For all you dirty Catfish eaters ?

[GbayGiant]

So I've never ate a catfish, my grandpa was the first guy to show me how to fish and the first catfish I caught he told me the wiskers would sting me. so I belived him untill I was around 16 years old, then I found out that the top fin bone would go through your hand.

 

Needless to say I don't even like talking them off my hook, especially with that croaking noise that they make isn't to attractive either.

 

So the thing is I can catch them of the dock all summer by the hundreds from dusk to 2 hours after dark they won't stay off my hook. With the acception of one 30lbs channel cat they are all only about 12-16".

 

Should I be eating these things ? are they easy to clean ? do they taste good ?

 

Edited March 14, 2007 by GbayGiant

[Fisherman]

Ya, nothing wrong with bullheads, clean them by spiking them to a board, circle the body with a sharp knife to score the skin, grab the skin the pliers and gently pull back. Knock out the innards and there you go, dust in flour, fry in butter.

[Rich]

Bullheads are similar in flavour to brook trout. Cant wait to fry a few up myself in just a few weeks.

[Castmaster]

Down in the southern states, catfish is all they eat.

[Jen]

I agree with Rich, yummy!

[OhioFisherman]

If you are in Pointe Au Baril there is some good catfishing there. Ya the cats spike them, saw my grandad do that when I was like 6, and he didn`t fish! I had to eat them, but don`t even remember, mixed bag of fish and they were all good!.

[nelly]

How to fillet flathead

 

X-Big Catfish

[Joey]

Thanks for the vid's Nelly. It always looks so easy when they do it. I've tried myself, and it definately wasn't that easy.

 

Joey

[ryanheritage]

Yeah I love bullhead in the spring but not so much in late summer or fall meat gets really mushy. My fav way of cat fish is.....

make sure fillet is well patted dry to start this

egg wash the fillet (or milk) egg is better

mix these dry ingriedients

flour, cornmeal or itailan bread crumbs , Tony's Chachere's spice N' herb seasoning, and a little bit of cayenne pepper,

once I get the oil to about 195-200 degrees i throw in a couple pieces of smashed garlic for a few seconds then take it out. then coat fish and giver a hot oil bath mmmmmm

i then make my own tartar sauce mayo, relish, fresh dill, ------- or mayo, relish and "green seasoning" < you can get it at a good grocery store in the imported food section it kinda looks like relish. That way to me is hands down the best fish fry for cats and pickerel. mmmmmmm

When I used to go camping that was my fish of choice to eat cause I can clean them without a knife or a table. I can't wait for the open water

[dsn]

I find that most cats these days are infested with the yellow grubs. ALmost everyone I come across. So I don't bother with eating them for a long time.

[Greencoachdog]

Down in the southern states, catfish is all they eat.

 

 

 

We like the occasional Crappie too!

[Dano]

 

We like the occasional Crappie too!

 

Thats because you eat so many catfish Glen!

Edited March 14, 2007 by Dano

[aplumma]

How can you throw mud at one of the best eating fish in the world? It's kind of funny see I do not eat the bullhead cats and will even move to a new spot if they find my bait. Now hook up to a 3-5 lb channel catfish and I will consider it a treasure for the table. Around5-10 lb they are not as tasty so back into the water for them. After 10 lbs well they got my respect for the fight they have just given me so they get to go back and spread their supior genes. As far as cleaning them I am not near as good as Joe is but he fillet them and then runs the knife between the skin and the flesh the same way you do a fish with scales. The meat on the ribcage is so thin that it is not worth messing with if you decide to debone that part of the fish. Don't forget to fry up a batch of hush puppies to go with them catfish they are part of a good summer fishfry with the crickets chirping and a cold beer flowin........

 

 

Art

[pikehunter]

I still remember my first catfish. I was about 4 or 5 years old and at my grandfathers cottage on Chemung. The adult guys were all off in their boats on the lake somewhere and I was left back at the cottage with my mother. I spent the day fishing off the dock and landed a catfish. Not knowing any better I reached down and grabbed it with my hand! That was the last time I ever did that! My mother came running down to the dock and nursed my stinging injury! That was that. I have had a considerable respect for feline fish ever since.

 

As for eating catfish, I did try it one time. We bought some fillets from a fish shop, rolled them in cornmeal and fried them up. Probably the best tasting fish you could ever imagine!

 

I have caught many huge and table sized cats since my chilhood but have never had the courage to clean one, eat it or even touch it. I do my best to get them unhooked while they are still in the water or in the net! I am a chicken

[nelly]

Thats because you eat so many catfish Glen!

Healthy Cumin Catfish Recipe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BAAJ9p-Jxg

[mattyk]

catfish are great!

[danbo]

Hey Gbay...that picture must have been taken at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station!

[steverowbotham]

sounds like they are bullhead to me, and yes you can eat them, they are actually very tasty! Beer Batter 'em and you wont regret it.

[Daplumma]

Not a fan of bull heads but channel cats are really tasty.second only to crappie in these parts.The larger cats are not so good but the 12-20 inchers are prime.You dont need to nail them to a tree and skin them,just filet them like any other fish.Roll them in some fish fry and fry them up!

Joe

Edited March 14, 2007 by Daplumma

[Greencoachdog]

I spent the day fishing off the dock and landed a catfish. Not knowing any better I reached down and grabbed it with my hand! That was the last time I ever did that! My mother came running down to the dock and nursed my stinging injury!

 

 

The whiskers gotcha!... didn't they?

[walleyejigger]

used to eat alot of catfish, very tasty, fried with clubhouse cajun spice marinade, mmmmmm good, if a restaurant offers "blackened catfish" i usually order it, usually not to fond of restaurant fish, but that's gooood

 

 

link to cleaning video didn't work for me,

 

i just cut across behind the head to the spine (without cutting the spine) then run the tip of fillet knife along the back to the tail, (just enough to cut the skin) pick it up, snap the head down towards belly until spine snaps and air bag "pops", the pull apart (head towards tail) and voila done, i can clean a 1-2lbs catfish in about 45 seconds,

[Daplumma]

Yeah Dawg is right..you got to watch out for them whiskers.

[GbayGiant]

You guys are hilarious.

 

By the sounds of it everyone likes them so I'll have to clean up a tester this year, with a few mud puppies and some chocolate covered crickets for desert.

 

Thanks for the links and recipes, I'll save this thread and giver a go.

[pikehunter]

The whiskers gotcha!... didn't they? w00t.gif w00t.gif w00t.gif w00t.gif w00t.gif

 

Yep! That's what I thought for years, but I believe it's the ends of their fins that gets ya But I don't care, I stay clear of both the whiskers and the fins!

 

How can such a nasty looking fish taste soooo goooood?

[Greencoachdog]

Yep! That's what I thought for years, but I believe it's the ends of their fins that gets ya But I don't care, I stay clear of both the whiskers and the fins!

 

How can such a nasty looking fish taste soooo goooood?

 

 

You got it Bubba! The "spines" are serrated and leave a jagged puncture wound, the "slime" is the "poison"! I still get gigged every now and then, but it's usually the little she-yits that get me... I'd much rather handle a 2-10 lber. than a 6"-12 incher, the smaller ones fins are needle and razor sharp!

 

I stepped on a catfish barefooted when I was a kid, and man what a mess! My foot swelled up 3 times the size of normal... couldn't walk!... I'll never forget that!