Had Puffers for Supper

Firefly

Old Mossy Horns
I caught 3 Skates, 1 Shark and 6 Puffers off the Bogue Inlet Pier today. The weather was nice and pleasant and the wind was light. We had the Puffers for supper they were very good eating...Just a friend of mine and me out there today, I hated it but my friend got skunked he didn't catch a one. 1-6-15...
 
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Firefly

Old Mossy Horns
Any size to them? They are my favorite to eat! Fried or grilled. They hold together very well on the grill.

They were big enough to eat but small to medium size..With this cold front coming I don't know if they will be around next week when the weather moderates, I hope so. We have had fresh fish twice this week . Fish are so high at the fish market here it wouldn't take long to break up a rich man . Black Sea Bass fillet's were $17.95 a pound last week...
 

firemedic54

Ten Pointer
Puffer fish are my absolute favorite, I think I could eat a 5 gallon bucket of them. They are the chicken strip of the sea!!!!!!!
 
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AB1620

Button Buck
They were big enough to eat but small to medium size..With this cold front coming I don't know if they will be around next week when the weather moderates, I hope so. We have had fresh fish twice this week . Fish are so high at the fish market here it wouldn't take long to break up a rich man . Black Sea Bass fillet's were $17.95 a pound last week...

The markup is unbelieveable on those things LOL. Considering the fisherman gets about 3$ a pound for the fish someone is making some money.
 

Firefly

Old Mossy Horns
The markup is unbelieveable on those things LOL. Considering the fisherman gets about 3$ a pound for the fish someone is making some money.

Speckled Trout in the same seafood market was $14.95 per lb...Flounder fillets, $13.95...I will have to eat more chicken than seafood if I can't catch my own fish..
 
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socalangler

Guest
Being from Southern California but moving to Coastal NC within the next couple of months (not sure where yet) and new to this forum, any hint on how to cook puffers? I've never eaten one (and never caught one either), but I'll be posting info. from So Cal fishing (and recipes) in the near future.
 

CarolinaWildlife

Ten Pointer
Fried...grilled seasoned with lemon pepper..can't got wrong. They hold together real well for grilling. When you pull the skin off, there is a membrane that is left that will hold the meat together. The skin is very tough and abrasive like sand paper. You will need gloves if you have several to skin. It does come off very easily once you get the hang of it. With practice, you can clean one in about the time it took to read this.
 

socalangler

Guest
Thanks. Any tips on catching them with soft plastics? Also, did I see a chat room available here somewhere and if so do you know when it is?
 

CarolinaWildlife

Ten Pointer
Don't know about the chat room.
They are a cut bait biting fish. Fresh shrimp,cut mullet,fish bites blood worm/shrimp/ or clam. They will bite gulp as well, but that can get expensive fast.
 

socalangler

Guest
Thanks. I pour my own soft plastics, so that's why I was asking. I can pretty much pour whatever Gulp product is out there, guess I'll have to get to the coast (I'm currently in VA) and fish while I'm looking for a place to live, ha ha.
 

socalangler

Guest
I make scent (flavor) too, ha ha (and I just updated my profile).
 

Firefly

Old Mossy Horns
What I do is cut the head off then run the knife a sharp one mind you under the belly skin and cut down to the tail.. Than I pull the skin off just like I do with a Catfish...You can clean a pretty good mess of them pretty quickly. The skin of a Puffer would make some good sandpaper for sure its tougher than Shark skin...I can clean a Puffer quicker than I can a fish with scales..
 

socalangler

Guest
Thanks make and Firefly, now all I have to do is catch some, ha ha. (I wonder if they'll hit small single curly tail grubs?).
 

Firefly

Old Mossy Horns
Thanks make and Firefly, now all I have to do is catch some, ha ha. (I wonder if they'll hit small single curly tail grubs?).

Never have caught a Puffer on any artificial bait but I'm not saying its impossible I just don't really know.. Most I have caught in 60 years of saltwater fishing was on Shrimp...
 

CarolinaWildlife

Ten Pointer
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socalangler

Guest
Thanks for the tips guys. Hmm, I have molds to hand pour 3.5" shrimp and a killer razor clam color to pour the grubs in (the razor clam colored grubs have caught me hundreds of saltwater bass in the bays in CA). Looks delicious Carolina, maybe we should fish together sometime so you can make me lunch on the beach, ha ha. Where were those pic taken (or is that your secret spot?), ha ha. Steve
 
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