# Eating Whitebass



## GoneFishn18 (Mar 18, 2012)

I'm curious to see how many people like eating Whitebass? I mean I enjoy it, but I have a guy here at work that says where he's from they are consider to be trash fish and when they catch them they just feed them to the Gulls. How many people think Whitebass is considered to be a trash fish? 

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## fish4wall (Apr 14, 2004)

my family and i eat them...they aint walleye but they aint bad!!!


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## goose commander (May 11, 2010)

i agree. we catch a lot of them in WI every year and they eat JUUUUST fine.


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## Redhunter1012 (Feb 6, 2006)

Best smoked fish you'll ever have. Dad just did a batch of about 180 yesterday. We've always smoked them, salmon, trout catfish, etc. WB by far is the best


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## 93stratosfishnski (Aug 25, 2011)

Stay out of the belly meat and cut the red meat off the skin side of the fillet and they taste fine granted ive dine mostly wipers and stripers im sure the same would apply to whitebass, id only keep the bigger 15"ish fish so you can get a good fillet after taking off the red meat


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## [email protected] (May 1, 2012)

dude whitebass are for sure trash fish if you eat them thats disgust


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## NewbreedFishing (Apr 15, 2004)

trashfish for the table but fun to catch in skinny water


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## Pigsticker (Oct 18, 2006)

ditto on New Breeds comments.


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## GoneFishn18 (Mar 18, 2012)

E.T.H & NEWBREED, what makes a whitebass a trash fish? Please explain

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## GoneFishn18 (Mar 18, 2012)

Know that's what I'm talkn bout Redhunter!!!

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## [email protected] (May 1, 2012)

thats what they are they are like carp they live in gross water they are a gross fish they arent meant for eating


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## Jin (May 25, 2011)

I am from maumee area near toledo. We have a white bass run every May to mid june. Tons of fish are taken during the run. I saw a big stringer with 100ish white bass on it yesterday. I think most of the fishermen take the white bass home. If you bleed the fish and cut off the red meat, they taste fine.
Even walleye will become trash fish if you prepare it in a wrong way.


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## HookSet Harvey (Aug 12, 2010)

^^^^THIS GUY^^^^
They live in the same lakes as other more tasty fish!!!???!!!
I like catching them way more then eating but I don't think there trash fish, more like mid range.


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## injun laker45 (Jun 28, 2011)

Like was said, they are great smoked!

Otherwise make sure you get them bled out and on ice ASAP.
We always soaked ours in carnation instant milk before frying.
Not my favorite fish to eat but they are not trash fish.


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## fish4wall (Apr 14, 2004)

to the guys that think they are trash fish....if whitebass is all that was left to eat...would you starve to death? lol
come to my house....you'll change your mind about them being "trash" fish...i think lg mouth bass are a nasty fish to eat....


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## lacdown (Apr 25, 2007)

They are totally trash fish and nasty to eat. Please feel free to pm me if you find them and I will come get them out for you. :0) 

Just had some steamed last night and the meat was almost sweet like crab (of course I'm allergic to crab and lobster now, so my brain may be tricking me).


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

Is whitebass a trash fish or not for eating? 

There is no right or wrong answer and yet soooooooo many still try to answer it in their own definitive way.

To each his own, one mans trash is another mans treasure.

You guys are too funny sometimes


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## fish4wall (Apr 14, 2004)

amen lundy!!! and...loc...your too funny!!!  the run is almost here my brother!!


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## KaGee (Sep 8, 2006)

On Lake Erie White Perch are often confused with White Bass and also considered to be a "trash" fish. Yet their filets are sold in stores all along the Great Lakes as "Lake Perch".

White Bass are best served when immediately put on ice after catch and eaten without freezing. Meat gets really mushy after it's frozen. Personally I don't eat them either, but not because they're a "trash" fish. I don't eat critters and varmints and some of you do. !#


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## Daveo76 (Apr 14, 2004)

They must be better from the Ohio River We have a limit of 30 while there's no limit anywhere else. Saved many a day fishing down here because you can catch them all summer long. Must be the competition from the Wipers!!


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## jonnythfisherteen2 (Mar 5, 2011)

[email protected] said:


> thats what they are they are like carp they live in gross water they are a gross fish they arent meant for eating


 really? then i guess you must think any other fish is a trash fish.
come on, ANY fish can live in gross water. it just depends on what water you get the fish from. i know one place where the 17" catfish taste like mud and grit, but from a lake that i know to be clean, the catfish, even when 20'
+ fish are very good to eat and need nothing done to it to make it palatable. 
also, i hope you've had white bass before? because otherwise you should have braced your fingers.


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## saugmon (Jun 14, 2006)

I'll deep fry them along with saugeye and most peeps coudn't tell a difference. My buddy soaks wb fillets in milk for 5 mins prior to frying. The milk helps on catfish as well.

Speaking of so-called trash fish, alaskan pollock is found in many stores across the country.It's even used by McDonalds in their Filet-o-Fish as well as most other restaurants as well as your local public fish fries like your fire dept. Alaskan pollock was considered a trash fish 20 or so years ago! Consider that the next time you bite into a Fillet-o-Fish!!!!!


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## "chillin" (Apr 20, 2012)

jonnythfisherteen2 said:


> really? then i guess you must think any other fish is a trash fish.
> come on, ANY fish can live in gross water. it just depends on what water you get the fish from. i know one place where the 17" catfish taste like mud and grit, but from a lake that i know to be clean, the catfish, even when 20'
> + fish are very good to eat and need nothing done to it to make it palatable.
> also, i hope you've had white bass before? because otherwise you should have braced your fingers.


I agree. Knox lake crappie and catfish taste like dirt because of the muddy water. But i have had smoked carp out of clearfork res. That tasted just fine. There that should ruffle some feathers...

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## percidaeben (Jan 15, 2010)

May not be quite as good as yellow perch or panfish,but certainly not a trash fish. Really can't think of a trash fish.


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## GoneFishn18 (Mar 18, 2012)

This turned out to be a great post! I will continue to smash whitebass lol. I too soak them in milk for bout 30 min. 

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## Intimidator (Nov 25, 2008)

I can't understand the trash fish tag...heck, at CJ all they eat is shad! 
I only keep them in early Spring while the meat is cold and firm and they are delicious...they do soften and get fishy as the water warms and I just put them back in for the late Fall feeding run!


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## Had a Bite (Apr 15, 2012)

HAHA yes, I am the reason for this post. Until moving down here I have never heard of anyone wanting to catch white bass. Bait thieves to me. But I have heard that if they go straight on ice and cooked the same day with the skin on they are alright. But you won't see any going in my cooler anytime soon.


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## hang_loose (Apr 2, 2008)

I'm curious about this way of preparing fish(white bass)...........How does soaking the fish in milk help the taste? Do you soak your other pan fish in milk also?


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## Dana.Birrell (Apr 23, 2012)

And some people...















*...Eat Carp*


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## BuckeyeFishinNut (Feb 8, 2005)

[email protected] said:


> thats what they are they are like carp they live in gross water they are a gross fish they arent meant for eating


This guy must be new to fishing, probably has as many days on the water as posts on this board.

Trying to compare a carp and a white bass is ridiculous, then saying they both live in "gross water", is just ignorant. 

I have caught both species in backwater, stagnant pools before and I have caught both in clean streams and lakes.

Like somebody else said prior, if ya know what you are doing any fish can be delicious but by the same token if you have no idea what you are doing you can make the best fish taste like hot garbage.

Personally I don't care what they taste like because I am mainly catch and release but they sure are fun catch.


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## Snyd (May 5, 2004)

Well I know a lot of people that do eat White Bass but I don't - I guess growing up on the Ohio River as a kid Spoiled it for me. When I was a kid I tried a white bass out of the Ohio River and I didn't care for it. I know White Bass that come from the lake are different but I still can't find myself to eat one. I will still stick to the Crappie and Gills.


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## GoneFishn18 (Mar 18, 2012)

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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

I fried one up just fine a few weeks ago. Doesn't taste bad. The texture was a bit different. Not as flaky. Didn't taste bad though.

And yeah, Carp is a staple around the world. Carp were introduced into our waterways early on as a food source.


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## saugmon (Jun 14, 2006)

hang_loose said:


> I'm curious about this way of preparing fish(white bass)...........How does soaking the fish in milk help the taste? Do you soak your other pan fish in milk also?


My buddy swears by it for white bass and catfish. I soak them in egg and milk,then dip them in my wet drake's fry crisp batter,and slapem in the deep frier!!!! Me and my buddy don't use baskets. We slowly drop each individual fillet in the 350 degree oil and not let them touch the sides,bottom,or another fillet..He's got a huge turkey frier and mine's the shallower bass pro. Ours come out very plump and crispy. After we pull the fillet out of the frier,it goes directly on a wire bakers rack that is suspended in air. If you place them on paper towels,they'll be soggy from soaking up the grease.The wire racks make a heck of a difference for extra crispy fillets and they'll stay fairly crispy when you nuke the leftovers later on in a microwave.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

i,ve found that white bass can be quite tasty, but when you fillet them you have to cut all the red meat off the back side of the fillet. then they taste just fine. give it a try the next time you catch a few. and it does help if you get them on ice right away. but the red meat is what gives them the strong taste.
sherman


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## Truegame (Oct 21, 2008)

I'm not a huge fan of White Bass, however all pan sized fish can be deeply cleaned very easily with vinegar. If they're not too old, I'll fry a few of them with my #1 mix Andy's fish fry.


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## fishing (Mar 5, 2011)

They sell wild caught whitebass at krogers at $4.99 a pound. Whitebass is great by the way only when they're fresh. If you freeze them it's trash lol take what you can eat for the day and you'll be fine.


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## fredg53 (Sep 17, 2010)

fishing said:


> They sell wild caught whitebass at krogers at $4.99 a pound. Whitebass is great by the way only when they're fresh. If you freeze them it's trash lol take what you can eat for the day and you'll be fine.


Different white bass at store not from our lakes or tribal 

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## hang_loose (Apr 2, 2008)

hang_loose said:


> I'm curious about this way of preparing fish(white bass)...........How does soaking the fish in milk help the taste? Do you soak your other pan fish in milk also?


Back at you again guys......What does the milk have to do with the taste of any kind of fish before cooking them?????


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## rod bender bob (May 19, 2004)

Like most fish if white bass taste poorly it's because you don't know how to handle them and/or cook them. white bass need to be kept cold and all red meat needs to be removed.Soaking in the frig overnight in baking soda or salt or with sweet onion slices will make them milder n sweeter. Most people who don't like fish don't know how to cook them.


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## Intimidator (Nov 25, 2008)

rod bender bob said:


> Like most fish if white bass taste poorly it's because you don't know how to handle them and/or cook them. white bass need to be kept cold and all red meat needs to be removed.Soaking in the frig overnight in baking soda or salt or with sweet onion slices will make them milder n sweeter. Most people who don't like fish don't know how to cook them.


Agreed!
I soak all my fish over-night in SEA SALT...then rinse well, fry, bake, grill, or freeze, the salt will pull blood/impurities, smells, kill bacteria, and "set" the meat for freezing. You can also make a salty brine with herbs etc to give any filet a flavor of your choice!
I vacuum seal all of my fish for freezing and I missed a bag of 5 y/o fish that I recently opened and fried and it still tasted fresh!


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## AnglinAddict (Nov 22, 2004)

hang_loose said:


> I'm curious about this way of preparing fish(white bass)...........How does soaking the fish in milk help the taste? Do you soak your other pan fish in milk also?


The lactic acid in the milk neutralizes the fishy taste. Its like using lemon (citric acid) but milder. If you try it DO NOT soak for more than 30 mins. The acid will break down the tissue and make it mushy. I soak all white fish in milk before the frying.


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## Redhunter1012 (Feb 6, 2006)

I like to filet them also and remove the red meat. I will then chunk them up in smaller pieces before freezing. I do this so I can unthaw them in the sink and throw them a batch of chowder. They are really good in chowder with a couple cans of smoked oysters or clams


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## MarysvilleAngler (Apr 14, 2012)

I have never ate white bass my self but when u guys say freezing them make it trash/ mushy what is the diffrence between any other fish?when u freeze any fish it becomes softer then when it is fresh that day.I guess i will keep a few next time and see how they taste fresh and after freezing. I agree with alot of people with the right cooking skill and seasoning any fish is great.

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## NewbreedFishing (Apr 15, 2004)

Every year this thread title comes up and it's always 'us against them' type resposes. You would see a whole different reaction if this were to be posted in the lake erie discussion. White bass are very low on the eating chain IMO.
Bleeding and icing them does wonders but what really gets me is the urban anglers that come in and litter the creeks, walk thru the WB spawning beds and heft around a stringer the size of a xmas tree all day. I know thats not what this thread was started for but wanted to make that point. So let the inland anglers have there glory on a spawning run of fish...quite obvious thats about as good as it gets for them. I know how to clean/preserve and cook a fish but I dont eat the things...i give em to the less fortunate. 



:S ROADKILL :S !


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## Pigsticker (Oct 18, 2006)

Its not a matter of them being inedible or anything. Its just that theres about a million other things to eat that taste BETTER.


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## Bobinstow90 (Apr 13, 2006)

Interesting thread.

This thread proves the importance of local catching, cooking/prep knowledge. Time of yr caught and how you handle fish can make a huge difference on the table.


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## ImpalaSSpeed96 (Apr 4, 2011)

Glad i read this. I probably would have cooked a few and said heck with this... I need to pick up some frying supplies first. Time to break out the fryer!


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## saugmon (Jun 14, 2006)

MarysvilleAngler said:


> I have never ate white bass my self but when u guys say freezing them make it trash/ mushy what is the diffrence between any other fish?when u freeze any fish it becomes softer then when it is fresh that day.I guess i will keep a few next time and see how they taste fresh and after freezing. I agree with alot of people with the right cooking skill and seasoning any fish is great.
> 
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I haven't encountered mushy fillets after the thaw.I still have a few vac sealed bags of both saugeye and white bass.I have a bag each that were caught end of may 2011 thawing in the sink.Both still look like the day I put them in the deep freeze. I'll post back the results and pics tomorrow after I fry those babies up. I prepare all my fish the same. Fillet em,soak em in icy saltwater for a spell or even over night,towel dry,and vac seal them.No special treatment for white bass. I gotta watch how much salt I use because the fillets really suck up the salt during vac seal and my frycrisp is pretty salty to start with. You don't need any tarter sauce,ketchup,or lemon after I'm done with them!!!!!


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## jmenchhofer (Jan 12, 2007)

I generally prefer walleye, perch, bluegill and crappie to white bass, but I kept a few out of Indian Lake two weeks ago. I didn't apply as much pressure when "skinning" the fillets as I would with other fish, leaving most of the red meat on the back side of the skin. Then, I zipped them like walleye fillets to remove the red meat along the lateral line. I soaked them in salt water over night and fried them up along with some saugeye, and there was little difference in taste. The texture is not quite the same, but they were more than edible.


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## hang_loose (Apr 2, 2008)

AnglinAddict said:


> The lactic acid in the milk neutralizes the fishy taste. Its like using lemon (citric acid) but milder. If you try it DO NOT soak for more than 30 mins. The acid will break down the tissue and make it mushy. I soak all white fish in milk before the frying.


AnglinAddict, I'm going to try that with some ocean perch (kind of a strong tasteing fish). The only thing I soak in milk to eat is my Frosted Flakes...They're GRRRRREEEAAAAAATTT!!!!.

But crushed Frosted Flakes is a excellent breading for fried fish...Might try that with white bass......


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## slaughtereyez (Jul 13, 2009)

I eat walleye, I eat perch....I eat white bass.......guess it depends on if you know how to cook, even the best fish can taste like skunk...

I cook them on the grill seasoned and buttered and I fry them up and shake in homemade buffalo wing sauce...people dont know what their missing....


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## saugmon (Jun 14, 2006)

MassillonBuckeye said:


> I fried one up just fine a few weeks ago. Doesn't taste bad. The texture was a bit different. Not as flaky. Didn't taste bad though.
> 
> And yeah, Carp is a staple around the world. Carp were introduced into our waterways early on as a food source.


When my bro was stationed in belgium in the mid 80's,their residents would throw away trout and keep the carp.Trout are trash fish there!!!

Had mexican yesterday,so got out the deep fryer today. Both the white bass and saugeye fillets were firm. Fried em all up with 50/50 peanut/vegetable oil. The saugeye tasted better,but the white bass weren't too shabby. Lots of leftovers,so I'll be eating fish sandwiches for a couple day!!!


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## saugeyesam (Apr 20, 2004)

They're great for fish tacos. I just fillet and skin them, I have never cut off any red meat and I've never had to soak them in milk or any other concoction. I fillet them skin them rinse them in ice water then vacuum seal them. I've never had a problem with them being mushy after thawing out or tasting funky. I mix my own dry coating of flour, old bay, and a pinch of crushed red pepper flake or dried habenero powder. Fry in 375 degree peanut oil. Then I take a 10 inch corn or flour tortilla layer re-fried beans, homemade guacamole, sour cream, a little homemade salsa, fish, and some shredded sharp cheddar cheese, wrap that bad lad up and grab an Ice cold Bud Lite-Lime or Corona and chow down.


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## NorthSouthOhioFisherman (May 7, 2007)

KaGee said:


> On Lake Erie White Perch are often confused with White Bass and also considered to be a "trash" fish. Yet their filets are sold in stores all along the Great Lakes as "Lake Perch".
> 
> White Bass are best served when immediately put on ice after catch and eaten without freezing. Meat gets really mushy after it's frozen. Personally I don't eat them either, but not because they're a "trash" fish. I don't eat critters and varmints and some of you do. !#


I agree here completely. They are not too bad, keep a *dozen or so* for a nice family dinner, ice em, take em straight home and eat. Any other way your wasting your time and eating junk. IMO they need a limit on them but I guess they still keep populating


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

Really looking forward to trying smoked whitebass.. thanks for the tips.


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## Brian.Smith (May 18, 2006)

I have read this a few times in other posts about fish prep and it makes me laugh. (SOAK IN MILK IT GETS THE FISHY TASTE OUT) WWWWHHHHAATTTTT ITS FISH.


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## GoneFishn18 (Mar 18, 2012)

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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

saugeyesam said:


> They're great for fish tacos. I just fillet and skin them, I have never cut off any red meat and I've never had to soak them in milk or any other concoction. I fillet them skin them rinse them in ice water then vacuum seal them. I've never had a problem with them being mushy after thawing out or tasting funky. I mix my own dry coating of flour, old bay, and a pinch of crushed red pepper flake or dried habenero powder. Fry in 375 degree peanut oil. Then I take a 10 inch corn or flour tortilla layer re-fried beans, homemade guacamole, sour cream, a little homemade salsa, fish, and some shredded sharp cheddar cheese, wrap that bad lad up and grab an Ice cold Bud Lite-Lime or Corona and chow down.


Oh myyyyyyyy.... /drool LOL! Never really found fish tacos all that appetizing until just now! Care to share your salsa and guac recipes? We have a decent garden started and are going to hopefully have more tomatoes than we know what to do with. Could send ya a batch if we do end up with a bunch 

Saugmon, Your filets look absolutely scrumptious as well! I need to catch some bigguns here soon.. Been nothing but the crappie nuggets recently.. heh. A nice fatty sammich sounds like a great idea as well.. Although I think I'd be tempted to whip up some tartar sauce which is just about blasphemous on a walleye/saugeye filet is it not? Kinda like A1 on your filet mignon. haha You know now that I think about it, almost all the fish I've ever caught and ate has either been broiled(rarely) or breaded with some fries or something.. Some sort of potato. This is a seriously inspirational moment here! I must now go catch some Saugeye!


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## Truegame (Oct 21, 2008)

Just caught 24 today, when I got home I immediately started my prep. I placed them on ice for 10 to 15 min, cut red meat out of fillets, soaked 'em in salt, rinsed 'em, placed 'em in freezer with milk for 5 to 7 minutes before final rinse. Broke out my Andy's Cajun that I mix with fresh garlic and cooked all of them. I have to admit they were VERY tasty!


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## buckeyestarkey14 (Apr 1, 2012)

My girlfriends father took me out for my first time on the Detroit River white bass fishing. I brought some home and fried them up and they tasted great. Granted, hitting them during spawn season will probably ruin me for fishing since they were hitting just about every cast. I guess knowing how to cook them up right is the difference between tasting good and bad. All I know is he suggested we put them right on ice in the boat, keep them on ice until we fillet them. Cut off the red meat, and freeze them again until you cook them. I probably have enough to last me all summer. I personally don't think they taste bad at all. Nothing better than frying up the meal you caught yourself!


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