Just went fishing underneath the Destin Bridge in West Florida and we caught a ton of these. They taste amazing. Use a small hook, small piece of shrimp and no weight. Let it sink 3 to 5 feet and BAM! They hit hard! Some of the best fishing I've ever experienced.
These Spades usually move in to the surf during spring, summer and fall months here where I live. I like to catch them from the pier and surf. They are definitely good eating and fun to target with lite tackle.. Very good eating.
When I was a kid I would catch a large mess of these off the Fort Clinch pier, Fernandina beach, long before storm damage. I would scale them and dress em' and dip them in corn meal then deep fry them. Best way to cook that type fish, very tasty!
Great video I've only been following you guys for a little over a year so I have the added bonus being able to go back and watch all your older videos I always learn something new thank you so much
A lot of people mistake spadefish for angel fish. Spadefish are excellent to eat & a fun fish to catch on light tackle. They’re always around oyster bays, structures with barnacles. Very underrated fish.
I've caught them off the coast of Louisiana at the Mississippi Canyon rigs upwards of 10lbs, and few closer to 15lbs, incredible fighters, never eaten one, however, my wife has, and she says marinate it overnight in beer & fresh garlic, season with Tony-C's, and grill it... claims it's AMAZING!!!
We used to fish for Spade Fish out of Myrtle Beach all the time. We would first catch small ball jelly fish and cut them up for bait. They loved those. Spade Fish are great fun fish to catch, especially with kids as you can pull them in one after another. They do fight hard for their size and they do taste great.
BronkBuilt i goto that beach often and wants a tip on catching these fishes. which bait was it? ball jelly fish in google comes up as cannon ball jellyfish
Yes, sorry I didn't use the correct full name. Cannonball Jellyfish is what we used. Catch them with a net right outside the inlet or by docks. Very small sting. If you are going to Myrtle Beach stop by Perry's Bait & Tackle, if they are still there as I have not been in over 7 years. They are a great place and are happy to share with you what's biting and on what.
Caught these all the time as a kid. Also, you can tie up to bridges or piers, and use something to crush or scrape the barnacles off the pylons. This chumming will attract spade fish and sheep head. Good luck and keep fishing!
CoChinoMayne you dont really make a soup from fish carcasses. you make stock from the bones and head much the same way you make chicken stock... that you then use to make a soup
I used to love hand lining these with monofilament and squid chunks. Chumming works great for schooling, just yank that bait out if you see a shark coming for it though lol. Let it sink about five feet or so to wear you can just see it and wait till you see it bite. Super fun! Taste good too. I soak in buttermilk first.
Hey Brant , have you tried cooking with grape seed oil instead of olive oil ? It gives everything a much better cleaner taste ! Give it a try and tell me what you think . Thanks for the videos !!!
We discovered how incredibly tasty spade fish are by total trial & error decades ago. We were snorkeling under the Pineda Causeway in Melbourne Florida and gigging sheepshead up close to the bridge pilings. But we noticed a lot of spade fish hanging around with them. What the heck, right? So we gigged quite a few spade fish as well to try out. But we probably gigged 3 sheepshead for every single spade fish. I kid you not, that evening back home at the dinner table, we were literally fighting over the spade fish..........they were that good. To this day, I would choose spade fish over sheepshead, hands down. To me, it has a very clean and SWEET taste. Sort of reminded me of the flavor of bay scallops!!!
Who are you effing frank mundas he use to kill everything that he caught too practice some conservation so there will be something that swims for future fun don’t use a resource for chum by grinding everything to bring larger species anyone can do that it’s not sporting and I’m pretty sure not legal or lawful but it is wasteful and unnecessary 1800 tip-dec1
My wife and I were in Florida way back in 1992. Tampa Bay area. My Wife's friend lived in Tampa back then and she took us to Saint Pete's Beach. We fished off a Paid Dock and caught many of those but they told us they were "Angle Fish" like found in Aquariums. They were some Good eating fish! Reminded me of Crappie. Caught a Cowfish also, them things are UGLY!! Some man who was in his 80s took the Cowfish, he said they were also good eating, I told him he could eat it and he took it.
First time I caught these (many Moons ago), I thought they were some kind of Angle Fish, was bait fishing and started catching some really good sized one's. I put a bunch of the largest one's in the keeper. The rest of the day was a bust, I took what was left in the keeper home, I decided to clean them and yes, they were good. I do cut out some of the darkest meat that's along the lateral line, put it in a bag and freeze it for mesh bag chum, fry's up like panfish strips. Since then I've found that a small long shank panfish hook is best to use.
Great video saw a small school of these hanging out some pilings under a bridge the other day but would not touch my live shrimp didn’t think of using tiny pieces instead. What size hook do you use ?
Brant, can you recommend a good resource to find some inshore reefs numbers in Pensacola bay/sound? I was able to find public offshore numbers on diving sites etc, but am unable to find anything for within the bay. I would love to try me some spade fish. Great vid!
@@AnglerUpTv Lemon is great on fish but he whole point was to get an honest opinion of how the fish taste... You cant do that when its drenched in lemon juice.
I saw a guy catching Em just by dropping a net next to a pier he had bait in the middle then would just pull the net it was like a pier drop net but really small holes idk just saw it once and he caught about 10
what boat are you in and what location (state, etc) Saw it! Blazer Bay printed on the seat; were you guys fishing out of Louisiana bayous? Oh, you're in Florida; that explains it
Looks like alot of fun out there brother! I think it's cool to see an underrated fish being used as a good resource. Does Florida have a limit on them or not really?
They are the saltwater version of a Bluegill Bream. They fight the same way running in circles, and the meat is purpleish and certainly the mouth is the same, and everybody says pound per pound the fight harder than any other fish.
You guys ever spearfish them? They are probably the easiest fish in my area to bag. Their shape and the way they school makes for an easy target and very reliable food source.
good to know i have to use small pieces for baits. i was at the shore using large bait, and not aware that some fishes have small mouth. rookie fisherman
I'm watching the size and flatness and how you're just plucking them from the water and thinking "Is this a saltwater Bluegill!?" XD Not literally of course, it just feels like this is the saltwater equivalent to fishing for huge freshwater sunfish. This would be great fast action on smaller, easy fish for little kids. Again, like a saltwater bluegill.
Hey guys...where did you fish for these spadefish? I would really like to try fishing for them. What other baits other than shrimp work on spadefish? Thanks guys.
brooks harlow what piers do you fish most and feel has the best results? I go up to obx every year around november and went fishing at Avalon this past November. nobody was catching anything.
Nick Hall I usually fish nags head pier and jeanettes pier because the house we rent is directly in between them. I have more luck at nags head because it is less crowded. Spades all day and unfortunately you hook a lot of skate if you are using squid. We caught a handful of pufferfish. Are you familiar with the oregon inlet bridge?
brooks harlow I know where it is not too familiar with it. but yea I have heard good things a bout Jeannettes pier. Being a resident of GA kinda limits me on where I can fish unless I decide to buy the out of state license. might do it this upcoming trip
Nick Hall it is pretty cheap to get a temporary fishing permit out there. If you are heading south over the oregon inlet bridge there is a parking lot immediately to the left which leads to long treacherous walk through hot sand(I go in july) to a half jetty/ half rockwall. There are some giant gar that hang out back there during the summer at least
brooks harlow thats good I have never looked into the price of them . I just assumed they were pricy. I might try oregon inlet next time and definitely some surf
Just went fishing underneath the Destin Bridge in West Florida and we caught a ton of these. They taste amazing. Use a small hook, small piece of shrimp and no weight. Let it sink 3 to 5 feet and BAM! They hit hard! Some of the best fishing I've ever experienced.
Spadefish are awesome. A couple of years ago, I caught one that weighed 6lbs on the State Park pier in Gulf Shores.
Sheesh that's a ton of lemon!
These Spades usually move in to the surf during spring, summer and fall months here where I live. I like to catch them from the pier and surf. They are definitely good eating and fun to target with lite tackle.. Very good eating.
When I was a kid I would catch a large mess of these off the Fort Clinch pier, Fernandina beach, long before storm damage. I would scale them and dress em' and dip them in corn meal then deep fry them. Best way to cook that type fish, very tasty!
They are truly delish! I had a few of them when I went to the Outer Banks. Tough to catch the small ones (hah), but the meat was very rewarding. Yum!
Extreme Philly Fishing Yeah they can be tricky!
Great video I've only been following you guys for a little over a year so I have the added bonus being able to go back and watch all your older videos I always learn something new thank you so much
Can't wait to see this one! I've seen other catch and cook spadefish...looking forward to the fish head soup!!!
A lot of people mistake spadefish for angel fish. Spadefish are excellent to eat & a fun fish to catch on light tackle. They’re always around oyster bays, structures with barnacles. Very underrated fish.
I just started watching your channel about a month ago and have been binge watching ever since! You are a very good fisherman. Tight Lines!
I've caught them off the coast of Louisiana at the Mississippi Canyon rigs upwards of 10lbs, and few closer to 15lbs, incredible fighters, never eaten one, however, my wife has, and she says marinate it overnight in beer & fresh garlic, season with Tony-C's, and grill it... claims it's AMAZING!!!
I love the sound of the drag going off. That along deserves a like for this vid
reynault brown 👍🏻
We used to fish for Spade Fish out of Myrtle Beach all the time. We would first catch small ball jelly fish and cut them up for bait. They loved those. Spade Fish are great fun fish to catch, especially with kids as you can pull them in one after another. They do fight hard for their size and they do taste great.
BronkBuilt do u mean cannon ball jellyfish???
BronkBuilt i goto that beach often and wants a tip on catching these fishes. which bait was it? ball jelly fish in google comes up as cannon ball jellyfish
Yes, sorry I didn't use the correct full name. Cannonball Jellyfish is what we used. Catch them with a net right outside the inlet or by docks. Very small sting. If you are going to Myrtle Beach stop by Perry's Bait & Tackle, if they are still there as I have not been in over 7 years. They are a great place and are happy to share with you what's biting and on what.
BronkBuilt will any part of the jellyfish work?
BronkBuilt do u cut off the stings and use the top part?
nice; light spin tackle...and you can eat 'em too!
They pull hard since the body is very wide.
Those are like hunkin whopper saltwater bluegills.
Caught these all the time as a kid. Also, you can tie up to bridges or piers, and use something to crush or scrape the barnacles off the pylons. This chumming will attract spade fish and sheep head. Good luck and keep fishing!
I just did a catch and cook on these as well! Thought they were very good!
Here in Texas we have 2-3 pound spades around the oil rigs and they fight harder than any other fish around!
TIpicol Goomer1014 Man those would be fun. We have a few big ones but not many.
Keep these coming. I like the concept of catch and cooks with underrated fish
I snagged one trolling Duster Rigs for King Mackerel by the USS Massachusetts a couple years ago. Only time I have ever hooked one lol
It would be cool if you made a video on how to make fish soup with the carcass.
CoChinoMayne so true
CoChinoMayne you dont really make a soup from fish carcasses. you make stock from the bones and head much the same way you make chicken stock... that you then use to make a soup
CoChinoMayne Doing it tomorrow.
AnglerUp with Brant let us know how it turns out in a video
CoChinoMayne I
I used to love hand lining these with monofilament and squid chunks. Chumming works great for schooling, just yank that bait out if you see a shark coming for it though lol. Let it sink about five feet or so to wear you can just see it and wait till you see it bite. Super fun! Taste good too. I soak in buttermilk first.
Awesome! I have a large spade fish speared over the weekend. We’ll give cooking it a shot
I love freediving the rigs and shooting them they fight very well, I love cooking them whole.
I thought I was the only one who ate these lol
Although I have not tried this myself, I have heard that cannonball jellyfish work really well for these.
Hey Brant , have you tried cooking with grape seed oil instead of olive oil ? It gives everything a much better cleaner taste ! Give it a try and tell me what you think .
Thanks for the videos !!!
Vince K I have not but I might incorporate it. Thanks!
Great video Brant. If you trim the dark meat from the center of the fillet it will improve both the smell and the taste. Thanks for the good stuff!
We discovered how incredibly tasty spade fish are by total trial & error decades ago. We were snorkeling under the Pineda Causeway in Melbourne Florida and gigging sheepshead up close to the bridge pilings. But we noticed a lot of spade fish hanging around with them. What the heck, right? So we gigged quite a few spade fish as well to try out. But we probably gigged 3 sheepshead for every single spade fish. I kid you not, that evening back home at the dinner table, we were literally fighting over the spade fish..........they were that good. To this day, I would choose spade fish over sheepshead, hands down. To me, it has a very clean and SWEET taste. Sort of reminded me of the flavor of bay scallops!!!
They are OK. Don't get too excited. A little strong. I've caught them twice that in port Canaveral cocoia beach
If you're a guide and you chum often just buy you a second hand meat grinder and turn all them carcasses into chum!
John Chance The marina I have my boat at uses the carcasses so I give them away. I usually chum with fresh menhaden I catch daily.
Who are you effing frank mundas he use to kill everything that he caught too practice some conservation so there will be something that swims for future fun don’t use a resource for chum by grinding everything to bring larger species anyone can do that it’s not sporting and I’m pretty sure not legal or lawful but it is wasteful and unnecessary 1800 tip-dec1
Court bouillon is sooo delish. Spade fish also smoke well.
Looks like it turned out nice. A bad smelling fish can be an appetite killer though, similar to monk fish, even though it taste great.
Go Land Sea and Air I agree
My wife and I were in Florida way back in 1992.
Tampa Bay area.
My Wife's friend lived in Tampa back then and she took us to Saint Pete's Beach.
We fished off a Paid Dock and caught many of those but they told us they were "Angle Fish" like found in Aquariums.
They were some Good eating fish!
Reminded me of Crappie.
Caught a Cowfish also, them things are UGLY!!
Some man who was in his 80s took the Cowfish, he said they were also good eating, I told him he could eat it and he took it.
these are fun, and there is no limit!!!!
I'll have to try Spade fish, back in the early 90's Trigger were considered trash fish. We loved them, then they became popular.
Dean Nation Yeah I've heard that about triggers. The reputation of a fish is interesting.
First time I caught these (many Moons ago), I thought they were some kind of Angle Fish, was bait fishing and started catching some really good sized one's. I put a bunch of the largest one's in the keeper. The rest of the day was a bust, I took what was left in the keeper home, I decided to clean them and yes, they were good. I do cut out some of the darkest meat that's along the lateral line, put it in a bag and freeze it for mesh bag chum, fry's up like panfish strips. Since then I've found that a small long shank panfish hook is best to use.
Roll it in seasoned corn muffin mix before frying.
Interesting video. Thanks for sharing. Ive never heard of this type of fish.
oh heck yeah I've caught these little buggers dock fishing before I've always wanted to try them but never had the time
Used to spear these under the Destin Bridge. Awesome flavor.
Nice spades. When I was a kid I liked catching creek chubs.
They are cool & they fight pound for pound as well as anything except tuna IMHO. I have a world record one on my wall. :o)
Great video saw a small school of these hanging out some pilings under a bridge the other day but would not touch my live shrimp didn’t think of using tiny pieces instead. What size hook do you use ?
I agree. They are delicious 😋.
Brant, can you recommend a good resource to find some inshore reefs numbers in Pensacola bay/sound? I was able to find public offshore numbers on diving sites etc, but am unable to find anything for within the bay. I would love to try me some spade fish. Great vid!
I'm in the area for a few days. do you have any charters open for tomorrow?
Aaron B I'm actually taking the day off tomorrow. I've been going hard at it for a few weeks. I'm not a big fan of guiding on holidays.
I caught a few called them angel fish ,they were very good fighters and tasty.
"taste is very mild".
dude you literally used a whole lemon on it. it should taste like lemon juice!
John Burgess Nothing wrong with using a ton of lemon on fish. It would be the same as if you made a lemon based sauce and poured over it.
@@AnglerUpTv Lemon is great on fish but he whole point was to get an honest opinion of how the fish taste... You cant do that when its drenched in lemon juice.
Butter next 3lb
The do fight hard. I wish I would've known how good they taste. I caught a couple this morning and had no idea what they were so I threw them back.
I saw a guy catching Em just by dropping a net next to a pier he had bait in the middle then would just pull the net it was like a pier drop net but really small holes idk just saw it once and he caught about 10
what boat are you in and what location (state, etc) Saw it! Blazer Bay printed on the seat; were you guys fishing out of Louisiana bayous? Oh, you're in Florida; that explains it
looking forward to fishing the trashfish tournment spadefish fillets looks like sheephead for some reason to me idky.
Man i caught/released tons of these in cape coral florida. Totally should have kept one
Couldn't believe how good they were till I tried one.
Very nice fishing.
Life of Natural Foods Thanks
1st off, loving the Tribe hoodie. And do you ever get tired of eating fish???
fishing islife Thanks. I honestly don't eat much fish. I do it more for the taste tests on video to see what's good and what's not.
Looks like alot of fun out there brother! I think it's cool to see an underrated fish being used as a good resource. Does Florida have a limit on them or not really?
There is no size or bag limit on these in Florida
I love spade fish but they have disappeared from Galveston bay Texas. I haven't caught one in years and they use to be abundant here.
I was on the pier in galveston yesterday and caught a couple
Don't know if you still read these but I heard that it is because triggerfish are helping keep lionfish populations in check.
We call them angelfish here in Galveston tx
I've had them before they taste like trout. Rainbow or Brown, they're awesome.
They are the saltwater version of a Bluegill Bream. They fight the same way running in circles, and the meat is purpleish and certainly the mouth is the same, and everybody says pound per pound the fight harder than any other fish.
And does key west Florida have good fishing? Going for summer!
Hey, what kind of selfie stick did you have on your slr camera?
Before I had a Loran I’d look for them on the surface over my wreck. Never though to target them. Thanks guys
One time I cought one went to bring home and clean man what a oder I threw it out didn't know if you can eat it thanks
can you use panfish jigs or spinners to catch them. nice video buddy.
I always see some very big ones along the beach but can never get a bite. Maybe spawning ?
WOW! Ugly Stick LITE PRO :) old but light and good rod. I just go one few weeks ago from e-bay.
Fishing For Fun -FFF- Its a good reasonably priced rod that my clients can beat up!
Yes, they are nice as they are pure graphite. But, not produced anymore unfortunately.
You guys ever spearfish them? They are probably the easiest fish in my area to bag. Their shape and the way they school makes for an easy target and very reliable food source.
Dan from GA I spear them off the Chesapeake bay bridge tunnel. Its murky but easy once you're used to it.
Thats the sweetest fish Ive ever eaten
Dang. I've caught a couple hundred of these guys. I always released them. Everyone always told me they weren't goid eatin. Will try some next time.
Where are you fishing? I heard you say the bay but I didn't hear which one? Are you in Florida? South Carolina?
good to know i have to use small pieces for baits. i was at the shore using large bait, and not aware that some fishes have small mouth. rookie fisherman
Miguel Maldonado Jr. I'm a big believer in hiding the hook in a small piece of bait. It works for a bunch of different species.
I loved these as I kid!!!
Thanks! Another thumbs up! I've heard gar fish are good . Wadaya think bout a taste test on those guys? Keep up the Great vids!!
Bob Libra Thanks. I may try them at some point.
I love spade fish there so good
Hey ..dude what is natural bait for spadefish? In different areas it might be various .... But would you tell me the clue?
Underrated? lol I love spades. They fight great and taste amazing!
TheMasterCasters I agree.
they might be better if you didn't try to make it taste like a lemon
Would been great to see them on the depth finder
I'm watching the size and flatness and how you're just plucking them from the water and thinking "Is this a saltwater Bluegill!?" XD Not literally of course, it just feels like this is the saltwater equivalent to fishing for huge freshwater sunfish. This would be great fast action on smaller, easy fish for little kids. Again, like a saltwater bluegill.
Awesome video hate it took me so long to subscribe but I'm here now
Love you guys know about these!
I've coufh a few around pileings .
Man those little things fight!!!
you got to try spadefish eggs they are amazing
Searching for bait I threw a cast net on a loaded screen. Thought I struck gold. Turned out to be a massive school of these. Haha
You don't cut the bones out before cooking it?
GREAT vid the spadefish slamfest!!!
Pat Son Thanks
Hey guys...where did you fish for these spadefish? I would really like to try fishing for them. What other baits other than shrimp work on spadefish? Thanks guys.
junofluke blue fish
just one piece of advice. Pleas sear with cast iron. Cast iron will make a world of difference.
Are there any size and creel limits on spadefish?
I caught one the other day in a cast net i threw it back, eyy try using more lemon
How can you taste anything with all that lemon on it?
Do a sand perch catch and cook.
i love catching spades off the piers in OBX
brooks harlow what piers do you fish most and feel has the best results? I go up to obx every year around november and went fishing at Avalon this past November. nobody was catching anything.
Nick Hall I usually fish nags head pier and jeanettes pier because the house we rent is directly in between them. I have more luck at nags head because it is less crowded. Spades all day and unfortunately you hook a lot of skate if you are using squid. We caught a handful of pufferfish. Are you familiar with the oregon inlet bridge?
brooks harlow I know where it is not too familiar with it. but yea I have heard good things a bout Jeannettes pier. Being a resident of GA kinda limits me on where I can fish unless I decide to buy the out of state license. might do it this upcoming trip
Nick Hall it is pretty cheap to get a temporary fishing permit out there. If you are heading south over the oregon inlet bridge there is a parking lot immediately to the left which leads to long treacherous walk through hot sand(I go in july) to a half jetty/ half rockwall. There are some giant gar that hang out back there during the summer at least
brooks harlow thats good I have never looked into the price of them . I just assumed they were pricy. I might try oregon inlet next time and definitely some surf
I like watching ,but whats up with all the lemon juice?
What year you catch them in Florida
That's some good fishing!
Haha they so good had the tinyest bit on that fork and a sh*t load off lemon
Eating some rn
My grandfather used to eat them all the time god bless his soul