Let's hear it for the Boxfish!

Although one writer that I respect a great deal cautions folks to let the Boxfish alone to lead its
peaceful life, I simply can't! The reasons are two-fold. Firstly, the larger specimens run like freight trains. Secondly, I love to eat them, but I dress them out with the respect and caution of a fugu sushi chef, since I've heard you can get quite sick if you "pop the wrong prop."

Generally, I find the larger boxfish on the oceanside flats from Key Biscayne to Key Largo. I've caught them all times of the year, including Deep Winter. They usually find their way into my chumline on the flats. The larger boxfish sometimes swim and track into the chum more quickly then their smaller brothers, and the first impression is of a large bonefish. However the truncated form and the slowdown in the chum makes it clear that it is a large boxfish. Boxfish change colors in response to the arousal states of fear and hunger. I feel that they are far more beautiful than bonefish. The boxfish on the bow was one heck of a cat in the hat- it weighed in over ten pounds and ran over 100 yards on the first hookup. After that- and I can't get fried like Frey, since it's true- I ate it! Another unfashionable disclosure based on definite recollection and not a memoir. The pieces of meat I finessed out of the shell were cooked in butter and white wine and were superb. My guru, Captain Bill Curtis, and I microwaved some twenty years ago and it was delicious, too.

Big boxfish are easily taken on light tackle, so long as you're using a good-sized live shrimp. These fish have small mouths- wait for the shrimp to disappear into their mouths. If they peck the shrimp, pull it away to get them to gobble it out of arousal and frustration. When the shrimp disappears, take up the slack slowly until you feel the full weight of the fish. Then, strike the fish with a slow sweep of the rod. That way, if the bait pops out, the boxish will go after it again. Use only straight 8 pound mono and a 1/0 Gamakatsu live bait hook- this will give your presentation a natural look and good hookup potential.

Jan