Gulf Toadfish fishing in Florida

The Gulf toadfish is a small, mottled, wide-mouthed bottom dweller that lives in seagrass, oyster bars, rubble, docks and seawalls around the Gulf coast and South Florida year-round. It is not a target species, but anyone fishing shrimp or cut bait on the bottom around docks and structure will catch them, often at night, and they are famous for swallowing baits deep. Their grunting croak is one of the common sounds of Florida bays. There is little reason to fish for them; the useful thing is knowing how to deal with them. The jaws are strong enough to give a painful bite, and the gill covers and dorsal spines are sharp, so never put a finger in the mouth. Hold the fish down with a rag, grip the jaw with pliers or use a dehooker, and cut the leader if the hook is deep. Using circle hooks and keeping baits slightly off the bottom around structure reduces the number you hook. They are rarely eaten and should be released; check current FWC rules if you plan to keep any fish.