Question about Buffalo fish

[ayokay005]

What is a buffalo fish? I would like to know where to find these!:boss:

[gcarlin]

Well if I'm right which I could be wrong, I think they are from the Carp family. We have them around here.

[gadzooks]

Buffalo fish are members of the sucker family. Buffalo fish come in three varieties, big mouth, small mouth, and black. Here's a link, scroll down until you get to Buffalo fish...http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/landwater/water/aquaticspecies/inland.phtml

Some people eat them, supposedly, they taste ok. But, they have many small bones that are difficult to remove, even if you filet them. There are folks who fish exclusively for them. You may want to check out .................com. I believe they have a forum just for buff fishermen.

BTW, they are not related to carp and are a native species, unlike carp.

[loki1982]

Yep, they are very similar to carp. I dont know if they are related, but I would think they are. They are usually shorter in length but thicker than carp.

Some people in our area say they are better tasting than carp. Personally I wouldnt eat either, and dont know anyone that does.

They make good bait though :lol:

[vlparrish]

Adam, buffalo are a large sucker similar in size and shape as the carp. As Jerry said they are pretty good eating the meat is really white and flakey when cooked unlike the darker greasy meat of the carp. They make for some fun fighting when caught in swifter water. I'm not sure on the range, but I think it is mostly just the Mississippi Missouri and Ohio River valleys. Vern

[gadzooks]

The Smallmouth and Black Buffalo have a greater range. Both are in Texas rivers and lakes. In Waco, Texas, on Lake Waco, there is a group that targets Bufflao specifically. The look on anything under 20 lbs as a baby fish.

[countrycat15]

the buffalo fish are in the sucker family.the world record smallmouth buffalo was cought in lake wylie,nc,bought 30mins from me lol

[countrycat15]

oh yea forgot to say that the world record buffalo was 88 pounds

[kyredneck]

Buffs are my 2nd favorite "roughfish" to eat after flathead. They have a delicious flavor. FYI, they are the #1 commercial freshwater fish caught in the U.S.A.. On the larger ones you can get some decent boneless fillets. Rib cages are good to eat because the bones are big and easy to eat around. I have ground up the bony sections of meat and made fish patties, but mostly I just cook the fillets like any other fish and pick the bones out as I go, it's worth the trouble to me. Actually, it's a lot more work to get the meat from crab legs than to remove the bones from buff as you eat. But there is the danger of getting a bone in your throat. Been eating them all my life and it hasn't happened to me yet though (my Daddy taught me at a very young age to pick the bones from fish).

[SeedTick]

Buffs are my 2nd favorite "roughfish" to eat after flathead. They have a delicious flavor. FYI, they are the #1 commercial freshwater fish caught in the U.S.A.. On the larger ones you can get some decent boneless fillets. Rib cages are good to eat because the bones are big and easy to eat around. I have ground up the bony sections of meat and made fish patties, but mostly I just cook the fillets like any other fish and pick the bones out as I go, it's worth the trouble to me. Actually, it's a lot more work to get the meat from crab legs than to remove the bones from buff as you eat. But there is the danger of getting a bone in your throat. Been eating them all my life and it hasn't happened to me yet though (my Daddy taught me at a very young age to pick the bones from fish).

Hey Larry, first off welcome to the Brotherhood. You ain't wrong about buffalo. I think they eat as good as any fish in the water. We usually get some from a fish market 3 or 4 times a year and pig out on them.

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[kyredneck]

Thanks for the welcome Greg. I love this site. The BOC is what I've been lookin for for a while.
There's a fish market that I buy buffalo from also, but mostly I catch them on trotlines from the Ky River. They're relatively easy to catch. I lay the hooks (1/0) right on the bottom and bait with a grain/molasses based
doughball, and watch out! Catch mostly smallmouth in the 6-12 lb range here. Had one on (I'll estimate at least 30 lb) last week that gave one lunge when I brought him up to the light and broke the staging line, bye bye. It is a chore to net and get them in the boat because they are a shy, easy to spook fish and will explode on you when you bring them up to the surface.

[buddah]

The only fish I know of called a buffalo is the buffalohead darter. I think theyr'e protected here.

[kyredneck]

Buddah, I'm pretty sure you're out of the buffalo sucker's range in PA, but your smack dab in the white sucker's range, and they're delicious also. Many years ago I frequently fished a creek just for white suckers and mostly caught small ones 10" to 14" long. Found that cleaning them by scaling and removing the fins, head & entrails, then dropping them in a blender and chopping them up and make patties out of them made some absolutely delicious eating. It's some work to do, but there's something about the taste of sucker meat that I (and my family) really like.

[NIMROD]

We have tons of Buffalo of all kinds here. We net them during the winter also. I love those ribs. Any Arkansas boys wanting a bunch cheap send me a PM. A bowfisherman arrowed one a few years ago that was 105 lbs.