What fish do you keep to eat? – What Season do you keep the most?

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I’ll keep legal spring walleyes under 20” & just take pics of 28”+

-perch & bluegill I’ll keep in 7’s. 14 pcs is a perfect meal for two of us. I don’t clean dinky panfish so I’m lucky to get 7 or 14 panfish at a time. Just got my first ever limit of perch this last fall. That’ll never happen again.

-sand sturgeon- I’ll keep a couple of them in the spring. Delicious smoked or fried.

-10 salmon from 2 days on Lake Michigan in June. Smoke them always.

I’ve kept 1 snapping turtle each of the last two years. Made soup last time and will again soon with the one from 2019.

Usually smoke a couple catfish and carp if I get into them.

I keep fish only during the winter through the ice. I think they just taste better than warm water fish. Plus it’s easier to keep them fresh until filleting them. Never been a big fan of carrying a cooler full of ice on the boat.

On average, I’ve been keeping about 5-10 walleyes, 20 bigger (11.5-12”) crappies that are ideal for the smoker, and about 40-50 7.5-8.25” gills per winter.

I have no issues freezing fish in a Ziploc bag full of water. They taste about 95% as good as fresh/unfrozen. I eat them sometimes many months after freezing.

For as much as I fish, that’s doing a lot of releasing. I never keep big fish. I’m a big advocate of tossing big bluegills back.

My wife loves crappies through the ice so we eat maybe 10 meals of them a winter. Prefer not to freeze them so usually just keep enough for a meal, 5-6 fish. Keep walleyes on occasion winter or summer but only 3-4 for a meal, again try not to freeze them. Rarely keep sunfish but will keep some perch on occasion.

Bass Thumb wrote:

have no issues freezing fish in a Ziploc bag full of water. They taste about 95% as good as fresh/unfrozen. I eat them sometimes many months after freezing.

I started doing this last fall and there’s a huge difference to non watered bags. Good tip I wish I would’ve known years ago.

I fill the bags with water, then put in a bowl into the freezer, when frozen take out bowl. FW would not appreciate a pin hole leaking fish water over the popsicles and eggos

#1. skin on sunfish

#2. norderns

and anytime during the year. 95% of my fish come from northern mn.

beads………in my opinion putting fish in water is the ONLY way to put fish in the freezer. i usually use the half gallon milk jugs!!!!!!!

Ideally have a meal on opener, weekend or two after opener I’ll freeze a bag for 4th of July Fish Fry, have at least one fish fry on an annual Rainy Lake HB trip, then maybe another in the fall if I’m lucky. Winter depends on time/trips, so haven’t had any this year. Generally will have one or two Red Lake Trips, one LOW and a couple panfish trips in the metro. Most of my trips are to Mille Lacs and I haven’t kept an eye from there in at least 7 years.

glenn57 wrote:

#1. skin on sunfish

#2. norderns

and anytime during the year. 95% of my fish come from northern mn.

beads………in my opinion putting fish in water is the ONLY way to put fish in the freezer. i usually use the half gallon milk jugs!!!!!!!

Another thing I’ve found and it really works is freezing in water with all air out , I use gallon freezer bags , but after they thaw ,drain water and add a cup of milk to the bag shake it and let soak for five to ten minutes. I don’t know why but every one that’s tried this agrees that it really makes it taste fresh again.

What we all really need is a cryo freezer, take out and it jumps right back to life.

Feel free to Photoshop a walleye head on to the demolition man’s…..

Maybe a meal of walleyes around opener and again late fall. Currently working on getting the live well taken out of my boat. Just no use for it.

’ve kept >less< then:
30 gills over the last 10 years
10 eater walleye/sauger over the last 10 years
4 pike over the last 10 years
1 flathead over the last 15 years
25 channel cats over the last 10 years
4 Shovelnose sturgeon in my life time
May have been a few perch in there too.
But I have killed plenty of Hamm’s!!

I’m certainly not anti harvest!

It seems like the more opportunity a person has to fish, the less they take home. Maybe that just my point of view. IDK

BK – how do the sturgeon taste? How’d you prepare them? I’m just curious as I’ve never tasted sturgeon before and have tasted just about every other freshwater gamefish.

Deuces wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bass Thumb wrote:</div>
have no issues freezing fish in a Ziploc bag full of water. They taste about 95% as good as fresh/unfrozen. I eat them sometimes many months after freezing.

I started doing this last fall and there’s a huge difference to non watered bags. Good tip I wish I would’ve known years ago.

I fill the bags with water, then put in a bowl into the freezer, when frozen take out bowl. FW would not appreciate a pin hole leaking fish water over the popsicles and eggos

Bassthumb and glenn, you should try a vacuum sealer. Works even better than your water freeze application. Plus you can use it for other items besides fish filets.

I eat a lot of fish and game throughout the year, I still practice selective harvest but I would say I definitely eat more fish and wild game than most people.

Kept one walleye last year. Definitely not anti harvest but enjoyable part for me is the challenge of finding and refining the bite

gimruis wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Mr.Beads wrote:</div>

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bass Thumb wrote:</div>
have no issues freezing fish in a Ziploc bag full of water. They taste about 95% as good as fresh/unfrozen. I eat them sometimes many months after freezing.

I started doing this last fall and there’s a huge difference to non watered bags. Good tip I wish I would’ve known years ago.

I fill the bags with water, then put in a bowl into the freezer, when frozen take out bowl. FW would not appreciate a pin hole leaking fish water over the popsicles and eggos

Bassthumb and glenn, you should try a vacuum sealer. Works even better than your water freeze application. Plus you can use it for other items besides fish filets.

i have one of them, mind you its not the best out there. but i have had trouble in the past getting it to seal with water or alot of moisture in it. i have done it a few times……just guess i’m to old school and like my fish in fluids, be it water or hot oil!!!!!!

I used to vacuum seal fish but I’m back to freezing in water.

One little pin hole in a vacuum bag compromises the entire bag, even if it happens after it’s frozen.

I don’t freeze a lot of fish, but when I do it’s in a gallon bag with “some” water. The bag isn’t 100% full and taking up a lot of room or take forever to thaw. Just enough water to surround and protect the meat with no air in the bag.

I freeze salmon and trout with the skin on and ribs intact. It helps to protect the fragile meat.

I’m going to try adding some water to my vac seal bags this year. I’ve got a good sealer that will still vacuum and seal with fluid in the bag. For instance…you can use it to do soup broth etc. Might be a good option for best of both worlds. I just hate the room that a freezer bag full of water takes up.

B-man wrote:

I’ve used to vacuum seal fish but I’m back to freezing in water.

One little pin hole in a vacuum bag compromises the entire bag, even if it happens after it’s frozen.

I don’t freeze a lot of fish, but when I do it’s in a gallon bag with “some” water. The bag isn’t 100% full and taking up a lot of room or take forever to thaw. Just enough water to surround and protect the meat with no air in the bag.

x2 the water in a bag of fillet’s is pretty fool proof, and I prefer it to my vacuum sealer.

B-man wrote:

Just finished brining and smoking a batch of lakers!

Care to share your recipe?

tbro16 wrote:

Fried or blackened walleye every day for a week in the BWCA in june

tbro I’ll be in BWCA in June as well. If you’re on the gunflint side we could meet up and talk analytics

I’ve got my own personal numbers in mind for fish size when it comes to selective harvest. I keep plenty of what I catch, but release plenty of fish as well. We have 2 large fish fry parties at our cabin, july 4th, and labor day weekend. But for those, we’ve got 4-5 people contributing fish with a mix of species. I’ve been known to sneak some bass or catfish into the fryer just to mess with my non fishing family who “love walleye”.

Joe Scegura wrote:

My family and I eat a lot of fish. They love it. I’m not sure how often but about once every 10 days year round.

We prefer <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>crappie and walleye mostly. Sunfish, perch, bass and rock bass are all great too.

Rock Bass – Most under rated fish ever. (BTW I’m very picky about my fish. I can’t even eat restaurant fish. I’d take fresh Rock Bass over restaurant walleye anyday! You would too if you tried em both.

I challenge anyone to clean a big gill and a rock bass. Then fry them both and try to tell the difference. Blew my mind the first time I did it. I’m proud to say I cleaned 400-500 rock bass last year. Keeping fish doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

Interesting take on the Rock Bass. I have never thought about eating one. This winter I have been pounding them in deep water while looking for crappies.
Joe, how did you ever think about eating one , you lose a bet or something?

We went to lake Erie last year. 6 of us. 4 days of fishing. We all kept our limits everyday. We vacuum sealed and froze all fillets while we were there and brought them home. Just had a bag last week. They are still awesome tasting.

We place a piece of paper towel rolled up at the entrance of the vacuum seal bag. This keeps any moisture from going into the vacuum chamber. Pat the fillets dry before you put in the bag.

Around here put in quart size bags and freeze in water.

Don’t keep fish here.

Eelpoutguy wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Joe Scegura wrote:</div>
My family and I eat a lot of fish. They love it. I’m not sure how often but about once every 10 days year round.

We prefer <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>crappie and walleye mostly. Sunfish, perch, <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>bass and rock <em class=”ido-tag-em”>bass are all great too.

Rock Bass – Most under rated fish ever. (BTW I’m very picky about my fish. I can’t even eat restaurant fish. I’d take fresh Rock Bass over restaurant walleye anyday! You would too if you tried em both.

I challenge anyone to clean a big gill and a rock bass. Then fry them both and try to tell the difference. Blew my mind the first time I did it. I’m proud to say I cleaned 400-500 rock bass last year. Keeping fish doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

Interesting take on the Rock Bass. I have never thought about eating one. This winter I have been pounding them in deep water while looking for crappies.
Joe, how did you ever think about eating one , you lose a bet or something?

x2 on the rock bass. I’d bet nobody on here could pick out fried rockbass from bluegills if cooked together. We ate quite a few when I was younger as we’d go to the same few log jams and sight fish for them at the grandparents cabin. They make great practice for kids or people learning to fillet panfish.

I will admit it,I keep several fish of differing species from my vacation in Bemidji every June.
a few walleye to bring home,( it is a put and take lake and my dollars are not spent to their full potential there ),a few crappies,northerns,a few gills and several perch,nothing big but big enough to filet.
I eat several fish while I am there,,and,I put the big ones back when I catch one on the rare occasion.

the best part is when during winter time I will get out my coleman stove or start a fire in the fire ring and cast iron skillet and fry up a small batch of Mn fish and relive the pathetically short time I get each year to go on vacation.
the size and abundance of fish in Mn is safe from me.

And yes,rock bass are very good to eat !!

Instead of using them for flathead bait, going to eat a few, By the way, they are a dang good bait, live along time on the hook.

moustachesteve wrote:

tbro16 wrote:
Fried or blackened walleye every day for a week in the BWCA in june

tbro I’ll be in BWCA in June as well. If you’re on the gunflint side we could meet up and talk analytics

Shame, I’ll be up towards Ely on Ensign and Knife. Careful with that intimidating analytics word, it scares people (or just pisses them off)

Goodluck on the Lakers over there!

The only fish i keep, are to put smiles on others’ faces!

Few years ago after moving to the Miss, i started frying fish for others. Didn’t take long to realize how much people enjoy a Minnesota fish fry!

So, every fish i keep now, i cook for friends and family as often as possible! Like a guide i try hard to catch fish so people leave with limits when they fish with me.

I enjoy eating fish much less than i enjoy seeing the smiles on those faces! There are times i almost think i’m having more fun trying to catch a limit for an upcoming fish fry than i would be chasing the big big girls that i release.

2019 i’ll bet i fried fish for more than 60 different people. Less the year before and less the year before that.

Next time you’re thinking about keeping fish (or throwing one back), ask yourself who you might know that would love a fish fry! I’m sure you know a few!

I used to be very strict on keeping fish when i fished the lakes of MN.

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Fishblood&rivermud

That is a Great point. Myself and others I often fish with often keep some fish either for fish fry’s for others who don’t or cant fish or to give to those people. I know a fair amount of older friends and family that get real excited when I call them about a fresh fish fry or show up at their house with some fresh caught and cleaned fish. I’m often rewarded with a cold brew or two and a game of two of cards. It sure brightens their day for sure

Most of the fish I eat is during the open water season and I might have a handful of meals a year. I usually don’t keep fish and don’t freeze them so anything I keep is intended to be eaten that day. More often than not I just keep a 20″ pike or a few panfish. I will have fresh walleye if I’m in Canada. I would like to start to keep a salmonid or two for baking, grilling and smoking.

One observation I’ve made when it comes to fish and game is the concept of the “group” harvest. People in the group want to be nice and “provide” for the others but half the group has no intentions on keeping anything. It often leads to the proverbial “why don’t you take them”.

Spring water temps equate to the best tasting time of year to harvest IMO. As water temps climb the fish seem to taste more like algae to me.