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IceShanty Main => General Ice Fishing Chit Chat => Topic started by: royjulius on Apr 02, 2014, 05:27 PM

Title: Freshwater Drum?
Post by: royjulius on Apr 02, 2014, 05:27 PM
Anybody ever try to eat one of these? I have a friend that says they taste just like walleye. I don't catch very many, but next week I'll be at a lake that has them.  :tipup: :tipup: :tipup:
Title: Re: Freshwater Drum?
Post by: wally-eye on Apr 02, 2014, 05:33 PM
You REALLY need better friends.............yu ck.......
Title: Re: Freshwater Drum?
Post by: rambo51 on Apr 02, 2014, 05:50 PM
They aren't bad, I've had worse. But they are nowhere near the taste of walleye. Also don't forget to take the little calcium "ivories" behind each eye.  ;D
Title: Re: Freshwater Drum?
Post by: Clear_Ice on Apr 02, 2014, 05:51 PM
I've heard they taste great, but I've never had the slightest urge to try them. Whenever I harvest one, it is thrown into a barrel full of carp and gar with an arrow sticking through it, so that lowers the taste appeal a lot...
Title: Re: Freshwater Drum?
Post by: Desperado on Apr 02, 2014, 06:12 PM
 not baaaaaaad  ;)2
Title: Re: Freshwater Drum?
Post by: Svengalli on Apr 02, 2014, 08:04 PM
Nothing like walleye.  Very oily.  If your going to cook them, we have smoked and broiled them on the barbeque with some success.
Title: Re: Freshwater Drum?
Post by: Dakota Angler on Apr 03, 2014, 08:30 AM
Drum are nasty! :sick:
Title: Re: Freshwater Drum?
Post by: Oldbear on Apr 03, 2014, 08:48 AM
Their is nothing wrong with them as far as I'm concerned .  Besides fried I smoke them and its good white meat.  Lot of folks my way fish especially for them to eat.  But walleye is still my favoite.
Title: Re: Freshwater Drum?
Post by: JiggerDan on Apr 03, 2014, 10:25 AM
Yes, I've eaten drum. They're not like walleye, but they are pretty good.
Title: Re: Freshwater Drum?
Post by: bigstorm on Apr 03, 2014, 11:01 AM
I cant bring myself to try one, we catch a lot while open water fishing for walleyes in the spring/summer. Not many in the fall and never thru the ice though
Title: Re: Freshwater Drum?
Post by: Fish huckster on Apr 03, 2014, 02:09 PM
Not bad. Not as good as walleye. Thick bones if I remember correctly. It's been a while.
Title: Re: Freshwater Drum?
Post by: FrankM on Apr 03, 2014, 02:20 PM
I won't eat them.  They eat zebra mussels. Zebra mussels filtered a lot of the junk out of Lake Erie.  When the sheepies eat the zebra mussels they end up with all that junk in their systems.
Title: Re: Freshwater Drum?
Post by: royjulius on Apr 03, 2014, 03:11 PM
Thanks for all the responses. I'm pretty adventurous when it comes to eating the things I catch and kill, (especially after a six pack) so if I catch one of these I'm gonna eat it and I'll post what I thought of it.  :tipup: :tipup: :tipup:
Title: Re: Freshwater Drum?
Post by: bassbull on Apr 03, 2014, 05:59 PM
I won't eat one over 3 lbs. Then fillet them and only eat the strip above the rib cage, not down the tail. They aren't that bad at all.
Title: Re: Freshwater Drum?
Post by: Grim on Apr 03, 2014, 09:58 PM
Best drum tip, get it on ice ASAP, it makes a world of difference
Title: Re: Freshwater Drum?
Post by: Osage on Apr 09, 2014, 09:15 PM
I caught one last year,me and number one son have a rule,if we kill it we eat it,so we killed it.Though I relate them to carp,they taste much better,I say go for it,they ain't half bad!
Title: Re: Freshwater Drum?
Post by: Fish huckster on Apr 09, 2014, 09:17 PM
Osage, you said it! Not the best but not bad. Def better than carp!
Title: Re: Freshwater Drum?
Post by: hnd on Apr 10, 2014, 09:26 AM
i've never had drum prepared in a way that made me think i would eat that again.  I had a friend who ate them alot and even tried to sneak them into a fish fry to prove to people that it was good.  everyone talked about how maybe some of the fish was bad. it was pretty funny because he didn't tell his brother and he was the one who was like, dude i think some of this fish is bad because its gross.   his wife spilled the beans and we all had a good laugh. 

my grandfather ate it because he grew up poor and it was easy to catch.  he still ate it when we were around because it was nostalgic to him but he knew noone else would eat it. 

in the end, there are people that love pickled pike.  there are people that love lutefisk for crying out loud.  taste is subjective.  If you enjoy it, go for it.

however, it tastes nothing like walleye.  regardless of preparation.

Title: Re: Freshwater Drum?
Post by: GAMBELL on Apr 10, 2014, 10:30 AM
I won't eat them.  They eat zebra mussels. Zebra mussels filtered a lot of the junk out of Lake Erie.  When the sheepies eat the zebra mussels they end up with all that junk in their systems.

Better not eat any perch or bass out of Erie then.  They eat gobies, gobies eat zebra muscles.  They are getting the bad stuff from muscles too. 
Title: Re: Freshwater Drum?
Post by: Sportsman44 on Apr 10, 2014, 12:13 PM
Better not eat any perch or bass out of Erie then.  They eat gobies, gobies eat zebra mussels.  They are getting the bad stuff from muscles too. 
x2  (or any other body of water)  ;D
 
Z mussels are everywhere and part of the food chain.  Zebra mussels are newly introduced. The contaminants have been part of the food chain long before we got Z mussels. 
Perspective is everything
Title: Re: Freshwater Drum?
Post by: Sportsman44 on Apr 10, 2014, 12:18 PM
 :tipup:
Title: Re: Freshwater Drum?
Post by: Svengalli on Apr 10, 2014, 06:44 PM
I don't think their poor taste has anything to do with eating this or that.  It's their oil.  Like most (all?) bass they're oily and drum's particular oil doesn't render well when frying.  Which is why I mentioned smoking or broiling.  At least that way most of the oils will drip away.
Title: Re: Freshwater Drum?
Post by: hardwatercrazy on Apr 15, 2014, 07:15 AM
Broiled then dipped in butter is pretty good.  Friend of mine said his dad fillets them then microwaves (Yes Microwave) them then dips them in butter. 
Title: Re: Freshwater Drum?
Post by: royjulius on Apr 15, 2014, 02:03 PM
Well I didn't catch any drum, but I did get a personal best 5lb walleye and my parents and I ate it for 2 suppers. Caught a bunch of bass too, but released them so I can catch them and win money next week!  :tipup: :tipup: :tipup: