How do Bluegills and sunnies taste?

[darkwater777]

Im up here in Saskatchewan Canada and have never caught a bluegill or similar species. Do they bite all day like perch? I see pics of guys with piles on the ice an am wondering how they taste and are they easy to fillet?

Cheers!!

[jjc155]

Im up here in Saskatchewan Canada and have never caught a bluegill or similar species. Do they bite all day like perch? I see pics of guys with piles on the ice an am wondering how they taste and are they easy to fillet?

Cheers!!

Yep you can catch em all day. Bluegill is right up there with Walleye for my favorite fish.

J-

[panfishman13]

they are some of the best eating fish around, i can never get enough of them. fry them, bake them, stew them, whatever you want!

[icejunky]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

thats all i have to say about that, they are great, and a great fighting fish as well. I love to fish for gills. wish they where a bit larger on average in my area, but still fun

[Blaine]

Ditto all of the above... A bit more work, but top notch table fare!

[TaterSalad]

Great tasting and fun to catch on light tackle.

[slipperybob]

Bluegills, crappies, then rock bass in that order for me. 

Bluegills seem to be the most meaty of panfish I catch.  Rock bass my look fat and thick but they have big bone and rib cage cavity.  The bluegill has very firm meat.  Rock bass meat taste more like a mix of big bluegill meat and big perch, less firm and more discolored.  However I'll say that I would prefer perch meat over rock bass.

Bluegills have mostly been day bite for me.  Crappies day or night depends on lake.  Rock bass has only been a night bite for me.

[jimmyclaude]

I eat em deep fried or as poor man's shrimp.  They taste great as long as you are up stream from the sewage treatment plant, then they taste like Poo. 

[gillcommander]

I luvvvvva the bluegills...easy and fun to catch and they taste great. My top 3 freshwater fish to eat in no particular order are bluegill, perch , and walleye!! In fact...if it isn't one of those 3 I'd rather not eat it.

Some of the best...and I mean very best lakes I have ever fished bluegills on have been in Canada...specifically Southern Ontario near Toronto. Fantastic bluegill fisheries!!!

 

[NatefishNY]

they put up a real good fight, fun to fish for and very tasty

[MN Bassfisher]

Bluegill and Crappie, I think, might be my favorite freshwater fish to eat!

[H.T.]

some of the best eating fish out there. i spend over half my ice season fishing for them. electric knife-nothing to it. fantastic table fare

[webster]

very good wish i had a plate full right now with a cold budwiser

[arcticcatz]

99% of my fishing is for gills. Best tasting fish that come out of an ice hole!

[pooley]

they taste terrible!!! send them all to me for proper disposal!!

[Jrod0582]

Bluegills, sunnies, and crappies are my favorites to eat

[jeffro9023]

if you mixed in bluegills with some perch id wager you wouldnt be able to tell the difference...fun and fairly easy to catch and a very renewable resource

[ice pig 121]

Great tasting, then again I would probably eat a goose turd if it was covered in fish batter!!  Cant get enough of it!!

[Wheres Walleye]

Like perch thay are Awesome eating and usually easy to catch during the day. Wish we had some ice my way your making me hungry just thinking about it.

[Edm87]

Bluegills taste great.

[captain54]

TERRIBLE TASTING,please send all fillets to me,I'll dispose on them properly.I fish gills a lot and keep gills 8 inches plus,they may be the best eating fish going.

[icerfish]

The best kept secret  yummy

[GrnDay33]

another vote for the bluegills. I usually keep a few batches every season. I've breaded them in everything from Italian bread crumbs, to corn flakes, to corn muffin mix, to cracker crumbs...anything you want to coat them with i guess. The work in the fillet is definitely worth it.

[slamer58]

crappie and gills are becoming my favourite fish to eat...

[Raquettedacker]

crappie and gills are becoming my favourite fish to eat...

    YUP...

[Big E-Rez]

How do they taste? I think "heaven" is a good description. 95% of my time on the ice is spent going after panfish.

[Stump Puller]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

thats all i have to say about that, they are great, and a great fighting fish as well. I love to fish for gills. wish they where a bit larger on average in my area, but still fun

My dad and I took a trip on the Rideau Canal from Kingston to Ottawa, we stoped in Smith Falls and we were catching sunfish the size of dinner plates, both of us had never seen them so big. That would have been about 35 to 40 years ago, but I'll never forget how big they were.

[amcmullen]

Awesome, seems most fish taste better from the ice.  I love panfish.  I will even keep a few Bass to eat.  (please don't chastise me)

[Big E-Rez]

I'll occasionally keep a barely legal bass for the table. You're not alone.

[iceslider]

Taste pretty darn good.