Milk Fish

[Darian]

I think Mems is describing the gills under the gill plate. Most fish I've seen have tow or more of these gills. Apparently Milk Fish have only one.... They sure are a good looking fish....

[mems]

Awa, milkfish have one continous gill, no break in the neck. It is really weird. I don't know of any other fish like it. They do raise them for aqua culture, but the meat is pretty nasty. Of course I don't really like mullet either, unless it is smoked mullet dip. They are easy to raise in ponds, because they eat the algae. We have some ponds here where they will eat bread, I just wish they would let me take people there to fish for them. Good luck Jay, I hope you get one on the fly, Mems.

[mems]

Here is a close up. the gill goes all around the fish. Notice the mouth, sorry I don't have it open, totally smooth. Check out the eyes, if they see a hook, no dice. Mems.

[Darian]

Aloha Don,.... What size are the fish eggs that you mentioned What size hook do you recommend for them Milk Fish must be very powerful considering the size of the tail in proportion to the body.

So, the Gill plate is continuous around the lower body.... I've never seen that before.

[mems]

Hey Darian, I got that one on a crazy charlie. They come by and suck up algae off the bottom, and he took my fly by mistake. I did make one on a small popper hook, long shank with cork for floatation. I put green chenile and green rabit fur on for undulation. I cast it into a floating patch of algae, and a big one swallowed it and broke the line on a jump. I would think you could use some orange roe and a small octopus hook and have good results if they are feeding with no visible algae around. They suck up the fish eggs suspended on the surface. That is why they like current lines. The mouth is soft, so you need a hook that will bury into the jaw. You could put a bunch of small hooks in a pattern of eggs. You just can't move the fly, you have to wait and be very lucky. Sorry I don't have a fly to show you, I haven't been chasing them lately. I got a 4lb bonefish yesterday, that has been my main inshore target of late. We are scheduled to go off shore on friday and have heard tales of 50lb ahi, so it might be fun. Good luck with the awa, they will drive you nuts. Don.

[Tony Buzolich]

Even though we all know milkfish eat algae, I have to throw this little bit of trivia out there just for fun.
Last year when I took my group down to Isla Cerralvo we had been fishing for skippies and yellowfin with normal sardina baitfish type patterns using standard 2/0 and 3/0 type hooks in standard baitfish type colors of white, pearl, blue, etc.

Patrick Richards got another hook-upwhile dredging the deep and brought up the first ever milkfish taken there.