Perch Taste - Oneida Lake vs Ontario (Sandy Pond)

[twodogs02]

I'm thinking about fishing Sandy Pond this weekend and a couple of guys I fish regularly with on Oneida say the perch don't taste as well coming out of Ontario.  I thought they were kidding and when I told them they are FOS, they said, "no seriously, they are not as good as the Oneida perch."  They are pretty level headed guys and said when they go to the pond and catch perch, it's never the same as the Oneida perch.

Interested to know if others who have fished both BOW have an opinion on this.

[600RevX]

To each their own, everyone has an opinion- I've got a bowl of fillets right now in the fridge - 1/2 from Oneida, 1/2 from Sodus- I will say the bigger fillets from the Oneida perch are a little darker, but I've eaten from both and have fished Sandy Pond every weekend (except last) and they are some tassssssstyyyy
fillets-     

[flukeman]

There is a big difference in Walleye taste between the two. But I have never noticed that big a difference in the perch between the two.

[FishTank19]

I brought 2 bags of perch from sandy pond to a fishing tourney last year and of course one of the onieda guys there started in on how they don't taste as good as his, so i told him he could not eat any of the fish i cooked... needless to say he changed his story really fast. perch are perch and honestly i like the smaller ones better. just my 2 cents

[green69]

there's no perch at sandy pond ?

[nyduckman]

oneida perch are way better then any sandy pond perch..im not sure why but this is what i truley think..might have something to do with water or other thing they have to eat out of the big lake..

[FishTank19]

but on the pond we will fill 10 bags u will fill 1

[stevek]

Problem with Ontario is that the fish taste like PCBs, Mirex and Dioxin. Even though the perch and walleyes aren't currently on the list, I'd pass on them, but to each their own. Typically the younger the fish the lower the levels. It's a shame all the great lakes are so messed up they produce some incredible fish. In case no one reads the DOH health advisories here they are.

http://www.health.state.ny.us/environmental/outdoors/fish/docs/fish.pdf

[twodogs02]

http://www.health.state.ny.us/environmental/outdoors/fish/docs/fish.pdf
[/quote]

Thanks for the link, a little depressing when you read through all the lakes that have issues.   Maybe this explains why my buddies say they don't taste as good even though the can't tell me why they think that way...

[cnypanfisher]

Perch are perch, I tried them organic cigarettes before too, supposed to be better for you. I would rather have the ones with gunpowder and formaldehyde in them I guess. Maybe it's the grubs in some fish that make them taste better I dunno. Oneida fish way better .

cny

[jackfrost]

Drink beer, catch fish, have fun, be safe, and I guarantee they all will taste good

[filetandrelease]

they are all good,

[Windknots]

I go to my buddies cottage in the 1000 islands, catch lots of perch and can't tell any difference.  The perch on Ontario taste great to me.  I don't know how anyone knows what dioxin or pcb tastes like when its in ppm.  I am happy that the lakes are getting better.  I watch those advisories every year and with encouragement, they are getting better and less restrictive each year.  I am concerned about the waters we fish.  Best case scenario is that stuff stays on the bottom and enough silt and decomposed material covers it up good and deep to prevent the off gassing to the water column.

[gumpy2]

You people are surely mistaken if you think Onieda is any cleaner than Ontario.....

They might taste different if they are feeding on different items in each lake, but I get the impression that some of you think the water quality in Onieda is better which I don't belive is true...

[green69]

Drink beer, catch fish, have fun, be safe, and I guarantee they all will taste good

ditto ! have fun !!! eat fish !!! perch are perch . go ice fishing!

[bigfoot697]

last i knew they are both hooked up in one way or another to ononadaga seez pool . now what?

[bigfoot697]

just eat it from the butt hole to the tail this takes the crap thats stored around the ribs and belly right out of this problem. its the same with bullheads.

[bucketbass]

i think its you have to accually fish for them on oneida,work for anything and its always better
ray charles could get his limit on sandy pond

[Superpole]

last i knew they are both hooked up in one way or another to ononadaga seez pool . now what?

The most polluted lake in the world.  MMMMMmmmmmmmMMMMM.  Those perch in Oneida are probably pre-tenderized from that chemical pit.

[stevek]

I fished Oneida last year for walleyes. What was the deal with all the dumping sites listed on the map? I assume they no longer dump garbage in the lake  if that's what they were.

[Gamma Fish]

I fished Oneida last year for walleyes. What was the deal with all the dumping sites listed on the map? I assume they no longer dump garbage in the lake   if that's what they were.

Those aren't GARBAGE DUMPS     They're areas where the sediment, rock and sand from the channel and barge canal dredgings get dumped.      The dumping grounds have always been a great fish magnet !


BTW.    The worst perch I've ever tasted came from Skaneateles lake !    The mineral content in the water and other factors contribute to this.    They taste a little like metal !      Still, I've never met a perch that I didn't like ! 8) 8)

[filetandrelease]

Those aren't GARBAGE DUMPS     They're areas where the sediment, rock and sand from the channel and barge canal dredgings get dumped.      The dumping grounds have always been a great fish magnet !

 

[stevek]

Those aren't GARBAGE DUMPS     They're areas where the sediment, rock and sand from the channel and barge canal dredgings get dumped.      The dumping grounds have always been a great fish magnet !

Ah, If I knew that we might have tried fishing one of those areas if the wind/waves weren't quite as threatening in a 14' boat.

[goinhungry]

You people are surely mistaken if you think Onieda is any cleaner than Ontario.....

They might taste different if they are feeding on different items in each lake, but I get the impression that some of you think the water quality in Onieda is better which I don't belive is true...

x2

[skidplate]

As for which lake is cleaner, check the health advisories.  Ontario has about a page and I think Oneida has 0. Oneida is Upstream of the others (all connected), and I don't think any real industry has dumped in Oneida like all the great lakes that Ontario is the most downstream, so all the junk wound up in there.  Oneida is fed mostly by Tug Hill, it may have an algae problem in the summer but is most likely cleaner than Ontario.  That said, all perch are awesome, I eat them all, tons of them. All yumy