^^ Crappie and perch , yeah but white bass ? I dont rate whites that high. That red line is awful and takes a lot of work to remove it .

Yes. A small keeper 12"-13" bass is very tasty. I like them because, like bluegills are fairly firm meat. I am one of the 1% of the people in the world that prefer bass to crappies because of the texture of every crappie I have ever ate was mush.

Another thing about small bass. They are easy to fillet .

Yes. A small keeper 12"-13" bass is very tasty. I like them because, like bluegills are fairly firm meat. I am one of the 1% of the people in the world that prefer bass to crappies because of the texture of every crappie I have ever ate was mush.

 

Move over farmer, I'm in your camp ;-)

My wife has given me a number of taste tests between crappie and bass, both quick grilled & ungarnished.

With my eyes closed, I can always identify the bass, which has firmer, more flavorful flesh than crappie.

Yeah, I guess we're in the 1% who don't want fish to taste like chicken         might be 2% 

 

Roger

I just have no desire to consume LMB.

I just have no desire to consume LMB.

  I second that. You all can tell your grandchildren how wonderful they were when they're all gone.

OP is talking about eating bass out of a stunted farm pond . Theres a lot of lakes in the country where bass harvest is encouraged to improve the population.   

OP is talking about eating bass out of a stunted farm pond . Theres a lot of lakes in the country where bass harvest is encouraged to improve the population.

Yup, I don't think the LMB fishery is any danger from over harvest!

I second that. You all can tell your grandchildren how wonderful they were when they're all gone.

This discussion always ends here. It is a very narrow view not supported by most knowledgeable fishermen and biologists. Selective harvest is an important method used to manage fish populations. With few exceptions the fishermen that frequent this site understand that catch and release is a critical practice. The idea that keeping a few small fish in a system with too many small fish will ruin bass fishing for my grandkids is as silly as it is wrong.

A cull is the only reason I'd consider it. There's too many delicious swimmers that don't grow to be my dream fish to bother with bland 'ol bass fillets.

That said there isn't too much that isn't good with an egg wash, some breading and a pan fry in butter.

Yes, I've had LMB, at least once that I can remember.

When I was a wee lad. Can't remember if I liked it or 

not, LOL.

 

Oddly enough, my wife and I are not much on seafood

or freshwater food. Only like some fish, but we usually

avoid it altogether since my wife has a shellfish allergy.

I second that. You all can tell your grandchildren how wonderful they were when they're all gone.

Ever heard of Lake Fork?

Hundreds of angler keep bass under the slot limit & hundreds of anglers catch bass off beds & yet it produces more 10# plus bass than most any lake in America!

Catt my home lake, Cedar, here in southern Illinois is no Lake Fork, but it is one of the best bass lakes in the state for the same reason. Slot limits and selective harvest work.

The same arguments are used to make a case against hunting. There are currently more whitetail deer in Illinois than ever because of hunters. I don't care if someone is opposed to eating bass or venison. It's all good. Making emotional statements condemning those of us who do-not so much

I would definitely in theory cull some LMB out of some of the waters around here in SoFlo that are loaded with too many small fish. The problem is, I'm always worried they are contaminated in these suburban residential and golf course lakes and canals. This spoils my appetite for them in advance. And besides, their breath smells like steamy bog. Even out in the Everglades and on Lake O the fish supposedly should be eaten sparingly due to contaminants. If I thought they were safe I'd bring home some nice one pounders to fry up for dinner.  After all, Micropterus salmoides is hardly in danger of extinction or even diminution in Florida. On the other hand, so many salt water fish species sold in restaurants and fish markets are slowly disappearing in the wild. So, I either eat nutritious salt water fish and help drive them to extinction, or I eat the local bass, destroy my nervous system and die covered in boils.

hawgenvy,

We have the same advisories here & after reading them one would have to eat 3 pounds of filets per month to see any ill effects.

Do you understand how much fish 3 pounds of filets is?

Well..one thing is for sure, you will "always" find stacks of bass fillets in my freezer...always!

If you enjoy eating fish, come on down and Lois will grill you some delectable bass fillets (I think she has a magic wand).

If you can find better tasting fish in ANY Florida restaurant , please give me the name of that restaurant.

 

Roger

The larger ones can taste kind of mossy, especially here in south Florida. I don't eat them anymore; but I used to soak thinly sliced filets in cold milk, salt, Tabasco, and white pepper for a half hour, then coat with corn flour and deep fry. Eat with lemon slices, tartar sauce and a beer.

 

I can tell you, great blue herons like bass a lot. Today I was tossing a senko in a local canal for a half hour. From the bank. I hooked a dink bass on the opposite shore, water skied him in and threw him back. A great blue heron apparently saw what happened. The beast had about a six foot wingspan. Anyway, he dove from the sky right at me, and with self made fanfare, screeching mad, landed with a dramatic whoosh on the shore not 5 feet from where I stood.

 

"I'm sorry man!" I pleaded rather loudly, "I didn't see you till it was too late. I would have given you that fish, really!" He stared at me silently with one big eye, and wasn't gonna move till someone gives him a fish. "You know, these are post-front conditions and it's going to take a few casts, but I'll get you a fish." He stood absolutely motionless but I could see his eye was on me -- and he was still mad. A few more casts, and nothing. "Okay," I said, "please be patient, give me a chance, I'll make it up to you." He didn't move a muscle. He was clearly counting on me, but he was also, I imagined, skeptical of my typically hollow human promises.

 

On the next cast I landed a dark chunky little 12 oz largemouth. I unhooked it and held it out to him. "See! I told you! Now, is this guy too big for you?" All he did is crouch down a little. Didn't say a word. "Okay, I'm gonna drop it right on the shore near your feet and then it's up to you, understand?" No answer.

 

I dropped the fish like I said. He angled his eye downward only slightly, like he didn't want to acknowledge the gift (?). The fish flopped around a couple of times and then righted himself and swam off through the weeds. He did not get very far. Within a millisecond the bird speared his prey faster than I could see it, and a second after that the blue aircraft was flying away with the bass I had promised, there in his beak, soaring off through the trees. He didn't look back, but did emit one last extremely loud squawk, perhaps for my benefit. It didn't sound at all like a "thank you." It was more like "SUUCKERRR!"

 

Anyway, his recipe: Speer a fish, fly to safe ground or tree, wound to incapacitate but don't necessarily kill it, swallow head first. Burp.

I watched a heron pluck a 2-3 pounder out of the water during a tourney. He beat it on the ground and proceeded to eat it and laugh at me as I still hadn't caught a fish.

It's amazing how those tiny necks can handle a fat bass.

hawgenvy,

We have the same advisories here & after reading them one would have to eat 3 pounds of filets per month to see any ill effects.

Do you understand how much fish 3 pounds of filets is?

I would like to know how contaminated, and with what,  the canals along homes and golf courses are in my home town, but I don't really know how to find out. And how do I know if the information is accurate? I know I'd eat the bass from a country lake that's said to be clean in south LA or in central FL. But I know I would not eat a fish from the East River or from a pond in Central Park in NYC. And there is a lot in between! I have actually feasted on green trout from LA that we caught near Venice, and they were great.

hawgenvy,

For me to properly address your questions I would have to get into political issues that would without a doubt get me banded from this site.

As with most things political follow the money!

I watched a heron pluck a 2-3 pounder out of the water during a tourney. He beat it on the ground and proceeded to eat it and laugh at me as I still hadn't caught a fish.

 

 

There is a really big one that frequents an area that has a few ponds and a dam spillway I like to fish.  It is all over the place and I see it all the time.  Such majestic birds, I love watching it work the little water-carved pools in the spillway, it always catches more than I do.   

This is the Florida Dept of Health guideline document regarding recommendations for fish consumption. It is interesting that for freshwater fish largemouth bass are considered the most unhealthy to eat, especially for young women and children, for whom in many bodies of water it is advised not to eat any at all. Larger bass are more dangerous. Of course, it is difficult to know how accurate the risk assessments really are. In any case it is a little scary and certainly does not whet my appetite for bass. Notice that even bass caught deep in the Everglades, many miles from civilization, are nevertheless considered to be a health hazard.

 

 

http://www.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/prevention/healthy-weight/nutrition/seafood-consumption/_documents/2013-advisory-brochure.pdf

 

PS: I suppose farmed tilapia that swim in their own waste products are safe?

One time we grilled bass with salt and pepper, the texture was a little strange, but it was pretty dang good!

PS: I suppose farmed tilapia that swim in their own waste products are safe?

Farm raised tilapia is absouletly safe to eat.

I've eaten a few, they're gross. I much prefer smallmouth, and even then, I don't catch to keep. If one dies on me, so be it. It isn't terrible eating.