!
Plenty of cudas out there and a huge cuda has no natural predators outside of an even bigger shark. Vent with gusto, I say! If you want to “preserve” the cudas, go ahead (I don’t think releasing or venting is going to affect cuda stocks significantly one way or another). It does, hoever, make me feel better to “vent”: save a kingfish vent a cuda.
ColumbiaDawgfan
Sea Hunt Triton 220
Sorry,but I disagree! To me the thrill of offshore fishing is when that reel starts screaming. Yeh, it"s disappointing if it"s a cuda ,I"m grocery shopping, but if it happens to be a cuda that"s ok, I"m not going to kill a fish if I dont have to because it was hungry and ate my bait!
I totally agree with the above statement, most of my charters are as excited in catching a cuda as anything else, the thrill is in the catch, not the killing just because you don’t want what you catch. Longliners kill a lot of billfish, that ain’t right either.
I’m with Adamada. People get too wound up on catching a particular fish. If it peels line relax and enjoy it, whatever comes up. As to barracuda, they are a lot of fun on the right tackle, and make the absolute best bait in the world for shark fishing. If you have barracuda bait you don’t need to chum.
OK OK, I’ll admit it. I was being tongue in cheek, a little light hearted humor to fill an otherwise boring day at the office. I don’t treat the toothy creatures s gentle as say an undersize grouper, but I do release them relatively unharmed so that they can aggrevate me another day. Same thing with bonito, etc.
ColumbiaDawgfan
Sea Hunt Triton 220
Heard of some foreigners on a charter that refused to tip the mate because he “vented” and released a cuda at some point during the day…
Some folks love em.
Luke 8:22-25
We caught barracuda on last charter and the guests insisted we fillet them for them. They also make great tuna bait when chumming. I just see no need to kill a fish or anything for that matter needlessly. In the Bahamas, the locals would rather have a barracuda than Mahi or tune.
quote:
Originally posted by ADAMADAWe caught barracuda on last charter and the guests insisted we fillet them for them. They also make great tuna bait when chumming. I just see no need to kill a fish or anything for that matter needlessly. In the Bahamas, the locals would rather have a barracuda than Mahi or tune.
I was working in Nassau a few years ago, the locals called it Barrie and yes they loved it, that was there Friday night fish dinner…
26’ Twinvee Cat
Twin Suzuki 175’s
www.creeksidemetalworks.com
Once you get them cleaned the meat is quite tasty.Up to that point they are nasty, slimy and smelly.Everyone looks at me funny when I want to keep one… had a mate refuse to clean one… that’s OK. To each his own, if every one had the same tastes this would be an awefully boring world.
In the Abacos, the locals will fillet the cuda, lay it out and if the flies get on it they will eat it, if they don’t they consider it poisonous and throw it away. I have eaten small ones, very tasty, but haven’t eaten it in several years, little afraid of it now.
Thanks ADAMADA, for backing me on this topic. My motto is " if your not going to eat it, then don"t kill it".