Discussion- "junk fish" in Maine is considered a delicacy in other states?

[bm11]

I'm curious as to everyone's thoughts on this. I am from Maine, and up here it is unheard of to eat yellow perch, mostly unheard of to eat pike, and mostly unheard of to eat bass. I find that to be in stark contrast to what the common practice is in other states. Which got me thinking- why? Talking to my father about it, his theory is that old prejudices die hard. Maine originally was a trout and salmon lake naturally, and those populations suffered with the introduction of perch, bass, and especially the recent introduction of pike.

The other thing I hear a lot is "those are full of worms." In doing research, it seems that black spots (grubs) are pretty common in the above three species up here, is it not so in the other states? Or is it just more accepted?

Interested to hear!

[WALL E GATOR]

I'm not sure perch are a delicacy out here in Idaho, but we do eat them. I can't say that I have ever seen one up here with the worms that infest them other places. Never ate a Pike and Bass are fun to catch but never really ate them all that much. I would rather eat trout n salmon unless its a spent salmon that is dying and all mushy, those aren't really any good even smoked. Crappie now thats a tasty fish, poor mans lobster, if you do it up right. Never was a big fan of Catfish but know lots of guys that love em.

[kpd145]

I'll eat perch, walleye, trout, and crappies only in winter.

IMO walleye is the best freshwater fish I have eaten. 

The rest is salt water fish.

I know people who eat pike, bass, pickeral, blue gills etc....

Blue gills are actually pretty good too of you can get some bigger ones.

[DR.SPECKLER]

In michigan i like bluegill,speck,perch,walleye and pike.bass suck imo.they might taste good out of cold water but the season is closed for half the ice season.salmon and steelhead are alright smoked but not my favorite.

[fishermantim]

Perch and bass were introduced in one of 2 ways: legal and illegal stocking.
Legal stocking might have been done to increase the forage that trout could feed on, except that they may have underestimated the growth and spawn potential of these species over time. Think what happens when you put sunfish in a pond, intending to supply the bass/pickerel with a food supply, and then realize that they out number, out reproduce and out eat those predators.

As for pike, that falls into the "illegal" category. Some self-righteous "genius" thought it would be a good idea to create his/her own private pike pond, only to fail to realize that flooding WILL spread these fish to adjacent waters and will allow them to reproduce and eat most of the trout and salmon in their various juvenile stages.

As for the worm issue, you have to consider the food chain and where these species fall into it.
Since the bass, perch and pike are more plentiful, they tend to be the more common fish caught and eaten by the various bird species that eat fish.
The worms are carried by the birds during part of their life cycle, and since the worms NEED the fish to continue theirs, the fish are prime targets for these worm larvae. It's a vicious cycle.

There aren't many fish that can't be eaten, but it usually depends on how hungry you are and how willing you are to try.

My favorite freshwater fish, based on my own "catch & cook" practices, are white perch and crappie.

That's my $0.02 worth and my best impersonation of a "someone who stayed at a Holiday Inn" scientist....enjoy!

[HuyFishin]

Perch is huge here in alberta canada, Often times you can see 100 trucks on the ice all targeting perch.

Pike is also commonly eaten here as well. Poor mans lobster style ect. If its done and prepared correctly it can actually taste quite delicious.

Our trout stocked in our ponds and sloughs here taste like mud.

[Ice_Fly_Guy]

Yellow perch, crappies, bluegills, walleyes are all kept and eaten with vigor around here.  Walleye is my favorite.  Bluegills take 2nd for me.  Crappies for table fare are overrated in my opinion.

[reggie1610]

Yellow perch are very popular in NY for eating

[struckus]

In Northern Ontario yellow perch is very popular..it tastes exactly like walleye to me and you can keep a bunch of them vs strict walleye limits and size restrictions..perch has been getting wormy in some lakes due to the cormorants but it's not a huge deal..pike is also fantastic fish and i'll eat them no questions asked..different filet method but they're bone free if you learn how..small mouth bass is good up here too..large mouth gets wormy again some times but not a huge deal..

[POk3s]

Wow, I live in Wyoming....Also land of the trout and make it a priority to go catch perch and walleye as much as possible. I hardly ever eat trout anymore. Go catch and cook some of those “trash fish”! But don’t tell your Maine friends as your favorite trash fish spots will be gone before you know it. I imagine theres some midwestern guys headed your way right now after reading this.

[MumbleSEED]

I'm about to cook up 30 of those yellow perch tonight for a meal at home.  I would say blue gill, walleye, perch, crappy are my favorites.  They stock trout in local streams and a local lake but they taste like the dog food they feed them in the hatcheries.  Those little grubs that are sometimes in the fish fillet are no big deal usually in the perch, craps, and gills...usually. 

If I was you'd I'd give some of those "junk" fish a quick dredge, bread them, and fry em up!

[jethro]

No one has mentioned togue!! What's the consensus?

[DR.SPECKLER]

No one has mentioned togue!! What's the consensus?

if those are lakers,i kept one and it was very greasy.even smoked it was very fishy,oily and greasy.did not like it and wont keep another one.

[esox_xtm]

Never got into the trout thing. Part of it was I wasn't raised fishing for 'em, the other was my perceived "snobbiness" of those that did to the exclusion of everything else. Done right they eat fine enough, especially right out of the stream/lake and the fight is spirited, especially on matched tackle. Still, my opinion is that they are over-rated as both table fare and sportfish. Just me and no reflection on anyone who values them more than me. I do like salmon but I'm kinda picky. The landlocked ones always taste very strong and a bit "off" compared to those that get to run the salt. Only on charcoal after a quick marinade served with chipotle tartar sauce. I have that at least every other week.

Raised eating gills and perch what I call pan dressed: scaled, gutted, head, dorsal and anal fins off, tail often remaining. Always tasted a bit strong, due to the skin I expect. Filleted they eat very fine indeed in just about any recipe you'd care to try. Loved the crispiness of the skin though and often munched the crunchy tail. Ate plenty of LMB but finally stepped away. Fun to catch but there are better fish for the table. SMB are better eating and even more fun to catch but can't remember the last time I ate one. Dad never liked crappies. Said they were too soft. I think they're just fine if you throw 'em in a cooler full of ice if you're not ice fishing. Walleye is a free kick. Everybody loves walleye but pike is still my favorite. Mostly because I'm lazy. You can almost always find a pike or two willing to grace your table and they're fun to catch. Plus I'm done cleaning, sipping a martini while you're still workin' on that bucket full of pannies. Ate a few muskies back in the day before C&R. Nothin' wrong with them either 'cept they are now considered more a sportfish than table fare. Nevertheless...

Had my fair share of smoked carp when I lived in Iowa. Ate plenty of spring bullheads and catfish anytime. Best smoked fish I ever had were bullheads. Made fish cakes out of spring suckers. I like whitefish and lake herring. Best if fresh and never frozen. Never ate a gar, paddlefish, sturgeon, burbot (knowingly) or laker but I'd give 'em a go if put in front of me on a plate. I will not eat a dogfish. Stupid 'coons won't even eat 'em. That oughta tell ya something.

I can't say there's really any such thing as "junk fish" (save for dogfish), only personal preferences based on individual experience. Just like Dad's "soft crappies". I was all set to hate 'em on the table but I thought they tasted just fine. Out in the PNW 10# walleyes were (probably still are) thrown up on the bank like carp are here, or pike in Maine as "trash fish" because they compete for habitat with the salmon and trout. All a matter of perception.

As far as parasites go it's really just unsightly if your catch is thoroughly cooked killing the larvae. Gills, yellow perch and to some extent pike get the black spots. Sometimes just a few sometimes quite a lot. A lot can be a little off-putting. Put 'em in a chowder or grind into fish cakes and you'll never see 'em. Still good eats. If you knew the barely visible parasites that lurk in most wild food you'd never eat anything. Cook it and eat it. You'll be fine.

[stitch]

Luv perch,gills,crappies.eat a few trout and the occasional deep hooked bass.winter only.

[jerryfishing]

I believe the taste of fish depends on what is that fish's food source, water quality, and how you prepare them. I really enjoy eating yellow perch and walleye the most and usually give trout away to neighbors. Although, if I catch a lake trout from Yellowstone Lake; we will surely eat it. Less than 5miles away in Yellowstone National Park is Lewis Lake that holds high numbers of lake trout, but I catch and give them away. There is a completely different taste between the two trout even though I prepare them the same way. Lewis Lake is smaller, warmer water and food source is completely different. The aging of a lake can also change the food source and quality of water which in turn changes fish taste. A lake with a high content of freshwater shrimp can make trout flesh turn pink or orangeish and make it taste more like salmon. Some lakes have very silty/muddy bottoms and al lfish caught taste muddy no matter how I prepare them. Carp are regularly eaten in Asian countries and are in many US waters,  but people rarely eat them here. I saw a program where they are attempting to get people to eat those "flying" invasive Asian carp that are overpopulating rivers and threaten the great lakes. They are serving them in restaurants in hopes to get people acquire a taste for them and catch and eat them. Same thing that they have done with the lionfish in Florida and Caribbean.  My advice is to do some research and make sure fish is safe to eat. (parasites, mercury, invasive or high numbers that need go be reduced) and catch and try several ways to cook them. Some restaurants will even cook your locally caught fish for you for a small price.

[Kourcha]

I'm curious as to everyone's thoughts on this. I am from Maine, and up here it is unheard of to eat yellow perch, mostly unheard of to eat pike, and mostly unheard of to eat bass. I find that to be in stark contrast to what the common practice is in other states. Which got me thinking- why? Talking to my father about it, his theory is that old prejudices die hard. Maine originally was a trout and salmon lake naturally, and those populations suffered with the introduction of perch, bass, and especially the recent introduction of pike.

The other thing I hear a lot is "those are full of worms." In doing research, it seems that black spots (grubs) are pretty common in the above three species up here, is it not so in the other states? Or is it just more accepted?

Interested to hear!

Fellow Mainer here and I would agree with yer father's theory about cold water species, I personally enjoy eating Pickerel when you pull one out that's big enough to filet (boneless method essentially same as a pike) Trout and Salmon are always the targeted species for eating, Personally I have grown to like some of the bigger Rainbows in some of the lakes around me. The fillets come out pink as a salmon and just as tasty IMO, I have eaten large mouth while camping and surprisingly tasted pretty good. I'm also of the mind that a good cook can make just about any fish taste good. My all time favorite eating freshwater fish in our great state of Maine is Cusk.(Burbot for you guys from other states) Nothing beats it in a chowdah, I also like just breading the fillets and frying them up aswell, If you have not tried one I seriously suggest getting out there fore this ice disappears and slaying you some Cusk for dinner!

[gorf37]

I have done most of my sport fishing all in one part of the world, but I certainly see enough variety from lake to lake that I can infer the difference across a continent can be absolutely massive.

We pretty much never deal with parasites up here, thankfully.  We do have one that can be passed to humans otherwise I could be making sushi on the lake!

Unfortunately, the only way to find out which fish are good eaters are to try them.  I have a spot where there are lake trout in the shallows (shore to 20ft) that are green coloured, mushy, and fishy tasting, and only 500m or so away the fish feeding in 50-70 fow are beautiful black/blue/white with touches of orange, and taste amazing.  I ate two of those green mushy ones before deciding not to fish those shallows anymore!

[IDbasser]

I live in Idaho, and I prefer perch over trout any day.  I also eat crappie, walleye, bluegill and love catfish.  I have eaten bass, smaller ones are better.  I will eat any of these other fish over trout any day.  Trout are slime rockets that I catch by accident.

[jayy]

No one has mentioned togue!! What's the consensus?

I like Lakers  but I also like salmon.  They are fishy.  No doubt about it.    They are best grilled or broiled.   

For frying..  its perch, walleye, or crappies. 

[meandcuznalfy]

I live in Idaho, and I prefer perch over trout any day.  I also eat crappie, walleye, bluegill and love catfish.  I have eaten bass, smaller ones are better.  I will eat any of these other fish over trout any day.  Trout are slime rockets that I catch by accident.

X2, only thing better is burbot

[HWeber]

Most any fish tastes fine if prepared correctly and caught in the right conditions.

[NateD]

All of'em are good, especially from cold clear water lakes in Maine.  Just came home with a batch of white perch and they had zero worms, the few yellows I had from the same lake each had a few. They are orange though not black, and seem to be mostly on the skin side of the filet or near the spine or belly. I just cut them out nbd.

[fishermantim]

Wow, I live in Wyoming....Also land of the trout and make it a priority to go catch perch and walleye as much as possible. I hardly ever eat trout anymore. Go catch and cook some of those “trash fish”! But don’t tell your Maine friends as your favorite trash fish spots will be gone before you know it. I imagine they’re some midwestern guys headed your way right now after reading this.

Kind of reminds me years back when I would shop, I'd see oxtails for sale for very little money because it was considered an "undesirable" part of the cow.
Now it cost as much as a good steak!

When people discover how tasty these "trash fish" species are, people will change their tune.

[POk3s]

Kind of reminds me years back when I would shop, I'd see oxtails for sale for very little money because it was considered an "undesirable" part of the cow.
Now it cost as much as a good steak!

When people discover how tasty these "trash fish" species are, people will change their tune.

HAHA! Yea we had burbot (ling, cusk, whatever) illegally stocked in our local reservoir. It’s still a “must kill” lake if you catch the burbot but lots of guys are filling their freezers with those and letting all the trout go. People quickly changed their time when they tried them instead of treating them like carp! When the population first exploded there were MANY stories of 200 ling nights between a couple guys. Those stories are all but gone but the guys who learned it can still pull out 100 a couple nights per year.

[jerryfishing]

Hell yeah! POC3s!  I would take 100 burbot  over  lakers at Gorge, but, I would take kokes 1st

[river_scum]

there are few "junk fish" imo.  unless pollution is involved most every fish accept northern gar are good to eat.  at least ones I have tried, and that's almost everything that swims in my area. lol

worms(the yellow ones you pinch out of fillets) and grubs(the black spots in some lakes) are present around here also.  the later doesn't bother me. must have ate millkions before I was 6yr old.   the nasty yellow ones I don't do.

[OldSailor]

I was stationed in Maine (NAS Brunswick) and being from away (Minnesota), I found that the Mainers were "snobby" about trout and salmon! Most of us in the service fished bass, both largemouth and smallmouth! My personal best largemouth was caught in Maine and went 8#'s plus. They have excellent smallie fishing and we all practiced C&R. In fact, L.L.Bean hired a guy away from Bass Pro to stock bass stuff!! I loved Maine and understand how bucket biologists are ruining some pretty special salmon and trout fishing! To each their own!! Nothing wrong with that!!

[Mascoma]

Cusk (Burbot) to me is the best we get around here in NH. Although, White Perch is a close second.

[rivereddy]

A few years back,an otherwise successful walleye charter on lake Erie was marred by the crew's attitude toward
the "White Perch", (Marone americana) that were bycatch during trolling runs.  We ran an otter board with droppers
and if a white perch was hooked the mates would swing the dropper  around and slam them into the transom. This
knocked the fish off the hook and killed them all in one motion.  They made it a game andthought it was hilarious.
When we called them on it their response was, "They're just trash fish - can't even eat them.  I have had some
experience on both sides of the fighting chair when it comes charters and nearly always tip the mates handsomely if they put
in the effort. We were a party of 6 and limited out on fine walleye, but any bucks they got from me that day came
from the skipper only.

Locally, freshwater drum aka sheepead, aka white perch, (Aplodinatus grunniens) get rather mixed reviews
and, of course, common carp get their share of grief. (Mostly by guys who have never hooked one on a 7wt flyrod with
a vanilla extract soaked salmon egg and had their drags smoked til the washers warped,,,,)

As far as the eating goes I've had just about everything mentioned by the guys above except cusk, (We're too far south for ling or burbot or whatever they are called in your neck of the woods), but want to try some.  I generally avoid eating large fresh
water fish out of concern for midwestern water quality issues.  Don't get me started on the invasive carp mess we have mid continent.


fish on,

rivereddy