2 things-

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mforbesiii

Thanks for posting this. I caught some of these last year off the beach in Fort Morgan and I had no idea what they were. The ones I caught seemed a bit more blue in color than what you have, but the body shape and tail are very similar. They seemed like super small (like 10") tuna but I knew that wasn't the case. I studied up on my fish before I hit the beach so I would know what I was catching, but I didn't see this type of fish in anything I'd read. Even searched afterwards, but I didn't have a pic, so I couldn't be sure what I was finding was a match. I think what you have here is what we were catching (using gulp shrimp on fish finder rigs).

Do people eat these when larger size?

---

Think what you were catching were bluerunners.

looks like a ling mixed with a hard tail

almaco jack

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by the_reel_doc

Think what you were catching were bluerunners.

---

You are exactly right. I just looked up Blue Runner and the pic is dead on. Really appreciate your help with that. All this time whenever I read about someone catching hardtails I was thinking they meant saltwater catfish. Goes to show how much I have to learn. Now I know what they are and that they are best thrown back, though the site I looked up the pic on had several recipes that people really enjoyed. They said it tasted like any oily fish (mackerel, blue) but perhaps a bit fishier.

Hardtails/Bluerunners are edible, just remove the red meat. Once again, they aren't flaky white reef fish, a little stronger tasting. But shouldn't fish taste like fish???

that is not a blue runner this is a blue runnerAttachment 2187 that fish you caught is called an almaco jack.

#r likes purple n golds answer of lesser jack,so I guess that's what it is.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kingkiller7255

that is not a blue runner this is a blue runnerAttachment 2187 that fish you caught is called an almaco jack.

---

Nope, not an almaco, its a lesser AJ. Fins and body shape are wrong for an almaco.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kingkiller7255

that is not a blue runner this is a blue runnerAttachment 2187 that fish you caught is called an almaco jack.

---

I think the_reel_doc was telling me what I had was a bluerunner. I looked at the OP's pic and though it was what I caught, but I mentioned that what I caught was a bit more blue. the_reel_doc correctly pointed me in the direction of bluerunner, which now that I can see the pic, is more like what I caught than the OP's original pic.

Thanks to all for the replies. I'm going with the Lesser, and I will now tell people I've caught Amberjack from the pier.