Fished a St Augustine spot for a few hours today with JYJ. The air temp warmed up, but the water was still VERY cold. The bite was slow, all I managed to get was a 22" Red and... a Mudfish (imagine that). Anyway, it was nice to have a calm and clear day for a change. Enjoyed floating around and visiting with John.

I did not know mudfish would be in salt water. Have you ever cooked mudfish? An old man years ago told me how to cook it. After catching, cut the tail off, taking off about an inch of the muscle. Let the blood drain out. Filet and soak in water.

I tried it and it was not bad. Very white. I wouldn't pass up trout for it tho.

More brave souls in the cold. All those clothes, we live in Florida. Hurray for global warming right? Here it is Monday and actually warm enough for me and I have work to catch up on, darn! Too bad I can't take today's Emmrod work on the water but the laptop would not like it.

A Mudfish.....that is cool.

Nope, never tried it. I didn't think they had any food value at all. They do put up a serious fight, though. I've caught plenty of them that would swallow this one whole. Trout Creek, 6 mile, and Deep Creek are loaded with them. They have plenty of sharp teeth and they will try to bite you.

Mudfish or Bowfin (Amia calva) as some call them are very aggressive. I had a lot of experience with them in the upper reaches of the Hillsborough River when I was at USF. The male builds a nest usually in the roots of cat tails or reeds where he guards the eggs and the young. While wading and fly fishing for bluegill I had one attack me when I got too close to the nest. I have also had them take a stringer of fish ans try to swim of with them. But then the turtles and gators will do that too. As far as eating them, I have heard they are edible. And an uncle of mine once said they tried to market them under the name of Chocolate Snook. They go by all of the following names: Mudfish, dogfish, cypress bass, cypress trout, grindle, grinnel, blackfish, choupique, and chocolate snook.

If you were catching Bowfin, you had to be in some pretty fresh water. I have seen them up in Pellicer Creek along with gar.

Nice fish and great pics. Way to go.