# Hard heads for bait.



## FingCM06 (Feb 16, 2017)

I know sharks and reds will eat anything, but has anyone had any luck with them for bait? Iâ€™ve had big sharks bite gafftop in half while I was reeling them in but havenâ€™t tried hardheads. Iâ€™m really looking for an excuse to kill them when I catch them on my bait rods I guess. Was watching a YouTube video on blacktiphâ€™s channel and he said blacktips love them. 




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## Reel Time (Oct 6, 2009)

I fed one to a great blue heron. He speared it and flew off with it. I watched him eat it from a distance. I didn't think anything ate a hardhead.


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## jimj100 (Dec 1, 2012)

man i was amazed as a kid on a peir, we'd catch a trout or red or floounder, filet it for eating, and i'd take the head/carcass and drop it down on a string and catch 5 crabs in 15 minutes until it was GONE. I'd catch a hard head, cut it up, bleeding, looking fantastic, and NOTHING would touch it. no crab would stoop to touching it. 

I have caught sharks on gafftops for sure. Possibly on HH too, but they are generally too small. I've only yakked out a few that i thought were big enough. It is a bait of last option though.


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## Minh (Jun 1, 2018)

I don't go offshore like I use to but hard heads would be used for Ling. You just snap the three fins off and pitch them to the Ling. 

As for other fish, i am sure there are sharks that eat them but i would guess that it is not part of their normal diet.


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## Harbormaster (May 26, 2000)

Crabs love hardeads, cut slices in them to bait your traps or feed your crabs in the barrel.

Cut the barbs and trim the tail to hand feed ling.


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## sharkchum (Feb 10, 2012)

I've used hardheads for bait, and yes I've caught fish on them, but I would only use them as a last resort.
I've found hardheads in the stomach of trout, reds, flounder, and sharks, but I don't consider them a good choice for bait.


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## capt2016 (Mar 4, 2016)

I second tha motion for offshore bait, they live a long time in tha bait well for sure, and lots of fish will eat em


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## mtbfreak (Oct 7, 2017)

Or...you could just let them live. No reason to kill if there's no reason to kill.


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## Hayniedude24 (Jun 15, 2016)

.... well yea I guess. Or you can throw them in the dunes to feed the yotees and rattlesnakes.


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## DirtTurtle (Oct 15, 2016)

I have cleaned plenty of ling and red snapper that had small (3-4”) hardheads in them. The small skeletons still had the fins intact! Surprised it didn’t poke through the stomach lining! But, yes, other fish do eat them. Something’s got to!


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## Harbormaster (May 26, 2000)

mtbfreak said:


> Or...you could just let them live. No reason to kill if there's no reason to kill.


...we use them as fertilizer for the roses we plant on the spoil banks.


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## Sgrem (Oct 5, 2005)

Chester Moore Jr.'s book speaks of his first giant flounder caught on a hardhead he caught and cast back out for bait. Hooked the flounder and then it got off. Still haunts hom how big that flounder was. He says he uses a hard head for bait at least once a year still hunting for that giant flounder that gave him the flounder fever when he was a kid.


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## Eat'em Up (Oct 18, 2016)

Tried one offshore for AJs a couple weeks ago after we ran out of other bait. Had a lot of fish around but nothing ate it.


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## Harbormaster (May 26, 2000)

sgrem said:


> Chester Moore Jr.'s book speaks of his first giant flounder caught on a hardhead he caught and cast back out for bait. Hooked the flounder and then it got off. Still haunts hom how big that flounder was. He says he uses a hard head for bait at least once a year still hunting for that giant flounder that gave him the flounder fever when he was a kid.


That was my flounder behind Rooster Collins back in the 70's. Had 6 other trout fishermen trying to herd the behemoth into a net that wasn't big enough for it to fit in. Fought it for 30 minutes swimming guts and running flats.

It came up 3 times and let us see her, she had the white spots of a Southern Flounder or we would've thought she was a Halibut.

She was at least 30" wide.


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## sharkinaggie07 (Oct 1, 2016)

Sharks tend to be very particular about them. For whatever reason, once or twice a year, we wear them out using hardheads. The rest of the year, they won't touch a hardhead. I have no explanation as to why...

-SA


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## sharkbait-tx70 (Jun 28, 2009)

*Hard heads for bait*

I have caught many a long on hardheaded. They are like crack to a big ling . We would keep two or three in different sizes in the livewell off shore just for that purpose. Clip the barbs hook and let em eat.... also have caught several sharks off the beach on hardheaded. Hammers and blacktips don't mind them. Last one caught was two weeks ago on accident. Threw out a whole 8" whitting in second gut down Pins. My son saw something bumping the rods picked it up and started cranking it in. After about a min. Something grabbed it and started smoking that reel. Turned fish got it to the beach. Was a small 6' greater hammer. Hardheaded picked up bait and somehow got circle hook in its mouth. It then became an unknowing live bait. Hammer was released tagged and healthy.


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## Category6 (Nov 21, 2007)

Tarpon love small live HH


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