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Pout in Red


bigyooper

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The Pout are not as thick as they used to be but still present, they seemed to vanish with the walleyes but are also making a comeback.

Sad to see them thrown on the ice, they are a very important part of the bio-mass and should be released.

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I caught one last weekend. It wasn't huge, but it was probably a good five pounder. I have fished Red numerous times and this was my first Pout...And I hope it was my last! shocked.gifgrin.gif

On a side note:

I have never understood why anyone throws fish on the ice or shore just because they don't like the species???? These people piss me off, it's absolutely stupid and I think these people should get HUGE fines for it!! Personally I don't like pout, but it has never even crossed my mind to toss one out on the ice just to die?

Oh well, gotta stop talking about this before I get myself all worked up.... ooo.gif

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There used to be alot of them but they disappeared along with the walleyes. It's good to see some coming back.

They are great eating. Boiled with butter, "Poor mans lobster". Just fasten the head down, slit the skin behind the head, pull the skin off with a pliers and cut the white backstap out.

It's just not right that people throw them on the ice and leave them. Make use of them or put them back into the water!

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My buddy caught a big one two weeks ago when we were there. Fortunately we remembered that you have to kiss your first Eelpout. grin.gif Got a good pic of him smooching that big hog(the fish). I'll see if I can get that and post it

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went and checked on the guys in my house tonight and they cought the first on out of my houses for the year and it was a nice one. if you know how to cook them they are good to eat

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I agree, 'pout are delicious! We boil ours in Mt. Dew and dip them in sweet butter!

With all of the fishing and guiding on Red, I saw my first one up there last weekend. He was a little guy, around 2 lbs.

As for fish on the ice, I would assume it falls under the wanton waste law, and those people disobeying the rule should be fined! Lake of the Woods is notorious for people tossing 'pout on the ice. Years back people would drive around and pick them all up, clean them, and hold a fish fry...

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I'd like to try a meal of pout once, I've heard this mountain dew recipie mentioned before, sounds very interesting. I'm heading up to URL this weekend with a group of 8 guys in a couple sleepers, maybe we'll pull a few in.

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Don't count on it!!! Like Matt mentioned he guides on the lake and that was the first pout he has seen caught.....i heard more pout being caught like in 2000 but I have never in my many many trips seen one out of Red....but good luck!!!

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If you're actually wanting to catch one, when you go to bed, thrown a spoon on a rattle wheel, tipped with a couple of shiners, one mashed up nicely, and lay the sucker on the bottom. Go to bed, and wait for the rattle to go off. I think this would be your best bet.

If you're really wanting some 'pout, hit LOTW or Winni or Bemidji, they're thick around here... Won't be long and they'll be stacking up nicely on the humps!

All of this 'pout talk is getting the taste buds rolling....

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I have never ate a pout... but i would be willing to try it! crazy.gif What are some recipies that anyone out there has to offer!

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first off- pout are great eating. Drop fillet in Boiling water for about 3-4 minutes- Done. Can wrap in cheese cloth or in a zip lock bag but not necessary. Then dip in melted butter. I've tried the mountain dew boil- couldn't tell much difference in taste but the fillets turned from a nice white to a nasty shade of green----

As has been mentioned, it's not real common to catch them these days on Red. Kinda like the whitefish we used to get on URL- don't get them much either. My guy Brad caught one pout this winter - that's the first one of our guys to catch one in about 4 year that I recall? LOW still has a fair number and they run nice size. Mille Lac has them on a regular basis but are small and less numerous than they used to be.

as for the littering, you still see a few (Contact Us Please) throwing fish on the ice and leaving them but not nearly as common as it used to be , fortunately. When you do see it, it's fair to make a bunch of assumptions about their IQ, ethics,etc.

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The only 2 ways that I've ever had them were either 1. boiled in 7up or Dew, and then eaten with melted butter and salt/pepper to taste....and the other was fried up just like walleye. We did this with a nice pout up in the NW Angle of LOTW. We mixed it in with eye's, sauger, and perch and i gotta admit that the pout was as good or better than all the others. Those backstraps are really good eating, shame that they get just dumped on the ice.

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I fish Winnie you can catch plenty if you fish the bars and humps. There very good eating. I agree with kelly keep the piece just above the the rib cage. Ive soaked them in salt water and boiled them in a little bit of salt water. Dunk them in melted butter. Poor man's lobster. Very good.

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I don't care for them boiled or fried but I will keep every one I get for the smoker. I've smoked all kinds of fish and Pout is the best I have ever had. The oil from being in the cod family makes it a good smokin fish. I will smoke both the back strap and the tail section. Mmmmm good laugh.gif

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I've tried pout many times cooked a bunch of different ways. If yous guys like it hey, more power too ya. I'll toss em back down the hole when I catch em. If someone else wants em I'll give them to him.

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My wife always claimed she didn't like eelpout, either, so I used to fillet them up and fry them right with the walleyes. She didn't even know the difference until after one particularly tasty meal when I asked her how she liked the eelpout.. smile.gif I think what she really meant was she didn't like the looks of them - which, on that point, I can't disagree...

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Talked to a fisheries guy today about the eelpout in Red, he stated that when it get hot and we see a whitefish kill(like we did a few years ago) the eelpout suffer the same fate, the warm temps get to them.

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