Do you love big bluegill?

Howdy all....

I dunno if this is the right thing to do, but I ain't never been one to skirt a crowd when I see bobbers dancing and room to squeeze my elbows in......

First fish I ever caught was a bluegill. Caught him at a small lake in Los Angles county. Spent many.,many days in my youth there, with red worm blood, and mine, from the point of the hook, and an occasional glutton bleeder, wiped on my coveralls. By summers end, those coveralls were ripe, the smell not ever forgotten through the years.

Spent many days fishing them on a big lake where my farther lived, it was by far, his favorite fish, fishing with him before he passed. Again, just like the smell of them coveralls, the memories I have with him will last till we meet again.

Taught every one of my 5 kids to fish, all starting with bluegill.

Funny thing, it was years later I tasted my first bluegill. I'd eat crappie, as they were big enuff to fillet ( I hate bones ) but bluegill seemed to me like eating sunflower seeds, a lot of work for only one itsy bitsy seed!

Well, one day my youngest son and I were into a wide open bite of BIG fish. we were fishing Berkley power grubs, the small white single tail one on a 1/32 ounce head. These guys were so big I could not grab them in one hand. I said, "Son, lets keep a few to cook up."

We did.

I filleted these guys out, dredged them in some corn meal, flour mix, after a dip into a beaten egg, tossed into a cast iron skillet with oil, browned, salt and peppered......DANG, MY PA WAS RIGHT!!!

That meat had so much flavor.

Fished those critters for well over a week, ate them every night. I was sorry when they moved out...or hey, do you think I caught and ate them all......nah.

Oh well....I'm eddie, hello, and I'll let you get back to what it wuz you were doing.....before I jammed my elbows in.

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Permalink Reply by 10.5" RES Sharon on November 8, 2010 at 6:27am

That's for the interesting plug, Eddie. Welcome.
Sharon

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Permalink Reply by Bill "Musky" Modica on November 8, 2010 at 6:43am

Nice story Eddie, I too never ate bluegill, or any fish for that matter....Your pa was definately right!....Although I was addicted to bluegill fishing from the age of 9, I didn't actually eat one until I was 18....I now enjoy them approx. 4 times a week.

This incredibly tasty and renewable resource is overlooked by many anglers and often takes a back seat to Perch, Crappie, Walleye, Pike and Trout.....The sometime difficulty of cleaning bluegill can detour some people from experiencing this wonderful table fare.

http://bigbluegill.com/video/bluegill-filleting-technique