Don’t Call Those Ribbonfish “Trash” Fish!

Ribbonfish are some bizarre looking creatures. They look more snake-like than fish-like, a 30-incher doesn’t even hit one pound, and their sharp teeth are barbed for maximum killing ability.

As a result of their less than appealing appearance, most anglers who encounter ribbonfish don’t even consider eating them. This is a mistake. The long, skinny fillets that come off of a ribbonfish can be rolled up to form a fish-wheel that cooks just like any other fish and tastes absolutely great. (Tip: try rolling fillets around a shrimp or a scallop, run them through with a shish kebob, and pop them on the grill). So the next time you find one of these long, skinny critters hanging from the end of your line, drop it into the cooler. And if you want to try targeting them in specific, try these five tips:

1. Go night fishing with lights. Ribbonfish feed hard at night, and often will congregate around artificial light sources. You can hang lights over the side of your boat, but at many times of year you’ll have luck fishing around areas where bridge and streetlight lights illuminate the water.
2. Ribbonfish feed up, ambushing their prey from below, so keeping baits up near the surface is usually the best move. That said, there are times when ribbonfish congregate down deep over muddy bottom. This will often be at night, where no lights are present.
3. They’ll strike just about anything but many anglers who target them prefer to use small hard plastic plugs. Most other lures, they’ll shred with those nasty teeth.
4. Live minnow and shrimp are also good ribbonfish-attractors. When large ribbonfish are around and you’re using bait, be sure to add a trace of wire leader in front of the hook or they’ll bite you off in short order.
5. Ribbonfish aren’t the fastest swimmers in the world. So if you miss a hit on the fish’s initial ambush strike, slow down your retrieve and/or twitch your bait in place.

Lenny Rudow