[handlepuller]

G
Got this and one other on Sunday.

Got kind of fancy and used panko bread crumbs. The crunch was really good.

 

[DellRay]

Pan fried with drake's batter

 

[RickN]

My sister and her hub were here over the weekend. I made fish tacos with perch fingers and coleslaw wrapped in a soft tortilla.

Fillets frozen in a quart ziplock filled with water keep a long time.

 

[Fx3Lefty]

Southern Michigan

 

[MrShane]

Fantastic!

 

[redjones]

Punkinseed.

Greg

 

[jwsmith1959]

We had a ranch in Central Texas when I was growing up and a few of our stock tanks had small mouth bass and perch. An old Bass Master Beetle Spin was deadly on them.

My Brother and I caught close to 100 one afternoon and brought them back and my Mom did an old fashioned fish fry. One of our neighbors who helped out on the place from time to time stopped by and my Mom swore he ate more than 30 Perch by himself. lol

She dredged them in seasoned flour and fried them in a big ole cast iron skillet. Haven't had any for years now, but will catch and eat a Black Bass now and again. Most freshwater stuff I get are Striped Bass or Hybrids. Living on the Gulf Coast is mainly Flounder and Redfish.

 

[6541]

I once caught a mess of giant Bluegill from a private pond in Southern Indiana. Some of these Bluegill weighed over a pound and were very old fish. The lake owner was my boss at the bank where I was employed and he only let very few family and friends fish in his pond.

The large Bluegill put up a good fight, I was using a 7 foot light action spinning rod and an ultra light spinning reel, 4# test Trilene and 1/16 oz curly tail jigs.

What was unusual about these fish is that, when filleted, the flesh was very soft and each fish had a large body cavity. The fillets tasted excellent.

 

[sandcountyalmanac]

Perch yes as we used to catch lots of 11 to 13 inchers so they were worth cleaning. Bluegills are good eating but can't be bothered fishing for or cleaning anys thing that small. We used to keep Crappie too if they were 8" or better but otherwise they went back. Crappie are one of my favorite to eat but you have to eat them fresh. I found they did not freeze well. Perch to me taste the same as Walleye. The best eating white fleshed freshwater fish imo is Burbot from good clear deep cold waters that contain Lake trout. There is nothing finer! They are all a white flesh fish unlike trout which are usually light pink to deep orange-red depending upon the feed they are consuming. The orange-red fleshed are best imo, they are feeding heavily on bugs and shrimp as opposed to minnows and have a much nicer flavour....these are rainbow trout filets. I usually do them in the smoker and take them to shoots to share with my trap shooting buddies.
First pic is a Burbot...they have many nicknames depending on the region (Ling, Mariah, Eelpout). I caught that one in 90' of water while jigging(pounding bottom) for Lake Trout with a 6" 1.5oz tube jig stirring up sediment. Draws them in every time! 😉
View attachment 1783032
View attachment 1783030

Totally agree! The burbot or fresh water cod is far too often overlooked. It's not found in all waters here in the north, but it is delicious.

 

[Bandit67]

As stated earlier, there is no fish better eating than Lake Erie Perch.
Walleye is the next best.
Pan fried with your favorite batter.

 

[mach1cj]

there is no fish better eating than Lake Erie Perch.

Let me also state that it's Lake Erie Yellow Perch. Lake Erie also has a White Perch, they make good fertilizer for the garden.

 

[Bandit67]

Let me also state that it's Lake Erie Yellow Perch. Lake Erie also has a White Perch, they make good fertilizer for the garden.

We call those Silver Bass up here in Michigan. There's no confusing them. They look nothing alike.

 

[RickN]

An actual silver bass is better eating than a white perch.

 

[Rodney1966]

Does anyone on here eat bluegill or perch while fishing in the summer months? Do they tease anything like trout or bass? How do you prepare them?

Bluegill, crappie and perch have a distinct taste. I love them and was able to put food on my table throughout college and a lot of that was due to a fishing addiction when younger. The are easy to filet without cleaning. Knife just under the gills and run down the spine, then the same on the other side, then skin them and remove the small rib. Bread and season them fry and enjoy. Great sandwiches!

 

[darkeagle10x]

Bluegill, Perch, or Crappie all excellent for eating but I rarely eat them if caught in the summer. The very best is caught in cold water. The meat is much more firm - same with other fish as far as that goes.

 

[smthro06]

Summer perch and sunfish/bluegills are definitely more delicate in texture but very tasty. I had some from an Adirondack lake and was pleasantly surprised at how sweet they were. Reminds me of red snapper in terms of flavor. No need to do much with them for seasoning. A little salt and pepper and dust them with flour or cornmeal for a quick pan frying. There's more work in cleaning them for the smaller standard portions but they can be worth the effort. Give them a try and you won't regret it.

 

[Husky44]

I grew up on bluegill as a kid., my favorite fish to eat still.

 

[tomsgonefishing]

Walleye, perch then bluegills.
We use Drakes then deep-fry them until golden brown and crisp.
Hard to stop eating them!
Trout and bass, yuck!

 

[howareyanow]

Does anyone on here eat bluegill or perch while fishing in the summer months? Do they tease anything like trout or bass? How do you prepare them?

Bluegill and Perch are just like crappie. The candy of the panfish world. We fillet them, skin them, and deep fry them, then make fish tacos.

 

[big kahuna]

Bluegill, Perch, or Crappie all excellent for eating but I rarely eat them if caught in the summer. The very best is caught in cold water. The meat is much more firm - same with other fish as far as that goes.

If it's firmness you're after, try soaking the fillets in a large bowl of water and put them in the fridge overnight. The fillets come out very firm and are ready to be eaten or frozen in a water filled zip lock bag.