Yes, I am a big advocate of Catch and Release, especially when it comes to bass. Mainly because in most waters they are what is considered a natural resource. Sure they were originally planted years ago but since then most of our waters are not restocked with bass when the supply gets low. Think for a second, remember back when you heard Grandpa telling the stories of how many bass they caught back in the day and fried them up? How easy they were to catch and how plentiful they were. Yet now days it’s not all that easy. Yes, allot of bass have become conditioned and don’t bite as often as they used to but I believe there are less bass now then there were back then.
Please don’t take me wrong, I see nothing wrong with keeping a few bass from time to time as long as your going to use them. I feel that when you catch a mess of bass, place them into the freezer for 6 months and then end up throwing them out because they got freezer burn is wrong! The people that really get my shorts in a wad are the ones that keep over their limit including the ones under the size minimum. I have and will continue to report these people because they are nothing but poachers that are abusing the resource for the average fisherman.
Anyhow, back to the subject. I have to admit, nothing taste better than fresh caught fish and besides that it brings out the Gatherer, Cave Man Instinct, that is inbred in men. Me hunt and kill dinner, make fire, cook kill and eat! I have very fond memories of dad and I cooking freshly caught trout over a camp fire by wrapping them in foil, or frying up a mess of crappie fillets and hush puppies yummmm, just thinking about it makes my mouth water.
When the wife says she wants fish for dinner or my taste buds are just yearning for some fresh fish I’ll go out and catch a few for this purpose. Most of the time it will be Crappie or bluegill, which by the way are my absolute favorite. I also like the taste of striper’s, if they are prepared correctly.
Now I’ll share some tips for cleaning and preparing your catch. First, if at all possible keep the fish alive until your ready to clean them and place them on ice. Once the fish dies his meat starts to spoil so leaving him soaking in the water on a stringer will take away from the taste. If your not going to clean them right after they die place them in an ice chest with ice of course. This slows the decaying process. I personally prefer to clean my fish right away, and immediately pack them on ice for the journey home.
There are a couple things to be sure you do when cleaning them. In my opinion filleting them is the best way to go but if you don’t know how or just don’t want to go through all the hassle you can gut them and cut their heads off. If you want to leave the heads on make sure to remove the gills, these contain blood and will leave a bad taste. Also MAKE SURE you clean the blood cavity along the spine very well, including rinsing it. This is where allot of people mess up and wonder why their fish taste bad. If you follow these few simple rules your taste buds will be happier.
With the striped bass as well as other fish, when you fillet them there is a thin redish strip that runs along where the lateral line was, Trim this out and and get rid of it. If left on and cooked it leaves a bitter taste which soaks into the rest of the meat.
Now for some tips to cook your catch. If your camping outdoors bring along some Heavy Duty Aluminum foil, some butter, lemon pepper and bacon strips. The simple lopping their heads off and removing the entrails cleaning method work best. Season the fish with the lemon pepper, place some butter in the cavity, wrap bacon around the fish then wrap it in foil. You can also stuff fresh veggies into the fish if you so desire. Then just place this package directly on the coals of the fire for about 7 minutes per side.
Another way is to bring along a cast iron skillet and some oil or butter and seasoning of your choice. You can either fry or sauté the fish. If you want to fry them bring along some bread crumbs or corn meal for breading. Prepare the fish anyway you desire.
Try this the next time your camping with family or friends and make some memories of your own. Just remember, Like is mentioned on my page, Keep what you can use and release the rest.
Until Next Time, Good Luck and Tight Lines To Ya!
