Had too much fun catching these today - didn't even get started on the blackmouth. 4 of these sure provided some nice fillets.

That's what we call an Ugly.

Fillets make great halibut bait.

JB

This fish is a classic example of why you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Butt-ugly on the outside but oh-so-fine eating on the inside. Steamed Chinese style with ginger, onion, and black bean.... can't be beat!

I agree Cabezon is some of the very best. I wonder, since it's obviously a close relative to our common bullhead. Has anyone tried eating them?

I haven't caught any of those guys this year, but I have been running into a ton on lingcod while looking for blackies. I have caught 5 since the opener. The last two were big - some of the biggest I have seen in the sound.
I have been catching most on coyote spoons trolled pretty fast through bait behind hotspots.

Are cabezon found throughout the sound or do the tend to be found more north. I have only caught a few cabezon while targeting other fish.

Steve

You know what "they" say?

The uglier they are the better eating they are!

Been a long time since I've had the opportunity to catch one ... a good reminder of how ugly they are. You can send a hunk over to remind me how good they taste

Those are great eating, The only one I ever caught I got while fishing for Lingcod in the San Juans. Nice bonus though. What area were you in?

You can catch them all day off the rock islands around LaPush. I haven't yet figured out how to fillet them wthout alot of waste.

Cut them into cubes and drop them into heavily, and I mean heavily, salted water. Drain them and dip the cubes into drawn butter or a good cocktail sauce. They may look ugly, but they taste more like crab and lobster than they do fish.

Wolverine, You're right - they do have the texture and taste of crab or lobster - that's why I titled the post "second-hand crab" Their guts were stuffed full of crab and shrimp so it's no wonder.

PNP - I'm no slouch when it comes to cooking seafood but your recipe sounds intriging - can you provide instructions?

Bob - I've got five kids I'm raising by myself - If there's any left over I'd be happy to send you a chunk (lol)

The reef that's loaded whith these right now also holds lingcod and the nicest rockfish I've seen for quite a while inside the sound. For purely selfish reasons I'd like to see it stay that way so I won't be sharing specifics on the locations. It is in the north sound within sight of several blackmouth hotspots. When prospecting for bottomfish check your charts, explore, and don't be afraid to fish deep.

Any of you guys notice how "human" (ok ugly human with big lips) this thing looks - I bet PETA would love to get their hands on this picture. I thought about adding a cartoon caption where the fish is pleading for help and sending it to PETA.