Eatin’ cats

I’ve been fishing for cats on the Fox and Illinois rivers pretty much all my life. I’ve generally targeted Channels because they are easier to find and more abundant. I found out real quick that larger cats are a blast to catch, but aren’t very tasty. Those 3/4 to 1-1/2 lbers are great though. My question is this-> I saw on another thread that Flathead meat is white and flaky (like Northern), true or false? If so, can anyone recommend how they like to cook theirs when they keep ’em? Also, what size is best for Flats? I’m not looking to ‘harvest’ any from your pools, but when I get back home to the “Flatland”, I may have to keep one and try it out. Thanks!

Joe

Hey Joey!

I keep saying I’m going to take a flat home for a meal, but haven’t. I’ve heard that if they are too small (> #4) there isn’t much flesh. Then on the flip side…I wouldn’t want one much larger than 6-7 lbs because of the mercury and other water contaminates. I’m sure some people eat them larger..but some people sniff glue too….
To me, what’s more important than the heavy metals is the time it takes to grow a larger flat. Roughly 20+ years for a 20+ fish. I want others to enjoy the thrill of landing a monster just as much as I want to land one. For this reason, I discourage the taking of larger fish as I do with walleye and bass.

Disclaimer: MN law allows for a 10 cat bag limit on the WI/MN border. Inland waters above Prescot, there is a 5 cat bag limit, not more that 2 may be a flat and only one may be over 24 inches.

My point is…these are your fish too and legal for you to harvest. (just don’t follow me! )

PS…I can’t give you any tips on cooking or the taste…sorry!

You will probably glow in the dark after your meal. They eat everything and anything – since most of them come from south of the Twin Cities I suspect they have had a diet of some pretty toxic stuff.

Fingers…limbs…

I caught and ate my first 2 flats out of the Mississippi this year. A 2 and a 4 pounter. Filleted them and cooked em. One of them I battered and one of them I breaded with Shore lunch. They taste fine but the texture was different than any other fish. I thought the meat was soft, not nice and flakey. My kids wouldn’t eat anymore after the first piece. May just be the way I cooked them though.

my 2 cents worth
mr twister

I quit eating them a while ago, but properly prepared they are excellent eating. Any catfish has a great deal of blood in them. The only way in my humble opinion is to cut their tales off and bleed them for 10 or 15 minutes. Trim any fat you can see from the edges and catfish looks and tastes as good as any walleye or whitefish. If you don’t bleed them they look pink like a skinned bullhead over 7 inches.

There was a time I killed anything that would fly, had four legs with fur, or swim. Don’t get me wrong, we ate every bit of it Yes Flats are good eating when taken care of properly. I would rather be munching eyes though
Now I think along the lines as Brian, on big cats that is not dresses
I must have developed some soft spots
20 years old and 20 plus pounds, that kitty seen some stuff. I hope to meet up with her in another 20 years.
While I’m waiting though, come on Grandma kitty
Good luck fishing

I apologize for the long post.
Thank you all for the feedback. Just to rest any fears, I’d never want to eat any monster that’s been suckin’ mud for that many years. Love to snap some pictures though! Here is my thoughts on some of the feedback:

Comanchero15 – I hear ya on the toxins. The Fox River in Illinois was darn near glow-in-the-dark green in the ’70s. Since then they have cleaned it up and at one point it was the 2nd cleanest river in Illinois. Excellent Smallie population. Walleye are comin’ on strong. Channels are getting bigger and there are always a couple of 20# plus Flats caught each year.

Mr Twister – Shore Lunch with any kind of fish cut into strips about the size of a finger is the only way the rest of the family (all 6 kids) will eat fish. No other breading or batter will do!

Whiskerkev – I agree bleeding them helps and it is definitely a must that all fat be trimmed off!

Bret – CPR is what Dad and I mostly practice nowadays. Mostly. Nothin’ beats a fresh shore lunch though. I really don’t know if I would even keep a trophy any more. Probably just get a replica made so one of my boys could catch her again someday!

Brian – Thanks for all the feedback and all the ‘entertaining’ posts you add to this forum. I also have to tip my hat to you for the comment about the fish being mine too. I don’t know if there have been that many jerks that have given us a bad name, but there are still a lot of true sportsman from Illinois that know how to enjoy the outdoors and leave it looking better than when we got there. It’s sometimes frustrating for us ‘Flatlanders’ to come up your way and not even be able to get a friendly wave once the IL is spotted on the side of the boat. To me, real sportsman don’t see color or location. Only someone else with the same interests and mindset.

Dad and I are up on pool 4 the week of June 18th – 25th. Anyone see a brown 17′ Sea Nymph with an Illinois sticker give us a wave! We’re really not all bad from down here!

I only eat cats out of the Snake River, or Cross Lake in Pine county, or the upper Croix by Grantsburg WI. You must take the mud lines out to make most cats palatable. Like most have said, there are toxins related to larger fish. I ALWAYS use an electric filet knife, and don’t just skin them. I leave a fraction of meat on the skin. I then zip the filets like I do with walleye and pike. Holding the filet up by the tail portion, and cut a fork in the centerline. Peel each side off the bony line in the middle. These are small bones and nerve endings where junk settles. It is also meat that gives them a terrible taste in some cases. I then cut the meat into catfish nuggets. If I take the fish out of the hot summer, and the meat is kind of mushy, a soaking in 7-up overnight firms them up, and sweetens them a touch. I have never tried the Flatties, because of their potential to grow into true trophies, I let all of them go. Channels seem more plentiful to me, and the areas where I fish the channels only have channels and no flats.
Tuck

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t’s sometimes frustrating for us ‘Flatlanders’ to come up your way and not even be able to get a friendly wave once the IL is spotted on the side of the boat.

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Joey? You’re from IL?

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I don’t know if there have been that many jerks that have given us a bad name, but there are still a lot of true sportsman from Illinois that know how to enjoy the outdoors and leave it looking better than when we got there. It’s sometimes frustrating for us ‘Flatlanders’ to come up your way and not even be able to get a friendly wave once the IL is spotted on the side of the boat. To me, real sportsman don’t see color or location. Only someone else with the same interests and mindset.

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I agree and I hate to think you’ve gotten that reception up here. I’ll talk fishing with anyone and enjoy sharing an interest an appreciation for the river with people. I don’t care where you come from, and I’m kind of embarassed to find out we’re so cold up here.

All I ask is common courtesy or “fisherman’s etiquette”. The other day some yahoos came up to within ten feet of my boat before asking which way the landing was. This wouldn’t be too bad normally, but I was in a foot and a half of water on bluegill spawning beds (as my use of a fly rod should’ve indicated) and this guy tore up a great deal of territory – and bottom – puttering through with his longshaft motor half trimmed up. He could have asked from 50 yards away and still heard me. Where was he from? Don’t know, but wherever it was it wouldn’t be fair to group his whole state in with HIM.

That is why we do what we do here. Chances are, if you get that kind of reception, it is not from someone who belongs to this site.
Tuck

Soaking the fillets in buttermilk or some other acidic mixture will also help extract the blood and improve the texture and taste.

Thanks for all the tips. I may have to try the 7up or buttermilk trick. We’ve got some smaller ponds/lakes around here that are overpopulated with small (perfect eatin’sized) channels but they taste pretty muddy. I also hope I didn’t sound like NO ONE was friendly to me up north. I’ve have met some of the friendliest people I’ve ever known in both Minnesota and Wisconsin (some from Iowa too). I was just saying that some people are closed minded and like to stereotype a person just because of the state they live in. Everyone who posts on IDA seems to be genuine. I’m here everyday reading, learning, and most of the time laughing my off! Thanks again to everyone!