Fish in my pond

[PhillipBradley]

I have catfish brim and bass in my pond. The cat fish are HUGH the brim are a good size but I've only caught 1 HUGH bass in the pond but a bunch of the bass are smaller like 10 inches long.   Are bass better to EAT then brim?  Brim have ALOT of bones and my kids have trouble eating them..      are bass the same??

[PBBrandon]

If you get a good size bass you can filet it and fry it like you would a catfish. I and most other people do prefer catfish for eatin. I’d be frying those up lol. The bass in that pond might end up getting bigger by catching some of the cats and giving the bass less competition to snack on the bream. Not that bass is bad or anything, if caught, prepped, and cooked right it’s pretty decent. 

[Alex from GA]

We eat an Alabama bass every couple of week and they're delicious.  My wife sautees the filets in 1/2 butter and 1/2 oil with a light flour coating.

[MediumMouthBass]

My parents love largemouth and smallmouth bass, they say its just as good as trout and crappie.

I dont like the taste of most freshwater fish so ill take their word for it, (before i get people saying if you eat bass you are evil, ill only bring them home some bass to eat when they are gut hooked and cant be saved).

 

Also they taste alot better during the colder months, when it gets really warm they taste like mud sometimes (heard from many others in my area while fishing)

 

But be careful how much you eat it and how frequently since they have alot of mecury.

Edited April 16, 2024 by MediumMouthBass

[Pat Brown]

I would put a hurting on the catfish and bluegill and then maybe get to work on the 12-16" bass if your goal is bigger bass!

[Bankc]

Catfish are definitely the better eating fish.  Though if the pond is muddy, that could cause the catfish to taste muddy.  So I rarely eat the catfish I catch around here, for that reason.  

Some people like bass.  Some do not.  To me, bass are definitely edible, but they're not the best choice.  It's not that bass taste bad.  It's just that they're not particularly great.  I'd choose to eat bass above a lot of freshwater fish, but not crappie, catfish, tilapia, walleye, etc.  I've never had bream, so I can't compare.  But I have heard they taste good but have a ton of bones, which sounds like you can confirm.  

 

Either way, with bass you don't have to worry about the bones, so long as you fillet them right.  So I'd say it's worth a try next time you catch one.  You might like it.  And if you don't, well you'll learn something.  

[GreenPig]

I'd eat the catfish an every bass 12 inches and under to free up room and food for bass growth.

You can fillet and have boneless bream.

[FishTax]

I've eaten them all. Bream are good. Cook them whole (gutted obviously) then pull the bones out after cooking. If you do it right you can get most of them in one pull. If not, enjoy picking bones lol. 

 

I don't eat them anymore, I release everything. My son is begging to cook a catfish though so I guess we'll be doing that soon. Big mess lol

[Bird]

I'm mainly a catch and release fisherman but when I take the wife, the livewell gets put to use.

Largemouth from the clear water we fish are a delicacy but we're usually camping and cook them on an open fire with Oak and Apple wood...... certainly makes a difference.

[airshot]

When I put in my pond (25 yrs back) I started with bigger bass, ( 10-12") then added small blue gills and a few small catfish.  Then some minnows until the BG started populating.  Watch the BG as they can get out if control. Thin your catfish so you just have enough to keep the pond cleaned up.  I have Bass 12-18", BG up to 10", and just a few catfish.  Watch the amount of each and control.....

[JackstrawIII]

Thin bass fillets are very good friend in panko and almond flour. They do not have abundant bones and are very easy to prepare. 
 

also, you should keep and eat any catfish you catch. They get very hook shy after being caught even once. 

[Skunkmaster-k]

Bluegill are my favorite fish to eat. Like GreenPig said I fillet them cause I don’t like picking through all the bones. Bass are good if you prepare them right. I fillet them then soak them in iced salt water overnight , mustard fry till they float all golden and crispy the next evening. I’m getting hungry. 

[airshot]

Out in the country where I live, there are numerous ponds in the area from road construction and for fire protection.  When a new pond goes in, I give the owners a chance to come and take some various size bass and BG's to get them started.   Having observed many new pond owners get started, my opinion is paying big money to have a whole bunch of small fish delivered at one time is a waste of money.  Over population often occurs.  Minnows are fairly cheap, so starting with bigger fish and minnows until they start multiplying has worked very well in our pond building.  

[Dan N]

If you learn how to fillet the bluegills or brim they will have no bones, very good eating. Bass are certainly good to eat, but I’d take panfish over bass any day.