April flowers means the big gills are active in Carolina!

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Comment by Angelo C Mastrando Jr. on March 30, 2012 at 6:31pm

That is a different method than what I usually do. David that's good way of kiiling taste some fish do have a gamy or tough taste.  

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on March 30, 2012 at 5:50pm

Angelo,

Yes, the 7up minimizes the "fish" taste... which is fine with me. The texture is pretty much intact, but the flesh comes out very much like deep sea fish, such as halibut.

This 7Up soaking originated with carp, suckers, bullhead.... a way to make strong, undesirable tasting fish more palatable. Thats where I first learned of it.

Certainly, some people are eager for the taste of freshwater fish. It means something to them; it's part of the total experience. I, too, want to eat it, but I PREFER it be bland, even "tasteless." This treatment gives me that.

Weird, I suppose.

Comment by Angelo C Mastrando Jr. on March 30, 2012 at 4:51pm

7up? Won't that acid just kill all the texture/taste?

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on March 30, 2012 at 10:57am

Angelo
Some people live fish...I'm not one of them.
I find the best fish is stored well and prepared properly.
Storage starts at the unhooking... Hand size fish go on a stringer, to be kept. I gut and fillet/ clean the keepers, and cool them immediately in a separate plastic bag. Fish, should DRY and cold, not floating in an ice chest full of ice wat
At home, I soak the fish in 7up for 30 min.... This takes out any "fishy" taste.... Which you'll recall I dislike. This is optional.
I then dip the fish in an egg wash and roll in seasoned corn meal. I fry my freshwater fish in vegetable oil.... I leave baking or broiling to others.

Comment by Angelo C Mastrando Jr. on March 30, 2012 at 8:38am

Thanks for the advice Jeffrey & David. Headed out soon, I may keep a few just to see how each of these species taste's, gill or seed's. If they taste as good as what your telling me oh man lol.

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on March 30, 2012 at 3:27am

@ Angelo - the best fish for eating are reputed to be the beefier, mid-size ones. Not the monster whoppers, and not the piddlers.

To give you a number, 8", + or -, is a good eating bluegill and falls into this range.

Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on March 30, 2012 at 2:36am

You will get varied opinions Angelo but I'll give you my take......Save the big fish because experts will tell you through experience that big fish can be fished out! Keep the big fish in the breeding pool to pass on those genes! Many folks will scale their gills but I filet 98% of mine....It's a craft to clean sunfish but as Tony and David mentioned, they are very tasty....You'll develop your own preference over time......As for my favorite...I can cook 6 or 7 species of sunfish at the same time and only the most experienced diner could even tell I cooked multiple species......Bottom line, a nice mess of bluegill makes for great table fare....Enjoy!

Comment by Angelo C Mastrando Jr. on March 29, 2012 at 7:35pm

Never take the biggest? Spawning reason's? Like the one in this picture look's like he has plenty of meat. Do they? Which one's are the best to keep for taste?

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on March 29, 2012 at 6:11pm

What Tony said -

Sunfish have a delicate flesh, white and crisp. But youll never know unless you try them.

Never take the biggest....

Comment by Tony Livingston on March 29, 2012 at 6:05pm

Angelo, in my opinion Bluegill is one of the best tasting fish there is. Remember also, that harvest is an integral part of fishing. The trick is to educate ourselves, and practice selective harvest.

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