Filleted 10 minutes out of the water and ready for the grill.

You are always catching some beauties. Nice work

Nice Cuda SirSnook!

I've heard they're good eating. Seems like they would have a lot of Y-bones like a pike? 

Of all the barracudas I've caught this one was one of the most memorable.  Far from the largest I've had and being pretty much an average size, this one fought incredible.  The strike literally was bone jarring, right from the git go the fish went airborn a number of times.  More runs than I normally experience, maybe 5 times and each one of them the fish headed into the current which runs 8-10 knots here.  Using a MH rod with 14 Lb copoly, you can't manhandle them in.  I also caught  good jack crevalle prior to the cuda so I had a nice day.

Yesterday we had a west wind, crystal clear water and a flat surf, good for cuda.  Today we have 12 knot NE wind, rougher water with the outgoing tide, water will be dirty, that's good for snook, not cudas.

Fish was delicious, the guy in the background is a chef at Hunters Run County Club, he filleted it and I took some for myself and gave him the rest.  Despite the horrible odor and a extremely slimy skin of these fish, the meat is a white and pure.  Every wants barracuda down here to eat.

A beauty for sure SirSnook, thanks for posting!

Congrats. What were you using for a lure?

Home made barracuda tube, orginally made for striper fishing

I love me some cuda fishing. Beautiful specimen there. Might have to try and eat one next time i get one.

I have heard there is an issue with mercury levels in barracuda.

Is that just an old wives tale?

That will make 2 great fillets!!!  Congrats.

I have heard there is an issue with mercury levels in barracuda.

Is that just an old wives tale?

No it's not an old wives tale, but there are levels of mercury in many fish.

 

Some of the worst are king mackerel, tuna and swordfish, shell fish too.  Barracuda is classified as a moderate risk, I have heard heavy amounts of mercury can be spotted by dark spots once cleaned.  As I mentioned the man I gave the fish to is a chef, he did say there was no mercury present, I would interperet that as a low amount as most fish will contain some.  What many people associate with barracuda is ciguatera (reef disease) which can be be found in reef fish.  It isn't the fish that produces it, it's caused by a tiny marine organism found in algae and coral.  Tiny fish eat and it works it's way up the food chain. The disease could be caught just easily eating red snapper at your favorite restaurant.  In my 10 years down here I've never heard of anyone getting ill from them, they are mainstay for many people down here.  I personally don't eat fish much fish any more and when I do it's salmon,my wife is fanatic about healthy foods.  I'm dying for a bag of potato chips..............lol.

 

I don't fish cuda for the food, I fish them because it's one of the most challenging fish I have ever encountered, they don't strike often but when they do, words don't do it justice.

If I catch 2 or 3 cuda in a month I'm pretty happy, in the first 3 1/2 months of the year I've caught maybe 7 or 8.  Don't know what's happening but I've had 3 in the last couple of days.  I twisted my side yesterday on my last one and handed the rod over to a guy I met from Maryland.  A striper guy but he never caught a cuda and did tell him if I hooked one I'd let him reel it in.  He's going home today so I was real happy he landed a 40 incher.

Another one this morning 45", was curious did the formula estimate..........32#