Rock bass/goggleye...Never new they tasted so good...I always thru them back

[musky8it]

Monday I fished Maxinkuckee from 10am to 930pm, caught a few average perch during daylight. On my UW cam I saw one eye and 5-6 jumbo perch but they had lockjaw. After dark i started getting runs on my big minnows but couldn't hook them. So i downsized and put crappy minnows on. Caught a nice size rockbass 10-11". Never ate one before, always threw them back. But kept this one so I would have enough for a meal with the few perch I had, the other 3-4 rockbass I caught after dark I threw back......I'll not throw them back from now on, that RkBass was almost as good as gills....

[ghosttown]

I always keep them to eat.  I have been know to chuck a couple of them in the live well when fishing bass tournaments. 

[adkRoy]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Rockbass.  See the MIRC shanty for further details. 

[Jigmup]

Well, the brute rock bass out of Wawasee taste like sewage burgers.

[wallin]

Aren't they more bone then meat?

[crappie66]

I always throw them in with the gills if I catch one; when filleted, battered, and cooked you don't even notice a difference.  The same applies with the warmouth, surprised at how many times I see warmouths just laying on the ice.

[Fish_Tko]

Well, the brute rock bass out of Wawasee taste like sewage burgers.

lol, i will take your word for it and keep throwing them back.

[blueultra2]

Well, the brute rock bass out of Wawasee taste like sewage burgers.

I'll agree to that!

[bassman508]

THey are great out of cold water, during the summer the are mushy. I am not sure but I think there is a daily limit on them.

[Piggyn]

When mixed in with other fried panfish it'd be hard to pick out the rockbass or warmouth.  However, I usually throw warmouth back, because they always seem to take a dump on my fillet board.

[musky8it]

Well, the brute rock bass out of Wawasee taste like sewage burgers.

That may be, I have no idea. It may be because mine was from winter and not summer, or it could be that wawasee may have sewage dumped or seeped into it. This was the first I have ever ate, and it was good. Not scaled, I filayed it, maybe the skin gives them a bad taste.

[drk_denman]

I would have to agree guys leave them laying out on the ice they are perfectly good to eat.  My wife is a very picky eater and she can never tell the difference when she eats them compared to gills.

[ghosttown]

Well, the brute rock bass out of Wawasee taste like sewage burgers.

The big boys are not the tastiest.  I only keep the ones that are the size of gills.  I think with a lot of species, the smaller fish taste better than the big ones.  I will never eat a large mouth over two pounds. 

[Jigmup]

Sure size of fish contributes to the taste of the flesh but I have never had a nasty tasting 14 inch perch. I'm sure rock bass out of different bodies of water taste better than others but I kept a couple from the sea and they were not good. I have eaten small ones from the river that were not bad though. I guess if you got em and they taste good, go for it. I will try them from another lake so long as the report is good flavor.

[musky8it]

The big boys are not the tastiest.  I only keep the ones that are the size of gills.  I think with a lot of species, the smaller fish taste better than the big ones.  I will never eat a large mouth over two pounds. 

The one I kept and ate was around 11", don't know if thats a biggen our not. First one I have caught at Max in a long time. The ones I thru back where smaller8-9". Like I said before. If I ever catch anymore at Max they will go in the bucket. You're right on LMbass, just legal size are better than the biggins. Course I will only keep a bass if I don't have anything in the bucket yet to eat.

[walleyeboater]

Bass- the other white meat.

[moegtar]

I go fishing up north in Wisconsin every year done so since I was twelve.  A buddy of mine loves catching them off the cribs, could catch them everyday.  I hate to clean them, but I guess did not notice what I ate,  but they are plentyfull in the lake we fish, so have fun.

[helifunwalleyechaser]

I am that crazy guy that was out there with you (head lamp)!  Any fish you catch out Lake Max is not going to taste bad. That water is so clean.  Thinking about going in the morning but not sure about the ice. I would like to get out a bit farther.