That "lake taste" in freshwater fish

[brokentrail]

My fish are usually alive until I clean, them thanks to the livewell, and I have eaten walleyes from Ohio to Washington and never had a bad one, tbh, those are the cadillac of fresh water fish to most, although I prefer bluegills to everything else, they just have a sweeter flavor, at least to me.

[Sandberm]

This thread has turned into a virtue signal to the extents some take to preserve their catch.

[Jonathan_S]

This thread has turned into a virtue signal to the extents some take to preserve their catch.

Let me buck the trend. I've kept panfish whole in a bucket in the fridge for a day before filleting, live in a water bucket, thrown live into ice slurry etc. It's all damn good to eat even if not the ideal preservation

[Karl Blanchard]

This thread has turned into a virtue signal to the extents some take to preserve their catch.

Let me buck the trend. I've kept panfish whole in a bucket in the fridge for a day before filleting, live in a water bucket, thrown live into ice slurry etc. It's all damn good to eat even if not the ideal preservation

Preach!!!!

[Pete112288]

99% of my food fish are largemouth and catfish. With some crappie, salmon, steelhead thrown in. My wife and I both agree the bass is our favorite fish to eat. I normally keep em live till the last moment, then bleed and fillet. However there has been plenty of days where I have had a dead bass on a stringer for half a day before cleaning and filleting. They still were yummy. Funny thing is, I am so acclimated to it that when I eat sea bass or ling cod or such, it takes me a moment to get used to the "ocean fish" taste  still love it, just not used to it. Now the catfish on the other hand if I dont bleed and clean em just right they are super fishy and lucky. But I dont catch em in the cleanest water around let's just say that

[Skillet]

This thread has turned into a virtue signal to the extents some take to preserve their catch.

A virtue signal?  For giving the OP the advice on fish care that he asked for?  I think I'm missing something.

[plugger]

Bluegill, crappie and perch always taste the same no matter the water temp or location. Walleye on the other hand can get an allege flavor to them. I won't eat a walleye from moses or potholes after early may until the following spring because of that. Banks lake and anything out of the Columbia are always good. I don't eat the channel cats i catch so can't speak for them.