Why do people think these are junk fish? 2024
Chris at Tech reply :
Spent the week on HHI again and got out with my guide buddy, as I tend to do 
The wind made it tricky to get to the good tarpon spots so we chose Plan B, which was targeting schools of monster Jack Crevalles with surface presentations. I'd caught Jacks before but not like this. Someone really needs to explain to my why people look down on this fish. They roam in voracious packs, they eat both live bait and artificials, you can target them on light tackle, watching them eat is an adrenaline rush, and they fight like crazy. What's not to like? And it's much cheaper to target these guys than to fly halfway around the world to target Giant Trevally
We went 3 for 4 after I pulled the hook on one of them. The big boy was 33 lbs, the other two were 24-25 lbs each. Not a bad consolation prize after the silver king didn't cooperate!
00 mod reply :
Great trip! Jacks are always fun!
Jeff
A-Jay reply :
Nice Fish ~
Love the Head First shot
Congrats
A-Jay
Darren. reply :
Always wondered the "junk fish" status of
Jack's, myself. They seem so much fun to
catch.
Can't wait for the challenge myself.
everythingthatswims reply :
4-6lb versions of those made my alabama rig rod look like a noodle, I can't even fathom how hard the ones you caught must have fought!
I think people just wuss out when the jack makes many many hard runs instead of just one or two like most "sport fish" 
new2BC4bass reply :
Don't think I've ever considered and fish "junk". A day catching fish like that sounds like heaven to me. 
soflabasser reply :
Those fish are a blast to catch! Jack crevalles are pound for pound one of the best fighting fish.
grizzly1654 reply :
Yea im not sure why they are considered junk fish. Ill be headed to the gulf coast in october, I would love to catch a few like that!
.ghoti. reply :
If I lived where I could fish for those, bass would be the junk fish.
Bluebasser86 reply :
Big, aggressive, hard pulling fish, sounds awful 
I'm with ghoti, if I lived by the ocean, I would own a lot less bass gear.
Chris at Tech reply :
On 7/10/2016 at 8:21 PM, .ghoti. said:If I lived where I could fish for those, bass would be the junk fish.
Truer words have never been spoken. And this is exactly the reason why the bass rods I brought with me stayed unused all week
roadwarrior reply :
Bloody bait fish makes for great shark bait,
Derekbass02 reply :
I don't think anything is Junk fish other than maybe ones that are hurting the environment.
soflabasser reply :
I live in South Florida where there's tons of jacks (along other saltwater fish) and I still greatly enjoy catching bass.Almost half my tackle is freshwater tackle.
N Florida Mike reply :
I think they are considered trash fish because they have no food value.The first one I ever caught i took home and mama fried him up.It was all blood, skin and bones!.Caught one at the jetties once and these chinese people begged me for him.I tried to explain but they didnt speak english but by their gestures they wanted the fish.So I gave up and let them have it.Maybe they knew a special recipe.?
But they are amazing fighters.I caught a 2 poundet once and thought it was 5 times that size.
fishinfiend reply :
wow great fish!
smr913 reply :
I think it comes from the fact there isn't a lot of inherent skill in catching them and they are not table fare. I loved catching them as a ten year old living on the intercoastal. They are bulldogs, but I wouldn't make a trip solely to catch them like I would redfish, specs, tarpon, or snook.
buzzed bait reply :
wow chris, those are some nice ones! i've only caught 1 before and yours dwarfed the little guy i caught. the little one i hooked fought like a spotted bass on meth so i can't imagine what those fish must have felt like!!!
Yudo1 reply :
They are incredibly fun to catch and pound for pound one of the strongest fish, but I made the mistake of trying to eat one....yuck!
davecon reply :
Except when I have the grandkids out I avoid them if at all possible.
Might as well go down to the highway and snag the rear bumpers of passing VWs. Takes so little skill to catch them, if you can find them you can hook up.
To me they are a nuisance, same as lady fish.
The kids love them and so do guides with tourists.
GetBent reply :
Took my cousin fishing and thought I hooked a nice red. Handed my gloomis glx to her and snapped it in half mid battle. I wasn't even mad. She kept saying I will buy you a new one- lol I never told her how much it cost. Side note gloomis took care of me.
soflabasser reply :
It is true that jack crevalle don't taste very good, but most people don't fish for jacks for food, they fish them for the fight they give,just like people who fish for big largemouth bass and let them go since they don't taste good. A 10 pound jack crevalle fights much harder than a 15 pound snook and few inshore fish can complete pound for pound with these jacks. If jack crevalle become too easy to catch you can try catching a permit( one of my favorite inshore fish to catch). Permit are much stronger pound for pound than most inshore fish and will test your skills greatly if you can successfully catch one from land.
Chris at Tech reply :
On 8/3/2016 at 5:31 AM, soflabasser said:If jack crevalle become too easy to catch you can try catching a permit( one of my favorite inshore fish to catch). Permit are much stronger pound for pound than most inshore fish and will test your skills greatly if you can successfully catch one from land.
I cruised around the Key West backcountry last week looking for permit and didn't even see one. Gotta add permit to my list of fish caught!
soflabasser reply :
On 8/3/2016 at 8:09 AM, Chris at Tech said:I cruised around the Key West backcountry last week looking for permit and didn't even see one. Gotta add permit to my list of fish caught!
Are you still down there?This time of year is one of the best times to catch a permit.They are definitely a fish worth adding to any fisherman's bucketlist.
Chris at Tech reply :
On 8/3/2016 at 8:33 AM, soflabasser said:Are you still down there?This time of year is one of the best times to catch a permit.They are definitely a fish worth adding to any fisherman's bucketlist.
Nope - unfortunately vacation had to end and we returned to the real world. I'll be back though!
soflabasser reply :
On 8/3/2016 at 10:16 AM, Chris at Tech said:Nope - unfortunately vacation had to end and we returned to the real world. I'll be back though!
Sounds good!I recommend coming down this time of year again for the permit and for the tarpon a good time to come is during the mullet run.
Chris at Tech reply :
On 8/3/2016 at 11:43 AM, soflabasser said:Sounds good!I recommend coming down this time of year again for the permit and for the tarpon a good time to come is during the mullet run.
We also saw plenty of tarpon but couldn't coax them to bite. My best shot was on a flat, we finally saw one after I made 100+ empty casts trying to get a cuda on a plug. I pick up the tarpon rig and make a really good cast...Except apparently I hit a cuda right in the head, and I was broken off before I could even close the bail!
Mullet run is also on the bucket list!
Xirmev reply :
I think people look down on this fish because they will literally hit anything you throw at them. Personally i dont mind, i love the fight they put up. Even the smaller ones pull like theres no tomorrow.
hawgenvy reply :
When you're fishing inshore for snook, redfish, tarpon, etc., and the bite is on, the jacks are a nuisance. If you're out for permit and bonefish, stingrays are junk. If you're offshore to catch mackerel, tuna, sails, the bluefish and barracuda are thumbs down. When you're bassing, pickerel and mudfish are junk.
But when you're not catching crap, it suddenly becomes a hell of a lot of fun fighting that junk to the boat. Especially when it's a big muscular fish like the JC.
So: When you're heading for the skunk, don't get in a funk, go catch some junk!
avidone1 reply :
for some reason my quote function isn't working, but hogenvy hit the nail on the head.
I'm an avid snook angler. When the snook are located there is often a brief window when they will actively feed. Getting the bait past the jacks to get the snook can be a real challenge. The jacks are so aggressive they will tear up the baits before the snook get a shot at them. Lady fish can do the same thing. Both are a lot of fun to catch. The jacks pull like nothing else. Seriously, I don't think there is a stronger fish, pound for pound, then a jack crevalle. Lady fish on the other hand, put on an air show that is absolutely amazing. Seeing a two foot lady fish jump six feet out of the water to throw a lure is pretty amazing.
but neither fish has food value, and a snook is a among the best. Plus, catching a slot snook. (over 28" but under 32") is a real challenge.
I'll take a snook anyday, buy there have been many a day where ladyfish and/or jacks have saved me from the dreaded skunk and they both pretty enjoyable 'junk'
soflabasser reply :
Another fish that people consider a "junk fish " but fights well is the Bonita.Bonita fight much harder pound for pound than jack cravelle and are always willing biters when other fish aren't as willing to bite.They are extremely fun to catch on light tackle using lures.
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