Favorite foods are jacks, needle fish, silversides, parrot fish, and filefish. In the more southern part of the range, the flesh, particularly of larger fish, is considered toxic, being associated with fish poisoning, or ciguatera. Most anglers catch Barracuda by trolling spoons, feathered jigs with strips of fish, bucktail jigs, or brightly colored rubber tubing, which are eel-like and spin as they move through the water. The trick to catching the species seems to be lure action as much as anything else. Trolling or retrieval speed must be rapid and the lure action should be erratic to excite the fish into biting.
Some fishermen use spinning and bait-casting tackle to cast topwater plugs.
A 9 weight fly rod with a long and brightly colored pattern, retrieved quickly, is effective for the fly fisherman. For shallow-water casting, the ideal lure is a plug about 4 inches long. It should be made of wood or very durable plastic so it won t be destroyed by the Great Barracuda s teeth. Wire leaders are essential regardless of the type of tackle used. In the more northern areas of their range, Barracuda are safe to eat.