does bass taste good?

[Yankee_lake]

Does bass taste good? People alwyas say it doesnt but i have never tried it... i have had perch and catfish... does it depend on how you cook it? How come no1 keeps them to eat?

[GobbleDog]

:-X

I ate one once. Granted I can't cook to save my life, but it tasted like garbage. I'll never eat another one. Everything drains into lakes. Road run-off, fertalizer, you name it...

Plus, ever looked at the roof of a bass's mouth? A lot of them have little leaches crawling around. You can actually see them squirm. And that's just the stuff you can see, I don't even want to know what else is infesting inside that fish.  

[roadwarrior]

Largemouth bass taste good and are good for you. Fish is easy to prepare. The cooking process eliminates all bacteria (the meat itself is very clean to begin with, any contaminants would be acquired in handling).

Here is a simple recipe:

1 fish = 2 fillets

1 cup peanut oil heated to 375 degrees (an electric skillet works best)

mix 1 egg with 1/4 cup milk

mix 1/2 cup corn meal with 1/4 cup flour

Dip the bass fillet in the egg/milk mixture. Coat the fillet with the corn meal/flour.

Fry for 4 minutes and turn. Fry for an additional 4 minutes.

I like a squirt of lemon juice and salt & pepper to taste.

Serve it now, piping hot.

[smallmouthguy]

smallies are very good, we don't keep many but love em

[Muddpuppy]

It is like most other fish, depends where it's caught- the cleaner the water the better tasteing the fish. Time of the year or water temp. I don't like to eat bass out of hot, mossy water. And also how it's cleaned, stored and prepared. If you like things a little spicey try some of the Uncle Buck's fish batter. I like it on bass. BPS and some groc. stores carry it, it is simple. But there are also alot of other ways that it can be prepared besides just fried. As long as the fish is completely cooked it is supossidly safe to eat because of parasites. Mercury and Salineum are whats putting limits on eating fish in this area.

[5bass]

Tastes like chicken!

Nah,not really.....but it is good if you cook it correctly.I dont make it a habit to eat them very often but if one is hooked deep and going to kick the bucket,well......

[Yankee_lake]

roadwarrior is like the smartest guy i know, is there any limit to how much you should eat, my lake seems clean, how do u get rid of mercury or where does it come from

[Muddpuppy]

They should do testing of public waters and if the presence of any of those are found in fish in unsafe amounts (here) they post it on Texas Parks and Wild Life's web site, the water ways are also marked with a warning. I would imagine your area would have something of the same nature. You would have probably already heard if there is a risk from eating fish where you are at. Usually you just limit the amount eaten to a weekly amount. A few lakes here, were recomended that you not consume more than like 8 oz. per meal 2x a week, children is like 6oz. I think it is worse when there is no rain fall. Alot of times rain fall in large amounts will flush the lakes and rivers out. Lakes with power plants, ect. and places where there are large amounts of like coal being strip mined seem to be effected the most. I don't think that there is a major health risk but if above normal amounts are detected they do warn against it.  Odly enough just because one species of fish has a consumsion warning others may not.  You may be able to eat bass, crappie and not catfish or mussels, ect. it is not just bass.

[squid]

If caught in some lakes...like here in Michigan, they have a mucky taste to them if not done right.

To take the fishey taste out of them, soak them over-night in milk, or better yet for flavor....lemon juice.  Then follow RW's directions and you have the best tasting fish around.

[FishLaughAtMe]

I love bass, and everyone I've cooked it for has liked it, too.  The bass I keep are from cleaner lakes (small, private lakes well stocked with Largemouths), so that may have something to do with it.  I mostly practice catch & release, but I like to eat bass every so often.  Doesn't seem to have as much of a "fishy" taste as some other fish.

Alot of people say "huh?" when you tell them you cooked bass, but they're suprised when they like it.

Can't hurt to try it.  RoadWarrior's recipe is basically what I do, so that's what I suggest.

[Big_Bass_Rich]

I like the taste of bass from cold water. Usually once a year (early fall) I will take one or two small ones home for supper. I just fry them up in breadcrumbs or pancake mix.  

[Rattlinrogue]

Yes! Fillet and get the skin off,fry 'em up,and that's a good tasting meal.I'm releasing 'em nowdays,but the biologist at my home lake practically begs everybody to take out the 14 inches and under bass.We catch a lot of slot fish ( 18-22 inches) where I fish.

[Muddpuppy]

Ya'll have made me hungry I'm going out for catfish.

[razyrsharpe]

nothing like a fillet of bass with scrambled eggs and hash browns in the morning (many like grits w/their breakfast, i happen to be a potato man).  darn skippy!

[Guest the_mud_man]

nothing beats a DEAD BASS FLOAT  All you need is a big glass and a blender Into the blender you put some ice cream(any flavor) some milk and a dead bass  Put it on puree for 20 seconds MMMM GOOD! :-/ 8) ;D

[bucky]

I release the fish I catch. I don't like cleaning fish of any kind so just go to a resturant when I want fish for dinner. I must admitt, however, I have had bass in the past. Back before limits were put on size and numbers I would bring some bass home. The smaller bass (under 2 lbs) are delicious when fried or grilled. The larger bass are good,but don't have the texture and taste that the smaller ones does. I do think "catch and release" is the way to go now.

[Chris]

I catch and keep bass once a year (maybe one or two a year). They taste great! I try to keep fish out of a clean clear body of water.

[mac7373]

All of the bass I have ever had tastes really good. My dad knows how to cook it just right. I have seen people catch 7-lb.+ largemouth's and say "I can't wait to get it home and eat it." I actually saw a guy when I was camping several years ago catch a 10-lb. female that was just fat as hell with eggs and he cleaned it and ate it and later said it was the worst fish he had ever had? go figure? I was always told that the smaller ones in the 1-3 lb. range are the best because the older ones start to get grainy and don't taste as good. I personally have not eaten any bass in over 12 years...about the time I started becoming active in Bass Clubs and fishing tournaments I just felt it was more important to catch and release.

[Marty]

roadwarrior is like the smartest guy i know, is there any limit to how much you should eat, my lake seems clean, how do u get rid of mercury or where does it come from

I'm dumb, but let me try to answer anyways. Your state, which happens to be my state, advises to eat no more than one meal (1/2 pound) per week from any freshwaters in the state. They also have even more restrictive advice for certain bodies of water. Just look under "Health Advisory" in the regulations booklet or on the web site.

[Flatfish]

I have been told that larger fish 3lb and larger seem to store the toxins in their body whereas  the smaller ones don't have that problem. That is not a problem for me because I very seldom catch anything over 3 lb, maybe I need to change lakes.As far as eating fish, we love it , try marinating fillet's in Italian Dressing for a couple of hours and put them on the grill, be ready for a suprising difference.

[DePoy79]

i dont eat alot of bass, but when i do, only small ones, the bigger bass seem to have a more gamey taste to them

[SENKOSAM]

Mercury cannot be cut out of the fat layer or near the lateral line like it can dioxins or other toxins.

Sullivan C. and waters in the Adirondacks have a new advisory warning against pregnant women eating any bass from those waters and limits the quantity anyone else can eat.

Warm, algae loaded water and many of our small polluted rivers don't offer good testing fish and no matter what you soak them in, they taste like the crap that was in the water! Even Hudson R. fish taste like s*** or the smelt they feed on.

A few gin-clear waters have yielded the best bass I've ever tasted, but I'm not familiar with many that are clear and clean. Even the reservoirs might not have decent water for good eating fish. Though SBR is off limits until the dam is fixed, the heavy algae and resulting ph of 8, mean the fish are constantly soaking a yukky bath of fertilizers, cow crap and other runoff.

White L. and L. Superior State Park might be your best waters. I don't know about Yankee or Louise Marie.

My favorite recipe is fast-frying boneless fillets in clarified butter and using a bit of lemon pepper in the cornmeal batter.

[GobbleDog]

I have been told that larger fish 3lb and larger seem to store the toxins in their body whereas the smaller ones don't have that problem.

My Uncle is a veterinarian and an outdoor nut and I've heard him make that statement about redfish. Apparnetly the older one's are infested with stuff. It's probably true with bass too.

[LONGEARS]

If I badly hook a bass I keep enough for a meal.After filleting they are soaked in a salt water solution than cooked as RW wrote except we roll them in crushed soda crackers.A properly cooked bass will flake nicely with a fork.Just love this with fresh homemade bread.