White Bass Question.

[Guest]

The question I have in regards to white bass is:Is there a special way to clean one?Is there some kind of vein that you have to remove.I've kicked around the river all my life and someone long ago mentioned it and I've heard it since.It's been a habit to let them go but some I'm pulling up this year are real nice and I thought I would ask to see if it's just an old tale or what.Any info would help.Thanks.

[Turk]

Sinker,

The answer is a plain and simple yes.

The first step is to leave more of the meat on the skin. This leaves more of the reddish colored meat on the skin. Then cut off the redline, "mudline", off or out from the center of the skin side fillet.

In general remove all or most of the red colored meat.

Also fillet the fish as I call it - Canadian guide style - which is to fillet over the ribs and not through, this is the best method in my opinion anyway. These rib bones will dull your knife fast.

And since we are on the subject I treat, or should I say clean my walleyes and saugs this way as well. I think the mudline, lateral line, whatever you want to call it, tastes "no good!", I take the time to cut it out.

White Bass for President!!!

Keep Catchin'
Turk

www.croixsippi.com

[Sturgeon46]

My opinion - white bass are delicious!

[Steve-O]

Turk,
I think I remember the day you became such a big fan of the whitie. The Poon-Pounder with his Hustler t-shirt poppin' Mr White Bass with the topwater lures. Quite a day indeed.
Drop me a note about Pool 4. My Fishawk has been in storage since the end of Nov.
Crap, I hate winter.

[Turk]

Steve - O,

That was a day I won't forget - the P.Pounder is one in a million!!! How did he behave at this years canoe trip? The PP should have his own fishing show, despite being a solid angler, his personality is most entertaining!

But I've been a whitie fan for a while, I enjoy most finned friends that smack a lure and put on a good good fight.

I'll email you about Pool 4, the walleyes have been much more active vs. the saugs lately and I love that!

Keep Catchin'
Turk

Croixsippi Guide Service
www.croixsippi.com

[Guest]

Turk and Sturgeon46, thanks for the info.Like I said,in the back of my mind I thought it might be a myth or tale about not eating them.It got me wondering as I released some real big ones back down the hole this year.Sounds easy enough.So Turk,is the Whitie ready to take over for the walleye as the "King of The Croix"? I remember as a kid fishing down by the dike bridge or Lakefront park in Hudson during the summer and following the schools of white bass as they boiled on the surface.We had a ball.Later.

[Guest]

PCB collects in the "mud line" and it does not taste too well. That's why the "mud line" gets removed.

[Turk]

Steve,
Sounds like it was an adventure none the less! I'll talk to you soon.

One point about the mudline, Basshunters reply may be read to imply that it is PCB accumulation that makes the mudline taste bad. The mudline is the lateral line and in all river fish this lateral line is much more developed than a fish surviving in a lake with higher water clarity, and it tastes bad all by itself.
The mudline should also be removed because this is where any potential PCB accumulation would occur.

Picky I know, I just wanted to discuss that the poor tasting reddish meat does not mean it's contaminated, it tastes bad regardless.

Keep catchin'
Turk

Croixsippi Guides
www.croixsippi.com

[This message has been edited by Turk (edited 01-08-2003).]

[Steve-O]

Turk,
the Poon Pounder was much better behaved this year. Didn't take it upon himself to pound a 1.75 of the Cap'N before 3 o'clock in the afternoon!! We did get caught in a canoe on the Flambeau when a storm carrying 75 mph straight-line winds decided to hit. We made it off the water, but with the all trees that were snappin' around us I think we may have been safer on the river!
Poon was going a little crazy during that 10 minute episode. Pretty funny until we made it back to the campsite where everything was destroyed.
Good luck on Pool 4 the rest of the time you're down there. If you got an open seat, give me a holler. If not, see ya on the 'Croix, my friend.
Steve-O