Post by: Night goat on June 25, 2025, 05:01:42 PM
Been watching a lot of redneck outdoorsy stuff lately and my curiosity is getting the better of me.
However I absolutely hate that freshwater lake fish taste, but 20 million rednecks can't be wrong and I hear those panfish can actually be made to taste good. I've had some days on that lake you can litterally just coon em dawn to dusk and I know there's some biguns in there.
I'm so picky on that lake taste, except salmon from the river, I avoid freshwater fish like the plague, however I'm also starting to believe it might just be me
And how I'm preparing things
Any advice?
A Cajun poboy has really been sounding good and I'm willing to give it a try
Post by: acrocker on June 25, 2025, 06:38:11 PM
Post by: Jonathan_S on June 25, 2025, 06:41:51 PM
Post by: brokentrail on June 25, 2025, 06:43:48 PM
Can you try and explain the "lake taste"? Are you filleting them or eating them whole? How do you usually prepare them?
Funny, I don't care for salmon due to the "fishy taste". :dunno:
Post by: Mfowl on June 25, 2025, 07:51:19 PM
Post by: Parasite on June 25, 2025, 09:59:14 PM
Post by: MADMAX on June 25, 2025, 10:06:42 PM
Post by: huntnnw on June 25, 2025, 10:49:33 PM
Lake taste is probably the muddy taste. Walleye, channel catfish, smallmouth and largemouth bass come to mind for fish that I wont eat because of it. If I recall correctly, soaking walleye fillets in milk for awhile helps to remove that nastiness.
walleye and nastiness? never needed to soak walleye
Post by: Parasite on June 26, 2025, 12:03:37 AM
Lake taste is probably the muddy taste. Walleye, channel catfish, smallmouth and largemouth bass come to mind for fish that I wont eat because of it. If I recall correctly, soaking walleye fillets in milk for awhile helps to remove that nastiness.
walleye and nastiness? never needed to soak walleye
To be fair, the walleye I ate were from the Great Lakes region (Lake Huron) and that could be the reason they tasted that way. I have not had any from WA waters.
Post by: Skillet on June 26, 2025, 01:21:57 AM
Catch, bleed immediately (best to cut gill arches on both sides instead of cutting the throat latch), and get them on ice.
It doesn't matter is you catch them out of still water or a river. Or if you catch them out of 50 degree or 70 degree water. It's all about how quickly you take care of them properly.
Post by: Night goat on June 26, 2025, 04:28:00 AM
There is a definitive flavor difference between a salmon from the salt vs one from the river,
late season high mountain creek trout is crack though, but that’s cold fast moving water with tons of oxygen
These lake fish all taste like mud to me though, I’ve always regarded shallow water lake fish as tasting like an ugly chicks butt. high mountain lakes trout are better but any low land lake fish to me just is gross. Tastes like mud and pond weeds
Post by: DaNewb on June 26, 2025, 06:34:23 AM
Walleye and perch are every bit as good as lingcod if taken care of properly.
Catch, bleed immediately (best to cut gill arches on both sides instead of cutting the throat latch), and get them on ice.
It doesn't matter is you catch them out of still water or a river. Or if you catch them out of 50 degree or 70 degree water. It's all about how quickly you take care of them properly.
This right here...
Bank fishing or boat, I bring a cooler and gut and clean every fish as it's caught, then into the cooler on ice. Then they come home and get vacuum sealed asap. They come out of the freezer months later looking like they were just caught.
I see so many people with a stringer of fish sitting in 6 inches of hot, sunny water at their feet next to shore and just know that fish is going to be nasty eating. No wonder it tastes 'muddy' or 'lake-ish'
Mottled and discolored, rigor mortised into all many of shapes...live fish swimming on a stringer next to dead fish, no thank you.
Post by: hunter399 on June 26, 2025, 08:01:07 AM
That will help .....maybe 🤔
Post by: Sandberm on June 26, 2025, 09:17:33 AM
I generally do not eat bass, crappie or bluegill because I think it has a fishy taste. I wont turn it away though and occasionally just mix some bluegills with the perch i usually catch in the frying pan.
Post by: CastleRocker on June 26, 2025, 11:48:27 AM
We used to dress Sablefish, and Graycod but I guess they just bleed them nowdays. We bled all our Halibut and salmon this past week except one, and it shows in the fillets. Good thing it was small. We ate the one that didn't get bled, and it was stronger tasting than one of the others that was bled.
Post by: brokentrail on June 26, 2025, 02:47:55 PM
Post by: Sandberm on June 26, 2025, 04:43:39 PM
Post by: Jonathan_S on June 26, 2025, 05:05:46 PM
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
Post by: Karl Blanchard on June 26, 2025, 07:57:16 PM
Preach!!!!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
Post by: Pete112288 on June 26, 2025, 08:42:19 PM
Post by: Skillet on June 26, 2025, 08:44:10 PM
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. :dunno:
Post by: plugger on June 27, 2025, 05:50:07 AM
Post by: Buckjunkie on June 27, 2025, 09:34:54 AM
Post by: luvmystang67 on June 27, 2025, 10:25:47 AM
Point being, some people have different tastes, and the 20M people you speak of might find PNW water gross... I'm not sure. But I am convinced some people don't notice the same tastes that others do, based on what they were raised with.
I also generally cannot stand lake fish, but I keep trying them!
Post by: Reidus on June 27, 2025, 12:50:56 PM
Post by: Karl Blanchard on June 27, 2025, 12:59:15 PM
There's a mental aspect to taste. What you're brain thinks something will taste like affects what you perceive. Most people can't tell the difference between coke and Pepsi in a blind test.pfffff! Amateurs :chuckle: 8)
Post by: highside74 on June 27, 2025, 02:29:54 PM
Post by: Karl Blanchard on June 27, 2025, 03:06:00 PM
Forget fish taste. There is no way on God's green earth that anyone can mistake trash Pepsi for Coke.That Eatonville water has rotted your taste buds and your brain! Guess that explains why you'd put in for the early desert archery tag :chuckle: