Fishing Forum

Ok,I have a problem, not serious but it's kind of bugging me. For some time I have been posting about the virtues of eating whities over slimmers. Now I think there is a lot of personnel taste involved but,------------?
Anyway, I have heard them as described as bony, strong tasting, taste like bait fish, taste like the red line on whippers, very fatty, trash fish, etc.. etc. To me it sounds like they are describing another fish??? Now, I'm not any kind of conosure of fish but I do have several acquanticies with delicate pallets and don't affirm any of the preceeding. I am truely !!! Am I up in the night? Are they just being polite (which I doubt knowing them) or is there something I just don't understand about this fish? Smell??? I havwno sense of smell, true statement. I do recognize they are soft in texture but strong, fatty, bad tasting, etc. --------- I don't get it. Is it some kind of prejudice I just don't get?
Give me some factual feed back if you have a mind to do so.
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Leaky and Sparkinator!
I'm with you Leaky, I like whitefish better than trout also. I really enjoy them smoked. Gary
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I'll eat white bass over slimmers any day of the week.
try breading the white bass with chicken "n" basket crackers. that works for me. later chuck
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Ok, I need to clarify! I ain't talking white bass!!!! I talking Rocky Mountain White fish!!!
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I suppose part of this is directed at my comments in the previous thread. I would point out that I said that I ALSO liked fresh whitefish prepared certain ways, but I did say that the meat had a high fat content. This is not necessarily a knock on the species but an objective fact. Compared to other species, trout and salmon are also a fatty fleshed fish. It increases the calories some, but these fats/oils are what are felt to possibly be heart healthy. I agree with you that the meat is delicate as you say. That is why you have to be careful in handling whitefish.

Here is a link that talks about this and also gives some handling guidelines for whitefish flesh.
http://www.freshwaterfish.com/FIELDOPS/p...tter-3.pdf

Here's another one;
http://www.bonefishgrill.com/food/whitefish/
or
http://www.answers.com/topic/whitefish
(See food lovers section)
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Hummmmmm, I read your references and found them informative, thanks. I do have a problem though. I tried to figure put which whitefish they were talking about. I may be wrong but they seem to be talking about the lake whitefish from Michigan, Minnesota, Canada, etc. Maybe it doesn't make a difference but talking to folks from the Eastern part of U.S. seem to describe these fish a lot differently including tastewise?? Just to make sure of what I'm talkng about is - mountain whitefish - Prosopium williamsoni. [] I believe there are at least 6 different types of whitefish. Don't know all the differences but our mountain whitefish are fairly distintive and are predominately out here in the mountain states.
Anyway, you still may be exactly right. I will agree their meat is delicate and needs to be handled gently while cleaning, etc.
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I have never eaten one, but just for you i am leaving in 1/2 hour to go catch some and i will make a supper out of them. I will give you MY input tomorrow or late tonight.[]
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And I do value your opinion, as long as it agrees with mine. [][laugh][laugh][laugh][laugh][laugh] You're a bud, I look forward to hearing from ya. I'm not going to tell Sparky though, he loves to chase and occasionally catch those guys and would want to go with ya. Friday I had a guy stop on the bridge above me and watch me landing a 17 in, whitie and of course Sparky wanted to help too much on this occasion and got all tangled up in my line in the shallows. Hear I am trying to get the upper fly out of his hair with Sparky trying to grab the whitie, etc. Must have been quite entertaining, Did get the the fly out and got the fish too. [shocked]
P.S. Make sure you cook it right!!!!
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The lake whitefish is the species most often commercially harvested, but I could find no evidence of significant differences in flesh fat composition among the species of the subfamily Coregoninae, which encompasses the various species of whitefish.

My point of this is to note that whitefish do have a higher fat flesh, not to say it is good or bad "tasting". This fact DOES affect how one should handle their catch and possibly how one should cook it. The fat composition lends itself to the meat being good for things like "smoking" and grilling. Whitefish, salmon and catfish are usually considered to be good smoked. Smoked Perch? Probably not so good,(low fat) but perch can't be beat table wise prepared in other ways. That said, it is a waste of time to argue about whether a given fish is "good" or "bad" tasting with someone. That is simply too subjective.
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OOOOPs, didn't mean to waste anyone's time. Sorry. []
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I don't have any factual info, but I like to eat them. I usually take 1 or 2 home with me. To me they don't taste much different than the Browns. I let them go till I'm ready to go home. If I catch 1 or 2 in the last 30 minutes, I eat fresh fish. If I don't, I go home and just cook a dang cailla.

Humpy
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From my understanding White Fish or Mountain Whitefish as there referred to here in Utah are part of the Salmonoid family. Main difference between Whitefish & Trout is white fish are bottom feeders & have a snout like mouth

I think they get a bad rap since the mouth looks like a chub or carps. So majority of people think there chubs or carp. I even heard people mistake a chub for a whitefish and eat the chub [crazy][crazy][crazy]

I had my doughts at first but after eating a few there actually not bad not at all they dont taste as fishy as some trout do, the meat is white like a bass or perch and the texture is similar to a trout. But it guess it all depends on how you prepare them.
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You may very well be right about fat content.

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[font "Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"][#0e451e][size 3][/url]Whitefish - A high-fat, mild-flavored member of the [url "http://www.cookeryonline.com/Fish/FishRST.html#Salmon"]salmon[/url] family with a firm white flesh. The whitefish can be poached, baked, broiled, grilled, pan fried, or stuffed. Its roe (eggs) can be cooked or made into caviar by adding salt. [/size][/#0e451e][/font]
[font "Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"][#0e451e][size 3][/url]Whiting - A small gray and white saltwater fish sometimes called the "silver hake." This low-fat fish, which is related to both the "[url "http://www.cookeryonline.com/Fish/index.html#Cod"]cod[/url]" and the "[url "http://www.cookeryonline.com/Fish/index.html#Hake"]hake[/url]," has a tender white fine-textured flesh and a flaky, delicate flavor.
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[font "Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"][#0e451e][size 3] I guess I'm being a mite stubborn. I'm not sure if they are talking about our mountain whitefish and they just don't taste "fatty" like a channel or carp, to me. [:/] Especially when they describe a "firm" flesh. It's anything but firm!!!!!! [unimpressed]
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