Do you eat small/large mouth bass?

[sunnyday]

Do people eat small/large mouth bass? Are they any good? How are they compare to walleye or crappie?

[capmorgan]

I have eaten small and large mouth bass before. They can be good depending on the lake and size of the fish. I bake them in the oven with shredded cheese and add spices to them.

[moby1]

Ate one largemouth about 15 years ago. Threw it on the grill and it was tasty. Keep in mind I dont really like the taste of fish and only eat a couple times a year. My 2 cents

[CrappieMagnet]

Yes...i do...

Only largemouth..but only in the 1-3 pound range,for eating.

I have recipes for bass if anybody wants them..!?

CM

[schr0563]

I catch more walleye and panfish than I can eat, therefore I have had no reason to eat bass. I would imagine however, that the smaller ones are pretty good (like a big sunfish).

[Crawlerman]

I prefer to eat bass around 12-14". I won't keep anything larger than 15 as after that the meat starts getting tough as well. Which is funny why the WI DNR has the limit set up the way they do... I actually prefer to keep fish closer to the 12" mark if I can.

[Maximum12]

I have a buddy with a cabin on a lake in Canada with pike, smallies, & trout in it, so I eat smallies at least once when we go up. They're tasty.

Never tried Largemouth, or eaten one caught south of the BWCA.

[huskiesplayer15]

I dont, but im not like diehards who would call other people murderers, all in the eye of the beholder. This topic is gonna ruffle somefeathers here in a little while.
Best Fishes
Chris

[Cyberfish]

Hi Sonnyday, welcome to the FM forum
Small LM bass from the clean waters of Sylvia Twin lakes near annandale are some of the best fish I have eaten. Bass from green or sloppy waters tend to taste grassy and need lots of spices and tarter sauce
I have had some of my best shore lunches in the BWCA with smaller SM bass, they tasted like a cross between walleye and bluegill, not even slightly bassy tasting!

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simul iustus et peccator

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[This message has been edited by Cyberfish (edited 03-26-2004).]

[bucketmouth64]

CM,

I would be interested in some recipes. Can't hurt to learn something new. If you don't want to post you can email at
[email protected]

[lindy rig]

As a general rule no.

However, we were fishing a lake up north one summer and did eat some smaller sized lg mouth. We grilled them in BBQ sauce right on the boat. Good stuff..

[Chad Anderson]

No, I dont, I figure eat the panfish which taste just as good and save the bass to catch and release. But I have no problem with people who keep'em.

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eat, fish, try to sleep

[gundy89]

Nope,
I did a couple years ago and they were good, but I like catching fish more than eating them. If I eat fish its ususally crappies or walleyes.

[kslipsinker]

I don't eat bass at all. There are plenty of other fish that are better,tastier, and faster growing than bass. I fish for them often in the summer, and release every one. In my humble opinion, it would be like eating a muskie, which should never happen. Some fish are supposed to be released.

[RossT]

No, I release them all.
Catching them is too much fun for me to keep them! I'd rather give it a shot to fight again for someone else.
I keep a few walleye's, crappie, and Northerns. Northerns taste the best if filleted right and cooked right.
Bass are a sportfish, not a food fish.

[This message has been edited by RossT (edited 03-26-2004).]

[CrappieMagnet]

Bucketmouth...you have mail.

CM

[wmn luv me walleye fearme]

Fried up in corn flakes taste close to walleye, not as good but still pretty tasty. Usually I don't keep bass, but if I'm out of town and want a fish fry and striking out with the walleyes I'll keep a couple to eat

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To be the man you have to beat the man....Wooooooooo

[can it be luck?]

Yes, bass are very tasty! Don't let anyone tell you different. I lived on a gin clear, infertile lake in northern Wi. where all you caught is LM bass and stunted panfish. Guess which ones I ate? I'll give you a hint...4 letters, starts with a b and ends with s.

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http://groups.msn.com/canitbeluck

[Trailblazer]

We fish to have fun. We fish to keep some.

[Lunker]

Did as a kid, now all cpr. Don't think they are very tasty, think better to eat other fish for taste and conservation reasons.

[Ole the Guide]

Ouch! This one hurts!
I only eat panfish, walleyes and a few Northerns! I love fishing for Muskies and Bass (CPR only) and I'll have to throw my hat in the ring and say that I could never eat one of those species.
It hurts when I see someone taking them out of the water to keep. I'm sure there are plenty Bass in most lakes to go around and not effect their stability. Any Northern over 25" gets tossed back and Walleyes over 20" as well. However, leave the Muskies alone!
Ole

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"Please release me let me go"

[Crawlerman]

Yes we all hear about "how tasty those walleyes are!!!!!" and "how important it is to CR bass." Actually... Bass recover a LOT better to fishing pressure than Walleyes do. Theres a reason Walleyes are a rare catch for anything sizeable in a lot of Metro lakes these days. Even small ponds and brackish water can support Bass, whereas they can't Walleye too well whom need the deeper, cleaner and cooler water to prosper in the first place.

I am not condoning taking and eating "Trophy" bass in the least, just pointing out that 12" bass recover from pressure a lot better than 12" walleyes. Also one can keep smaller, younger bass than Walleye and get a lot of meat off them. A 12" walleye is nothing more than a fish stick usually.

[Dennis Steele]

I ate one once when I was a kid.I caught it in a small shallow local lake and brought it home for mom to fry up.
I have to say it didn't taste good at all.It tasted like the slime that protects it.I might as well just licked it an put her back. Never have eaten another.Probably never will.

[Yaeger Guide]

Walleyes, pike and panfish is all I eat. If more people (including me) would take some 12" largies out of Forest Lake, it would be better off.

I did think about eating a largemouth once, and then work up in a deep sweat....

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God bless,
Judd Yaeger
Yaeger Guides (Twin Cities Guides) www.yaegerweb.com/guide

[Crawlerman]

Okay.. right... Bass taste great! You guys have really wierd sences of taste...

Larger bass (over 15") are the ONLY ones that I have ever run into with that muddy taste and tough meat that isn't good for eating anyways. So why everyone is keeping 16+" Largemouth Bass to eat is beyond me.

Smaller bass taste almost INDISTUNGISHABLE from sunfish. I've mixed the smaller bass fillets with the sunfish and have yet to have ONE complaint. I should get some smaller bass, cut up the fillets so they are the same size as bluegill fillets and mix them together at a FM meet or something and bet people to try to find the difference. I could prally make money this way

And again. When I keep bass I won't keep more than 3, well below the legal limit and won't keep anything over 14". (15 is stretching it...) And I mix them in with my panfish. I won't keep pike anymore because all the trouble to get to that meat is not worth it. I've looked at "boneless fillet" diagrams and sat with one for over 45 mins and ended up with Pike nuggets no more than 2" long; wasted over half the meat trying to get at them y-bones.

So people like pike but not cats or bass..... rrrrriiiiigggghhht......

And channel catfish and perch BOTH beats Walleye any day for flavor.

Give me 12 bluegills and one small bass over Three walleyes ANY day of the week

[Cyberfish]

It all depends on the lake too. for some reason the walleyes out of spring lake in scott county taste horrible, just as bad as some of the worst bass. even small ones freshly killed and all the mud lines cut out. cant figure that one out, the pan fish taste great out of there.

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simul iustus et peccator

><}}}}("< ---><!>

[Maximum12]

Pikemania, perhaps I am crazy. We used to eat bullhead all the time up at my Grandpa's near Bemidji. Must have been good, we ate them every time we went up there! Tastes a lot like catfish. Haven't had it in fifteen or twenty years, tho.

Plus, there's no easier fish to clean!

[EBass]

You all know where I stand on eating bass.

As long as they aren't over 15" then fine by me. But who am I to judge what you do.

I have personal slots for fish that I will keep. And I don't keep much.

My buddy on lake Sara would put back any crappie over 10". That was the house rule. Now if everyone did that we'd have some 3lb crappie in that lake eventually. I think he kept a limit twice.

[SCCO9803]

Somebody must like bullheads (Bullhead days) in Waterville or Watertown?, and people must also like bass or else this conversation wouldn't be going on; who cares

[This message has been edited by SCCO9803 (edited 03-26-2004).]

[Dennis Steele]

ITs all opinion.If you like bass,eat bass.But I aint gonna!
My favorite is a McDonalds Filet O Fish,Who knows whats in that!