Question:
Striper is one of my favorite food fishes.yough smallmouth bass If filleted and prepared properly it is one of the best in my opinion. As far as generally preparing fish to eat. I follow your steps except the one where you “bonk” it on the head. I see no real reason to do that. I do try to keep the fish on ice until I am ready to fillet it. Another note, you asked about bluegill. I will not eat any fish that I cannot fillet.yough smallmouth bass scaling and cleaning is for the birds, give me a nice fillet anytime. yough smallmouth bassTwo questions, one about Stripers, and one about fish preparation: Are “Stripers” striped bass? If they are striped bass, what’s the stance on eating them. Are largemouths and smallies the only ones that you folks won’t eat for ideological reasons? If it is scrupulous to eat them, how’s the taste? Also, how does walleye and bluegill taste? The other question I had was about fish preparation. When I catch a fish that I want to eat I do the following. Please tell me if I’m doing anything incorrectly: 1. Bonk it on the head to kill it. 2. Put it on ice. 3. Drive it home. 4. Let it stay on ice in the cooler until dinnertime. 5. Gut it. 6. Fillet it. 7. Cook it. 8. Eat it. What I’m particularly interested in is: Am I gutting it at the right time, or should I gut the fish ASAP after I kill it. I read somewhere that you should gut it as soon as you can. Is that true?yough smallmouth bass If so, why is that? Also, I saw discussion about soaking the meat in salt/lemon juice and water. What was that for? Thanks
Response:
As far as gutting or cleaning, check your state regulations. Some states require you to leave fish intact till off the water.yough smallmouth bass Here in Illinois a lot of state sites have fish cleaning stations. I personally find large and small mouth bass far too greasy/oily to suit me. I much prefer walleye, sauger or big bluegill/sunfish for freshwater fish. Crappie tend to fall apart too much and I dislike the muddy taste of carp/buffalo. (Yes, that’s even properly cleaned and scored, and I don’t care about your sure-fired no muddy taste recipe of those that think they know best.) White bass and white/drum perch can be excellent eating. Not too big in size and ice immediately and filet ASAP when off the water.yough smallmouth bass Do not freeze and eat ASAP. The delicate, clean taste goes away quickly if mishandled or frozen in my opinion. Why gut it, just filet it. Use an electric knife, start behind the gill plate, follow the backbone down to the tail, leave the skin attached to the tail flip the filet over and cut it right off the sink/scales. No scaling, no gutting. a quick wash in clean water and back on ice till cooking. For big bluegill or sunfish, leave that small section of ribs attached to the filet and use it as a handle when eating. Lemon cooks the meat. Some thinks it helps disguise the taste and salt adds flavor like in a marinade. I know some who swear by using milk as a presoak. Stripers and hybrids are usually stocked fish and don’t always breed in the wild.yough smallmouth bass They can make excellent eating. Largemouth and smallmouth populations are sometimes fragile and that’s why some of us practice catch and release.
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Lemon cooks the meat.
The lemon idea may be to help the filet from turning color.
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Rolled out of bed this afternoon and decided to quit golf and start fishing: Are “Stripers” striped bass? If they are striped bass, what’s the stance on eating them.
Yep, and gut every single one you hook. Also, how does walleye and bluegill taste?
I can’t tell you about a walleye, but bream are great eating fish. I usually won’t fool with any that are too small to put a filet knife on. The other question I had was about fish preparation.
Get a big ice chest, put the fish on ice as soon as you catch it. When you get back to the landing, clean the fish as soon as possible. I hate dealing with fish parts at the house, the seagulls and turtles gotta eat too. Put filets in a zip-lock freezer bag, put them back on ice, go home. Fresh fish of course is best, but if you want to keep some in the freezer, fill the bags with water before you freeze the filets, this keeps the fish from getting freezer burned. Stays better much longer. I am much more partial to saltwater fish then fresh, but here’s my humble list: 1. Flounder 2. Redfish 2.5 Big ol’ bream 3. Speckled Trout. 4. Yellow catfish. 5. White perch (crappie) Stripers kinda fall into the ok, if they’re there list. When you fillet a striper, you’ll see a strip of red meat on the side. Some people don’t care for this, so you might want to think about cutting it out when you’re filleting them.
Response:
Hi Jamie, Are “Stripers” striped bass? If they are striped bass, what’s the stance on eating them. Are largemouths and smallies the only ones that you folks won’t eat for ideological reasons?
Stripers are striped bass, largemouth and smallmouth are actually members of the sunfish family. I’ve never had stripers but I’ve heard that they are good eating, while largemouth and smallmouth are a better gamefish than they are a foodfish. If it is scrupulous to eat them, how’s the taste?
Scrupulous??? Yes, legal in most areas??? Yes, My personal belief is that there are far better foodfish out there than bass. Also, how does walleye and bluegill taste?
Walleye and bluegill are top notch table fare. I prefer bluegills and perch to walleye. Actually, 18 – 24 inch northern pike are quite good if you can get past the y-bones. There are methods of filetting them to remove the y-bones and then pike are quite tasty also, much better than bass. The other question I had was about fish preparation. When I catch a fish that I want to eat I do the following. Please tell me if I’m doing anything incorrectly: 1. Bonk it on the head to kill it. Not Necessary 2. Put it on ice. Definitely 3. Drive it home. 4. Let it stay on ice in the cooler until dinnertime. 5. Gut it.
If you’re filleting properly, there’s no need to gut the fish first. 6. Fillet it. 7. Cook it. 8. Eat it. What I’m particularly interested in is: Am I gutting it at the right time, or should I gut the fish ASAP after I kill it.
Not really, as long as the fish is iced as soon as it’s caught, there’s no need to gut it. I read somewhere that you should gut it as soon as you can. Is that true?
If so, why is that? You want to gut a fish if you’re not going to put it on ice right away. The theory is that if you remove the intestines/stomach you’ll have a better tasting fish with a lower bacteria count. Also, I saw discussion about soaking the meat in salt/lemon juice and
water. What was that for? Some people think that it removes the “fishey” taste from the meat. Personally, I like fish to taste like fish, not a marinade, but then again, I think the same thing about beef, pork and venison. At least that’s my opinion, –
Response:
When I catch a fish that I want to eat I do the following. Please tell me if I’m doing anything incorrectly: 1. Bonk it on the head to kill it. 2. Put it on ice. 3. Drive it home. 4. Let it stay on ice in the cooler until dinnertime. 5. Gut it. 6. Fillet it. 7. Cook it. 8. Eat it.
How nice to see someone who is nice enough to put a fish out of its misery quickly. I have no problem with catching & eating fish, but I see no reason to prolong their stress at being out of the water anymore than necessary.
Response:
Bluegill are tremendous eating fish, and the only way to eat them are filleted. If you can’t fillet a bluegill, then there’s something wrong with the person that wants to go through the scaling, gutting process for the little meat saved from over the rib area. Gills, crappies, perch, hell even the bait can be filleted. “Bonking the fish on the head?” Can’t imagine, though I did watch a jerk use a shotgun to kill a shark on the floor of his boat…YES, he did shoot a hole in the boat. LOL What an idiot. — “Mad-Mikey” At first, fishing and hunting were just hobbies, then they became addictions taking all my time and money. If they ever find a cure for these sicknesses— I’m refusing treatment. Before you buy.
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The hit them in the head so a certain thing doesnt spread and make the meat reel fishy….when i went fishing for kings on lake michigan the capt. did the same thing to the bigger fish.
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A fellow I knew in Memphis didn’t have a live well in his boat. But he did have an ice chest that he called his “dead well.” Every fish he kept, he’d smack it over the head with a billy club, then toss it in the dead well to ride our the rest of the trip on ice. I think he was attempting to pack up the groceries while inflicting as little pain as possible. TNBass “)))<
The hit them in the head so a certain thing doesnt spread and make the meat reel fishy….when i went fishing for kings on lake michigan the capt. did the same thing to the bigger fish.
Response:
We catch and eat a lot of stripers here in San Francisco area. Bonk it and gut it. I gut all fish I catch, even those I will filet. Comes from being a salmon fisher and you gut them and scrape the blood stuff off the backbone and the fish tastes better. Salmon fisherman have a special knife with a spoon on the handle to scrape. Bill – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Striper is one of my favorite food fishes. If filleted and prepared properly it is one of the best in my opinion. As far as generally preparing fish to eat. I follow your steps except the one where you “bonk” it on the head. I see no real reason to do that. I do try to keep the fish on ice until I am ready to fillet it. Another note, you asked about bluegill. I will not eat any fish that I cannot fillet. scaling and cleaning is for the birds, give me a nice fillet anytime. Jay Two questions, one about Stripers, and one about fish preparation: Are “Stripers” striped bass? If they are striped bass, what’s the stance on eating them. Are largemouths and smallies the only ones that you folks won’t eat for ideological reasons? If it is scrupulous to eat them, how’s the taste? Also, how does walleye and bluegill taste? The other question I had was about fish preparation. When I catch a fish that I want to eat I do the following. Please tell me if I’m doing anything incorrectly: 1. Bonk it on the head to kill it. 2. Put it on ice. 3. Drive it home. 4. Let it stay on ice in the cooler until dinnertime. 5. Gut it. 6. Fillet it. 7. Cook it. 8. Eat it. What I’m particularly interested in is: Am I gutting it at the right time, or should I gut the fish ASAP after I kill it. I read somewhere that you should gut it as soon as you can. Is that true? If so, why is that? Also, I saw discussion about soaking the meat in salt/lemon juice and water. What was that for? Thanks, Jamie
Response:
I posted this some time ago, but here goes again. Pat, the ‘red meat’ you speak of is the blood that collects at the backbone of the striper. If not properly cleaned, it turns a dark gray when cooked and tastes awful. The best way to prepare any fish, whether you fillet them or gut and scale them, is simple. Keep the fish alive until you are ready to clean them. I prefer to scale them and gut them, but my method should work with fillets. After scraping away any blood lines at the backbone, pour a generous amount of salt into the stomach and backbone area of the fish, rubbing it into the meat. Place the meat in a large container (such as a kitchen sink, if your mate likes fish) of cold water, and add some more salt. Let it soak for at least an hour. This will turn the ‘red meat’ into flaky white meat, as the salt draws out all the blood. — Go Fishing. And may your fish be as big as your tales. Columbia, SC Lake Murray
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Rolled out of bed this afternoon and decided to quit golf and start fishing: Are “Stripers” striped bass? If they are striped bass, what’s the stance on eating them. Yep, and gut every single one you hook. Also, how does walleye and bluegill taste? I can’t tell you about a walleye, but bream are great eating fish. I usually won’t fool with any that are too small to put a filet knife on. The other question I had was about fish preparation. Get a big ice chest, put the fish on ice as soon as you catch it. When you get back to the landing, clean the fish as soon as possible. I hate dealing with fish parts at the house, the seagulls and turtles gotta eat too. Put filets in a zip-lock freezer bag, put them back on ice, go home. Fresh fish of course is best, but if you want to keep some in the freezer, fill the bags with water before you freeze the filets, this keeps the fish from getting freezer burned. Stays better much longer. I am much more partial to saltwater fish then fresh, but here’s my humble list: 1. Flounder 2. Redfish 2.5 Big ol’ bream 3. Speckled Trout. 4. Yellow catfish. 5. White perch (crappie) Stripers kinda fall into the ok, if they’re there list. When you fillet a striper, you’ll see a strip of red meat on the side. Some people don’t care for this, so you might want to think about cutting it out when you’re filleting them.
Response:
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