They're Back...

[TrailChaser]

Get ready for some acrobatic hook spitting good times on the water, because the ladyfish is back in the bay and ready to play. It's the fish that loves to fight, but that will slime you with the nastiest snot ever. I like to play them for a while in hopes they will let themselves off the hook.

Caught this one freelining live shrimp. I'm thinking about freezing a few for shark bait.

[Mythman]

Great shark and bull red bait...............when fresh............after frozen extremely hard to keep on the hook.

[TroutSupport.com]

x2 on cut bait for reds when needed.

[karstopo]

That's one fish that will make me leave an area. They tear up your leaders and flies and bleed and slime all over everything. They get to the lure or fly before anything else can. They stink and are ugly. They all look exactly the same. No spots, dots, markings, just big stupid eyes and lots of monochrome scales. Their fighting consists of a series of idiot jumps. They make hardheads seem majestic. Okay, that's a stretch, but I don't like skipjacks, ladyfish, poor mans Tarpon, whatever you call them. I have cut them up for bait. Their one redeeming feature.

Sorry, some people like them. Think they are fun.

[StevenM]

Kids used to love catching them while they were little.
I still like to catch one just to cut up and soak for Redfish. Those things are candy to a Redfish

[TexanBrewer]

They make hardheads seem majestic.

I think I just blew coffee out of my nose....

Yeah, those and needle fish will drive me to paddle hard in the opposite direction.

[aggie182]

Unless it's a tournament day, I will catch them until I can't any more. I think they're fun, especially on the fly rod. They tear up leaders, they're gross, and the big ones will take a crap all over you. Sadly, I have experienced that. Buuuut, to their credit, they're fun to catch, they jump, and they are typically willing to eat a fly or lure when you find them.

[karstopo]

Unless it's a tournament day, I will catch them until I can't any more. I think they're fun, especially on the fly rod. They tear up leaders, they're gross, and the big ones will take a crap all over you. Sadly, I have experienced that. Buuuut, to their credit, they're fun to catch, they jump, and they are typically willing to eat a fly or lure when you find them.

See, I knew there were ladyfish aficionados out there. Me, I'll take the skunk over a ladyfish, thank you very much. Ladyfish are the persons at the movie theater sitting behind you that won't stop talking and end up ruining the show.

[Yaklash]

A couple of years ago a buddy and I went to POC and went out with a guide who owed him a couple of free trips. We used croaker both days. First day, we hammered the trout (last year of 10 fish limits) and caught a couple of reds each. On the second day, there were three additional anglers (yes, six people on a boat ), so we couldn't fish from the boat - had to wade, but we still used croakers. The add-ons were teenagers from South Oklahoma who hadn't done much saltwater fishing. The first place we went, right out of the boat, we stepped into a school of 3 pound ladyfish. I caught the first one, threw it back and immediately headed away from the area. You'd have thought those kids had died and gone to heaven. They did not budge, instead staying put and using up most of their croakers on ladyfish.

My buddy and I left them, headed to a shoreline and proceeded to catch our limits of reds in about 30 minutes. I kept waving them over, but the guide wouldn't leave the kids, and the kids wouldn't leave ladyfish to catch reds.....SMH in bewilderment

[Milkjug]

Those 20"+ ones are pretty fun. "Poor man's tarpon".

You know when you have one on because you set the hook on a thump and all of a sudden it's pulling from the other side of the yak. They fight hard with acrobatics and at least you can wear them out quickly unlike a jack. Make good bait too.

[FingerMullet]

A couple of years ago a buddy and I went to POC and went out with a guide who owed him a couple of free trips. We used croaker both days. First day, we hammered the trout (last year of 10 fish limits) and caught a couple of reds each. On the second day, there were three additional anglers (yes, six people on a boat ), so we couldn't fish from the boat - had to wade, but we still used croakers. The add-ons were teenagers from South Oklahoma who hadn't done much saltwater fishing. The first place we went, right out of the boat, we stepped into a school of 3 pound ladyfish. I caught the first one, threw it back and immediately headed away from the area. You'd have thought those kids had died and gone to heaven. They did not budge, instead staying put and using up most of their croakers on ladyfish.

My buddy and I left them, headed to a shoreline and proceeded to catch our limits of reds in about 30 minutes. I kept waving them over, but the guide wouldn't leave the kids, and the kids wouldn't leave ladyfish to catch reds.....SMH in bewilderment

Your guide should have given those boys a couple pounds of dead shrimp after them finishing the croaker to catch some of those majestic hard heads..

[M T Stringer]

...That's one fish that will make me leave an area...

I'm with you...nothing like casting a topwater to a redfish wake only to get intercepted by a skipcrap and spooking the red in the process. I'd rather fish with kamikaze submarine gar than skipjack...and that's saying a lot.

...and the big ones will take a crap all over you...

When I can't get them to shake the hook and I HAVE to land them to de-hook, it is ALWAYS done off the side of the boat for that reason specifically.

[Yakety_Yak]

Those skip jacks are great for snapper bait as well.

[Drifting Yak]

Well this post sure has been entertaining!!

[crusher]

They stink and are ugly. They all look exactly the same. No spots, dots, markings, just big stupid eyes and lots of monochrome scales. Their fighting consists of a series of idiot jumps. They make hardheads seem majestic. Okay, that's a stretch, but I don't like skipjacks, ladyfish, poor mans Tarpon, whatever you call them. I have cut them up for bait. Their one redeeming feature.

Karst,
You saying you're not a fan?