# Ribbonfish Run?



## Tideman

Anyone have any ideas on when the Ribbonfish run will start? I have a buddy that loves them. I caught quite a few down at Surfside last July. Don't laugh. They sell those at the Asian market for about $12 each so somebody is eating them.


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## rentfro

"Don't laugh"? How are we not supposed to laugh? I catch them right in the middle of summer and everytime I think I just hooked a giant trout. Also catch them flounder fishing in the channels in the fall. Never knew there was a run. Good luck.


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## Kolorado_Koolaid

should be coming up. i caught most of them last year in the july/august timeframe. go throw a live shrimp out near the floodgate and that's all you catch some nights. hate them stupid things


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## TranTheMan

Kolorado_Koolaid said:


> should be coming up. i caught most of them last year in the july/august timeframe. go throw a live shrimp out near the floodgate and that's all you catch some nights. hate them stupid things


You mean the floodgate at the end of the levee and only at night?


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## Kolorado_Koolaid

TranTheMan said:


> You mean the floodgate at the end of the levee and only at night?


yep. i've taken my lights down on the rocks(bay side) throughout the night and torn them up. buddy and i caught probably 35 of them in one sitting. when they are in there, nothing else comes around. supposedly there are some really big ones up in the big hole to the north of the gate in moses. talking like 3-4 footers


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## Smackdaddy53

I've heard it all now

http://www.fishingscout.com/scouts/SmackDaddy


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## Instigator

They're ugly and have big teeth. Worse, they're bait. They are also outstanding grilled or fried. Not bad as sashimi either. You guys are so locked into the reds, trout, flounder thing that you miss out on some really good eats.


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## snapperlicious

No thanks


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## TranTheMan

Instigator said:


> They're ugly and have big teeth. Worse, they're bait. They are also outstanding grilled or fried. Not bad as sashimi either. You guys are so locked into the reds, trout, flounder thing that you miss out on some really good eats.


 split lengthwise along the spine, salted, dried then toasted on campfire; they go really well with cold beers.


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## Bearwolf34

Ribbonfish chow mein...wouldnt that be something or some ribbonfish stew. Kinda reminds me of the folks that used to come up to the panhandle to hunt prairie dogs for some kind of stew or soup they made...times musta been extremely tough.


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## Friendswoodmatt

Sorry bud -- I make it standing practice not to eat the bait!


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## TranTheMan

Friendswoodmatt said:


> Sorry bud -- I make it standing practice not to eat the bait!


No sashimi for you


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## Tideman

I was thinking Fried or grilled but Raw? I will pass the word.


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## Coastal Whaler

Maybe, you have heard it all, but now you have seen it all. This picture was taken in Offats Bayou last fall. He was catching ribbonfish pretty steady the whole time I was there!


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## Smackdaddy53

Coastal Whaler said:


> Maybe, you have heard it all, but now you have seen it all. This picture was taken in Offats Bayou last fall. He was catching ribbonfish pretty steady the whole time I was there!


You aren't right...but funny!

http://www.fishingscout.com/scouts/SmackDaddy


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## jamisjockey

King candy.


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## TAMUscott

I used to catch a ton of them at the bridge on 61st street (Offats) at night during the summer. The tandem lil speck rigs and shrimp work very well.


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## TranTheMan

Coastal Whaler said:


> Maybe, you have heard it all, but now you have seen it all. This picture was taken in Offats Bayou last fall. He was catching ribbonfish pretty steady the whole time I was there!


This is unreal. Was he on some sort of homemade dingy or something? He looked happy, as long as the little bathtub held up. Temp seemed to be cold.


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## texastony

mesquito island just go out there wade out to your favorite area see some bait popping and try to catch trout flounder or reds...... and i guarantee you will have about 10 of them in no time.. use a 52 mr natural color and the ribbon fish would tear it up ive caught alot of them in june and august


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## sferg

We used to go to the port o'conner jettys when large schools of ribbons were coming in to the bay and the jack fish would be tearing them up. We would troll a large offshore spoon and catch the jacks on medium weight tackle. It was a blast. Ought to be happening soon.


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## dynal

anybody caught the ribbons this year?


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## Kolorado_Koolaid

first time i caught one i thought i'd caught a freakin snake. fishin at night at mosquito island and pulled it up without really much light to see what i had and scared the you know what out of me. now i just use my handy dandy fish grip to grab their neck and then yank the hook and send them on their way. i'll pass on all the work required to slice and dice them for the dinner table


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## txrdkng

When I was a small boy I was fishing with my Dad and he caught one. He was careless in taking it off the hook and I got to see John Sealy hospital where they sewed his finger up. No thanks, don't even like to king fish with 'em.


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## McDaniel8402

I have a Korean aunt who loves em. She makes some kind of soup/stew with em. I haven't caught any in many years. I'm always into eating what other people would throw back though, so maybe i'll try one some time, if i can catch one large enough to fool with.


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## hard over and hooked up

King fish bait!!!


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## okmajek

Kingfish bait ! That's it
nothing else ..


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## Rippin_drag

I caught a couple in Matagorda this weekend and saw some getting chased by trout in the ICW as well.


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## cfulbright

Coastal Whaler said:


> Maybe, you have heard it all, but now you have seen it all. This picture was taken in Offats Bayou last fall. He was catching ribbonfish pretty steady the whole time I was there!


I always say, you dont have to go far, but you got to get off the bank!


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## JPEG

I had a bunch of them in my lights Saturday night off the N Jetty.
I have tried them for cut bait. The flesh looks clean and white.


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## Jerry-rigged

Friendswoodmatt said:


> Sorry bud -- I make it standing practice not to eat the bait!


So no shrimp for you?

Fried shrimp,
Grilled shrimp,
boiled shrimp,
bacon wrapped shrimp
stuffed shrimp,
shrimp scampy
shrimp linguini
beer batter butterfly shrimp
shrimp & eggs
Steak and Shrimp
shrimp-ka-bob.
...
..
.
:brew2:


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## glojim

Coastal Whaler said:


> Maybe, you have heard it all, but now you have seen it all. This picture was taken in Offats Bayou last fall. He was catching ribbonfish pretty steady the whole time I was there!


wow i remember seeing that guy too! he was coming in shore from that bay off of 61st (Offats?). I was fishing from that parking lot and he was just doing his thing w/ no worries at all. lol!


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## specker

glojim said:


> wow i remember seeing that guy too! he was coming in shore from that bay off of 61st (Offats?). I was fishing from that parking lot and he was just doing his thing w/ no worries at all. lol!





Coastal Whaler said:


> Maybe, you have heard it all, but now you have seen it all. This picture was taken in Offats Bayou last fall. He was catching ribbonfish pretty steady the whole time I was there!


Do you need a Pilot licensed for that? What will the Coastguard's think???????hwell:


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## McDaniel8402

specker said:


> Do you need a Pilot licensed for that? What will the Coastguard's think???????hwell:


As long as it is paddle-powered, you can row out in a bathtub if you choose to. lol.


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## Fish&Chips

specker said:


> Do you need a Pilot licensed for that? What will the Coastguard's think???????hwell:


They can't do anything until they identify it.

UFO - Unidentified Floating Object


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## Alwaysinshorts

I think that too many people put off things before they even try them. If you ever speak to anyone who hasn't had sushi before and they all make comments like "raw fish, I like my food cooked" or some other phrase that shows their lack of willingness to try new things. As many of you know sushi is awesome. 

When I was growing up one of my friends and his dad would only eat trout, reds, and flounder. Basically if you can't fillet it they didn't eat it. Will as I grew up someone else told me how good sheephead is if you bake it in the oven, that is one of my favorite fish to eat but my buddy and his dad would never keep one. 

You never know until you try things. Look at a snow crab those things don't look good to eat at all but man they are some of the higher priced seafood there is.


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## Fish&Chips

Good point Alwaysinshorts.


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## rugger

Lobster used to be trash food too... I thought I remember hearing redfish was considered trash back in the day..not sure if that's true.


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## That Robbie Guy

http://www.2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=430022&highlight=ribbon+fish


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## glojim

"Back where i'm from, we call that Bait!" 

Lol, i forgot what show/movie that came from but it was funny


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## Category6

I heard they're at the surfside jetties now, only other place I've caught big ones is the flood gates at Moses lake. Also, I did laugh.


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## Finn Maccumhail

Alwaysinshorts said:


> I think that too many people put off things before they even try them. If you ever speak to anyone who hasn't had sushi before and they all make comments like "raw fish, I like my food cooked" or some other phrase that shows their lack of willingness to try new things. As many of you know sushi is awesome.
> 
> When I was growing up one of my friends and his dad would only eat trout, reds, and flounder. Basically if you can't fillet it they didn't eat it. Will as I grew up someone else told me how good sheephead is if you bake it in the oven, that is one of my favorite fish to eat but my buddy and his dad would never keep one.
> 
> You never know until you try things. Look at a snow crab those things don't look good to eat at all but man they are some of the higher priced seafood there is.


Here, here.

I had no idea anybody would eat ribbonfish, largely because it looked like a lot of work for very little meat. Not surprised they're popular with Asians.

One of my favorite restaurants in Houston was Feast which just closed after a pretty successful 6-year run. They were known for being fairly religious about the nose-to-tail ethos and always had offal (liver, heart, kidneys, tongue, brains, etc) of some kind on the menu. And it was delicious.

I get some of the stuff may scare people.

But, from an ethical perspective I think we as a society are far too removed from understanding where our food comes from. People think fruit & veggies just show up at the grocery store and meat just shows up in cellophane packages.

When it comes to eating offal I had my concerns on taste & texture but 3 things got me over it:
1) I view it as a moral obligation to utilize every piece of the animal as reasonably possible
2) any monkey can slap a ribeye on the grill and have it come out tasting good, it takes skill, practice, and art to take parts of an animal lots of people throw away and make something delicious- I have a lot of respect for that; look at stuff like BBQ or fajitas- both brisket and skirt steak are generally considered poor cuts of meat, either tough (skirt) or fatty or both (brisket) and it takes special skill & treatment to make them taste good
3) it really does taste good- heart doesn't taste much different than the rest of a cow (or deer or pig or sheep) just a different texture since it's pure muscle; liver may not be for everybody since they don't like the mineral taste but I really enjoy it, and other pieces such as kidneys, or brains can be delicious


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## McDaniel8402

Finn Maccumhail said:


> Here, here.
> 
> I had no idea anybody would eat ribbonfish, largely because it looked like a lot of work for very little meat. Not surprised they're popular with Asians.
> 
> One of my favorite restaurants in Houston was Feast which just closed after a pretty successful 6-year run. They were known for being fairly religious about the nose-to-tail ethos and always had offal (liver, heart, kidneys, tongue, brains, etc) of some kind on the menu. And it was delicious.
> 
> I get some of the stuff may scare people.
> 
> But, from an ethical perspective I think we as a society are far too removed from understanding where our food comes from. People think fruit & veggies just show up at the grocery store and meat just shows up in cellophane packages.
> 
> When it comes to eating offal I had my concerns on taste & texture but 3 things got me over it:
> 1) I view it as a moral obligation to utilize every piece of the animal as reasonably possible
> 2) any monkey can slap a ribeye on the grill and have it come out tasting good, it takes skill, practice, and art to take parts of an animal lots of people throw away and make something delicious- I have a lot of respect for that; look at stuff like BBQ or fajitas- both brisket and skirt steak are generally considered poor cuts of meat, either tough (skirt) or fatty or both (brisket) and it takes special skill & treatment to make them taste good
> 3) it really does taste good- heart doesn't taste much different than the rest of a cow (or deer or pig or sheep) just a different texture since it's pure muscle; liver may not be for everybody since they don't like the mineral taste but I really enjoy it, and other pieces such as kidneys, or brains can be delicious


You sound like me. lol. I'll eat dang near ANYTHING, at least once. I've eaten lots of Mexican tripa tacos, and i love em. I don't care for menudo, its too chewy. I've eaten fresh raw shrimp, fresh raw crab, fresh raw fish, uni (sea urchin eggs), stingray, hardhead catfish, jack crevalle, etc. I'm not keen on the idea of rocky mountain oysters, but i could see eating heart, liver, brains, etc. Liver is pretty good, and barbacoa is too.


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## rentfro

Finn Maccumhail said:


> Here, here.
> 
> I had no idea anybody would eat ribbonfish, largely because it looked like a lot of work for very little meat. Not surprised they're popular with Asians.
> 
> One of my favorite restaurants in Houston was Feast which just closed after a pretty successful 6-year run. They were known for being fairly religious about the nose-to-tail ethos and always had offal (liver, heart, kidneys, tongue, brains, etc) of some kind on the menu. And it was delicious.
> 
> I get some of the stuff may scare people.
> 
> But, from an ethical perspective I think we as a society are far too removed from understanding where our food comes from. People think fruit & veggies just show up at the grocery store and meat just shows up in cellophane packages.
> 
> When it comes to eating offal I had my concerns on taste & texture but 3 things got me over it:
> 1) I view it as a moral obligation to utilize every piece of the animal as reasonably possible
> 2) any monkey can slap a ribeye on the grill and have it come out tasting good, it takes skill, practice, and art to take parts of an animal lots of people throw away and make something delicious- I have a lot of respect for that; look at stuff like BBQ or fajitas- both brisket and skirt steak are generally considered poor cuts of meat, either tough (skirt) or fatty or both (brisket) and it takes special skill & treatment to make them taste good
> 3) it really does taste good- heart doesn't taste much different than the rest of a cow (or deer or pig or sheep) just a different texture since it's pure muscle; liver may not be for everybody since they don't like the mineral taste but I really enjoy it, and other pieces such as kidneys, or brains can be delicious


I hear you but Ribbonfish? Just kidding! I would try one since I have tried about everything else but you have to admit the original question "when does the ribbonfish run start" is a pretty funny question since it was the very first time it was ever said!


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## TranTheMan

rentfro said:


> I hear you but Ribbonfish? Just kidding! I would try one since I have tried about everything else but you have to admit the original question "when does the ribbonfish run start" is a pretty funny question since it was the very first time it was ever said!


LOL! I will add it to my list/vocabulary along with croaker run and flounder run. Anything other runs that I have missed?


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## McDaniel8402

TranTheMan said:


> LOL! I will add it to my list/vocabulary along with croaker run and flounder run. Anything other runs that I have missed?


The brown runs, but they aren't anything to get excited about. :slimer:


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## alexfox

*I am waiting for those since last year*

I haven't caught any last year. I got some from Specred last year. I need those too... my 8 yr boy loves to eat them. Can't wait to catch some.


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## RexP

Finn Maccumhail said:


> Here, here.
> 
> I had no idea anybody would eat ribbonfish, largely because it looked like a lot of work for very little meat. Not surprised they're popular with Asians.
> 
> One of my favorite restaurants in Houston was Feast which just closed after a pretty successful 6-year run. They were known for being fairly religious about the nose-to-tail ethos and always had offal (liver, heart, kidneys, tongue, brains, etc) of some kind on the menu. And it was delicious.
> 
> I get some of the stuff may scare people.
> 
> But, from an ethical perspective I think we as a society are far too removed from understanding where our food comes from. People think fruit & veggies just show up at the grocery store and meat just shows up in cellophane packages.
> 
> When it comes to eating offal I had my concerns on taste & texture but 3 things got me over it:
> 1) I view it as a moral obligation to utilize every piece of the animal as reasonably possible
> 2) any monkey can slap a ribeye on the grill and have it come out tasting good, it takes skill, practice, and art to take parts of an animal lots of people throw away and make something delicious- I have a lot of respect for that; look at stuff like BBQ or fajitas- both brisket and skirt steak are generally considered poor cuts of meat, either tough (skirt) or fatty or both (brisket) and it takes special skill & treatment to make them taste good
> 3) it really does taste good- heart doesn't taste much different than the rest of a cow (or deer or pig or sheep) just a different texture since it's pure muscle; liver may not be for everybody since they don't like the mineral taste but I really enjoy it, and other pieces such as kidneys, or brains can be delicious


 I don't know where you grew up, but liver, heart, tounge and brains are not Offal(guts) BBQ is not part of an animal neither is fajitas they are prepared dishes.:cloud:


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## McDaniel8402

RexP said:


> I don't know where you grew up, but liver, heart, tounge and brains are not Offal(guts) BBQ is not part of an animal neither is fajitas they are prepared dishes.:cloud:


I can tell ya right now the Mexicans eat a lot of cow guts.

Tacos de Tripa (intestine tacos)

Lengua en salsa (tounge in salse)

Barbacoa (NOT barbecue, "barbacoa" is made from head meat of a cow, brains, cheek, etc)

Higado y cebolla (liver and onions)

Menudo (stomach lining from a cow)

I've never eaten heart, but i wouldn't mind trying it. Never eaten eyes either. People in Colorado eat bull testicles (Rocky Mountain Oysters), and pickled pigs feet are not uncommon either.


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## Finn Maccumhail

RexP said:


> I don't know where you grew up, but liver, heart, tounge and brains are not Offal(guts) BBQ is not part of an animal neither is fajitas they are prepared dishes.:cloud:


I grew up in Texas.

Perhaps some think offal is only the stomach, intestines, etc. but if you talk to a cook/chef today they'll put liver, heart, brains, kidney, and tongue in the offal category. Incidentally, I do like menudo, tripe, etc which are definitely offal by your definition.

And I'm 100% aware that BBQ and fajitas are prepared dishes. However, in both cases it refers to a technique needed to take a part of the animal which was considered basically a trash cut of meat and make it delicious.


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## dynal

Any update about the Ribbonfishï¼Ÿ


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## Tideman

I haven't caught any yet. I went out to Moses lake a couple of weeks ago and only caught Sand trout and a shark. I do know of a buddy that went out there and came back with a cooler full of them things. Good news there is at least another month left in the Run.


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## dynal

Thanks for update. My info is there are only very few samll ones(1-2 feet).


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## ComeFrom?

TranTheMan said:


> LOL! I will add it to my list/vocabulary along with croaker run and flounder run. Anything other runs that I have missed?


Eat a ribbonfish and you'll get the runs. :wink:


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## tspitzer

each to his own--I used to think it was crazy but my DAD cleaned to hearts and gizzards of dove and quail we killed--he would make a cream gravy and fry those birds --you stand in fire for one of those meals--


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## Smackdaddy53

tspitzer said:


> each to his own--I used to think it was crazy but my DAD cleaned to hearts and gizzards of dove and quail we killed--he would make a cream gravy and fry those birds --you stand in fire for one of those meals--


My Mom would cook em up like that. Live action! I need to do that this Fall.

http://www.fishingscout.com/scouts/SmackDaddy


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## Cowboymatt

There plenty in the middle of trinty bay just look for the baite balls and birds had me fooled thinking they were trout


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## poppadawg

Finn Maccumhail said:


> I grew up in Texas.
> 
> Perhaps some think offal is only the stomach, intestines, etc. but if you talk to a cook/chef today they'll put liver, heart, brains, kidney, and tongue in the offal category. Incidentally, I do like menudo, tripe, etc which are definitely offal by your definition.
> 
> And I'm 100% aware that BBQ and fajitas are prepared dishes. However, in both cases it refers to a technique needed to take a part of the animal which was considered basically a trash cut of meat and make it delicious.


You guys can have the guts, I'll stick to the ribeyes.


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## histprof

They were thick in the surf at Mustang Island last Monday. The birds were gorging on them.


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## tspitzer

smack I need to get down and fish with you--My wife and kids have been looking for a support group for people like us that love to fish --they say that is when I am the most happy--2 cool fills my day when it is slow --


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## gater

*Bait*



Friendswoodmatt said:


> Sorry bud -- I make it standing practice not to eat the bait!


Shrimp, mullet, croaker all good bait all good eats...Gater


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## dynal

I heared somebody have gotten ribbonfish in Surfside last weekend.

Anybody here got the ribbonfish recntly?


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## sun burn

poppadawg said:


> You guys can have the guts, I'll stick to the ribeyes.


X2!!! Lol but I'm always down to try any type of food!! I think if you haven't tried it then you don't know!! 
:brew2:


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## Instigator

*You guys are an inspiration!*

This thread reminded me about a great recipe for these guys and so I wrote the next Bay Naturalist column in Gulf Coast Fisherman magazine on all things ribbonfish. Here's photo of the dinner we whipped up to get a photo for the story. The one in the magazine is better but you'll get the idea. To get the recipe you'll have to buy the magazine :doowapsta


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## whistlingdixie

We caught a 36" ribbonfish this past weekend. Ugliest **** thing I have ever seen.


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## V-Bottom

Catch big ones by the Galv. Y B.


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## dynal

Dose the run start in Galveston/surfside area?


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