Filet-O-Bass lakes

Yes I filet and eat bass, trick is to burry them in ice right away, usual batter, I like peaunut oil, 350 degrees.
I catch for the pan only a couple times a year and have one lake for this, DNR got almost 100 a hour zap fishing, lots of smalls and mediums. The lake I fish, now has lots of 17s (too big) and 12s (too small) had fun yesterday not complaining but might have to find another lake. Ideas? PM me if you want to know the lake I fished yesterday.

Check you PM

2 recs. for the price of 1-thanks Thump.

You take yourself right out of this bass section!

I think 12s and 13s are the best eaters. I’ll take them home in the winter over the summer

Love catching bass in the winter.

I honestly prefer small pike over small bass. I learned how to remove the y bones. There’s so many small pike out there and the daily bag limit is 10. We need to utilize this abundant resource more.

gim wrote:

I honestly prefer small pike over small bass. I learned how to remove the y bones. There’s so many small <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>pike out there and the daily bag limit is 10. We need to utilize this abundant resource more.

This… and they are tasty!

FryDog62 wrote:

This… and they are tasty!

I prefer to wait until the water cools down a little which should be happening soon. September is a good month to load up on slime lol

Keeping bass can be a good thing for some lakes. Especially smaller lakes. I’ve helped in the boat with DNR shocking. A common recommendation is to remove bass from 11” to 18”. Private or club lakes without public pressure, is sometimes remove every one you catch if you ever want larger fish. They are too large to be forage but are usually in numbers that eat a large portion of the other forage in the lake, depriving the bigger fish the nutrition. At sometimes hundreds per acre, there is generally not enough interest to put a needed dent in them.
It also takes a little heat off the pan fish and other gamefish population that gets harvested heavier. A 12” to 14” makes a great fish sandwich. 14” to 16″” rub with Italian dressing, garlic pepper, red pepper flakes to taste. Wrap in foil with onions peppers lemons mushrooms if you like and grille for about 12 minutes. Haven’t got my Blackstone yet but have a few ideas there.

Keeping bass is a good thing for ALL lakes!

I think the hardcore bass guys are funny. They think that bass are some to be protected trophy and they should never be harvested. I grew up fishing for bass mostly and we kept and ate all different sizes. I now pan fish and walleye fish 99% of the time I’m on the water and just have enough of those around to eat I don’t bother keeping bass anymore. I will once in a while take my dad out and he wants to get some bass because that is what he prefers to eat, doesn’t really care for walleye.

John Rasmussen wrote:

They think that bass are some to be protected trophy and they should never be harvested.

I’m mostly a bass guy. I don’t think that John. Smaller bass 12-15 inches can easily be harvested and is beneficial to some lakes, as already posted. The issue with harvesting larger ones is the same issue as harvesting larger fish of other species. The larger ones are females and do the majority of the reproducing. Plus this far north it takes a long time for a bass to grow and get to a sizable fish. 18 inchers are too big to be keeping IMO. A biologist at Mille Lacs in 2015 told me that it takes a bass about a decade to grow to 20 inches/5 pounds this far north. That’s not a renewable resource anywhere.

Its all about selective harvest, and that includes bass.

Ground muskie cheeks stuffed into the fillet of a 22″ bass then grilled and served with a few cold busch lightts. No better eating then that.

gim wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>John Rasmussen wrote:</div>
They think that bass are some to be protected trophy and they should never be harvested.

I’m mostly a bass guy. I don’t think that John. Smaller bass 12-15 inches can easily be harvested and is beneficial to some lakes, as already posted. The issue with harvesting larger ones is the same issue as harvesting larger fish of other species. The larger ones are females and do the majority of the reproducing. Plus this far north it takes a long time for a bass to grow and get to a sizable fish. 18 inchers are too big to be keeping IMO. A biologist at Mille Lacs in 2015 told me that it takes a bass about a decade to grow to 20 inches/5 pounds this far north. That’s not a renewable resource anywhere.

Its all about selective harvest, and that includes bass.

100% agree. I’m also mostly a bass guy and will also Harvest a few each spring and late fall when the water temps are cooler. They are much better table fare than most know they are. What’s needed to make them tasty are:

Harvest them during cool water times – Early spring and late Fall. I prefer late fall.
Harvest Smaller fish. To me 12-14″ is the idea size.
Bleed them before ending the outing.
Get them on ice right away till you can clean them.

There are lakes in my area where I have no doubt that the lake would benefit from some selective harvest. These are the lakes I target when I want to harvest a few for a meal or Two.

gim wrote:

I honestly prefer small pike over small bass. I learned how to remove the y bones. There’s so many small <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>pike out there and the daily bag limit is 10. We need to utilize this abundant resource more.

Small pike are also excellent eating and could use some selective harvest in a LOT of lakes. The only reason I don’t keep more of them than I do is because of how slimmy they get before you can get to cleaning them. on the small ones I would just take the back strap and the tail fillet. Quick and easy and not much meat wasted.

I think the only bass I’ve eaten in the past 25 years are white bass and they are technically a panfish. But given the choice of catching and/or eating a crappie vs. whitey… bass all they way for me!

Bass are technically considered a panfish too.

CaptainMusky wrote:

Bass are technically considered a panfish too.

Rock Bass lol

gim wrote:

Rock Bass lol

Shhh! LOL

gim wrote:

Rock Bass lol

That’s where I draw the line. Could not pay me to eat one of them. I know a few people who keep and eat them and say they don’t taste any different than a crappie or sunfish. No Thanks. I caught to many of them on the crow wing and Long Prairie river growing up and they all had ugly growth and fungus looking crap on them. Can’t get past those images.

CaptainMusky wrote:

Bass are technically considered a panfish too.

True, I was trying to follow the IDO species categories on the main page

We always end up keeping some bass on Rainy, chunk them up like the walleye and northerns and no one knows what is what. This is usually early July as well.

Bass did need protection years ago, not anymore at least not from selective harvest. Minnesota has some great bass fishing, even world class in the case of smallies. I catch lots of small ones when panfishing and big ones on tip-ups. Nowadays they can be a sort of hindrance like hammer-handles can be. I’m not complaining and not a bass hater (love to eat the 12-13 inchers from cold water), but I think the population is in good condition. More fun to be had!

To be clear my post was not a dig on anybody here just my experience with what I consider the Bass Master guys. I still enjoy fishing for them once in a while and probably should do it more, since my walleye skills have been failing me lately.
Glad to hear some of you guys are harvesting some, I too think that is needed for healthy populations.

gim wrote:

I honestly prefer small pike over small bass. I learned how to remove the y bones. There’s so many small <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>pike out there and the daily bag limit is 10. We need to utilize this abundant resource more.

Pike are delicious as well, and we eat them to. But it doesn’t change bringing a bass or 2 home for dinner

Bearcat89 wrote:

Pike are delicious as well, and we eat them to. But it doesn’t change bringing a bass or 2 home for dinner

How about rock bass? You eat those? Lol

Grew up eating bass. I never had a problem with them.

Just caught some August bass that where put into ice right away, fileted them right when I got home now they are in the freezer, do you really think your May or October bass will taste any different? I agree with those who are saying we should harvest more fish of a certain size and from certain lakes. Turtle Lake in Ramsey Co. used to give up an occasional lunker, now the lake is all catch and release and it is full of smalls.

OK kids check your facts before you post, not after! Turtle now has a slot, it was all C&R.