Most ANCIENT Trash Fish in America! Catch Clean Cook (Mudfish) 

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You shouldn't have to apologize/explain why you guys harvest or kill invasive species, people that don't understand wildlife management don't have a valid opinion to start with. All I've seen from this channel is solid conservation of the resource and passion for fishing...Tight lines!

Scott is the man! Had the absolute pleasure of fishing with him two years ago. He put myself, my FIL, and BIL on 100+ fish in 5 hours time. The gators were fun as well.

Choupic(shoe-pick) has an enzyme that quickly deteriorate the meat when they die. Keeping them alive is key. After fileting, cut meat in bite size pieces and place in a 10-1 water-white vinegar ratio. This will essentially “kill” the enzyme and the meat will remain nice and firm.

Been a land surveyor in FL for almost 20 years sub contracting for FWC and it’s CRAZY to see what the invasive species have done, along with improper water management. Insane to think now you can’t hardly find large mouth in the glades, but honestly killing or not killing the invasive species the war is lost they are here to stay! I remember taking to FWC biologist 10+ years ago and they knew it was over back then with the pythons and iguanas

We catch them on frog's or the Buzz Frogg which is a top water floating bait that the legs twist in circles as you crank it. They get huge here in Vermont. I know a friend of mine who is actively seeking the world record for mudfish, bowfin. They are an absolute blast to fish for... The old guys used to love making fish meatballs out of them, deep fried... I never tried them but head they are great cooked certain ways...

When we get them on trotlines we make buffalo balls out of them…and give the rest to the barn cats because they do not keep in fridge. Super easy recipe: 2 lbs of bowfin 2/3 pkg of crushed ritz 1-2 eggs 1 packet of hidden valley ranch 1/4 cup finely chopped onion Few cloves minced garlic 1/3 cup Franks buffalo sauce 1 egg Salt and pepper to taste Chop up the fish in small chunks, mix everything together, roll into ping pong sized balls. Pan fry until golden brown. Dip in blue cheese. It’s pretty dang tasty, but don’t try to eat them the day after. They’re soggy and get a funky smell.

Great job on explaining what cold temps do to the flesh of the fish and you were spot on with the way you prepared it after refrigeration. There are other ways to cook this fish but it’s basically taking it from the water, preparing it fresh and dropping it directly into the pan. Also, this fish has a scale layer, a skin layer and most importantly a fat layer. The most common prep of this fish is to fillet the scales but leave the skin thus protecting the fat layer. Properly stuffed with herbs and baked or cooked in a red sauce is the most common recipes in our area. Bowfin will absorb seasoning extremely well and I like to utilize elephant garlic when preparing it. Great video on your preparation!

Can I just say I love that you don’t think anything is a trash fish! I LIVE by that. We survived off mostly carp for like the first seven years of my life because we were poor. Occasionally blue gil, catfish, and trout but mostly carp! And it all started there, there is NO trash fish!!! Our ancestors THRIVED off the common carp!

I got to tell you that it's nice to see a young guy carrying on the attitude that I'm used to. I'm 74. We ate everything. lol .

Pro tip on cooking grenel aka bowfin. Numer 1 dont wash the meat Number 2 dont kill the fish before cleaning Number 3 dont ger it cold Keep it live and dry and its amazing

Really unique fish. I've caught a handful of them and the males during breeding season have a bright green to their mouth and ventral fins. Fun to catch and put up a good fight.

A really big fish. It looks like you are a professional fisherman. May God bless you in your fishing and bless your uncle. Fishing is fun

do a catch and cook with carp it's a trash fish but it's my favorite fish to eat

Mudfish are great when you deep-fry them. Tasty. Just make sure that you don't get a lot of bones in the filets

Oh boy let’s see if Vik can make mudfish taste good I’m not doubting you no such thing as trash fish just trash cooks !!!!!!!

6:10 epic shade lol

Awesome video. I love all fish to. There is no such thing as trash fish in my mind also.

Bro...bag that jaguar up and send it to me. Love them, and all the different colors of Midas cichlids.

Choupique in Louisiana. People make patties or meat balls and put them in a roux gravy. You know what your doing cause you kept it alive so it wouldn’t get mushy

Vic. If you take the bowfin and fillet it and cook it right away…you’ll be amazed by the texture and taste. Blackened on skillet, with some green chilies and green onions. Its the best tasting fish I’ve ever had honestly.

Bowfin are super cool, definitely shouldn't be called "trash fish", they are the epitome of a proper game fish

I’ve heard of people makeing “salmon” Patties out of them I’ve heard they are good never got hungry enough to try any not when catfish are so easy to catch

It's actually illegal to release invasives

Use the unwanted fish in your garden. Anything to get them out of the water.

We call them choupic. In fact, it’s more of a delicacy to us. It’s a regulated game fish in Louisiana. The meat does get soft when raw and rests, but firms perfectly after cooked. The way we do in South Louisiana is we put it in a bowl of vinegar and water immediately after removing the filet. About a 1:3 ratio, maybe even 2:2. Just don’t have more vinegar than water, won’t damage it but remember, vinegar is acidic and it is technically in a pickling process which can cook it. You can even add a few cubes of ice to the mixture to keep it cool. This helps to firm the flesh. After it soaks for about 5-10 min you can take the filet out and freeze or fry. I keep it in the bowl until all my choupic has been cleaned. If it’s killed after fishing and you let it set, the meat will turn soft. Next time you catch a choupic(bowfin) try this method and batter fry it as you would fry any normal fish filet. It is depressing to see this filet turn mushy and end up in a cake 😭😭😭😭 I know all my bayou folks from back in Louisiana who are watching this are probably feeling the same way. Remember VINEGAR AND WATER AFTER REMOVING THE FILET!

Caught my first jaguar in like 2008. Catch more and more every year.

Love how you have so much respect for nature and appreciate all species thanks for great video.

I used to live in the Everglades Griffin road and road US 27 alligator Alley Holiday Park Most fish I caught were large mouth I hate to see there's hardly any left I used to kill any invasive species and still do

Epic Fish!🎣🐟🦈🐠

In Louisiana we call them choupique (shoe peck)... anyways, we fillet them and marinade them in regular mustard and then season them with Creole seasoning and garlic powder then deep fry them or you can make fish balls with them and side them with potatoe salad and crawfish stew.

Can't tell you how much I despise the term trash fish.

'You see the net, you know what's up". Lol. Do you clunk a gater in the head with the net to chase them away?

When they get that big they are not afraid of people.

I think bleeding them might have helped. Great call making fish cakes, that's what I do with lots of "trash" fish. I'd be really impressed to see you eat some bowfin sashimi lol

Next time we hit Florida, I think we might need to get a guide like Scott. Such a great way to see wildlife. Airboats are junk.

Those look delicious

Love your content, really interesting!

Vick I wanna see you do a American CARP catch and cook...Let's see you put your money where your mouth is 😉

Are largemouth really a rare catch out there? I’m in southwest missouri and they’re so common and aggressive that I’ve caught them on stink bait trying to catch catfish. I couldn’t imagine them being rare in a warm and vegetated environment lol.

Sponginess in a fish cake is a feature, not a bug; the spongie Thai appetizer style are my favorite!

Love eating them. We always tried to catch them out of colder water and eat them Fresh here in SE North Carolina. Straight from the fillet table to the pan or pot. We love them fried or in a stew. I know many folks that actually built large cinder block tanks in their backyard so they could keep them alive until ready to cook.

Love this, you wouldn't cook every animal the same way, or even every part of an animal the same way. You choose your cooking method/recipe, based on achieving the best taste for your main ingredient. You excel at this Vic, you adapt your cooking techniques on the fly, to bring out the best flavours. It is a skill you should be extremely proud of :)

Y'all just keep doing what you're doing and don't worry about the haters. Love watching your channel and your wife Brooks y'all keep up the good work and I'll definitely keep watching

Screw the mud fish show us what you are taking and what diet cause you getting ripped bro 😎

Jaguar chichilid is one of the best tasting fresh water fish. Just behind snakehead

The bearded guy keeps talking about how good it is; he's not eating and his food looks untouched. That tainted an otherwise good video.

Here it is unlawful to release invasive species if caught and could lead to a large fine the same as the person who released it to start with.

They call the jaguar cichlids "bay snook" in Mexico and Belize. They are tasty.

I’ve never heard someone so excited about catching a bowfin!!! 😂 congratulations on your first catch though!

Perfect timing because I just caught my first musky. 35-36in and was 5m after I caught my biggest smallmouth which is my favorite to catch. What a day. Great video Vic thanks 👊🏻

Who ever told yall a choupique was a trash fish?Yall have been lied to!

I love catching Bowfins.. They fight like hell. Lots of fun and can get good size. What's not to like. The whole thing about killing, not killing, are you treating your fish properly just wears me out. Simply obey the laws and mind your own business works for me. Killing the Oscars we catch is not going to rid us of the problem, but it's not going to add to the problem either. Do what the FLW asks. easypeasy. You guys are in Bowfin city there. Nice work. BTW it's Gator mating season. So they are coming in HOT.

Manz is looking absolutely yoked in this episode gawdayum

Everything I saw was Invasive except the Bowfins.

Damn Vic, your looking jacked these days!

You said shrimp , I did not know there was fresh water shrimp?

Ay cuh.. When Dat ace videos or dmfd collab c&c?

looks DE LISH!!!

I love bowfin. Would rather catch a dogfish (bowfin) over a largemouth bass anyday. If cooked properly they taste good, but the meat breaks down extremely fast. Hate that so many people throw them on the bank to die.

Those fish are super cool, I've caught them while they are spawning and the mouth and gill area turns a dark-Turquois blue color. They look like they are painted. Very hard fighters, very mean. Nice vid.

Bro my first and only mudfish was when I was panfishing with a tiny hook and my hook got straitened and I netted it with the line lassoed around it. They’re such strong fish!!

Havnt caught one in forever hard fighting fish tho good job shark👊👍

At 13:30 that peacock bass had a lb. Spot On its tail!! That's freaking awesome!

Met scott at one of the ramps a year or so ago, catch bowfin all the time down there from shore, my new addiction. Have caught a 9 pounder down there and caught many large ones, going to try this with a smaller one thanks vic!

God I hated these things we fished in south GA and they would literally destroy an expensive lure. They get huge too and would scare the crap out of ya if you snagged one in shallow water. Them and the gar would splash so big sometimes you could see the bottom. I am pretty much immune to jump scares now lol

Dude ur buff I know I’m not the only one looking at his Biceps, but I did come here for a catch n cook 👍

That's the ki da fish you guys should do a jaw mount on.

On those Oscars you caught in the prior video even the smaller ones make excellent pan fish fried up. Another thing you can do with bowfin is smoke it.

This fish is native over here. It get expensive every year due to overfishing. Never thought about making it as fish cake. Look tasty!

Facts nothing trash 🗑 about them

Great video bro! those fishcakes looked amazing man. Appreciate the content and highlighting the fact that there is no such thing as a trash fish, just trash cooks right? lol good job on the fitness journey man u looking ripped! Stay safe man. Love from Trinidad.

I miss my home town can't wait for my vacation to come home and catch my cooler full of fish 🎣

One gator to make boots, wallet n belt.

Captain Scott didn’t touch one bite of food during the video! Very rude !!! You’re in someone else’s house and they cook for you and you don’t eat. That’s down right offensive!

I catch a lot of bow fin (mud fish) in my area north of Pittsburgh and can't wait to make this recipe. Thanks for sharing Vick. Looks delicious.

Do a catch, clean, cool if margate and black margate. We did not love either of them. I want to you to make us rethink our stance! Lol

LOL! I started with saltwater game too , then i fell in love with the freshwater 🧡🖤 you should try river fishing bro!

We call it Grinnel fish here in the South and they are actually good deep fried

Thanks for the video buddy, awesome catch and cook

Salt and smoke the mudfish or salt and preserve it in a mix of rice powder, salt, sugar, citric acid, and MSG for flavor/preservative. Those Thai Fermented Mudfish in a jar are stupid expensive. and any South-East Asian folks would pay for a better quality/fresher source. Some of those jar can cost $14-$50 for just a 16oz jar depending on quality.

I started fishing in Ft. Lauderdale in the 60s as a kid. The water was as clear as the water in the Bahamas back then. I was a graft boy on saltwater charters. Peoples attitudes were that fish are unlimited in number. Many fish that are now $15/# were considered “trash fish”. I recall people throwing their catch in the trash after taking photos. I am a biologist, I can tell you killing Oscars to reduce the # is similar to stomping on ants to reduce the number of fire ants. You many think you’re doing something to help the environment, but alas it just symbolic. The Tiger Oscar population will peak and it will decline and level off. I’ve seen it happen in Asia. In the Great Lakes we had a massive invasive Russian Gobby population explosion, now years on you hardly catch them (thank goodness).

i never called these mudfish, they are bowfins. i never heard it called mudfish. i caught one on a rapala back in 1978 on a trip to FL. do you know "bowfin are unique -the only surviving species of the order Amiiformes that dates to the Jurassic period, more than 70 million years ago. As a result they are often called an ancient relic, or a “living fossil,” and are the focus of much scientific study."

Great explanation on trash fish and how to deal with them. As always great work highlighting these often thrown back fish. Growing up in south Louisiana we caught these as by catch on shiners as kids. We made fish cakes and fried them fresh. Flavor is decent but they do get mushy fast.

That is truly a trash fish as far as eating goes. Totally disgusting anyway you attempt to cook it. And no I don't as an angler have to "respect" the fish. I respect them by throwing them back because I don't have to eat disgusting mush. We don't "owe" Bowfin to eat them man. Lol. You should fish them up north where they get big!!! They fight like hell. Weird that Snakehead is soo good but this is pure gack

Love this channel and your vids👍 Just a tip for prepping fish, bleed them. Take a knive and slit the Gill rakers. It makes the meat less bloody and messy and easier to cut. I love freshwater fish and I also don't believe in the sayings "trash fish" or "dirty fish". Alot if people here in Ireland have the same belief with pike, trigger fish, garfish and sea cats which are all delicious

Brother Victor You Are Absolutely Right i agreed i Don't Killing Things That i Don't Eat i Love Fishing Too i Don't Killed The Fish That i Don't Eat if Catch Them And i Just Released it i'm From Vancouver British Columbia Cana

Great Video guys !!! So many fish in location Regard from Indonesia

Tried sitting behind my computer screen but couldn't see anything except the back of the screen lol

We catch them on the pearl River in Mississippi. Keep them alive . Using an electric knife, fillet the fish. Take paper towels and dry the fish off. Place in a bowl layered with paper towels. Fish cut into slices like fish nuggets. Layer of fish... Paper towels. Take out of bowl, meal and fry. Will keep in refrigerator 4 or 5 days. Best fish in the river to eat.

I hear you have to eat them right away or they turn to mush like that, also I wonder if sitting in the fridge overnight got rid of the muddy flavor like it does for tilapia.

I lived in south florida from 99-02 and there were no oscars, placo, peacocks,or pythons its hard for me to understand what happend because I grew up a bass fisherman

I was raised out around the Hillsborough River me and my dad used to go set trot lines he's probably caught mudfish 40 to 70 lb but they can't we have caught a lot of the smaller ones but we have caught them up to 40 to 70 lbs then things are mean as hell and don't stick your finger in his mouth whatever you do cuz I know from experience s*** hurts and they don't let go

I've tried to eat them before. The meat has the texture of mashed potatoes . TERRIBLE!!! We call them dogfish in Indiana. I had an old timer tell me when I was a kid that the best way to cook them was to fry them with dog shit and when they're done throw the fish out and eat the shit lol. They get the most beautiful turquoise color in the rivers in Indiana. They really are a beautiful fish.

Must cook it as soon as you clean it do not put any water on fillets just pat dry and remove all red meat roll in flour and meal deep fry only way to go on these things ! Remember can't stress enough keep it alive till you are ready to kill and bleed it fry as fast as possible no over night soak in anything must cook it then !!!!! If you don't have to clean and cook same day don't keep that type fish !!!

LOL when you said im gonna put these in the refrigerator, I said big mistake! To be honest though when I started eating Grinnell, that was the only way we thought we could eat them was in fish cake form and it was always good! If you clean and cook right there, it is very good mild, white fillets that takes seasoning well.

"... it's still better than sitting behind a computer screen and typing about it." My brother in Christ, we're behind the computer watching/commenting on your videos. Went a bit Rian Johnson on us for a minute, eh?

In Mississippi, we see grinners stalk prey in 4 inches of water. The old black guys say they need to be cooked warm. That means:Cook and eat asap. Don't put on ice over night. They are called shoepic in Louisiana.

To kill or not to kill an ınvasıve fish ın Florida ıs NOT a matter of personal choice. It is the law! BTW, you guys are throwıng away a lot of perfectly edible fısh, at least as good as any of the native sunfish.

I thought you were blue gabe at first in that thumbnail. You guys should definitely do a collab video I think both of you are in Florida. Awesome video though. One of the best fishermen on RU-vid! Love your channel bro.