Shoot. I will not hesitate to keep a fair sized croaker or whiting. Actually, pan seared croaker is my parents favorite fish next to flounder and crappie.

 

For the smaller ones...I used to run them through a grinder (bones & all), make patties (like crab cakes), and pan fry them...

 

I would not mind trying sand trout in the grinder. Thanks for sharing!!

 

I've had sand trout patties before.

 

When I was a kid, big golden croaker where a prized fish. Considered one of the best eating wise........And big eating sized ones could be caught in large numbers. Fill up an ice chest if you wanted to numbers.

Ahhh..... The golden croaker runs of yester year. The boom in shrimp boats scouring the bay didn't help them out. TPWD reduced the overall now number boats shrimping. But then the juvenile croaker grew popular as trout bait.

I think to see the big eating croaker regularly we will have to stop netting so many juvenile croaker for bait.

I'm not saying outlaw the use of croaker as bait but maybe cut the mass netting of them out. Make it where a person has to catch their own for bait.......Or limit how many pounds a boat can net a day.


We need to do something that's for sure.

 

When I was a kid, big golden croaker where a prized fish. Considered one of the best eating wise........And big eating sized ones could be caught in large numbers. Fill up an ice chest if you wanted to numbers.

Ahhh..... The golden croaker runs of yester year. The boom in shrimp boats scouring the bay didn't help them out. TPWD reduced the overall now number boats shrimping. But then the juvenile croaker grew popular as trout bait.

I think to see the big eating croaker regularly we will have to stop netting so many juvenile croaker for bait.

I'm not saying outlaw the use of croaker as bait but maybe cut the mass netting of them out. Make it where a person has to catch their own for bait.......Or limit how many pounds a boat can net a day.


We need to do something that's for sure.

Ok I'll say it. Yes commercial netting of croaker for bait needs to be banned. It will return the croaker fishery back to the good ole days and significantly help the trout population. It's a win win. Everyone knows it, but no one is willing to step up and do it. Will take money out of the croaker guide pockets. They will have to work harder and fish with shrimp and piggies. I get it but how long do we have to wait and watch the trout population plummet to nothing until something is done?

 

The golden croaker runs during late September were so fun. Used to catch them off the end of the Texas City dike from the rocks. Of course, this was the late 70's

 

ah yea ! we USED to catch them 2 at a time in late sept. usually 12 to 14 in long . late 70's/ early 80's . miss those days . remember youngsters , nothing last forever ,

 

In 60s and 70s for me. Only got into the nice big ones once. A 17" was about the best. We fished the east end of Galveston Island.

 

Trinity Bay around the old gas wells, always paid off for me.

 

Did the run a few times in Galveston, at Seawolf or that area. Years later, long after the croaker market eliminated big croaker from so many places, a buddy caught a 21" croaker in Calcasieu

 

Man you are so so so right.
We need to hurry and mobilize to immediately BAN all skitterwalks and sidescan and powerpoles and spotlock and braided lines too..... quick quick....

It's those pesky TPWD fishing reports in the chronicle that made the fishing too easy for the last decades. And NOW they just put it online for everyone! Unreal....

 

Man you are so so so right.
We need to hurry and mobilize to immediately BAN all skitterwalks and sidescan and powerpoles and spotlock and braided lines too..... quick quick....

It's those pesky TPWD fishing reports in the chronicle that made the fishing too easy for the last decades. And NOW they just put it online for everyone! Unreal....

Missing the good ole days when trout and reds were commercially netted? There wouldn't be a guide business in Texas saltwater today had they not banned the practice 40 years ago. Not to mention, no market for boats to catch fish that aren't there any more. Or hotels and food joints and marinas and bait shops catering to anglers who stay home because all the fish have been netted and sold.

Just like there's virtually no fishery today for eating sized croaker. Some of us miss them. Especially those of us who fish with kids and love sand trout and croakers, if only to take a few small ones home and fry them up to keep the kids interested in fishing. That's how I started out before I learned to catch legal specks and reds and flounder- which are getting fewer and further between as angling pressure creeps up with population count.

https://www.fishing.net.nz/fishing-advice/how-to/ban-all-nets-the-american-solution/#:~:text=In%201981%20gillnets%20were%20banned,were%20reporting%20much%20improved%20catches

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The New Rustlers

Today’s desperadoes are in the bays of the Texas coast, roping redfish and cursing the Parks and Wildlife Department.

www.texasmonthly.com

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How much are yall willing to pay for a guided croaker trip? Might start up a new venture.

 

At the fishing show 2 years ago a guide was offering trophy trout trips at his booth. I was going to take advantage of the discount from the show until he told me it was a croaker trip. It left me wondering if I caught a 30" on croaker if I would tell anyone, probably not. Nothing against croaker soakers or guys that use live bait to catch fish for fun and to eat but if your after a true trophy fish it takes from the challenge and experience IMO.

 

It probably doesn't amount to a hill of beans, but I stopped buying croaker at the bait shops. Reading what's happened to that species, I just don't feel like I should contribute to that. I have no interest in burning the industry to the ground, I'm just making a personal choice not to participate. So I've recently started exploring catching my own bait, and I've actually caught some croaker. Those I'll use, and catching them myself is fun and rewarding.

Truth be told, I don't care for buying live bait at all, but the wife enjoys using it...

 

Never fished the famous croaker runs on rollover or TCD but I do remember catching some impressive specimens off the Sylvan Beach pier. One could easily fill a cooler on some nights. Loved the purple gold coloration on them. Beautiful little fish and super fun on light tackle.

 

They left off a lot of predators from that list.

 

Speaking of croakers...Queen E2, she died.
I'll see myself out.

 

Living up (or down) to your handle of yours, eh? 🤪