Careful Where You Point That Thing

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Hang on Tight Andrew! Photo by Louis Cahill

Hang on Tight Andrew! Photo by Louis Cahill

Toothy and generally ill tempered, barracuda are a blast to catch on the fly.

Their vicious attack is almost unbelievable to watch. My buddy Andrew Bennett holds a nice one here for a sub-surface hero shot.

The Bahamians eat them. Barracuda are generally not edible because they eat poisonous reef fish and store the toxins. Eating one in the Florida Keys will kill you. The cuda that live on the flats can be safe, but it’s a risk. The Bahamians have a test. They cut out the fish’s liver and touch it to their tongue, if it makes their tongue numb they throw it out, if not they eat it.

Barracuda are not so cautious, they eat everything. The cuda in the Bahamas are notoriously aggressive. I met a guide who was attacked by one. It bit his leg with such force that it broke the bone, not to mention what those teeth did to him. Hummmm, let’s skip the release shot Andrew.

Come fish with us in the Bahamas!

Louis Cahill
Gink & Gasoline
www.ginkandgasoline.com
hookups@ginkandgasoline.com
 
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13 thoughts on “Careful Where You Point That Thing

  1. I caught and ate barracuda in Belize. When I asked the locals if it was safe to eat they laughed at me. The lodge I stayed at served my fish to everyone for dinner! I caught those fish on a spinning rod before I took up fly fishing. I wish I could afford to go back and catch some on a fly. They’re loads of fun to catch; they even jump! For flies, think long and chartreuse.

  2. Pingback: What I Read With My Coffee: Deneki Outdoors/Gink & Gasoline | Stalking The Seam

  3. I caught one while I was standing in the turf at Playa Blanca. I had limited experience with salt water fish, & could not understand why the guide refused to come near. I fought the fish till it was wore out, walked to within 15 feet before I saw the teeth and realized it was a barracuda. It was as long as I was, and I will always remember the leaps, each one headed for the horizon. What a fish!

  4. Sure way to know if the Cuda is good: Serve it to someone expendible (everybody has that one relative) and wait to see if they get goofy. Works with suspect mushrooms too! lol

  5. Louis i was with you in S Andros and caught my first CUDA on a 9 wt rigged specifically for that fish. The guide estimated it to be 20 lbs. the fight of a lifetime . Guide kept the fish and brought some back to taste. Didn’t realize the toxic nature of the fish or i would have passed. Great to catch not great to eat. What a great experience

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