Barracuda (Sphyraenus):
Beware of the barracudas toothy grin. Even stuck on the gaff I was leery of holding this fish anywhere near my body. Special thanks go out to Glenn and the crew of the Salty Hooker. Based in Puerto Aventuras, Mexico (about 1 hour from Cancun) Tequila Sunrise Deep Sea Fishing charters offers half and full day trips for many species of fish.
The barracuda pictured above was caught off the bottom using a 12 inch Bonita for bait. The first Bonita we dropped over the side was eaten by a large shark that used a 300 lb. test steel leader as dental floss and swam away with us wondering about the size of teeth that could shred a leader like it was chewing gum.

click photo larger view
Like some other ocean predators Barracuda have sleek, torpedo like bodies, razor sharp teeth and large appetites. Barracuda have cruised the oceans hunting for 50 million years.