Cryptic crossword clue
Fish leave first, wearing hats 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word BLOATERS

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
B
L
O
A
T
E
R
S

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Fish" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case fish = bloaters.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does BLOATERS mean?

BLOATERS noun
  1. A salted, and lightly smoked herring or mackerel.
  2. A freshwater fish native to the Great Lakes; the species Coregonus hoyi.

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