We only really fish for striped bass on lake Hartwell SC which we do not keep, but since we use live herring, we also catch other species. Such as spotted bass, crappie, catfish, white perch, etc. These I will keep for a fish fry. I also let the largemouth bass go as they are native and the lake gets a lot of trophy bass fisherman and tournaments.
Many people online say bass tastes bad but imo compared to the channel catfish today the spot was much better bc it didn’t have any slight muddy flavor. My favorite eating fish on the lake would be Flathead, Spotted Bass, Crappie, and Perch. Channel just eat too much dead feed from the bottom mixed w mud.
Is this (bad flavor spreading) some massive bass fisherman conspiracy to have people catch and release only bass? Or is it just all about water quality and where your fish are being harvested?
TRDOffRoadGuy on
Apparently they don’t know how to cook it.
sissyh1976 on
Mainly so people will stop keeping them, alot more fun to catch than eat
Automatic_Catch_7467 on
I’m not a fan of bass but I’m open some good recipes
DallasTRockwell on
The bass I have eaten taste great. Allegedly as they age the taste gets worse but around two lbs or less should be good according to a chef I worked with who was also an avid fisher. We have a pond stocked with bass and bluegill and they are great for a fry once a year
G0ATLY on
I’m not sure, but I am here to find out. (Lurking) I loved eating bass and blue gill the most after family fishing trips!
[deleted] on
[deleted]
CartmanAndCartman on
Any fish can be eaten if you know how to cook it.
ieg879 on
You should really try eating bass every once in a while. It can be a little different, but enjoyable once you get used to it. Just make sure it’s clean. Don’t want to eat some dirty bass.
Numerous_Witness_345 on
Thats crazy to me, bass is one of my favorite fish to eat. Mild flavor, meaty texture, great mouthfeel. Takes seasons without being overridden by them.
Maybe it has to do with the water? I catch most of mine out of the White River and Beaver Lake, clean and clear water.
Favorite recipe is to filet them out, give it a quick marinade and make fish tacos with them.
Tiby_diby on
Because they don’t taste like nothing.. I live in wallye country and anything that tastes like it is is off putting to most. If it doesn’t tast bland or whatever you cook it with its bad. Mandoin oranges my man deliciace
Puzzleheaded-Gain256 on
People say black / large mouth bass are not good eating so people will not kill them. They in fact are very good eating up to around six pounds.
Desperate_Lack654 on
I think it’s sport fishing culture since so many people love catching and releasing them
Bass are decent but imo panfish like bluegill and crappie have less worms which is why I personally prefer panfish though I definitely would not turn up my nose at a good eating size (12-17 inches) bass
kgramp on
Because they are trophy hunters. To me largemouth tastes exactly like bluegill and I get a much nicer fillet.
Liquid_1998 on
They say that so people won’t take them because it’s a “sport fish”. In reality, it’s about the same quality taste as a crappie or Bluegill.
Also, the fish in the photo appears to be a Spotted Bass, which aren’t really sought out in tournaments compared to Large and Smallmouth bass. It’s probably more acceptable to take those instead.
Downtown-Mud-8869 on
The issue is people tend to bread and fry it like catfish, but Bass is best panfried with butter or duck fat.
KnightOrDay38 on
LM bass is delicious. Obviously get one from clean waters and follow the possession limits in your area.
IKIR115 on
I wouldn’t say bass tastes bad. I think it’s more that there’s other common pan fish that taste a lot better. It can have some strong fishy flavor to it if you don’t bleed it right away.
Tilapia, crappie, and bluegill have mild, non-fishy flavor and the meat is almost sweet in comparison. Catfish is usually similar unless it’s from dirty/muddy waters.
mtmglass406 on
Warm water species can taste a bit muddy, I think it depends on the body of water, the fish’s diet, etc. They all taste good fried up tho.
Urika86 on
Confession I personally don’t like fish, but all anyone eats around me are Walleye, Yellow Perch, Salmon/Trout and Bluegill so my assumption has always been that they just taste better than Bass. I could be wrong, but I think it’s more that people would rather catch bass for fun and eat the tastier fish which are a bit harder to come by.
Loosetree123 on
Bass are for catching not eating!
Evinexity90094 on
I have no idea. I love bass a lot. They taste great
As soon as you catch bass, knock it out or stab their brain. Cut through gills on both sides and place in cold water to bleed them out. The meat will taste much better when you get home.
Bandito04 on
You gotta bleed them and make sure you do skinless fillets. Some bass are just plain old stinky like if they’re feeding on crawdads, they have a very bad taste.
counselor5150 on
Because their grandpapy said so.
tasteofflames on
Like with most fish, it all depends on the water quality and what they’re eating. Clean water and proper forage = good eating.
At the end of the day, bass are just big sunfish. They filet out fine and make a solid sandwich.
Sasquatch_000 on
They’re often wormy and live to long to be healthy where I’m from.
sparkmearse on
Best advice I’ve ever received:
“If youn’t booil the wattah, da fish com fromt an drinkt it, don’t eat da fish”
realtyrionlannister on
Depending where you live there is alot of runoff into lakes with pedicured lawns like fertilizer or insecticides or possibly rivers. Especially growing up in South Florida almost all lakes back up to someone’s back yard and almost all the lakes connect to canal system. Unless it is maintained by a local game & fish office, I dont trust it.
pinkpanthers on
Clean water and eaten fresh, pretty much any fish will be good
mrlunes on
It’s propaganda spread by the sport fishing crowd. I think it tastes fine. Apparently the bigger they get the less edible they are. I never really tried eating a large bass but I do enjoy bass.
Natural-Champion7377 on
To me, any fish that comes from off colored water tastes like mud or algae. I live in Western Montana where the water is all very clear. I don’t eat most of what I catch except for lake trout, whitefish, and Kokanee. From cold, clear water they all taste great. I remember eating a bass I caught as a kid from a reservoir in So Cal, it was awful. Tasted mud.
33 Comments
We only really fish for striped bass on lake Hartwell SC which we do not keep, but since we use live herring, we also catch other species. Such as spotted bass, crappie, catfish, white perch, etc. These I will keep for a fish fry. I also let the largemouth bass go as they are native and the lake gets a lot of trophy bass fisherman and tournaments.
Many people online say bass tastes bad but imo compared to the channel catfish today the spot was much better bc it didn’t have any slight muddy flavor. My favorite eating fish on the lake would be Flathead, Spotted Bass, Crappie, and Perch. Channel just eat too much dead feed from the bottom mixed w mud.
Is this (bad flavor spreading) some massive bass fisherman conspiracy to have people catch and release only bass? Or is it just all about water quality and where your fish are being harvested?
Apparently they don’t know how to cook it.
Mainly so people will stop keeping them, alot more fun to catch than eat
I’m not a fan of bass but I’m open some good recipes
The bass I have eaten taste great. Allegedly as they age the taste gets worse but around two lbs or less should be good according to a chef I worked with who was also an avid fisher. We have a pond stocked with bass and bluegill and they are great for a fry once a year
I’m not sure, but I am here to find out. (Lurking) I loved eating bass and blue gill the most after family fishing trips!
[deleted]
Any fish can be eaten if you know how to cook it.
You should really try eating bass every once in a while. It can be a little different, but enjoyable once you get used to it. Just make sure it’s clean. Don’t want to eat some dirty bass.
Thats crazy to me, bass is one of my favorite fish to eat. Mild flavor, meaty texture, great mouthfeel. Takes seasons without being overridden by them.
Maybe it has to do with the water? I catch most of mine out of the White River and Beaver Lake, clean and clear water.
Favorite recipe is to filet them out, give it a quick marinade and make fish tacos with them.
Because they don’t taste like nothing.. I live in wallye country and anything that tastes like it is is off putting to most. If it doesn’t tast bland or whatever you cook it with its bad. Mandoin oranges my man deliciace
People say black / large mouth bass are not good eating so people will not kill them. They in fact are very good eating up to around six pounds.
I think it’s sport fishing culture since so many people love catching and releasing them
Bass are decent but imo panfish like bluegill and crappie have less worms which is why I personally prefer panfish though I definitely would not turn up my nose at a good eating size (12-17 inches) bass
Because they are trophy hunters. To me largemouth tastes exactly like bluegill and I get a much nicer fillet.
They say that so people won’t take them because it’s a “sport fish”. In reality, it’s about the same quality taste as a crappie or Bluegill.
Also, the fish in the photo appears to be a Spotted Bass, which aren’t really sought out in tournaments compared to Large and Smallmouth bass. It’s probably more acceptable to take those instead.
The issue is people tend to bread and fry it like catfish, but Bass is best panfried with butter or duck fat.
LM bass is delicious. Obviously get one from clean waters and follow the possession limits in your area.
I wouldn’t say bass tastes bad. I think it’s more that there’s other common pan fish that taste a lot better. It can have some strong fishy flavor to it if you don’t bleed it right away.
Tilapia, crappie, and bluegill have mild, non-fishy flavor and the meat is almost sweet in comparison. Catfish is usually similar unless it’s from dirty/muddy waters.
Warm water species can taste a bit muddy, I think it depends on the body of water, the fish’s diet, etc. They all taste good fried up tho.
Confession I personally don’t like fish, but all anyone eats around me are Walleye, Yellow Perch, Salmon/Trout and Bluegill so my assumption has always been that they just taste better than Bass. I could be wrong, but I think it’s more that people would rather catch bass for fun and eat the tastier fish which are a bit harder to come by.
Bass are for catching not eating!
I have no idea. I love bass a lot. They taste great
In Louisiana it’s in order of taste
Crappie
Bass
Catfish
Perch/Bluegill/Panfish
Redfish
Speckled trout
Flounder
As soon as you catch bass, knock it out or stab their brain. Cut through gills on both sides and place in cold water to bleed them out. The meat will taste much better when you get home.
You gotta bleed them and make sure you do skinless fillets. Some bass are just plain old stinky like if they’re feeding on crawdads, they have a very bad taste.
Because their grandpapy said so.
Like with most fish, it all depends on the water quality and what they’re eating. Clean water and proper forage = good eating.
At the end of the day, bass are just big sunfish. They filet out fine and make a solid sandwich.
They’re often wormy and live to long to be healthy where I’m from.
Best advice I’ve ever received:
“If youn’t booil the wattah, da fish com fromt an drinkt it, don’t eat da fish”
Depending where you live there is alot of runoff into lakes with pedicured lawns like fertilizer or insecticides or possibly rivers. Especially growing up in South Florida almost all lakes back up to someone’s back yard and almost all the lakes connect to canal system. Unless it is maintained by a local game & fish office, I dont trust it.
Clean water and eaten fresh, pretty much any fish will be good
It’s propaganda spread by the sport fishing crowd. I think it tastes fine. Apparently the bigger they get the less edible they are. I never really tried eating a large bass but I do enjoy bass.
To me, any fish that comes from off colored water tastes like mud or algae. I live in Western Montana where the water is all very clear. I don’t eat most of what I catch except for lake trout, whitefish, and Kokanee. From cold, clear water they all taste great. I remember eating a bass I caught as a kid from a reservoir in So Cal, it was awful. Tasted mud.