Catfish?

Reading about Cobia actually love those small spiney catfish caught off the pier??

They love any fish they can fit it their mouths. Hardhead babies do work as I've watched in the past.

My largest landed redfish to date was on a forearm sized hardhead I was reeling in once, and caught an amberjack on one as well.

Only three fish I've seen eat one, outside of a few "fishy" people I know..

It just struck me that something would eat them with those spines....

[quote author=tater73 link=topic=1039.msg9893#msg9893 date=1335928826]
It just struck me that something would eat them with those spines....
[/quote]

Im sure you've seen the inner molar-like gill plates on these fish.

To give you an idea, th 43# redfish I caught swallowed the catfish tail first and crushed him so hard the hook was sent through the catfish's mouth and into the gills of the redfish. When I pulled the catfish out, its pectoral and dorsal spines were crushed into its own body cavity. I have seen those same spines penetrate a mans boot and into his foot. Yet a redfish can crush them instantly with their powerful gills like we crush a celery stick with our teeth.

Good reason not to put your hands inside the mouth.

Red Fish will eat anything.....

I bet they would not eat my first wife's cooking

Haha Eddy

Those crusher plates in the back of a reds mouth are no joke. Even on smaller reds, it will bend hooks.

I know redfish...my reference was about Cobia! How tough are the eels that people use for ling?

Pretty tough until they get some dawn or clorox on them.