I thought it would be interesting to see a collection of photos and descriptions of the "lesser known species" caught by members, like coarsefish or non-targetted species. Some of the underdog species in Ontario make for good sport fish and suprisingly good table fare.
This year I caught a couple large chub from the Ottawa River while I was fishing for walleye. My brother and I tried eating one but it was terrible pan-fried. This one in the photo is a "horny head chub". It has a couple dozen little bumps on it's head and is usually much smaller. A lot of times they are found in small creeks, especially roadside it seems. They are not a delicacy for people however they make for effective and durable lake trout/pike bait.
This here is a ling (Edit:Burbot) from Lake Nipissing. I only ever catch them ice fishing for walleye using minnows or spoons. They are aggressive and big and slimy and taste great! Poor man's lobster as they call it, filets nicely into firm white strips of meat. Apparently, the people on Simcoe catch HUGE ones.
Here is a herring. It's often mistaken for a whitefish and as far as I know, tastes pretty good. I'm yet to try a full meal of it and I've heard both good and bad about the taste of the meat.
The white bass is delicious. I can't wait to catch a few more in the spring in the rivers. These were caught on a jig and minnow.
Here is a Mooneye caught in the Ottawa River by JoeyTier. I've never eaten Mooneye but I have tried Goldeye, which is essentially the same fish but the Goldeye is typically found west of Ontario. Joey caught this guy on a spoon (I think) but fly fishing is the best way to catch mooneye/goldeye.