Bigwave916 Loc: NC

I made my second attempt at fishing saltwater from the Johnnie Mercer pier at Wilmington NC. Before I could catch anything I noticed that my neighbors were pulling up brown and yellow fish ranging in size between 4 to 8 inches. They are throwing them in their coolers and i'm thinking they are collecting bait. Then I realized the fish were puffers and they were keeping them to eat. About that time I get a hit on one of my poles and it seems like a monster that I couldn't get to the surface. Unfortunately, I didn't have the drag set and for every crank I made, whatever was on my line would take two cranks worth of line. I don't know whstrat it was, but I learned a lesson. Next nibble I got, I hooked it and brought up a nice 10 inch puffer. I gave it to the guy on the other side of the pier who seemed real happy to have it.

Now, I am interested in going back and fishing for a mess of puffers that I could take home and serve the family. I understand they are quite easy to clean and really great eating. My question is: Do they "run" in the spring only, or do they stay around the pier for the summer? Did I miss my chance?

flyguy Loc: Lake Onalaska, Sunfish Capitol of the World!

Welcome to the Forum, Bw. That's a good question, I have caught many and haven't kept any. I think they look to ugly to eat. But, I have been wrong many times.

fishfinder Loc: Phila , no, eastern shore va

I’m not sure whether the puffers are only there a particular time or all season.
I’ve caught them in New Jersey all through the summer several years ago. Maybe it depends on water temp. Not sure , but they do taste good

Spiritof27 Loc: Lincoln, CA

We've talked about this before. Are these the puffers you can just go ahead and eat, or these the puffers that if you don't clean them properly can do you in, turn you into a zombie?

Big dog Loc: Bayshore, Long Island, New York

When I was a kid, we used to catch blowfish ( puffer fish), by the buckets full. They are a little tough to clean but once you get the idea, there’s nothing to it. The smaller the better.
At one time they were so plentiful we would catch them by hand. They pretty much disappeared around here for the past 40 years but are slowly making a comeback. Try a couple, but leave most to allow them to keep coming back.

flyguy Loc: Lake Onalaska, Sunfish Capitol of the World!

I have heard it both ways with the puffers that I catch down in the Gulf. "Don't eat those, their poisonous" and "Oh! They are good to eat". I have never tried one. I don't know if they are the Nothern Puffer.

Big dog Loc: Bayshore, Long Island, New York

The ones we have up here have skin like sandpaper. I think the more “spikeie “ ones are more toxic. I also believe the toxin is located in one organ, not the meat of the fish.
I’ve cleaned at least a thousand of them over the years and the worst suffering I ever had to deal with was rough scraped hands from their skin.

Flytier Loc: Wilmington Delaware

Fly.... this is one of those times. They are delicious.

Spirit.... these are safe ones. I've eaten more of these than i could count. My grandfather could clean a dozen in about 10 minutes.

The northern ones are sort of brown and yellow, the southern ones I've seen had more black and white. Those I've never eaten.

Bigwave916 Loc: NC

It is the liver of the Northern Puffer that is toxic. To clean them cut through th spine behind the head, then pull the skin back from the spine towards the tail. The entrails stay with the head, the flesh stays with the tail. Rinse, bread, then fry. Looks like a chicken or turkey drumstick with a fishtail on it.

Big dog Loc: Bayshore, Long Island, New York

👍👍👍

Dave L

Some 70 years ago we would catch blow fish by the dzn. Best part of the fish was a small piece of meat located @ the base of the head- beginning of the spine. Baste with egg wash & fry til brown (until done) . Good eating!!

Flytier Loc: Wilmington Delaware

We could take the boat out and catch 30 or 40 in a couple of hours until the 50s when they opened Oyster Creek nuke plant on Barnegat bay. The following year they had disappeared.

USAF Major Loc: Sea Bright, NJ

When I was a kid only people of Italian ancestry kept them here at the Jersey shore. About 10 years later everyone was keeping them and the meat, a triangle above the tail and below the head were referred to as 'sea squab'. They are not as plentiful anymore. They are very good eating. The Italian-Americans were ahead of the rest of us! We call them blowfish here in NJ.

Big dog Loc: Bayshore, Long Island, New York

I was catching them throughout the ‘60s. We could stand in the shallow water, bury our feet, wiggle our toes and when they tried to bite our toes we would slip our hands around them. Now THAT’S fishing!😜😃👍👍

teabag09 Loc: Chesapeake, Virginia

You can catch them through out the spring and summer into fall. Get a cricket trap, the wire kind you put crickets in. Load it with broken shrimp, tie a line to it and a sinker to it. That's your chum basket. Use smaller longshank wire hooks with just a small piece of shrimp, cheaper than blood worms, and if fishing from the beach, a small split shot. From the pier you'll need more weight depending on the current.

To clean them, cut a bit back from the head so you miss the guts. Don't cut the head off. With a pair of pliers, catfish skinner or something similar grab the spine and pull the skin off. The guts will come off and you'll have a beautiful piece of meat on either sides of the spine. No ribs or other bones. It's dubbed the "Chicken of the Sea", it's that good. Served in upscale restaurants for top dollar.

Good luck and Bon Appetit. Mike