Fishing For Barracuda in Key West

A typical Key West barracuda. Caught on light tackle they put up a decent fight. I haven't actually counted the teeth, let's just agree that there's more than enough !.

I don't know of any skipper that targets barracuda specifically but they are fairly plentiful in the waters around Key West and any opportunist angler will toss a bait or lure at a large specimen if it shows up. 

If the amberjack is the bruiser of the fish world then the barracuda is the knife wielding professional criminal. Similar in shape to the freshwater pike, the barracuda has a similar lifestyle. He's happy to hover in the current waiting to pounce on any unsuspecting fish that gets too near. He can swim at up to 27 mph in short bursts, so incredibly fast and aggressive when he wants to be.

The following video clip shows a couple of Barracuda caught from "Outcast" in April 2008.

Unless you see one in shallow, clear water your first sign of a "barra" being around will probably be when you reel in half a snapper or grouper. Those powerful jaws and incredibly sharp teeth can cut a fish in half in the blink of an eyelid. The barracuda are drawn to wounded fish, so something struggling on the end of your line is the perfect attraction.

Where's my tail ??. This is a common sight when fishing for yellowtail snapper. The barracuda home in on the yellowtail struggling on the end of your line and in an instant your fish has been neatly filleted.

When fishing for tarpon at the entrance to the harbor earlier this year my boat partner hooked a snapper. As he lifted the snapper into the boat, a barracuda launched itself clear of the water and bit the snapper clean in half. As the barracuda landed back in the water it must have still had its mouth open because it then cut the skipper's tarpon line clean in two. Why can't you ever get something amazing like that on film ?.

Barracuda are a very oily fish and not particularly prized as table fare but they're an excellent shark bait so a few do find their way into the deep freeze for use on a later date.