Not something I do all that often anymore...used to do it all the time. I spend almost all my open water time chasing bass...which I will also do tomorrow ..but I'm gonna spend some time trying to catch my lunch. The gills and crappies have moved up so I'm hoping for a few to fry up. Who out there goes meat fishing often?

I meat fish a few times per year, usually perch, walleye, and Atlantic salmon.  My first big trout trip of the season is usually a meat trip since other wild edible foods are also in season.  This past Saturday night I was enjoying brook trout, morels, ramps, and wild asparagus cooked in a cast iron skillet over the campfire.  Pure Michigan.

I have about a third of a freezer full of fish , and it’s down some from all the fish fries. 

I keep some bass to thin the herd on the home lake. These are all filets for the family. I used to keep a lot of bream and catfish but haven’t done that as much lately.

We saltwater fish too, so we usually have some sheephead, flounder, redfish and black drum filets on hand, and bone in fish like whiting, croakers , spots. 

going after redfish on a few-times/year tide and wind combination this Thursday, and for the same reason...

 

 

I never freeze fish - only float fillets in the ice water until I eat them.  

Should I bring home surplus, as expected this trip, will give them to my folks.  

10 hours ago, DitchPanda said:

The gills and crappies have moved up so I'm hoping for a few to fry up. Who out there goes meat fishing often?

I've been panfishing 4 times this spring just north of you and its been "pretty" good.  I was intending to keep a few more than once but I just couldn't catch enough larger sized ones, so they went back.  Plus I could tell that a number of them were ready to spawn, and I am hesitant to harvest a fish that is on the verge of reproducing. I wasn't really in it for a fish fry; I was trying to catch one really big one (like 15+ inches).  Unfortunately it didn't happen, the biggest I caught this spring was just over 12.5 inches.  Found all of the crappies in about 3-7 feet with the best weed growth I could find.  I won't be targeting them again with walleye, bass, and eventually muskie season starting soon.

The local pond I've been bass fishing lately has some giant bluegills in it.  My son absolutely loves to keep fish to eat so I plan on taking him tonight actually and hope to stack a few up.

My friends and I go gillin' and grillin' a couple times a year. Always a delicious endeavor.

My meat fishing is in the fall after the water temps drop close to or below the 50 degree mark.  I find that cold water crappie taste better and the meat is firmer.  I’m leaving for Lake St Clair this week for a week of fishing and if by chance we get into a walleye bite, then a few of them will for sure be coming back to the cottage for dinner.  We have even talked about targeting them for a day.  

42 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

I’m leaving for Lake St Clair this week for a week of fishing and if by chance we get into a walleye bite

Venture into the St Clair River in Algonac, they're in there thick.  The jig bite is pretty hot right now.

Those largemouth you are releasing are better than crappie and bluegill........

45 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Those largemouth you are releasing are better than crappie and bluegill........

Ummm...I respectfully disagree! They aren't bad but they are not my first choice.

Walleye are only surpassed by bluegill in deliciousness IMO. My wife and I fish walleye all winter, bluegill in the summer .

When I get blanked,

I go straight to Micky D's

and get the square fish.

A-Jay 

Just now, A-Jay said:

When I get blanked,

I go straight to Micky D's

and get the square fish.

A-Jay 

?

 

I think we're talking real fish here - not imitation, 'something that might taste like fish'.

1 minute ago, MN Fisher said:

?

 

I think we're talking real fish here - not imitation, 'something that might taste like fish'.

It's inspired by real fish!

Just now, Michigander said:

It's inspired by real fish!

Someone probably caught a real fish near where those things are made and marketing ran with it.

Well I did not find any panfish to fry up...did manage 4 bass between 1.5 and 4 lbs

12 minutes ago, DitchPanda said:

Well I did not find any panfish to fry up...did manage 4 bass between 1.5 and 4 lbs

I’d still call that a good outing. And frankly I’d rather bass fish and release them all than crappie fish and keep a bunch. But that’s just me.

26 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I’d still call that a good outing. And frankly I’d rather bass fish and release them all than crappie fish and keep a bunch. But that’s just me.

It was a good outing for sure especially since I was out less then 2 hours. Normally I'd agree but I've got a hankering for fried fish

11 hours ago, DitchPanda said:

Well I did not find any panfish to fry up...did manage 4 bass between 1.5 and 4 lbs

I tried to tell ya 

My kids and I got into them pretty good for ya.  I was able to keep attention and peace for 30-45 minutes lol.  Landed 8 or 9 of them with 4 keeper size.  There's some absolute giants in there but you've gotta weed through the feisty small ones to get to them.  We'll be back

When I saltwater fish I am mostly catch and release but I can't resist taking home a big flounder or sanddab. I rarely eat freshwater fish other trout.

17 minutes ago, Bluegillslayer said:

but I can't resist taking home a big flounder or sanddab

 

What's a sanddab?  I've only been saltwater fishing twice and we kept one small yellowtail snapper that the resort grill prepared for us.  It was better than any freshwater fish I've ever had.

30 minutes ago, gimruis said:

What's a sanddab?

It's a type of flounder.

Considering your location and the water is so cold, if I wanted a fish fry I'd go catch a few northerns.  Out of cold water they eat great and are super easy to catch and the littler ones need to be thinned out.