# Fish ID help please



## D-Czech (Mar 8, 2013)

A friend caught this at Surfside a few weeks ago and wonders what kind of fish it is.


----------



## sotexhookset (Jun 4, 2011)

Dogfish.


----------



## GulfCoast1102 (Dec 30, 2013)

They go by several names. Dogfish, oyster fish, toad fish, oyster cracker, and on the Florida coast, "mother in law" fish.


----------



## On Time Too (Dec 2, 2014)

Yep its a dogfish. I have a great picture of my wife holding one like that on the line in front of her taken such that it makes it look about 50 lbs. I'll try to post it.


----------



## Jolly Roger (May 21, 2004)

the fish of many names


----------



## On Time Too (Dec 2, 2014)

On Time Too said:


> Yep its a dogfish. I have a great picture of my wife holding one like that on the line in front of her taken such that it makes it look about 50 lbs. I'll try to post it.







who you eat an oyster toad 
Goad a Toad
11.13.2010

Ok, we agreeâ€"the American oyster toad is butt-ugly. Itâ€™s a nuisance, too, often grabbing the baits we intend for fluke, stripers, sea trout, or any number of other gamefish. Catch a toad on purpose? Banish the thought! Not so fast, bub. Though they might look disgusting, the oyster toad (also known as oyster crackers or simply as toad fish) is actually edible. And would you believe, those who have tried it even say itâ€™s tasty? Well, they do. Youâ€™re still not buying it? Come on, be boldâ€"letâ€™s go catch these ugly critters, and give â€˜em a try.
Sure, itâ€™s ugly â€" but itâ€™s tasty, too.

The Catching â€" Locating oyster toads is easy; just look to find them on oyster beds and reefs (in saltwater and brackish coastal areas world-wide), where plenty of shellfish are around. These are bottom-dwellers (big surprise) so youâ€™ll want to keep your offering down deep. Rig up a standard top-and-bottom rig, and bait it with clam chunks, bloodworm bits, mussels, peeler crab, or anything else that smells strongly. Your nasty old gym socks might even do the trick.

Oyster toads have a bony jaw and lots of wide crusher teeth, so use a wide-gapped hook to make sure the sharp part reaches fleshy areas of the mouth. Also up-size the hookâ€™s leader, so the fish doesnâ€™t grind it to bits as it fights; 20 pound test or heavier line is in order. Attach your weight to the rig with a short length of light leader, so if it gets wedged into the shells and rocks down there, you can snap it off and get the rest of your rig back. When you feel a nibble, set the hook immediately.

The Cooking â€" Toad fish are tough to clean, because theyâ€™re covered with a thick, gooey coating of slimeâ€¦ of course. Theyâ€™ll slide right out from under your fillet knife, so use a dry paper towel to get a grip. Each fish usually requires a new, dry towel. Set the fish belly-down on a cutting board, and cut straight down along either side of the dorsal fin, from the back of the big boney head, to the tail, and cut the meat away from the backbone. Forget about the rig cage section of the fish, because the meat found there is riddled with bones. Once the fillets are free, flip them over and skin them. Next, thoroughly wash the meat off.

You can cook up toad fish fillets however you like, but one aficionado we spoke with (who wished to remain nameless for obvious reasons), claims theyâ€™re best when rolled in flour, seasoned lightly with Lowreyâ€™s Seasoned Salt, and fried in olive oil. The meat is light, sweet, and flakey. Enjoy itâ€"if you can.

http://www.earthsports.com/m/news/view/Goad-a-Toad​


----------



## D-Czech (Mar 8, 2013)

Great thanks for the help 2-coolers


----------



## pocjetty (Sep 12, 2014)

On Time Too said:


> You can cook up toad fish fillets however you like, but one aficionado we spoke with (who wished to remain nameless for obvious reasons), claims theyâ€™re best when rolled in flour, seasoned lightly with Lowreyâ€™s Seasoned Salt, and fried in olive oil. The meat is light, sweet, and flakey. Enjoy itâ€"if you can.


 Actually, there is a much better way to prepare and cook them:

1. Leave the fish whole
2. Using large nails, nail it head and tail onto a board
3. Build a good, solid fire. Do not let it burn down to coals
4. Put the board, fish and all, into the fire
5. Leave it there until the board turns good and black
6. Carefully remove from fire
7. Scrape off the toad fish and eat the board.

For the record, my kids called them "booger-fish", because of the layer of slime, and because of the nasty, mushy way they feel. I don't care what the flesh looks like under that slimy-booger exterior. The thought of actually eating one of them just boggles my mind. And I'll try just about any fish.

Reminds me of another joke. The Cajun was headed out hunting, and his neighbor asked what he was after. The Cajun replied, "Hawk." The surprised neighbor said, "Hawk? What the *#!! are you going to do with a hawk?" The Cajun said, "Well... make a gumbo, of course." Still skeptical, the neighbor asked, "What does hawk gumbo taste like?" And the Cajun replied, "Oh... about like owl."

What does toadfish taste like? I suspect a lot like hardhead.


----------



## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

I wanna see the post, with pictures, of someone noshing a toady.
I will go down to the trophy store and buy them a trophy with the inscription, 
" MOST DISGUSTING".


----------



## Crusader (Jan 31, 2014)

Guys, if you ever ate at McDonalds (or similar) -- you should stop calling toadfish disgusting. It is too late. Way too late ;-)


----------



## Rawpower (Jul 4, 2011)

Looks like a Stargazer fish. I caught one a few years back at the Surfside jetty. I call Em the terminator fish. LOL.


----------

