Thread: 2 things-

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

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 runnerblue runner.jpg 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.

Originally Posted by kingkiller7255

that is not a blue runner this is a blue runnerblue runner.jpg 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.

Originally Posted by kingkiller7255

that is not a blue runner this is a blue runnerblue runner.jpg 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.