When I was a kid, my parents moved a lot!  But I always found them!! 

Rodney Dangerfield

 June 2018

I’ve just landed a muscular fish over 20 inches that smashed my Gulp! swimming mullet lure like a freight train, then ran hard and deep like a redfish.  I’m already salivating over the thought of savoring one of the best tasting fish in Florida over dinner tonight.  So why is my fishing buddy laughing, his nose turned up slightly in disdain??  Because it’s Bagrus marinus, popularly  known as a gafftopsail catfish.

Okay, okay, I’ll have to deal with the gelatinous snot it’s left on my leader, and yes I’ll have to dodge those wicked, venomous spines to get my hook out, but sail cats just can’t get no respect—just like Rodney Dangerfield and the way it used to be for barracuda before Keys angling guides pushed to have it listed as a gamefish.  In other southern states, anglers appreciate saltwater catfish, but not so much in Florida.  It’s time for a change!  By the end of the day, after landing numerous sail cats on light spin tackle, my fishing buddy Bob Wayne, a renowned saltwater flyfisherman who has chased fish worldwide and appeared on covers of several national fly fishing magazines, is a devoted convert to the gafftopsail!

Click on the link below to view a pdf of my article on sailcat fishing that appeared in the June 2018 issue of Florida Sportsman

Sailcat Article