# Eating Panfish



## ACrow 97 (Feb 7, 2011)

What size panfish do you guys typically keep? Just curious what is generally considered "responsible" when I want a meal.


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## mlayers (Aug 22, 2011)

If I am catching gills when I hold one in my hand and its tail and the gills is showing I keep them. If I go to a private pond and it os over populated I will keep them all to help thin them out....


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

Definitely depends on the water that I am fishing as to how small I will keep. As mentioned, a farm pond can often times need thinning out so I will keep smaller than I may keep in a lake. Bluegills in a lake usually have to go 7"+ to be kept. Crappie generally 9+" unless again I am thinning from a pond.


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## crappiedude (Mar 12, 2006)

crappies = 10"


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## ReelEazy (Oct 26, 2004)

bkr43050 said:


> Definitely depends on the water that I am fishing as to how small I will keep. As mentioned, a farm pond can often times need thinning out so I will keep smaller than I may keep in a lake. Bluegills in a lake usually have to go 7"+ to be kept. Crappie generally 9+" unless again I am thinning from a pond.


I agree, pond management is key to keep a healthy:B pond stocked with nice fish. Pan fish are on the top of my list to eat.


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## mlayers (Aug 22, 2011)

went out for around 4 hours today the bite was slow but manage to get 18 keepers


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## catfishnut (Dec 23, 2010)

My neighbor has a small pond with tons of small 3-5" gills, he invited over today for a bluegill lunch. About a week ago we were talking about what size he's got to catch if he wants to eat them and he told me that 3-5" ones were his favorite!! I told him he was nuts and he said he'd invite me over the next time he fried up a batch. Well I was amazed, he scaled them, wacked off their heads and gutted them, then he ran the blade along each side of the dorsal fin right to the bone( did about 40 in about 10mins). He then through them in the deep fryer until they were crispy, piled them on a plate, put out a bowl of spicy hot tarter sauce and told me to "dig in". At this point I still thought he was some kind of a nut....crispy little whole gills bones and all and spicy hot tarter sauce? Well all I can say is he didn't make enough of them!!! I dipped them in his "secret" hot sauce and ate those crispy little suckers bones and all!! Couldn't even tell there were bones in them!! And the crispy tails were the best part!!!


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## ACrow 97 (Feb 7, 2011)

Thanks everyone for the responses. I'm just curious after reading some posts and spectating around school here in NW PA. Went to a large lake and watched two older gentleman catch 7-8 inch crappie every cast and kept every one. On a side note also saw three teens fishing the spillway that kept a 12 inch smallmouth. Don't think that's legal in any state lol.


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## jonnythfisherteen2 (Mar 5, 2011)

where ever legal, crappie have to run about 7 in for me.
bluegill= 6 1/2 
warmouth= 5 in due to being so meaty 
anything else has to be about 5 1/2 in.


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## PolymerStew (Feb 17, 2009)

ACrow 97 said:


> What size panfish do you guys typically keep? Just curious what is generally considered "responsible" when I want a meal.


As far as what is "responsible" to keep, that may vary from lake to lake. Many public waters seem to have an overpopulation of small/medium panfish and very few "keepers" because people take all the larger ones. In those cases, people thinning out some of the smaller ones instead might be better for the system.

Scientists did a multi-year study in Illinois on the factors that influence the size distribution of bluegill populations. The reports are online under the title "Quality Management of Bluegill: Factors Affecting Population Size Structure."

One thing they found is that removing the large males from the system often leads to a population of stunted bluegill.


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## mlayers (Aug 22, 2011)

I agree with catfishnut if you don't mine cleaning the little one they are the best eating. I have cleaned ton of the little ones I can even fillet the little tikes so there is no bones in them. They taste great when you get into the bigger gills 8" and bigger they start tasteing fishy.


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## catfishnut (Dec 23, 2010)

mlayers said:


> I agree with catfishnut if you don't mine cleaning the little one they are the best eating. I have cleaned ton of the little ones I can even fillet the little tikes so there is no bones in them. They taste great when you get into the bigger gills 8" and bigger they start tasteing fishy.


Do you prepare them like my neighbor does? He's from down south and I guess it's a common way to prepare small gills down there. I guess the fact that they're so small and the way he cuts along the dorsel fin to let the hot oil get to the bones, the bones just basicly disintegrate when cooking. I was surprised how good even the tails were. The tails were kind of like eating potato chips they were so crispy. I'll be keeping alot of the small ones out of my brothers lakes from now on and leaving most of the bigger ones to breed. And like I said it was so fast and easy.....he had 40 prepare for the deep fryer in about 10mins!!


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## mlayers (Aug 22, 2011)

I fillet mine and I use a dry mix call fry magic and then deep fry them. I don't leave bones in them because of the small kids don't want to take chances


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## catfishnut (Dec 23, 2010)

mlayers said:


> I fillet mine and I use a dry mix call fry magic and then deep fry them. I don't leave bones in them because of the small kids don't want to take chances


Either way you just can't get much better than a pile of those little guys!! And taking/eating the small ones usually help the health of the pond and nothing goes to waste!!


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## Ozdog (Jul 30, 2007)

I keep gills in the 6-8" range where I fish (C/F & P/H). I scale & fillet them. Breading is a haome made mix of cracker meal, lemon pepper, a little paprika and a small amount of crushed red pepper. Mix it all together wel & fry in peanut oil.
Dam, I'm hungry now.


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## Bowhunter57 (Feb 9, 2011)

Bluegills have to be 8" and crappies have to be 10", for me to keep them. 

Bowhunter57


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## leupy (Feb 12, 2007)

In my pond I really don't keep the blue gil in fact I stock them every year, too many large bass and catfish which is why I stock minnows three times a year. If one happens to swollow a hook I eat it which happened yesterday (very good 10"er). If I am fishing a pond where they are stunted I throw nothing back in, cooking small fish with skin on and bones in is getting to be a lost art but the best tasting fish ever.


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## cmiller (Jun 3, 2008)

So when it comes to panfish, you just scale them, gut them and clip off head and fins?


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## leupy (Feb 12, 2007)

Yes that is the ticket for small fish. Then your favorite breading.


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