How large should Panfish be (inches) in order to be kept for dinner?  We'll be catching mostly Perch, Sunfish, Bluegills and Rock Bass.  

Also, is their a different size minimum when considering the health of the fish population?

We fish mostly for fun, but occasionally would like to enjoy our catch.  Thanks.

Leon

I use the hand rule, anything that is as big as my hand hits the pan. If you have a large hand congrat's. I usually do not keep anything under 5". If I'm desperate anything goes.

If there big enough to fillet

they're big enough to eat.

Thanks,

Big as your hand with or without the tail?

How small is too small to fillet (for a newby)?  

I'm thinking that 6" to 7" will be managable, until I'm more adept with sharp objects.  

Cheers!

Just before the tail fin starts, there's meat all the way to the fin. A nice 4" fillet knife is a must.  My filleting skills are improving I usually scale the fish and leave the skin on.

Thanks again