A few “myths” to think about

[TnRiver46]

So I’m camping down south, water temp is 80. We eat what we catch, and almost every bass we have caught has been full of eggs and had a bloody tail. In 80 degree water, spots and largemouth. 3 of these “myths” that you hear all the time have been sticking out in my head. 1) 80 degree water in late may, fish are deep and post spawn. I’m sure there are some post spawn fish but it’s almost June and I’m only 100 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. I’ve talked to several anglers, shallow bite is on. 2) spotted bass taste better than largemouth. We ate a whole bunch of each today, both excellent white meat that you couldn’t tel apart. If you think largemouth from warm grassy water is not tasty, you should try again. It’s Pure white flaky and delicious. If you can make fish fillets that look this good taste bad, well....... here’s your sign  3) when people catch bass, they say if it’s a male or female, and then release it. You literally have no idea unless you cut it open. Almost all the smaller fish we cleaned have been females with eggs. 
 

P.S. - sorry to the folks that can’t stand the thought of eating a bass, I’m only human after all. 

 

 

[GreenPig]

I DO NOT EAT BASS! More than twice a week.?

[RoLo]

 

Bass are not only scrumptious, they're high in omega-3 fats.

When I stop eating bass, I'll be on the dark-side of the sod.

 

Roger

[islandbass]

How dare you eat bass ... and not invite us, lol. 

[TnRiver46]

35 minutes ago, islandbass said:

How dare you eat bass ... and not invite us, lol. 

WEre down here til Saturday, come on! Down river from selma a little ways 

[Captain Phil]

Not all bass bed at the same time.  Here in Central Florida, I have fished bass on beds from late December until June.   In the summer, our surface water temps can reach into the nineties.  Most anglers don't catch bass under those conditions because they don't fish close enough to trigger a strike.

 

Personally, I would never eat a bass.  I killed enough of them back in the day.  Our bass club would bring limits of them in for a fish fry. Today, a bass is worth a lot more to me alive than dead.  If you want to eat them, go for it.

[N Florida Mike]

33 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

Our bass club would bring limits of them in for a fish fry

So would ours. we even purchased a big fish cooker with entry fee money to further the cause.

I still eat bass but only fish under 15 inches. ( Unless a bigger fish dies on me ) I love bass filets but am not as fond of bass on the bone with the skin.

 

As Ive said before, I manage my small lake for fish and the lake is so productive for bass- they just overpopulate, and some of them get skinny. I continually thin the herd to get a better average size fish.

 

I eat catfish and bream too, along with many saltwater fish, ( I only live 16 miles from the ocean )

 

Looks like fun @TnRiver46

[OkobojiEagle]

TnRiver46... If you've never eaten freshly caught walleye, I can see your enthusiasm for those warm water bass...

 

oe

[Captain Phil]

  

12 minutes ago, OkobojiEagle said:

TnRiver46... If you've never eaten freshly caught walleye, I can see your enthusiasm for those warm water bass...

 

oe

 

Walleye is a great eating fish.  I fished in Canada for a number of years.  We ate walleye for shore lunch every day.  Pike are good too, if you know how to clean them.  Florida bass from Okeechobee and the Everglades taste muddy.  We used to soak them in milk to get rid of the taste.  Salt water fish all taste good. The best offshore fish I ever ate was Wahoo.  It makes tuna look bad.

 

Lots of people email me and ask if it's safe to eat fish from the Harris Chain.  Fisheries biologists tell me it is.  Some Florida lakes have excessive levels of mercury. In Florida, I think it's better to eat fish in a restaurant and leave the native fish alone.

[scaleface]

My dad and one of his brothers didnt like bass until I fried some up . I have a niece who doesnt like fish but she gobbled those bass fillets down .They are not as tasty as  walleye , crappie or bluegill but they are close . I Like them better than catfish .

[Oregon Native]

Using wisdom with  our resources is not a bad thing....getting home from a long day of fishing to clean fish...well...this I don't do much...getting lazy and days are getting longer ...time is short.......next cast.

[TnRiver46]

37 minutes ago, OkobojiEagle said:

TnRiver46... If you've never eaten freshly caught walleye, I can see your enthusiasm for those warm water bass...

 

oe

We have walleye, I eat them every time a keeper hits the deck. They are better than largemouth but barely. Really taste extremely similar, walleye meat just looks a little better. Actually now that think about it, I let a keeper walleye go once and made the mistake of telling the little lady about it. Woops! I thought she was going to fillet me 

[N Florida Mike]

10 hours ago, scaleface said:

They are not as tasty as  walleye , crappie or bluegill but they are close . I Like them better than catfish .

Its interesting how we all have different tastes. I rank these freshwater fish like this: 1st being best on down.

• catfish

• bream

• bass/ crappie about equal

I have never had walleye.

 In saltwater, my top 5  that Ive eaten somewhat regularly:

• Red Snapper 

•Sheephead

•Flounder

•Redfish

• Panfish: Whiting, croakers etc

[Armtx77]

yI'm really surprised you are catching them with roe in them. We had a warm winter and a warm spring. Almost all of my local fish here in the Greater NOLA area, spawned almost a month ago.

 

[Logan S]

On the spawning in 80 degrees water stuff...I've seen some stuff that doesn't go 'by the book'.  On the Potomac and Chesapeake there will sometimes be some fish that spawn again in August (mid-80's water), I've actually caught them off beds sight fishing.  It's not a ton, but enough that I always check on it around full moons in August.  My guess is the nature of tidal water is that sometimes during the normal spawn time the available spawning habitat is lower (less or no grass to break the current)...So some go for another round in summer when there is a lot more ideal habitat for it.  

 

There are no absolutes in bass fishing

 

I don't make it a habit to eat bass, but I still think Smallies taste better than LM .

[Mobasser]

I'm a fish lover, and that includes bass. I release a lot of them, but keep a few to fry up. Crappie are a close second for me, and a big mess of bream is really good too. We have some walleye in our area, but I don't fish for them. I've also eaten many a channel catfish. And I agree on your myths, bass are good!

[Captain Phil]

1 hour ago, N Florida Mike said:

 In saltwater, my top 5  that Ive eaten somewhat regularly:

• Red Snapper 

•Sheephead

•Flounder

•Redfish

• Panfish: Whiting, croakers etc

Have you ever eaten Tripletail?   Delicious!  Dolphin (Mahi Mahi) is my personal favorite.

[Big Rick]

I've reared 5 boys and 3 girls on bass fillets. It's a cheap, delicious, and healthy meal! And, contrary to misinformation spread here by some, the filets have no bones in them. run your knife down the backbone, trim the rib bones out, and you've got a clean filet!  I fish a few private lakes that ask members to keep all bass under 15". It's a win-win for my family. We love bass fried and grilled. A little lemon pepper and butter on a grilled bass filet is some fine eating! 

 

I'm not taking away from any other species, but bass filets have a firm, flaky texture that holds up well to handling while cooking. It's a well rounded source of protein that is easy to obtain and process. Again, win-win!

[roadwarrior]

1 hour ago, Captain Phil said:

Dolphin (Mahi Mahi) is my personal favorite.

 

[TnRiver46]

2 hours ago, Armtx77 said:

yI'm really surprised you are catching them with roe in them. We had a warm winter and a warm spring. Almost all of my local fish here in the Greater NOLA area, spawned almost a month ago.

 

Have you cut open any to find out for

sure? 

[WRB]

Fish don't live on the waters surface, 5' deeper what was the water temp?

Female bass start to develop eggs sacks earlier then you think and carry them for several months. It's nearly June and still in the late spawn cycle for a majority of LMB waterways.

You are fishing a river system with current that also affects the water column temps.

Not all female bass are big as young adults. Taste is something each person has a preference with.

No myth.

Tom

[Todd2]

Bass isn't bad but now Crappie or Saugeye are my favorite freshwater that I've had. Saltwater has to be some tasty Spanish Mackerals we caught one year. Season with Old Bay & Slap Yo Momma...makes my mouth water thinking about it.

[TnRiver46]

3 hours ago, Todd2 said:

Bass isn't bad but now Crappie or Saugeye are my favorite freshwater that I've had. Saltwater has to be some tasty Spanish Mackerals we caught one year. Season with Old Bay & Slap Yo Momma...makes my mouth water thinking about it.

I do love mackerel!!

[Finessegenics]

My favorite fish freshwater fish to eat has got to be walleye or the very few white bass I catch around here

[TnRiver46]

5 minutes ago, Finessegenics said:

My favorite fish freshwater fish to eat has got to be walleye or the very few white bass I catch around here

There’s another popular opinion around here that white bass taste like Shad. People tell me that almost every single time until they eat it, then they say it’s delicious