best sizes for eating?

[adolson]

I love catching fish, and I love eating fish almost as much. I would like to know what sizes are best to keep for each species, so that way I don't keep fish that should go back to swim another day. If it's too small or too big, it should go back, but what I'm not clear on are the actual size ranges for most species. I know it's tough to say exactly as some fish will have a much larger girth, etc, so I'm just really looking for ballpark figures.

 

And also, any other helpful tips, such as how to tell if a fish might be carrying eggs, or anything else I didn't think of?

 

For bass, I've read that it's best to keep fish only between 1 and 2lbs, and since I don't use a scale I've determined the length measurements are approximately between 13" and 16.5" or so. Over the summer I've caught many bass and got reasonably good at determining when one was a good candidate to keep, it's almost second nature now.

 

However, the other species which I'm less familiar with, but most curious about best eating size ranges, are: perch, walleye, lake trout, rainbow trout, brook trout, splake, and pike (I probably won't keep any pike, but still curious).

 

I know that some lakes are strictly put and take for the various trouts, so it probably doesn't matter as much for those lakes. Even so, the first brook trout I caught on Sunday was 8.5" and too small to keep, just looking at it I could tell.. But it's not always so easy.

 

I usually catch very few fish (my total for the entire year is just over 100, whereas some of you catch that many in a night or two). I have only taken my limit twice, both times were my walleye trips with Rod Caster. I have no problem throwing fish back most of the time, but sometimes I'd like to take some home to eat. I thought this thread might be handy for myself as well as others who aren't as knowledgeable, but would like to improve their selections on keeping fish. For example, I kept a rather large bass that I should have let go, but I didn't know it at the time. Only after reading about it here did I realize it probably should have gone back, and I felt bad.

[Musky or Specks]

Smaller is better as a rule Dana. Population dynamics are like a pyramid large base of young fish which gets progressively smaller as they increase in size.The good eater size is probably a fish that has reached prime spawning age and will be passing on its good genetic material for several spawning seasons to come.Thats why you see slot sizes were you have to throw fish back unless they are over or under the slot. For Bass which are notoriously slow growers you'd be better off going with 11 to 14 inches or a fish over 18" that has passed on its gentic material many times.

 

I better idea that I'm more inclined to subscribe to is eat less utilized species or put and take fish. Up your way through the ice whitefish and ling are both not as sought after and make fine table fare.

 

Another one to look at are dink pike. Pike flesh is very sweet and tasty and once you learn to clean them properly very quick to prepare for the table.

 

Panfish are another quick growing short lived species but I know that they don't get very big up your way.

[Billy Bob]

Hungry you eat...

 

Not hungry you release...

 

Pretty simple Redneck rule....

 

[adolson]

Musky or Specks, I've never seen or caught a ling.. I've heard whitefish is great. I've only caught one in my life and it was full of worms, so I've yet to taste one, but I want to! I may try ice fishing for them at Bay Lake this winter, since it's easy to access by car and it's big (part of the Montreal River system). I'll need ice gear..

 

When you say dink pike, how big are you talking? Tiny guys like this? As a kid, we always head/gutted pike (bigger ones) but then you gotta dance around the bones. After having that one stuck in my throat for a day or two, I swore off eating pike. And then I changed my mind and tried again after that and did not enjoy it, and still missed some bones. I tried a few different ways of cleaning them and have yet to find one that I can actually do properly. There's always at least one surprise bone, even if I thought I got them all. I never kept a small pike, before. I mean, 22" isn't big, but it's not tiny like this one.

 

 

 

Thanks Sinclair. Walleye slot here starts at 43cm, or 16.9" so that cuts down that range quite a bit for me. (Upper limit of the slot is 60cm, 23.6"). I have to find a good place to catch perch near me. I know there is somewhere because a few years back, an old friend's brother had a bunch and fed us an awesome lunch.

[Rod Caster]

Pike are good from clean cold lakes at any size... But the smaller ones don't carry much meat, say below 22 -24 inches.

Come to Nip with me and I'll get u into some good Ling, herring and Perch... First hand knowledge is the best.

Any speck is good eating, but keep in mind the populations (natural) are sensitive.

As for bass... Well, keep them all, make room for more walleye and trout. They taste good from clean cold lakes as well.

[Musky or Specks]

This is the size I dine on Count on one fish per person.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lowpZrHSxe8

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM3wAgBmeNU

[Musky or Specks]

This is the size I dine on Count on one fish per person.

 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM3wAgBmeNU

[adolson]

I'll hit Nip sometime, for sure, Rod Caster. But it's an awful long drive if I just want a handful of perch for a meal on some random day. I don't know why you don't like bass, I love it. Usually it's hard to tell a difference between it and walleye (for me anyhow), and I love the fight. But hey, more for me!

 

Musky or Specks, I've seen that second video. I laugh every time the guy says he likes pike more than pickerel (I assume he means walleye, and not actual pickerel). Something is wrong with his taste buds, haha. Anyhow, I think the part I was forgetting was that slice he took off the tail pieces.. I bet ya. Maybe I'll try it again if I'm in the mood. There are so many pike around here, and they seem the easiest to catch (unless you're actually trying to catch one). The size in the first video looked like about the same as my 22" catches, so I think I'm on the right track there.

 

I was really mostly wondering about the trouts though, because there are several put and take lakes around me, and I'm hoping to catch more of them. I guess it doesn't really matter too much for those, though.

[Musky or Specks]

Dana pike is just as good as walleye and because of the pressure on walleye I'll take pike everytime

Edited October 4, 2011 by Musky or Specks

[Rod Caster]

And I don't mean a handful of perch bring a 5 gallon bucket.

[Fisherman]

Musky or Specks, I've never seen or caught a ling.. I've heard whitefish is great. I've only caught one in my life and it was full of worms, so I've yet to taste one, but I want to! I may try ice fishing for them at Bay Lake this winter, since it's easy to access by car and it's big (part of the Montreal River system). I'll need ice gear..

 

When you say dink pike, how big are you talking? Tiny guys like this? As a kid, we always head/gutted pike (bigger ones) but then you gotta dance around the bones. After having that one stuck in my throat for a day or two, I swore off eating pike. And then I changed my mind and tried again after that and did not enjoy it, and still missed some bones. I tried a few different ways of cleaning them and have yet to find one that I can actually do properly. There's always at least one surprise bone, even if I thought I got them all. I never kept a small pike, before. I mean, 22" isn't big, but it's not tiny like this one.

 

 

 

Thanks Sinclair. Walleye slot here starts at 43cm, or 16.9" so that cuts down that range quite a bit for me. (Upper limit of the slot is 60cm, 23.6"). I have to find a good place to catch perch near me. I know there is somewhere because a few years back, an old friend's brother had a bunch and fed us an awesome lunch.

 

Pike an inch or two longer than that, chop the head off, knock out the guts, scale it and pickle them. The pickle juice disolves the bones, sort of just like pickled herring.

[Dabluz]

That 8 inch brook trout is a perfect eating size. Larger brook trout should be filleted if it's for pan frying. I always filet my brook trout because the filet is easier to cook exactly the way I want it. As for the size of the brook trout, all depends on where they are caught. Here in the Saguenay region, brook trout are everywhere you look. Every little stream is crammed full of them but, they are usually small in size (4 to 10 inches) and most of the lakes have nothing else but brook trout. I mean nothing else.....no chub or any other species of fish. This means that the brook trout population is optimal due to no competition for food. The average size is about 8 to 12 inches in most lakes but in the Saguenay river, the average size is around 15 inches.

 

Pike.....I like to eat those around 24 inches long. I do not remove the bones for cooking. I remove them when the fillet is in the plate. It's fast and easy....much faster than fooling around with a fillet knife when the pike is raw. On top of that, there is no loss of flesh. I like pike either fried (filets) or cooked whole in aluminum foil. Yes....pike is just as good as walleye. I have eaten pike and walleye all of my life. A trick you can try is to scrape the scales off the pike before evisceration. This removes the slime that seems to affect the taste of the flesh.

 

No bass where I live but I never did eat bass very often when I lived in Ontario.

 

Whitefish are excellent eating. So much so that north of the 50th parallel, fishing for these fish is prohibited. Only the native population may fish for them. However, I know of a few spots close to home where I can legally catch them.

[Musky or Specks]

Pike an inch or two longer than that, chop the head off, knock out the guts, scale it and pickle them. The pickle juice disolves the bones, sort of just like pickled herring.

Yup grandma use to do that. Excellent

[Dontcryformejanhrdina]

Dana pike is just as good as walleye and because of the pressure on walleye I'll take pike everytime

 

 

I agree. Pike and walleye taste very similar. I can't understand why pike isn't more popular. Maybe it's the slime. Also, pike are very easy to fillet if you know how to. I think they're easier to clean than walleye, actually.

 

 

As for eating size, I'll keep pike around the 24" range, give or take. I fish for pickerel/walleye sometimes in Cambellford and the slot size there is between 13.8" and 19.7" I think, that's a pretty good size for eaters.

[adolson]

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on the pike vs walleye. lol

[Fisherman]

Slimy, bony, and complete buggers when trying to be unhooked!

 

 

:rofl2:

[Pickeral eater]

Hey Dana felt the same way about pike. However,with everyone I clean I'm getting better at it and am rather enjoying the feast the provide. Lots of meat and quite tasty. Just feel bad for the ones I massacred while learning!

[Miracon]

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone contributing to this thread! These are exactly the posts that are extremely helpful to people new to this! It is turning into a very educational read!

[Beans]

There is an unwritten rule in Crappieperchhunter's boat you only keep perch between 9 to 12 inches unless it is a real good day then it is between 10 to 12 inches...he has a ruler taped to the middle seat in his 12 footer...any smaller or bigger go back in...

 

Myself, I prefer salt water fish to eat with the odd exception of maybe a couple of smallies about 1 1/2 to 2 lbs...

[mirogak]

I laugh every time the guy says he likes pike more than pickerel (I assume he means walleye, and not actual pickerel). Something is wrong with his taste buds, haha.

 

 

I concur Dana - something definitely wrong with his taste buds. Actually the first fish I ever caught (and also ate) was about an 18 incher pike just south of AP on Benoir lake. I almost gave up fishing, especially fishing and eating, after that until I discovered pickerels. But now I have heard so much about brookies, I must have one. You guys probably think I eat what I fish but in my entire 2 years of fishing I have probably eaten 8 fish. Anyhow, unless you batter and spice the heck out of them pikes, I can't see them being good table fare.

 

Miro

[adolson]

I concur Dana - something definitely wrong with his taste buds. Actually the first fish I ever caught (and also ate) was about an 18 incher pike just south of AP on Benoir lake. I almost gave up fishing, especially fishing and eating, after that until I discovered pickerels. But now I have heard so much about brookies, I must have one. You guys probably think I eat what I fish but in my entire 2 years of fishing I have probably eaten 8 fish. Anyhow, unless you batter and spice the heck out of them pikes, I can't see them being good table fare.

 

Miro

 

Well, don't get me wrong - I like pike enough to want to get good at cleaning them (the fact that they're plentiful and easiest to catch, it seems, helps that along). But the last one I ate must've been diseased or something because it tasted like complete garbage (unlike others I took from the same lake). But it doesn't stand up to smallmouth bass and walleye, at least according to my taste buds.. And the texture is quite different, I find. Not my favorite, but I haven't tried any fish I hate yet.

 

You will (hopefully) love brook trout. It's a lot different than the other three I just mentioned (I think closer to salmon), but really good. If you need a good and simple recipe, Musky or Specks' way tastes great: coat in flour, dip in egg, roll in breadcrumbs, fry in fat (he suggests lard, I use coconut oil).

[manitoubass2]

Dana,

 

I used to eat pike occasionally, but was horrible at filleting them as well. Me father showed me how to fillet them the same way as in the video, then gave me a few tips he used in his guiding days. Ever since then, I really appreciate a few pike meals every year. It does taste really good, but your right, the meat is different. Bass/walleye/pike/perch/crappie, all have subtle yet unique flavors to the meat.

 

number one thing, make sure your knife is sharp, lol.

 

another tip, since pike fillets tend to be thicker then walleye, the meat cooks at a different rate, and this effects the texture of the finished product. Simple tip, double fillet to make it thinner, or cut your fillet into smaller pieces.

 

Beer batter, just a personal preference, but I like pike to be beer battered as apposed to the breadcrumb/fry method typically used for walleye.

 

One more simple tip, a little seasoning salt to the finished product seems to enhance the flavor, in a good way.

[manitoubass2]

Manitou - I love your avatar pic!

 

Thanks! I took that pic specifically for Harrison when he was asking for fish kissing pics.

 

 

 

[Dontcryformejanhrdina]

Thanks! I took that pic specifically for Harrison when he was asking for fish kissing pics.

 

 

 

 

 

It's not a real kiss if there's no tongue involved.

[manitoubass2]

It's not a real kiss if there's no tongue involved.

 

After seeing the teeth marks he left in my bait, I'd need a few beers before giving it some tongue