Do you love big bluegill?

SPOTTED CATFISH

they where caught on a minnow

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Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on April 30, 2011 at 6:34pm: Well, Mike, I made an entire post for it, featuring YOU. Thanks for trying it....

Comment by Mike Stacy on April 30, 2011 at 6:22pm: Is there a recipe section here? We need one, and I think the soda soak should be at the top of the "Strong tasting fish" section. The tip is a definite WINNER, and I thank you. I love catfish even MORE now! I live by the ocean, and I'll be sure to keep some Chek in the pantry for the next big bluefish that bends my pole.
I slather the tops of those fillets with mayonaise, and bake them until it browns... Gooood, but still, BLUEFISH... most folks won't eat them, and even I acknowledge they taste STRONG.
I may splurge for Sprite for those... it would probably be worth the few extra cents.
The wind has made bream fishing a problem the last couple days. I'll try the lake at dawn, and then go hit the beach if the wind is manageable.
Cheers!

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on April 30, 2011 at 6:01pm: So you're thinking we have a winner with the lemon-lime soak? Im happy - I had never heard of it before I read that. Think maybe we need to make a post all on its own for it?

As for the Worchestershire sauce, It was mentioned the times Ive seen it as a dip only. It's used to wet the fish for the breading to stick. I've also seen Heinz 57 used the same way (and Im guessing A-1 Sauce would do as well).

Comment by Mike Stacy on April 30, 2011 at 5:49pm: And I am STUFFED! The lemon/lime soda worked the best of all 3. In one hour it made the fillets noticeably paler than the ginger ale batch, and the fillets had a wonderful flavor. The gamy taste of black bullhead was removed very nicely. The ginger ale worked, but not as well. The Worcestershire sauce was pretty nasty, but I'm sure I left the fillets soaking too long... probably 10 minutes, while I was cooking the others.

An excellent way to deal with a strong flavored fish! I am delighted with the results! Chek lemon/lime soda for one hour did the trick. Spread the word. Shout it from the mountaintops.

Time for me to do dishes, and then maybe take a nap. [Burrrp!]

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on April 30, 2011 at 4:58pm: Mike, I sure wish I was at your house right about now! You have my taste buds a'tingling.

Make sure the fish are good and dry before you prep them for frying. I'm dying to know how this comes out....

Comment by Mike Stacy on April 30, 2011 at 4:23pm: I have just started two batches soaking [@ 6 pm]. One in Chek brand lemon/lime, and the other is an impulse of my own... Canada Dry ginger ale! It just seemed like a good candidate for fish soaking. We shall see...

I have egg/milk wash, Zatarains corn meal fish fry, and peanut oil to fry it in. That's my personal favorite approach to a fry. I'll spice up a little bowl of ketchup with a small dash of home made habanero hot sauce... Mmmmm...

I may not be able to wait the full 60 minutes, but I'll try!

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on April 30, 2011 at 4:07pm: @Mike - the soak should last about 30-60 minutes as I recall. The Worchestershire dunking was for fingers about 1" and a few inches long. Thick enough to hold together well as "fingers."

Comment by Mike Stacy on April 30, 2011 at 2:28pm: I pulled 10 lb of black bullhead fillets out of the freezer after the last posting, and they ARE one of the "gamy" tasting types, so I'm going to try this! Thanks! No 7-UP in the house, but I'll go get some. Definitely! I'll scout out the worschestrershire sauce before I hit the store... probably some hidden somewhere...

Cooking strong flavored fish with crushed pine apple has always been one of my tricks. A layer of fillets, layer of pine apple, chunks of butter... and a good shake of this "traditional rotisserie chicken" seasoning we have a gallon of. It's like Cavenders, with lemon pepper and extra black pepper. I bake at 350 degrees until the juice in the baking pan has been boiling for 10 minutes.
I'll go ahead and do a traditional corn meal fry with the soaked fillets though. That will make it VERY clear how well the soak works. I'll do some in just the Worchestershire sauce, and one "untreated" as a comparison. I'll post the results tonight! And thanks again... sounds like a winner!

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on April 30, 2011 at 1:45pm: "All hail the whisker fish! Gods gift to a hungry man..."

I could not have said it better myself.

A couple of things that might interest you folks. Ive read that lemon-lime soda pop, (7-UP, etc.) used as a pre-soak liquid, will remove some of the off taste from fish. Dunking them in Worchestershire sauce, before breading, is also mentioned in a few Mississippi cooks' techniques. I cannot vouch for 'em, Ive only heard of 'em.

As for WD-40, well, I looked this up. There is a persistent rumor that WD-40 is made from fish oil, so makes a good fish attractant. Well... its not true. There isn't anything even remotely piscatorial about the lubricants ingredients. In fact, it is mostly mineral spirits, with petroleum lubricating oils, surfactants and perfumes added in. If you are at all conscientious about maintaining the purity of the waters you fish in, you may well be advised to keep the stuff out of them! Spray it on your reels with abandon, but I recommend you not use it as a bait enhancer.

Comment by Mike Stacy on April 30, 2011 at 11:52am: And I've never used chichen breast and WD-40 for bait, but live frogs smeared with Preperation-H will get the big ones! Seriously. I kid you not...