How Do You Eat Your Bass? 2024
VtGr0wn reply :
i prefer mine deep fried in little bite sized pieces. i usually do flour then an egg wash then bread crumbs and some fish seasoning.... serve with hot sauce
how do you like to cook yours?
whats your batter ingredients?
do you have a secret recipe you are willing to share?
Mccallister25 reply :
Iv personally never had bass. Iv heard good things about it. Your recipe sounds awesome.
tomustang reply :
With butter in a pan, no difference with all the other species too
bluezed reply :
9 times out of 10 I'm a C&R guy. Sometimes I will keep smaller bass. If I am fishing with my mother (she's full Asian) I am pressured to keep some as she is all about cooking everything that we pull out of the water.
That said, I'm not huge on the flavor of LMB. Perhaps it's just because I haven't found the right recipe yet, but I really only like it when I dip it in sriracha. And that's probably just because I really like sriracha.
TWMstr reply :
Always wondered why people would go to a catch and release lake or pond, and keep the bass, then take them home and eat them. Bass to me aren't worth eating. Maybe brim and catfish, or maybe even pompano or spots in saltwater, but bass? Never. Rather keep the sport alive than fish a local pond or lake out just to eat the fish and take away everyone's fun.
Kevin22 reply :
Usually a C&R guy unless one dies on me.. but if I am in a tight spot on a fish fry I will keep a couple barely legal post spawn bass to fill the void. They taste like giant bluegill, which is pretty much what they are. The people who say they taste like crap are just believing a myth told to them by C&R bass anglers.
I like the bass pro uncle bucks beer batter for bass. I don't make a batter out of it, I just roll the fillets in the dry and fry.
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
I go to the store.
It's not because I see something wrong with eating keeper size bass, I'm just lazy. 
I fully understand the benefits of people keeping bass and if they are of legal size, at or under the legal number kept and caught using legal means (including having a license) then by all means eat 'em up!
MCS reply :
On 7/18/2013 at 12:27 AM, TWMstr said:Always wondered why people would go to a catch and release lake or pond, and keep the bass, then take them home and eat them. Bass to me aren't worth eating. Maybe brim and catfish, or maybe even pompano or spots in saltwater, but bass? Never. Rather keep the sport alive than fish a local pond or lake out just to eat the fish and take away everyone's fun.
I understand your thought but it is like speedbead said on another thread selective harvest is the way to go....catch and eat those from 12-18" and put back anything over 18" just like the slots they have for say redfish. If there is no harvest then there will be to many fish in a pond or lake without preditors like musky and pike. You see that a lot in the young ponds around here, they get stocked with minnow, carp, bluegill and bass, and then the bass stay 1-2 pounds for life.
I haven't eaten bass since I was 8 years old, here I fish retention ponds so it aint happening anytime soon. But I typically fry my fillets of grouper, flounder or tilapia in butter with a cajun rub from the local fish market until they get a nice brown crust. My brother in law wraps his rockfish up in foil with butter or italian dressing and bakes.
crw reply :
LM/Spots/Shoal bass are 95% C&R.
White Bass/Strippers/Hybrids are baked or fried with a light cornmeal (3/4 cornmeal 1/4 flour with salt and a lot of pepper) breading with hushpuppies and cole slaw.
Nice_Bass reply :
I eat plenty of LMB- they are easy to filet, no blood line like wipers/stripers. No need to clean hundreds like bluegill or crappie etc. Meat is really light tasting so my wife and daughter like them too.
Anyhow, I soak overnight in water, and use simple premade batter to fry...but dip in homemade dill sauce.
We also make them into tacos which I prefer highly!
The best so far though is to dice potatoes, very thin, lay filets over potatoes, spice, and lay a few pieces of bacon over top of it all.
Bake until all are done. If done in the correct proportions then they all come out at the same time perfect.
Felix77 reply :
I catch and release 95+% of the time. The only time I have kept my bass is if it happens to die in the livewell during a tournament. If that happens I suck it up, bring it home and make a yummy bass meal for myself.
I keep things simple ... A little cajun seasoning, some butter, olive oil and garlic. Fry it, plate it and eat it.
Yum!
THE_Vue's reply :
pan fried- onion, green onion, cilantro, tomato, lime, salt, black pepper, a little fish sauce, oyster sauce and some soysauce and your good to go. CNR all the time but this is the ingredient i use for talapia.
A-Jay reply :
I don't - there are just too many other better tasting fish available up here, just depends what's in season.
A-Jay
(='_'=) reply :
i have been fishing for only 2 years, and only once have i brought any fish to eat, the rest of the times its C&R... the one time i did bring a couple of fish, my grandmother cooked them in a broth... there were just 3 fish in the 3-4 pound range, but they made a great dinner for 8 people...
THE_Vue's reply :
mmm yummy. looks really good.
SirSnookalot reply :
I never eat bass. I grew up in the fish business, we mostly ate Lake Superior whitefish and Lake Erie pickerel (which are called walleye in the states), these 2 fish were out most popular with out clientele. We may saute with a very light breading like flounder or sole, but usually bake, broil or grill our fish. I don't like masking the true flavor of fish with batter and oil. One thing I miss for sure is whitefish.
slonezp reply :
Deep fried in "Don's Chuckwagon" onion ring batter. I cut it with beer instead of water. It's lighter than Shore Lunch beer batter
buzzed bait reply :
anybody ever put them in a smoker? when i was a kid we'd go for a day of fishing and keep a few bring them back and smoke them that night, mostly trout back then but i've since had bass the same way. I think the flour and pan fry are the best method for sure, but the smoker is a nice change from time to time
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
I always had a tendency to dry fish out in the smoker.
I'll stick with red meat and the other white meat. 
buzzed bait reply :
On 7/18/2013 at 3:40 AM, SPEEDBEAD. said:I always had a tendency to dry fish out in the smoker.
I'll stick with red meat and the other white meat.
do you scale them and leave the skin on or do you cut out filets and smoke them like that? i ask because if i filet them it will surely dry out, but skin on can manage to keep them moist
Nice_Bass reply :
On 7/18/2013 at 3:59 AM, buzzed bait said:do you scale them and leave the skin on or do you cut out filets and smoke them like that? i ask because if i filet them it will surely dry out, but skin on can manage to keep them moist
have not tried for fear of drying them out.
Any chance you can pm me your way?
BrianSnat reply :
I generally don't eat bass, I release most of what I catch. The only exception is when I'm ice fishing and gut hook a bass with live bait. I've brought them home to eat and tried a variety of recipes. All of them sucked. I don't think bass tastes very good
slonezp reply :
On 7/18/2013 at 4:00 AM, Nice_Bass said:have not tried for fear of drying them out.
Any chance you can pm me your way?
Never smoked bass but for salmon, I soak them in a brown sugar/salt brine for a few hours then rinse and dry them in the fridge overnight, add seasoning and smoke away.
slonezp reply :
AND YET ANOTHER FOOD THREAD. Mods, gonna ask again for a food forum, so we can talk about scrapple and other recipies.
Bassfishing375 reply :
I don't eat bass, but I do eat a lot of Walleye and I just use Shore Lunch Cajun. I just fry it on the stove. Nothing special.
200racing reply :
blackened: dry your fillets. rub a small amount of olive oil on them sprinkle a mix of {onion and garlic powder, lemon pepper,}equal proportions [black pepper,and red pepper.] i would suggest 1/3 proportion in relation to the other 3. mixed this way it has some kick but not bad. place in hot black skillet and leave on each side for good bit you want it to burn.
bass on the half shell: cut the fillets off the fish but leave the skin and scales on.
place on a couple of layers of foil or in one of those fish cooking baskets skin down. sprinkle your seasoning of choice on them. i suppose you could bake them but i like a fire. the trick is getting the fire hot enough to cook but burn them. i use a indirect fire with my coal on one side and my fish on the other and cover them.
when done the meat is flaky. you can scape the meat off the skin or vise versa
derekxec reply :
i used to keep and eat bass once in a blue moon when i was a kid and we only kept 1 and just fried it up along with some other finger foods but that was probably 15 or so years ago
now i dont eat anything freshwater im not into eating fish that much unless its snook 
i could eat snook everyday hahaha and i cook my snook chopped into cubes and fried (i eat lobster, shrimp and clams/oysters/mussels etc)
Curved reply :
C&R only when I dont feel like cooking. Bass are a great fish to eat. Mild flavor and bigger fillets than most freshwater fish. 3 fish feeds my family versus 10 or so bluegill. I fry them with house autry fish breader in canola oil. The trick is to get the temperature right so they cook before absorbing a lot of oil but not so hot that the oil burns. Hushpuppies or cornbread usually on the side.
Edit: for C&R advocates out there, if you fish a place with a slot limit it means the biologist managing there wants people to keep fish. If there's too many little bass they get stunted, so thinning the population is better for the sport.
Hi Salenity reply :
I haven't kept any in a couple years but I like cutting them up in chunks and frying them with Andy's Red and serve it with tarter sauce.
A lot of the lakes I fish have a 18" length limit and wile I love bass especially the flakeyness of the bigger ones the last time I kept any it was 2 at 3+# and one at 5# to me those are tooooo good of a fish to keep and I wish you could take 17" fish instaid
AK-Jax86 reply :
I don't eat bass but if I do I prefer a knife an fork.... I am the most interesting fishermen in the world
FishinDaddy reply :
On 7/18/2013 at 12:33 AM, SPEEDBEAD. said:I go to the store.
It's not because I see something wrong with eating keeper size bass, I'm just lazy.
I fully understand the benefits of people keeping bass and if they are of legal size, at or under the legal number kept and caught using legal means (including having a license) then by all means eat 'em up!
Bingo. Publix has tilapia fillets ready to go. No fuss, No mess.
I don't even hunt much anymore because I don't want to clean anything.
I'm getting really lazy in my "mature" days.
rangerboy reply :
I almost all ways c and r, but while camping a few years ago I had roasted a large mouth over the camp fire with spicy bbq sauce. awesome .
SwampLife reply :
Bass is the best fresh water fish to eat down here in south louisiana!
The best is deep fried fillets cut into nuggets with louisiana seasoned crispy batter! We can cook down here trust me..
iabass8 reply :
On 7/18/2013 at 1:55 AM, A-Jay said:I don't - there are just too many other better tasting fish available up here, just depends what's in season.
A-Jay
agree. i never keep bass. have more than my fill of walleye and catfish from the spring/fall.
GeorgiaBassBros reply :
The few times i ever eat bass they are cut into chunks and deep fried or pan fried. bass are pretty good eatin but catfish and bream are way better
Kevin22 reply :
You guys will not eat a bass because it tastes bad but you will eat a stink old catfish? To me bass is 1000 times better eating than a catfish. Catfish is the lowest of the low for me, just putting them in the same sentence with walleye regarding good eating fish makes me want to puke.
Hi Salenity reply :
On 7/18/2013 at 10:51 AM, Kevin22 said:You guys will not eat a bass because it tastes bad but you will eat a stink old catfish? To me bass is 1000 times better eating than a catfish. Catfish is the lowest of the low for me, just putting them in the same sentence with walleye regarding good eating fish makes me want to puke.
Ill have to agree, a nice clean filet isn't bad but the catfish "nuggets" are as bad as it gets!
Ill take generic fish sticks over nuggets any day!
Tuckahoe Joe reply :
To each his own. I like bass. The wife just dips it in egg and then House of Autry's Fish Breader and fries it up. I catch and release 99% of the time though. I kept some last year when I first started fishing but this season I have yet to keep a bass. Not because I'm die-hard C and R. Mostly because I'm too lazy to fillet them.
Loop_Dad reply :
I never ate bass.
I'm C&R guy, but I'm prepared to keep one if one die on me which hadn't happen yet. Well actually one died after I let go, but couldn't get to it. A couple of months ago one was bleeding a lot. I was never able to figure out where it was bleeding from, but it didn't appear to be from gill. I unhooked and let go. It swam away very fast. If it was floating or anything I was planning on keeping it.
Anyhow, I live in a city that Chinese is actually majority (I think). They have a Chinese market and in there they have pretty large fish department. I go there time to time. They have tanks of live fish and they have bass in one of the tanks often. It says farm raised bass. They were all around 12 inch size. They must taste good.
To me catfish taste bad. Taste like mud. Bass probably taste better depending on the environment they grew up.
Fish Chris reply :
I'm picky about the fish I eat, and don't care for bass. I ate a whole school of Tilapia's last night though
This was my awesome, 2500 cal dinner Had to bump it up a little, as my weight has been trying to dip below 210..... and I'm shooting for 225 
The baked beans are kind of a trial thing. Normally, the only carb dense thing I eat is my oatmeal... no bread, pasta, rice, or potatos.
Peace,
Fish
SirSnookalot reply :
The smoker is great for oily fish, here in Florida they smoke the mackerel species. Being ethnic I was weened on several kinds of smoked fish, ocean salmon better known as lox or nova. Sable which is smoked cod and my personal favorite. In freshwater smoked salmon which are entirely different than ocean but pretty darn good too, smoked chubs and whitefish.
Make sure you take the skin off that snook or you'll be eating soap.
Interesting enough are the scavengers we eat, shrimp, crab and lobster, considered an unclean fish and against the kashrut laws( kosher), but so d**n good.
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
On 7/18/2013 at 3:59 AM, buzzed bait said:do you scale them and leave the skin on or do you cut out filets and smoke them like that? i ask because if i filet them it will surely dry out, but skin on can manage to keep them moist
The skin was still on it.
I don't drink any more but I believe I tried to accomplish this when I did. That may have been a factor.
buzzed bait reply :
On 7/18/2013 at 8:45 PM, SPEEDBEAD. said:The skin was still on it.
I don't drink any more but I believe I tried to accomplish this when I did. That may have been a factor.
you may be on to something there! i'd say just watch them closely and don't let them go too far...
Curved reply :
Pics from last night:
Some 12"ish SMB
Plus some breader and hot oil
Personally, I taste a big difference between store bought fish and fresh fish. Store bought fish tastes considerably stronger and more rubbery to me. There's no going back haha.
tallydude reply :
I don't. LMB is catch and release only for me. Like some of the other guys here have said, there are too many other fish that taste better that I'd rather eat.
bigbill reply :
We fInally have slot limits. But I do practice c&r most of the time. But my rescued kittens
and cats do enjoy some fresh fish time to time. Just maybe twice a year they get a break
from dry and canned food.
I like all fish but my favorites are cod, Pollack and catfish. The misses does stuff the cod and Pollack with a Ritz cracker stuffing with crab meat. I prefer my catfish cleaned, gutted and tossed on a wood fire. Just some salt and butter when it's served.
For blue fish and weak fish my mom would bake them but drain the oil off the blue fish once then add basil, oragano, garlic salt and tomatoes and bake till done. Black fish taste good too this way.
I know some who eat every fresh water fish even the boney ones. They make fish cakes from them.
On Christmas eve we have mostly seafood from king crab legs to stuffed clams. Don't forget the spagetti with the anchovies, garlic and olive oil. It's a non stop buffet. What a family tradition.
Bankbeater reply :
I have never really had a taste for bass. IMO, Bluegill is the best tasting fish.
Nice_Bass reply :
On 7/19/2013 at 12:05 AM, Bankbeater said:I have never really had a taste for bass. IMO, Bluegill is the best tasting fish.
Same taste...less work.
Kevin22 reply :
On 7/19/2013 at 12:05 AM, Bankbeater said:I have never really had a taste for bass. IMO, Bluegill is the best tasting fish.
Soak the bass for 2 days in water, changing the water daily. Cut into strips about 1" wide and 2" long and fry the same way you would bluegill. If you are cleaning a big bass, you may have to plane the meat so it is not so thick. Prepare them correctly and you will not taste a difference between bass and bluegill. If you try and fry a whole bass fillet right out of the lake it will likely taste bad.
12-15" fish are eaters. Bigger are breeders!
Kevin22 reply :
On 7/18/2013 at 11:52 PM, Curved said:Pics from last night:
Some 12"ish SMB
Plus some breader and hot oil
Personally, I taste a big difference between store bought fish and fresh fish. Store bought fish tastes considerably stronger and more rubbery to me. There's no going back haha.
Those look really good!
I have never eaten SMB, mostly because they are a pretty rare catch here and I'd like to see them take off. But I hear they are fantastic eating.
Nice to see someone else that keeps the smaller fish for eating and lets the bigger ones go!
Fish Chris reply :
On 7/18/2013 at 11:52 PM, Curved said:Pics from last night:
Some 12"ish SMB
Plus some breader and hot oil
Personally, I taste a big difference between store bought fish and fresh fish. Store bought fish tastes considerably stronger and more rubbery to me. There's no going back haha.
This ^ looks like something I would have "used to eat" in my old life / messed up body. Now when I look at this, I see a bunch of grease, and processed carbs (bread) and major stomach problems. At least you use "real butter"..... not bad, if you can keep your portion size down to "tiny"
I LOVE eating, which is why I love my new way of eating so much > as I can eat so much
Back in the old days, I ate 6000-8000 cals per day, but it was so processed, condensed, and full of lard, that it actually made up less volume, than my 4000 cals per day, do now !
I'm not sure where your health situation is at, and you could very well "not be fat"...... The thing is though, their are probably just as many people who are "skinny / fat", as their are people who are just plain obese. In my daily life, I see about 40% of the population which is overweight, or obese, 40% who are skinny / fat, and 20% (or less) who are actually healthy and fit.
To be 100% honest though, if I hadn't suffered as bad as I did for 20+ years, from Fibromyalgia and severe IBS, I'd probably be eating all the same garbage I used to + not exercising, and would have probably already had a heart attack or stroke. So maybe all of my pain and suffering was a blessing ?
Just some food for thought
Peace,
Fish
NWBasslover reply :
How do I eat my bass?
With a fork.
Sorry, somebody had to say it!
Fishes in trees reply :
Back in the day when I was a hippie meat fisherman, I had a couple of different ways to fix bass. One way was to get a package of Tempura batter at the store, mix it up according to directions, use beer instead of water. Once the batter hits the hot oil,it puffs up and seals the fish against the oil. The fish actually cooks by steaming inside the batter. Toe batter tastes good also, I just never did eat alot of it.
My other favorite way to cook bass was "boy scout style." On a sheet of tin foil grease a rectangular area with butter, leaving room all around the edges. Lay down a layer of sliced onions, then a layer of fish, dot with butter & pepper, squeeze a whole lemons worth of juice on top. Or you can freeze the lemons, thinly slice them and use them as a layer on top of the fish. If you have enough fish, lay down another layer, you can do up to 3 or 4 layers.
With another sheet of tin foil, seal it up tight, put on Weber, indirect medium heat for half an hour or so, so that the whole package steams and is heated through. If you are cooking on a camp fire, wrap it in several layers of tin foil and put it on the edge of the fire, and put some coals on top. Again, cook it until it is done and steamed through, half an hour or so.
Curved reply :
On 7/19/2013 at 12:26 AM, Fish Chris said:This ^ looks like something I would have "used to eat" in my old life / messed up body. Now when I look at this, I see a bunch of grease, and processed carbs (bread) and major stomach problems. At least you use "real butter"..... not bad, if you can keep your portion size down to "tiny"
I LOVE eating, which is why I love my new way of eating so much > as I can eat so much
Back in the old days, I ate 6000-8000 cals per day, but it was so processed, condensed, and full of lard, that it actually made up less volume, than my 4000 cals per day, do now !
I'm not sure where your health situation is at, and you could very well "not be fat"...... The thing is though, their are probably just as many people who are "skinny / fat", as their are people who are just plain obese. In my daily life, I see about 40% of the population which is overweight, or obese, 40% who are skinny / fat, and 20% (or less) who are actually healthy and fit.
To be 100% honest though, if I hadn't suffered as bad as I did for 20+ years, from Fibromyalgia and severe IBS, I'd probably be eating all the same garbage I used to + not exercising, and would have probably already had a heart attack or stroke. So maybe all of my pain and suffering was a blessing ?
Just some food for thought
Peace,
Fish
That meal isn't actually that bad. The main reason is that we use canola oil versus anything else. Peanut and corn oils have a lot more saturated fat (50-100% more) -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canola_oil#Comparison_to_other_vegetable_oils . Unsaturated fat (especially poly unsaturated) and omega fatty acids are important for various biological functions so having them in moderation is healthy. A meal like that is good every couple days. Especially with all the omega 3 in the fish.
Personally I'm on the thin side -- BMI 20. I try to eat around 2000-2500 calories per day and that meal probably was around 1000 calories in the portions I had (2 fillets and some cornbread). Some days we don't have any meat for dinner, just vegetables with some beans or lentils for protein. IMO everything god created is good; a lot of it just needs some moderation.
JigMe reply :
I think it is OK to keep some smaller bass, but PLEASE let the lunkers go. Personally, I kept one bass and never again. Walleye, crappie, or even sun fish taste much better than bass. If you want it for dinner, then go fish for walleyes because they are good!
Fish Chris reply :
On 7/19/2013 at 2:49 AM, Curved said:That meal isn't actually that bad. The main reason is that we use canola oil versus anything else. Peanut and corn oils have a lot more saturated fat (50-100% more) -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canola_oil#Comparison_to_other_vegetable_oils . Unsaturated fat (especially poly unsaturated) and omega fatty acids are important for various biological functions so having them in moderation is healthy. A meal like that is good every couple days. Especially with all the omega 3 in the fish.
Personally I'm on the thin side -- BMI 20. I try to eat around 2000-2500 calories per day and that meal probably was around 1000 calories in the portions I had (2 fillets and some cornbread). Some days we don't have any meat for dinner, just vegetables with some beans or lentils for protein. IMO everything god created is good; a lot of it just needs some moderation.
Early on, into my new healthy lifestyle, I learned that the enemy was not "saturated fats". Their are some saturated fats, such as those in your butter, or that in red meat, which "in moderation" are actually quite good for you. It should not be a question of saturated vs. non-saturated, but rather, man made (such as hydrogenated vegetable oils and trans fats vs. natural fats, both sat. and non)
This is really long, but lots of good info: http://www.livestrong.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=31785 If you scroll way down, their is a bunch of info to compare different fats.
Also, bass, tilpia, and most other fresh water fish are very low in fat, and therefor, contain practically ZERO Omega 3's. Look it up.
Anyway, with all the canola oil soaked into that breading, I don't doubt it tasted great But IMPO the healthiest thing about that meal, was how small it was. Problem is, I'd starve to death on 2000-2500 a day I'm pretty lean to.... about 10%-11% bf at 210 lbs
Oh, one more thing I learned early on > The BMI index is old, and outdated. A guy can be like super low body fat (say, 8%) but if he has some decent muscle mass, (or, as in my case, decent muscle mass + a very deep chest, and wide shoulders) it will say I'm over weight ! Yea 210@10%.... and I'm trying to become even more overweight.... 225@9% LOL Heck, I'd love to be "obese" (by the old BMI index) at like 260@8% ....but it won't ever happen, as I'm too old, and don't have steller genetics.
In any case, you sound to be in not too bad of shape as it is. This info is more for people who are either 1) in lousy shape, and want to change it, or 2) who want to go crazy with it, and maybe start doing some amature BB'ing
Oh BTW, what's moderation ???
Peace,
Fish
bigbill reply :
I read a few years back our government did a survey about what fish we can remove with hurting the population growth. The results were to take the smaller bass to eat and leave the bigger bass to continue spawning.
Don't the crappies taste better than bass?
When I was younger we ate what we caught. Mainly panfish for breakfast with eggs when we were little kids. This was growing up in the mid 50's.
The fresh caught catfish is the best on a wood fire. When fishing at night.
With all this eating fish talk we had fish and chips, plus stuffed clams and whole belly clams tonight, yummy. I was a bad boy with my 1300 calorie diet. It's suppose to be 2,000 Calories but I lost 60lbs since January. I have another 100lbs. to lose yet. Tonight I thought of a to me from me present for losing weight and eating less. I'm thinking a new corvette, na that's not me, a new truck, na that's not me too. I thought of a bass boat tonight. I should be around 225lbs. By spring.
Sun Fish reply :
This thread makes me sad 
I'll only take a bass to eat if it isn't going to survive when released.
Nice_Bass reply :
On 7/19/2013 at 1:10 PM, Sun Fish said:This thread makes me sad
This thread honestly makes me hungry.
Taking a few smaller bass for the table from time to time is good conservation.
Taking big bass home for the table is not good.
SmokeRise1 reply :
I think some of you misread the title of this topic. It does not say "Please explain why you don't eat bass" or "What fish do you like better than bass".
Hi Salenity reply :
This is a Internet forum, your going to have to get used to things straying some.
pbrussell reply :
On 7/19/2013 at 10:11 PM, Hi Salenity said:This is a Internet forum, your going to have to get used to things straying some.
Speaking of straying, I really need to try some fresh walleye. Everyone says they're the stuff.
Downeaster2010 reply :
These pictures of bass cooked look good to me. I have eaten bass for 40 years, and never had a bad meal. The
are other fish I like better, but a lot I like less. Why people shy away from properly cooked fish is beyond me, as they
are mild and sweet tasting. It seems that no matter where you are in the country, there is some fish that is preferred
over another. Me, I like most of them. I had Walleyes in Canada, and see what some of you say when you say you
like them. They are great, but there aren't any in Maine. Most people in Maine grew up eating salt water fish, and
that spoiled a lot of them toward fresh water fish. My wife made some baked Cod the other night and talk about
delicious, it was great. But in Maine most people turn their nose up to it, over Haddock. In fresh water the best
eating fish here is Bass. Trout and salmon are what I think turns off most young women. Improperly cooked. I will
not eat Tallipia.
Fish Chris reply :
Quote
I will not eat Tallipia.
Me either, but Tilapia are screaming good ! So are sunfish, if they are big enough to filet. Crappie can be good if they are really fresh, and cooked so they are not mushy.
Fish
PS, I meant to say earlier too, I used to be able to eat stuff like bass, catfish, and crappie, and as long as it was dripping in grease, and smothered in tarter sauce, the flavor of the actual fish didn't matter much. Now that I eat much more fish, and surround it with less garbage, the taste of the fish itself matters a lot more.
xbacksideslider reply :
I'll eat those that die in the live well and I've noticed that the thin part of a LMB fillet, from near the belly, is the most likely part to taste muddy. Doesn't seem to be so with every fish though. I'm not sure about it, so has anyone else noticed this?
I think it also helps to take care when gutting, make sure that the intestines/organs aren't cut before they are separated from the fish.
Avalonjohn44 reply :
I am wary of eating fish where I usually fish. People may say the Potomac and the Shenandoah have gotten much cleaner than they used to be... But I saw them at their worst and that kind of sticks with you...
I have caught and cooked bass before, a few different ways and they are not bad. I prefer other fish - trout, salmon etc.
Catt reply :
Zatarain’s Seasoned Fish-Fri
fadetoblack21 reply :
I'm all about the deep frying. I like to cut my fish (bass, crappie, sunfish, cat) into bight sized pieces and smother them in a mix of chili powder, flower, corn meal, and season salt. Dip them in a pan of egg or buttermilk and then another round in the seasoning. Fry until you feel they are finished.
Serve with a side of your preferred pasta salad and a cold beverage. . . . life is good.
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 7/19/2013 at 10:21 PM, pbrussell said:Speaking of straying, I really need to try some fresh walleye. Everyone says they're the stuff.
I've caught keeper walleye my last 2 trips to Melvern, WAY better eating than bass. I'm not a fish eater but I'll eat walleye if someone else wants to cook them. I wish more of our lakes had 13-18 inch slot limits so people could keep the good eating sized bass but protect the larger fish. The 18" limits just makes it so the only ones people can keep are the ones I want to catch! Plus the lakes seem to get over populated with dinks because of the population densities.
prjavelin reply :
I remember seeing this kind of thread in the past and people would not be happy.
I for one agree with selective harvest. You eat the small fish and in the case of my local lakes thats a 12-14 incher and you leave everything over that in the lake.
I do prefer other kinds of fish. I have so much saltwater fish available all around me that eating bass is not on my priority list. I love wrapping the fish in aluminum foil, with peppers, onions, olive oil, garlic, lemon, salt, and a small touch of a local tree. I dont seem to find the name of it. But its a soft kind of tree and it has a minty stick right in its round big leafs.
Jim H. reply :
I prefer mine dead... and cooked! Shushi (sp?) ain't for me plus they are hard to eat still squirming.
NWBasslover reply :
On 7/20/2013 at 12:20 PM, fadetoblack21 said:I'm all about the deep frying. I like to cut my fish (bass, crappie, sunfish, cat) into bight sized pieces and smother them in a mix of chili powder, flower, corn meal, and season salt. Dip them in a pan of egg or buttermilk and then another round in the seasoning. Fry until you feel they are finished.
Serve with a side of your preferred pasta salad and a cold beverage. . . . life is good.
Totally agree about the deep fryer, but I actually don't do any seasonings or breading. The bass that come out of our river taste phenomenal all by themselves. The cats are even better!
Fish Chris reply :
On 7/22/2013 at 12:03 AM, NWBasslover said:Totally agree about the deep fryer, but I actually don't do any seasonings or breading. The bass that come out of our river taste phenomenal all by themselves. The cats are even better!
NWB, that's interesting. Although I often mention that I don't use breading, and I don't "deep fry" anything, I do actually "shallow fry" just about everything, including chicken, pork, and occasionally, red meat. < This is to say, I cook most everything in a non-stick skillet, and go through a TON of olive oil spray
I'm not gullible though, when those spray oils say zero cals... Yea' right ! Then you look at the serving size > 1/3 of 1 second ? WT ??? For me its more like 20 seconds (in multiple sprayings throughout the cooking process) and on the rare occasion that I actually count the cals, I do add in 200-300 cals, for my "zero cal" cooking spray
Peace,
Fish
LApanic reply :
On 7/18/2013 at 12:35 AM, MCS said:I understand your thought but it is like speedbead said on another thread selective harvest is the way to go....catch and eat those from 12-18" and put back anything over 18" just like the slots they have for say redfish. If there is no harvest then there will be to many fish in a pond or lake without preditors like musky and pike. You see that a lot in the young ponds around here, they get stocked with minnow, carp, bluegill and bass, and then the bass stay 1-2 pounds for life.
I haven't eaten bass since I was 8 years old, here I fish retention ponds so it aint happening anytime soon. But I typically fry my fillets of grouper, flounder or tilapia in butter with a cajun rub from the local fish market until they get a nice brown crust. My brother in law wraps his rockfish up in foil with butter or italian dressing and bakes.
Exactly, Im all about C&R and do it 95% of time. Even if I catch a 10#er one day, I will measure the girth, length and take several photos and get the taxidermist to replicate as best as possible, and let it keep on growing. BTW...if you do that in Florida there is a cash or some kinda incentive the state gives you in you do the fore mentioned.
It's funny that i'm just reading this post, because i'm about to, scale, gut and pan fry 15 or so 1lb bass. They needed to be harvested out of a friends pond to make the big bass population flourish and not get stunted...that's no fun catch 20 fish, all 1lbers all day. Anyway any marine biologist of pond/lake management person will tell you the same.
But back to how I like to eat my bass, which I enjoy.
Filleted, cut into chunks, dredge in a mix of Flour, cormill, old bay and salt and pepper. Place mixed dry stuff in good Ziplock and toss in half a dozen, give or take and give it a shake.....then straight into 2" of peanut oil in a iron skillet until golden brown.
Curved reply :
On 7/19/2013 at 12:02 PM, Fish Chris said:Early on, into my new healthy lifestyle, I learned that the enemy was not "saturated fats". Their are some saturated fats, such as those in your butter, or that in red meat, which "in moderation" are actually quite good for you. It should not be a question of saturated vs. non-saturated, but rather, man made (such as hydrogenated vegetable oils and trans fats vs. natural fats, both sat. and non)
This is really long, but lots of good info: http://www.livestrong.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=31785 If you scroll way down, their is a bunch of info to compare different fats.
Also, bass, tilpia, and most other fresh water fish are very low in fat, and therefor, contain practically ZERO Omega 3's. Look it up.
Anyway, with all the canola oil soaked into that breading, I don't doubt it tasted great
Oh, one more thing I learned early on > The BMI index is old, and outdated. A guy can be like super low body fat (say, 8%) but if he has some decent muscle mass, (or, as in my case, decent muscle mass + a very deep chest, and wide shoulders) it will say I'm over weight ! Yea
In any case, you sound to be in not too bad of shape as it is. This info is more for people who are either 1) in lousy shape, and want to change it, or 2) who want to go crazy with it, and maybe start doing some amature BB'ing
Oh BTW, what's moderation ???
Peace,
Fish
Ha, sounds like you have a lot of story to tell about nutrition.
On 7/20/2013 at 8:14 AM, Avalonjohn44 said:I am wary of eating fish where I usually fish. People may say the Potomac and the Shenandoah have gotten much cleaner than they used to be... But I saw them at their worst and that kind of sticks with you...
I have caught and cooked bass before, a few different ways and they are not bad. I prefer other fish - trout, salmon etc.
It depends on what part of them you're fishing. They still recommend only 1 fish a month from the main stem and south fork of the Shenandoah. No advisories on the north fork though. I follow whatever they say to the letter because I also think its just not worth the risk.
Nick49 reply :
Its hard to beat some of the commercial breadings like Shore Lunch or Andy's, but back in the mid 70's in central texas there was a local fishing show called Mertis & Denver (anybody remember them??). Their bass recipe called for soaking the fillets in Louisiana Hot Sauce for several minutes then shaking them in a paper bag of 1/2 corn flour (not corn meal) and 1/2 flour with a couple table spoons of Lowrey's Seasoning Salt. The hot sauce adds terrific flavor and just the right amount of heat. It is still my favorite.
Jim H. reply :
I am 70 years old and have caught and released thousands of bass incvluding my all time best of 10 lbs+. That was then and this is now. If it is a legal bass and I catch it. I wiil eat it.
If it is 4 lbs or better I will scale it and filet the fish leaving the skin. Baked in the oven, skin down, with butter and lemon pepper, it is a gourmet's delight. Smaller bass I fillet and cut into bite sized pieces.
Just anorher thought... slot limits are imposed for a reason. For example a 12" - 15" slot limit is considered by many to be the same as a 15" minimum. Not so! When the DOC imposes those limits, it is because there are too many small fish and they want you to take those home and eat them! That is a hard pill to swalliow for the catch and release crowd but it is the key to the good health of a fishery.
Just my $.02...
McAlpine reply :
I only eat small ones caught after the ice goes off while the water is cold. Under these conditions that's some darn fine meat.
I soak the filets overnight in salt water.
Filets get a bath in a mixture of milk and egg, then dredged in flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder and sometimes cornmeal mixture. Fry in peanut oil. Sometimes some Cajun seasoning in the flour is good too.
Easy peasy and freakin delicious. Some hot sauce finishes it off.
Pz3 reply :
Buried in salt, wrapped in tin foil, and cooked over open wood flame. How this is done exactly? Not sure my grandmother did it and I never asked how. Simply put though the best way I've ever eaten LMB. Came out sweet and not a bit fishy. (probably similare to how salmon can be cooked)
WIGuide reply :
Just straight into the pan with a little butter is hard to beat otherwise beer battered is also good.
Jar11591 reply :
I prefer my bass with a side of C&R! Lol
macmichael reply :
On 7/18/2013 at 6:16 AM, slonezp said:AND YET ANOTHER FOOD THREAD. Mods, gonna ask again for a food forum, so we can talk about scrapple and other recipies.
Oh yea. Bring on the scapple. I love it. Yum yum um!!!
macmichael reply :
To me, there is only one way to eat bass. Or any fish for that matter. Fry it, fry it, or fry it.
I use Andy's sea food seasoning.
I didn't use to eat bass. Where I used to deer and turkey hunt the farmers allowed me to fish all there ponds. I would catch lots of bass. The farmer told me to keep some and we'd have them for dinner. I thought oh no. Any way. They were delicious. I asked him what he did to make them tatse so good. He told me to soak them in salted water for a while. Like brinning them. Now I keep some of the 12 " or or smaller where legal, just for a small mess of fish.
Did I say delicious?
Jay Ell Gee reply :
Great to see another south Louisiana guy here.On 7/18/2013 at 10:25 AM, SwampLife said:Bass is the best fresh water fish to eat down here in south louisiana!
The best is deep fried fillets cut into nuggets with louisiana seasoned crispy batter! We can cook down here trust me..
I normally am C&R on bass, but I do keep some small ones for the occasional family fish fry if I go with family. My solo trips are release, just due to convenience.
On a side note... Have you ever eaten crappie? Never met a man who preferred bass fillets to crappie 
conorsixtakc reply :
On 3/5/2014 at 10:45 PM, Jay Ell Gee said:Great to see another south Louisiana guy here.
I normally am C&R on bass, but I do keep some small ones for the occasional family fish fry if I go with family. My solo trips are release, just due to convenience.
On a side note... Have you ever eaten crappie? Never met a man who preferred bass fillets to crappie
x2. Bass are for the lake, crappie are for the freezer.
boostr reply :
MMMHMMMH! I show is hungry. 
McAlpine reply :
FYI:
For those of you that enjoy store bought fish:
"Farm raised" catfish is not alwasy so. Some of it comes out of very poluted rivers, to be placed into farm ponds and then sold as farm raised.
"Tilapia" Much of it comes from over seas where the fish are raised in cespools of human and animal waste.
Store bought fish is mostly disgusting.
boostr reply :
On 3/6/2014 at 12:25 AM, McAlpine said:FYI:
For those of you that enjoy store bought fish:
"Farm raised" catfish is not alwasy so. Some of it comes out of very poluted rivers, to be placed into farm ponds and then sold as farm raised.
"Tilapia" Much of it comes from over seas where the fish are raised in cespools of human and animal waste.
Store bought fish is mostly disgusting.
Gee, thanks. 
mram10us reply :
I was told by my bass club that my outboard would blow up if I ate bass.
I take my mom and aunt for deep smallies(delicious) and keep 2 12"s each trip between the three of us. We don't know of another fish that tastes better other than sturgeon. We love filets, but prefer skinning and cooking to save more meat.
Key: remove the fat and dark areas of meat. It tastes gross!
aharris reply :
I hear crappie is really awesome to eat. I personally am a c&r guy when it comes to bass.
Tom H. reply :
I fry all my fish doesn't matter what I catch and keep.
1st Fillet said fish out
2nd Soak in 7-up overnight
3rd Mix Andy's Red and Hamm's fish batter 1/2 and 1/2 ( or whatever batter you prefer to use)
Finally throw them bad boys in the fryer and enjoy !
fishva reply :
I only keep and eat bass when I'm on camping trips (something about eating what you catch is fun in that environment).
I keep it simple: boiled in lemon butter and pepper and served with rice.
Smokinal reply :
eat?
AK-Jax86 reply :
I eat my bass by slobbering over my pics on my phone wondering how big she will get and if we will ever meet again.
I don't eat my fish I let them go but if someone is cooking bass I'll try it if it looks good
bartdude186 reply :
personal preference, but i can not eat a bass that i catch, i'm man enough to tell you that i feel bad when i do.However blueguill and crappie better watch out, delicious,no wonder bass love to eat em too!
BryanBrown reply :
Bass strictly catch & release for me. Although, I LOVE me some crappie, bluegill and catfish caught & released.... In hot grease.
boostr reply :
On 3/7/2014 at 7:30 AM, Tom H. said:I fry all my fish doesn't matter what I catch and keep.
1st Fillet said fish out
2nd Soak in 7-up overnight
3rd Mix Andy's Red and Hamm's fish batter 1/2 and 1/2 ( or whatever batter you prefer to use)
Finally throw them bad boys in the fryer and enjoy !
Why 7-up?
Hi Salenity reply :
On 3/7/2014 at 10:14 PM, boostr said:Why 7-up?
I use sprite. It takes the fishy taste away and gives the meat a sweater taste.
boostr reply :
Ah, I see.
MemphisFF reply :
On 3/7/2014 at 10:27 PM, Hi Salenity said:I use sprite. It takes the fishy taste away and gives the meat a sweater taste.
Would that sweater taste like wool or polyester? Lol jus giving ya a hard time..
We would always keep our catch as a kid, dad would keep em on ice overnight then clean.
Hi Salenity reply :
On 3/7/2014 at 11:51 PM, MemphisFF said:Would that sweater taste like wool or polyester? Lol jus giving ya a hard time..
We would always keep our catch as a kid, dad would keep em on ice overnight then clean.
Lol, that's funny!
I only keep Wipers
RR-WELL reply :
LMBass, strictly C&R, even though my mom wants them. I tried one about 9 years ago from the Florida canals, did not like it.
Short story, about 6 years ago in a friends house, grilling in Miami, caught a nice Peacock Bass (my first one), mmm I will give it to mom to get her off my back. When I showed it the group, we were astonished that it had like a "tumor" on its head. it felt soft. we thought the fish was sick and released it alive. Thanks to ignorance that beautiful Peacock Bass lived another day.
But I do love fish, specially fried. I tried Crappie about 5 years ago, loved it, now looking for Crappie spots in my area (Florida 33414).
Tom H. reply :
On 3/7/2014 at 10:14 PM, boostr said:Why 7-up?
boostr, The 7-up gives the fish a sweet taste and kills some of the fishy flavor. Started doing this because my kids weren't big on eating fish because of the "fishy" taste. Now it's just a habit
Tlaz reply :
Im a C&R guy. Not a big fish eater and won't eat anything other than haddock. Even if one died, I would not eat it.
mram10us reply :
Tlaz,
You would rather totally waste something, than eat it??? That doesn't make sense to me. By catching it, you caused it's death, so you might as well make up for it by consuming it. Why ?
Catt reply :
Zatarain's Seasoned Fish Fry!
boostr reply :
On 3/11/2014 at 9:58 AM, mram10us said:Tlaz,
You would rather totally waste something, than eat it??? That doesn't make sense to me. By catching it, you caused it's death, so you might as well make up for it by consuming it. Why ?
And consume its soul MWHAAAAAHAAAA 
On 3/11/2014 at 10:03 AM, Catt said:Zatarain's Seasoned Fish Fry!
They do make a good rice product also, like the Black beans and rice, Red beans and rice, and the Jumbalaya. So even though I haven't tried thier Seasoned Fish Fry I bet its awsome too... Now I'm gonna have to get some.
Ratherbfishing reply :
with fava beans and a nice Chianti.
boostr reply :
On 3/11/2014 at 11:29 PM, Ratherbfishing said:with fava beans and a nice Chianti.
Would you like to join me Clarise
fishinthedacks reply :
I love bass. Evoo in the pan and tbsp of butter. Season with sea salt cracked pepper, parsley and cayenne pepper. Lightly brown, crisp on the edges, serve with an arugula and manderine salad with a line of pace chunky hot salsa or mrs renfros ghost pepper.
Tom H. reply :
If your gonna add Zatarain's as a side, It has to be their dirty rice!
central.PA.bass reply :
I also catch and release bass, however, I have nothing against keeping a gut hooked or gill hooked fish, or one that doesn't make it out of the livewell! Bass are delicious!
RoLo reply :
Let's face it, some people simply don't like the taste of fish.
My own brother for example, does not like fish and does not eat fish. The only fish that George might eat fish,
if it's been marinated, blackened, deep fried in motor oil then smothered in almond chips & hot sauce
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Lois and I enjoy the natural flavor of fresh fish.
For this reason, my wife prepares fish fillets as natural as possible without any camouflage.
= Roll the fillets in Egg White, followed by a light coating of Italian Breadcrumbs
= Shake on some Lemon Pepper, then saute the fillets about 2 minutes on each side...Voila!
On a number of occasions my wife has given me a Taste Test. She'll offer me two chunks of fish both cooked in the same manner,
one from a crappie the other from a bass, With my eyes closed, the bass can always be identified immediately,
which has firmer and more flavorful flesh than crappie (which tend to be mushy).
Give it a try 
Roger
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