Eating Bass?

[nissannutzsx]

After I fillet my fish, I drop them in a big bowl and soak them in 7-up or sprite soda(any lemon lime). It takes the fishy taste right out of most fish. Also, I put barbecued chips, or UTZ crab chips{with old bay seasoning] in the food processor and mix with italian bread crumbs. Drag em through crumbs, then egg/milk, then crumbs, and fry them in butter. You won't be dissapointed.

[Basstalker]

Are bass good to eat? does it matter if it is a large mouth or a small mouth? if they are good to eat does it matter what season you eat them in? how do you cut a bass up?.....we always seems to catch alot of large and small mouth bass ice fishing and open water fishing...advise would be great....thanks

Largemouth/Smallmouth...mmm Tasty, 1 Filet them out making it boneless 2 roll it in whipped egg and 3 roll again in bread crumbs. 4 Fry in pan. Its simple and amazing!

[fishaddict]

We eat a lot of bass we catch in our Idaho lakes. Largemouth and smallmouth. Never had an issue with them being "fishy". I don't know if it's the colder water up here or what, but the fillets are firm and taste great!

[RLWagner]

I concur, Bass are delicious from the right waters. Even perch from a muddy shallow water body taste bad, so just fish clean clear lakes and chow down!..... Wait, I meant to say "let all you bass go please" LOL

[Norman Schrader]

I eat bass that we catch year round from our lake (Honeoye Lake, N.Y.).  It is an Eutrophic lake and only max depth of 30 ft.  In the summer, we target the deep water fish.  There is large population of largemouth that suspend 10-15 ft down over the deep water basin that are feeding on minnows.  We catch them on a jig & plastic minnow rig with a slip bobber to control depth.  They seem to taste just as good as the winter fish do.  We shared a recipe with guys that said they hated bass, and converted them.
First, filet the bass boneless.  Next, marinate them in Lemon Pepper marinade for an hour or 2.  Finally, lay them out in a single layer on a microwave safe cooking dish like a ribbed skillet used for other meats, and cover it with wax paper.  Microwave on high for 5 minutes and the meat comes out light and flaky.  we usually serve it with rice.
Good luck.
Norm

[ICE REBEL]

I eat bass all the time and love it.

[finlessbrown]

bass are my 2nd favorite to eat, big thick filettes, quick and easy to clean.

[littlehead]

bass are good i made breaded nuggets out of them dip them in a sauce alittle french dressing mixed with ketchup and horseradish very good havent ate one in many years i do throw them back but they are good

[Rebelfisher]

im going to try something new, boil in beer and dip in herbed butter.

[Sullymon]

Why eat bass when there are so many better tasting fish out there? I used to eat them when I was a kid ... until I tasted a perch, walleye, crappie, and bluegill! After tasting those fish, why on earth would I want to eat a bass?  Besides, I win money catching them and releasing them, so for me to keep them just doesn't make sense.

[TheDL]

WOW - so many hate bass?!

I've always eaten large and small mouth - nothing over 1-2lbs....warm and cold water.  I will admit the bigger ones aren't that nice, that's why I eat the smaller ones.

I've never found them to be overly fishy, and never "muddy".  I do prefer perch or walleye - but I mostly fish bass all summer...so that's what I eat. 

I just do a beer batter with a little garlic and a lot of dill in the batter...serve with tartar - hard to beat!

Maybe our lakes are just cleaned up here...I only fish back lakes tho

[Sullymon]

Hate bass? Absolutely not! I love bass ... just not to eat. You must understand that it doesn't make sense for a tournament angler to eat bass, it's like shooting yourself in the foot! Keep a bass for dinner? Or return them so I can win hundreds or even thousands of dollars ... hhmmmm 

[Rebelfisher]

why not eat bass? I, too, love panfish and walleye, but I also love bass. those fillets are huge! It just doesnt make sense to me...I fish to eat and bass are no exception.

[Sullymon]

If you can catch as many walleye, gills, perch, and crappy as you can possibly eat, why eat or keep bass? I don't know, maybe it's because I'm a tournament fisherman and there is no shortage of better tasting fish to eat ... to each thier own I guess. With that said, I am not knocking anyone for eating them as I used to keep them myself when I was a kid.

[TheDL]

well...for me anyway - they are no where near as plentyfull (walleyes) as bass.  I eat what I catch, unless it's a trophy (back in the lake) or a very small fish....or if the water's not clean...but I rarely fish waters that aren't clean enough to eat out of

[salmonrebel]

When it comes down to it, it's your personal preference....no matter what it may be.
No one should tell anyone what they should keep, an what they shouldn't though. As long as your obeying your state's laws, you can take the limit that's allowed in your state. If you choose, catch and release...that's fine too.
I personally like bass to eat, as well as numorous other species. As far as what I take?....it depends on where I'm fishing. If it's a place like in my neck of the woods, called Lake Winola. I take every legal bass I catch to the limit allowed. This place mentioned, has a bass population that is stunted due to over population. The PA Fish an Boat Commission noticed this, and even decreased the legal size to 10" there.
Now, if I'm fishing a place that doesn't hold a large population of any particular species, I will release what I catch of that species.
But, as I mentioned before.....If your obeying your state's laws, it's up to YOU.    

[ICE REBEL]

This is what happens when a bass bites my line.
Before


After

And this is what happens when the big bass bite my line

 

[salmonrebel]

That one mounted was only 13"!.....What ya gonna do when ya get a BIG ONE?!

[ICE REBEL]

That one mounted was only 13"!.....What ya gonna do when ya get a BIG ONE?!

I don't know what i would do. I'm thinking i would release "THE BIG ONE" if i ever got one. For the record that bass i have mounted tipped the scale at 7 1/2 8 lbs and was over 25" long. Caught that in 1996 from a private lake.