Trash Fish Bucket List?

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Here's something only my fevered mind would dream up.
Every angler wants to catch the big name fish. Big bass, Massive salmon, trophy bluegill, arapaima in South America (my personal quest), and so on.

But what about those other fish, the "trashy" ones we don't admire nor talk much about? If you were to target them, which ones would you go after?

In other words, what would a "Non-game Fish Bucket List" look like?

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

I've caught plenty of croaker back in my FL days, Dave.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Burbot! Burbot!

[David 'PcolaPaddler']

I fished for gar with my Bro in law a few times - caught a monster aligator gar on the first trip.  

I used to target cottonfish / grinnel / bowfin.  Used plastic worms exclusively.  They are fun to catch, born angry and agressive and get meaner as time goes by.

A buddy and I used to go fishing for Sheepshead from a local bridge.  Thanksgiving / Christmas break was the time.  Good to eat, but challenging to clean.

.

[Allen Morgan]

....born angry and agressive and get meaner as time goes by....

Now that might be worth targeting!

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Bowfin are a great catch! But mind your leaders and fingers

[David 'PcolaPaddler']

They are good fun.  I used a fairly cheap spinning outfit and whatever plastic worms I had on hand. 

Here in Pcola on Quintette Rd there is a bridge that used to have a set of stairs (made from creosote treated heavy lumber - ugh!) running to the bank of what is/was called Quintette Lake.  A good number of folks would fish there.

My youngest BIL introduced me to fishing for these fish in that area.  He could catch fish in a rain puddle. :)  I spent many afternoons after work as a school bus mechanic fishing for Cotton Fish in that spot.

The stairs have been gone for several years now - deterioration & some jerk set them on fire so they were removed.  It is probably too much of a liability issue for the county or whomever to replace them.  Too bad.  A lot of folks fished there who couldn't afford a boat, etc.

[John Sheehan]

White Sucker ,I would like to break my PB record of 22".
Carp ,I never caught one.

[Jason Preslar]

I caught this thick sucker out of a local river in fall of '13....

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

I remember reading an article about BB King and suckers. It seems he was somewhere in Louisiana, maybe New Orleans, for a gig and was asked if there was anything special he would like from the hotel kitchen. By this point in his career, hotel staff would indeed ask him this sort of thing. Seems, he wanted a meal of fresh sucker fish, prepared like in his younger days.

Well, it's BB King - The Legend. Who's gonna say no? The hotel chef got hold of someone down at the local river and had some white sucker caught straight away. Mr. King was, by all accounts, very happy after the show.

I guess sucker is good eating, if somewhat tedious to clean and de-bone. I've never seen one that I know of.

[John Sheehan]

Great story McScruff! I never ate a sucker .The big one I caught was from the poisoned by DUPONT ,Pompton River . Wonder if its still alive .

Bukka White was another old Bluesman that liked to fish and eat the catch .

Mississippi John Hurt's sister   fished with Crickets . I met her and asked directions to Mississippi John Hurts grave as she was putting away the cricket cage and pole . This was in Avalon Mississippi in the mid 90's.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Sounds like the Savannah River below Augusta GA's, Fifth Street Bridge! TO this day, the wise man isnt eating a bottom dwelling fish from there.

I reckon most of the early country, folk and blues musicians could catch and eat a fish, John. They didn't come up famous or privileged - most were lucky to be alive. Catching and eating fish was a way of life.

And too often, I'm sure, it wasn't a "sport" fish that filled their bellies. A can of pork drippin's, a poke full of meal and some greens? Well, those can make most any fish into something worth eatin'.

[John Sheehan]

Nice one Jason!