# What Fish to Eat?????



## FishingCop (Mar 19, 2008)

Okay, first of all, no offense to all of you catch and release sportsmen as I certainly admire your sportsmanship - but, IF we were to keep and eat our catch of the day, what do you think???

The obvious for eating:

Walleye, 
L & SM bass
Crappie
Panfish (bluegill, sunfish, etc)
Catfish
Perch
Trout

But waht about these? Should I keep them to eat or release to be caught another day? - Again, not targeting these, just catch one by accident once in a while.

Northern Pike 
White Bass
Strippers
Muskies
Pickerel
Drum (wahtever that is)
Carp (around here - no f---ing way we'd eat one)

Any other species worth mentioning to throw back or keep to eat????

What prompted me is last years trip to Bull Shoals we caught lots of walleyes (which was our target fish) and, for the first time I caught a white bass. Filleted it and it was mostly white meat with a streak of red in it. Someone said the white was good, the red was not so tastey?? Gave it away so never tasted it. I would have been happier to release it if it wasn't a real good eating fish.

I also have caught some large stripers (in Tennesee), but again, don't know if they are good to eat or not???? 

So, any help here? Thoughts, opinions, (recipes?? :lol: )


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## Bubba (Mar 19, 2008)

Well, Crappie and bluegill is a given tasty fish. Rockfish(Stripers) are pretty good...if filleted right. I've never done it, but my dad and brother have always told me they have a dark streak in them that if you don't get it out while filleting them, it will ruin the taste...but they said if you get those...they are pretty good eatin's. Drum are pretty good...haven't had one in awhile, but if I remember correctly...they rank there close to a catfish, as thats when we would usually catch drum alot of the time. I haven't ate a whole lot of different species yet since i've been really old enough to pay attention to what I was eating....haha, but crappie and bluegill has always been a definite. 

As far as cooking them, We've always just done a little cornmeal, a bit of flour, salt, and pepper and throw em' in the skillet....Mmmm...Hard to beat.


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## Jim (Mar 19, 2008)

You have to becareful with the strippers these days! :shock: :wink:


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## Bubba (Mar 19, 2008)

Jim said:


> You have to becareful with the strippers these days! :shock: :wink:



:lol: And you would know how!?  :-


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## FishingCop (Mar 19, 2008)

Bubba said:


> Jim said:
> 
> 
> > You have to becareful with the strippers these days! :shock: :wink:
> ...



Over my head????? Huh????


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## FishinsMyLife (Mar 19, 2008)

Strippers or Stripers? :wink:


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## FishingCop (Mar 19, 2008)

Bubba said:


> Well, Crappie and bluegill is a given tasty fish. Rockfish(Stripers) are pretty good...if filleted right. I've never done it, but my dad and brother have always told me they have a dark streak in them that if you don't get it out while filleting them, it will ruin the taste...but they said if you get those...they are pretty good eatin's. Drum are pretty good...haven't had one in awhile, but if I remember correctly...they rank there close to a catfish, as thats when we would usually catch drum alot of the time. I haven't ate a whole lot of different species yet since i've been really old enough to pay attention to what I was eating....haha, but crappie and bluegill has always been a definite.
> 
> As far as cooking them, We've always just done a little cornmeal, a bit of flour, salt, and pepper and throw em' in the skillet....Mmmm...Hard to beat.



Okay, that "dark streak" in them may be trhe same "red streak" that was in the white bass I caught in Arkansas??? You call them rockfish, same as stripers, same as white bass (only not a hybrid)???

And, isn't a drum just another type of carp or another type of scavenger fish???


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## DocWatson (Mar 19, 2008)

I'm with Jim on this. Better check with the wife before you go bringing any strippers home for dinner. :wink: 

Seriously though.... stripers are excellent eating. I've never eaten White Bass, but would imagine it is very much the same as a striper. Pike are also very tasty and pickerel I've heard are good eating if harvested from cold water or through the ice.

All have firm, white meat when cooked and most can be baked with excellent results. Quick, easy and hardly any cleanup.

Preheat the oven to 350, line a baking dish/pan with foil, add some olive oil, slice up a medium onion and layer the bottom of the pan to cover, place the filets over the onions, season with salt & pepper to taste, squeeze juice from 1/4 lemon over fish and top with pats of butter or a little more olive oil. Bake for 35-45 minutes (depends on the thickness of the filets) until fish flakes with a fork. Plate the fish, top with the onions and sprinkle with chopped parsley or dill if you like. Rice is an excellent side dish or the fish can be served over rice.

To cleanup remove the foil from the pan carefully and throw it out.


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## FishingCop (Mar 19, 2008)

Thanks DocWatson for the clarifiation on strippers vs. stripers :lol: 

I imagine the former are less tastey :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## DocWatson (Mar 19, 2008)

FishingCop wrote:


> I imagine the former are less tastey



Don't know. Never tried one.


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## sccamper (Mar 19, 2008)

White bass are pretty tasty. Ive heard the same about the red/dark streak in the meat. Ive heard its fatty deposits. We have mercury and pcb warnings in a few lakes around here. You can go online and find contaminated fish consumption advisery, the list shows how many meals of whatever fish you can eat in a given time. Some lakes have fish that you sould not eat and other fish only one meal every 2wks to a month. The lake I fish have no adviseries.

Smoked carp:

Soak redwood planks in water overnight
Clean and filet carp, leave skin on
Warm grill on low with some soaked wood chips or set up smoker
Place filets on redwood planks skin down and place on indirect heat
Smoke for 2.5-3 hours

Remove from grill, throw the carp filets in the trash and eat the redwood planks.


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## Bubba (Mar 19, 2008)

FishingCop said:


> Bubba said:
> 
> 
> > Well, Crappie and bluegill is a given tasty fish. Rockfish(Stripers) are pretty good...if filleted right. I've never done it, but my dad and brother have always told me they have a dark streak in them that if you don't get it out while filleting them, it will ruin the taste...but they said if you get those...they are pretty good eatin's. Drum are pretty good...haven't had one in awhile, but if I remember correctly...they rank there close to a catfish, as thats when we would usually catch drum alot of the time. I haven't ate a whole lot of different species yet since i've been really old enough to pay attention to what I was eating....haha, but crappie and bluegill has always been a definite.
> ...



Some people refer to Stripers as Rockfish up here....Which is technicall called a "Striped Bass". Then we have "White Bass" down here too. And Hybrid's as well....and that streak is probably the basic same thing. 

As far as drum...I'm not positive on some of their eating habits, but i'm pretty sure they're not a "scavenging" fish. Anytime i've caught them has been on live minnows or I have caught them on crankbaits as well.


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## whj812 (Mar 19, 2008)

Bubba said:


> Jim said:
> 
> 
> > You have to becareful with the strippers these days! :shock: :wink:
> ...



LOL at Strippers!!!!


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## switchback (Mar 20, 2008)

I caught alot of white bass last year before deer season and ate some for the first time. They have flakey meat like crappie and are good eating. I know alot of people cut the dark streak out before cooking, but I just fillet them and cook them. After they're done I use my finger or fork and rake the streak out. It comes out real easy after cooked and no bad taste.


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## Captain Ahab (Mar 20, 2008)

I would not touch any of those fish on the list - yuck! 


Stripers and White Bass might be worlds apart, we eat Striped Bass taken from the ocean, huge difference then the landlocked cousins. 

While all the fish on the list might taste decent, give me fish from the cold, north Atlantic any day. Fluke, Cod, Tuna, Sea Bass. . . .


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## shamoo (Mar 20, 2008)

You hit the taste pallets there Mr. Esquired.


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## mtnman (Mar 20, 2008)

As far as im concerned walleye is the best eating out there but people dont realize how good Muskie is. Muskie get a bad rap because when most people fish its warm out and summer muskie is nasty to eat. The meat on the fish is like mush but catch one in the winter time and all the meat is stiffer. Its excellent. Ive changed a few minds by telling people it was walleye and when the ate it they could tell that it wasnt and when they would ask what type of fish and was told muskie there attitudes changed. Theres alot of Muskie ate in this house. Now as for pike, I just ate it for the first time the other day and let me tell you, Its one of the best tasteing fish ive ever ate. Im not sure how my buddy cooked it but all i know is he baked it and it was delicious. Walleye baked or fried wont last long on my plate!
GOOD EATS TO ALL AND MAY YOUR PLATES ALWAYS BE FULL!


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## whj812 (Mar 20, 2008)

mtnman said:


> As far as im concerned walleye is the best eating out there



Agreed! Walleye is GREAT!!!! It does a body Good!!!


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