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I was piddling around at Ladders Lake last year, fishing with some fresh cut bream. I caught a monster mud fish (bowfin), it must have been like 12 pounds or so. Just as I was about to chunk it into the water to let it go, this fella come running at me saying "hey man, don't throw that thing back. He'll be supper tonight." I was thinking to myself this guy must be kidding, but he wasn't; as I watched him toss it into his bucket of water.
Call me funny, but i've never heard of eatting a bowfin. I've always enjoyed catching them, as they are a really strong and aggresive fish, but eatting them? I guess that's like Amber Jack. I've never heard of eatting AJ's, but the other day I got into a conversation with a BFT member on the Florida board that says they are great eatting.
Do any of you guys eat mudfish? LOL, what about Amberjacks?
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Eating amberjacks and bowfins does not sound pleasent at all. To my knowledge you can eat both of those fish though. I read an article that said that the amberjacks feed on an animal that creates something called ciguatera toxin. It doesn't kill the fish but it makes the flesh taste bad and some people get sick from it. the bowfin In my opinion is just a step above a carp. I guess you can eat them but the flesh is very tough, like a piece of steak. With so many good tasting fish out there I don't know why you would settle for either of those fish.
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I totally agree with your philosophy. That is, because there are so many good eatting fish out there, why bother. I can see targeting both species for sport, since they are incredibly strong and redily availible. However, I couldn't see targeting specifically for thier food quality.
I actually filleted an AJ once and it had worms in it. That was my discouraging moment in regards to Amberjack. I had all intentions of eatting that fish until I saw that.
As for Bowfin, I can't count the times i've caught big bow's and they puked a foul smelling slime in the bottom of my boat. That alone was enough for me. I figure if they can produce something that is that foul smelling, the meat probably isn't far behind. [unimpressed]
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The worms only provide a little extra protein. They won't hurt you after cooking thouroughly. In the event that you are going to use some fish as a Sushi Grade table fare and it has worms, simply put it into the freezer for 6 hours and then transfer it to a normal refridgerator for the balance of a 24 hour period.
6hours freezer, 18 in the fridge.[cool]
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] I'll let the sharks have at the worms. [
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