Eating bass

[Russ E]

If I gut hook a keeper size bass, I will eat it.

Otherwise I don't keep them.  In part, because they are usually at the top of the list for fish with high mercury levels.

 

I should clarify. In Kansas there is a fish advisory for eating larger smallmouth and largemouth Bass statewide, because of mercury levels. most of the lakes I fish have an 18 inch limit. that eliminates the smaller eating sized fish.

Edited February 24, 2019 by Russ E
clarification

[slonezp]

Yes and 

IBTL

[punch]

I do keep and fillet pike out of my local bass lakes, to help out my bass buddies of course. 

[johnmyers]

I eat some out of my 2.5 acre pond. Some need to be taken out each year to keep from overpopulating. I NEVER keep until after spawn is well over. I keep around 20 per year. I never keep bass out of lakes I fish.

[humbleangler]

Back to the OP, is it common for bass LMB or SMB to have parasites? More common than other species? I would have imagined cats to be the most likely affected, but I've never had a problem.

[mcipinkie]

What most people don't under stand is that Hawg is correct.

 

For slot limits to work, we have to take out the fish.  Don't start on me.  I have some reservations about slot limits, but they definitely will not work unless we take out the fish.  I fish a lake that has a 12 -15 throw back slot.  It's over run with 8 - 14 inch fish.  The lake would be better off in the long run if we threw those short fish up on the bank for the coons, but I can't do it.

 

Catch and release is not always the best thing to do.

 

I personally like to eat bass.  A couple 12 inchers makes a nice meal.

 

 

[johnmyers]

4 minutes ago, mcipinkie said:

What most people don't under stand is that Hawg is correct.

 

For slot limits to work, we have to take out the fish.  Don't start on me.  I have some reservations about slot limits, but they definitely will not work unless we take out the fish.  I fish a lake that has a 12 -15 throw back slot.  It's over run with 8 - 14 inch fish.  The lake would be better off in the long run if we threw those short fish up on the bank for the coons, but I can't do it.

 

Catch and release is not always the best thing to do.

 

I personally like to eat bass.  A couple 12 inchers makes a nice meal.

 

 

Exactly

[billmac]

Besides not being a huge fan of eating fish, I really hate cleaning fish.  But I won't release a fish that I know won't live.

 

Just for the record, I posted this just out of curiosity about eating bass.  I never imagined some might see it as an ethical issue.  As far as I'm concerned if you eat your legal limit every single day it's perfectly fine.

[scaleface]

2 minutes ago, billmac said:

Besides not being a huge fan of eating fish, I really hate cleaning fish.  But I won't release a fish that I know won't live.

I dont bring fish home to clean . I usually dont mess with them unless there is a fish cleaning station at the water . Small bass are easy to fillet ,crappie , sunfish too and walleye are my favorite to both clean and eat .   Catfish can be a chore but I like to eat them at camp-outs . 

[billmac]

Pike are some of my favorite fish to eat (and catch, if I'm honest).  They are a bit of a pain to fillet, but it's worth it.  Walleye are the gold standard of game fish to eat but they are a bit of a boring fish to catch.

[Bluebasser86]

I don't, I have eaten plenty of them when I was younger and fish were a big part of our diet. I wish I had a taste for it but freshwater fish for the most part taste terrible to me. I'd love to be able to bring home 5 fat 12 inchers eat time I go to one of the slot limit lakes.

[sll]

I usually only eat crappie, walleye, and sauger......but a smallmouth or spot caught in cold, clear water are pretty dang good.

[Glaucus]

30 minutes ago, billmac said:

Besides not being a huge fan of eating fish, I really hate cleaning fish.  But I won't release a fish that I know won't live.

 

Just for the record, I posted this just out of curiosity about eating bass.  I never imagined some might see it as an ethical issue.  As far as I'm concerned if you eat your legal limit every single day it's perfectly fine.

There are two camps. One believes that harvesting bass is necessary to produce big bass, and the other believes in the "let 'em go, let 'em grow" philosophy. 

 

And then there are those who over the years have developed a true love for these fish and couldn't intentionally kill one anymore than they could kill a family pet. Logical, illogical, doesn't really matter. Human emotion is complex.

[Mobasser]

I've eaten my share. I don't see anything wrong with keeping a few for the frying pan. I've also eaten lots of deer meat, duck, quail, squirrel and rabbit too. Obey and respect the laws, and all is good

[LxVE Bassin]

Bass taste like mud in the summer months but if it’s caught in the colder months I would be game. They have to be 14 inches or shorter for me to eat them. Anything bigger starts getting mushy. 14 is pushing it.

[The Bassman]

1 hour ago, humbleangler said:

Back to the OP, is it common for bass LMB or SMB to have parasites? More common than other species? I would have imagined cats to be the most likely affected, but I've never had a problem.

Hey, my two cats have never had a parasite! LOL. Catfish get a bum rap for being bottom feeding scavengers. In reality, for the most part they are quite predatory. Get bit by one while you're cranking and it'll give a whole new perspective.

[Mobasser]

2 hours ago, scaleface said:

I eat bass , especially in the slot limit lakes . Those slots dont work to grow bigger bass if  the anglers dont do their part .

That's a good mess there! Fry em up!

[The Bassman]

5 minutes ago, LxVE Bassin said:

Bass taste like mud in the summer months but if it’s caught in the colder months I would be game. They have to be 14 inches or shorter for me to eat them. Anything bigger starts getting mushy.

A few of the HOA lakes I fish are crawling with foot longs. I'd love to eat a few but it's just not handy since I fish on foot. DNR can't enforce min. size limit either. 

[dodgeguy]

I eat approx 5 a year. I keep them between 12 and 17 inches. Any bigger and they don't taste as good. In the 50 years I've been fishing I've only had one that had parasites.

[Mobasser]

For some people, it may depend on how you were brought up. I've fished and hunted most all my life, and eaten fish and game all my.life too. We were taught to always obey the laws, which I still do. I let most of the bass go, but keep some , along with crappie to eat. I love a fish fry

[FryDog62]

Here in the North, one of our biggest problems are 2 foot Pike... they stunt the growth of other game fish (bigger Pike too) and can take over a lake.  

 

There’s a fairly big movement in Minnesota to harvest these smaller pike.  If you can learn how to take the Y bones out, they are one of the best tasting fish... much better than bass and very easy to catch (unfortunately).  

 

I also heard someone from the DNR say that smaller pike tend to have lower mercury levels than similar weight bass. 

 

Anyway, that’s my goal going forward  if keeping fish for a meal... and hopefully this helps the bass to grow bigger too..

[scaleface]

As far as parasites in the bass I have only seen them once in the meat, in the form of little white bumps on the skin .They were from a pond a guy wanted me to help thin out . I asked a conservation dept officer  about them   and he said the fish were good to go .  So I had a fish fry and everyone loved them . I  often catch bass with what looks like a parasite of some sort on the tail fin .

[MN Fisher]

5 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

they are one of the best tasting fish... much better than bass and very easy to catch

That's a matter of personal taste...I MUCH prefer the taste of a 2#-3# LMB to any size pike.

16 minutes ago, dodgeguy said:

I eat approx 5 a year. I keep them between 12 and 17 inches. Any bigger and they don't taste as good. In the 50 years I've been fishing I've only had one that had parasites.

I like my lower limit a bit bigger - 14-18 inchers are my keepers. I also NEVER had one with parasites.

[Goldstar225]

I mostly catch and release but do keep some each year to eat. Love the taste but crappie or catfish from a clear water lake rank higher on the taste meter IMO.  On the other hand I can't stand the taste of trout.  

[LonnieP]

I don’t eat bass, trout is the only freshwater fish I will eat.