So i've heard you need to remove the lateral line in the meat before you eat it cause it makes the meat taste bad. Is this really necessary or is more of a personal preference? Also if anyone has some sweet recipe's for white bass i'd love to hear from ya. What time of year do they spawn? Thanks
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Should spawn soon...once the water is at about 60deg. The weather has been pushing everything around a bit tho. I have never removed the line, I think that is only on HUGE ones, not the UL ones. Same on cats...only need to do that on the bigguns. It should be whitebassorama soon...and it'll last for months once it starts up.
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He's exactly right, late april early may they'll start to bite. May is the prime month for them. I just fillet them and cut the ribs off. I like frying them in egg and Ritz crackers w/ salt and pepper. That's probably my go to recipe on them.
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I unzip all fish that I fillet. It removes the lateral line and leaves you with perfect, clean fillets.
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The white bass are moving into the shallower water on the sunny days for spawning/pre-spawning as we speak. As for removing the "lateral line"? I would not remove it. There is no difference in flavor until you get into white bass over 18 inches, and I have only seen 2 fish in that caliber on Utah lake ever.
Recipe: Fried White bass and eggs for breakfast
6-8 whitebass filets Freshly washed with a little water on them(approximately 3-4 fish)
4 tablespoons White Enriched Flour
4 tablespoons Rice Flour
1 teaspoon Garlic (I use 3-4 depending on who I have to kiss)
1 teaspoon Onion-powder
1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1 teaspoon Curry
2-3 strips bacon
2 eggs
Start by mixing all the Flour, and Spices together together in a bowl(a paper bag is optional). Set that aside for dredging your fish later. Next cook your bacon and leave the grease in the pan. Set aside bacon. Cook your eggs next (I like over easy). Then Dredge your whitebass in the flour mixture and Fry on Medium Heat. The fillets are Stupendous.The rice flour is always so light and Crispy. Serve with Eggs and bacon, garnish with some toast. It is a famous Sunday breakfast at my house.
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The're all wrong. White Bass spawn year round. Go down there and jerk em out today, tomorrow, at night, from dusk till dawn, from April on, in warm water, cold water, and ice over the top.
Don't fillet them, just drop kick the suckers up on the bank and go for more. They're baby carp. [ok, that part is illegal, and sarcasm] Please just kill them and eat em as fast as you can.
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Jmaze is right on. The majority of the white bass in Utah Lake are small enough that there is no need to remove the red tissue. White bass from my home state that would get up 16 inches+ would need their line removed. Typically it was the larger females that needed that treatment. Anyhow, you are getting good advice. Prespawn feeding is in session, water needs to be close to 60, and typically (if the weather will cooperate) the last week(s) of April and into the first couple weeks of May will be yet another white bass fest.
Seems like last year we caught them shallow until the very last week of May...either that or I decided to start fishing for crappie and cats again.
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Maybe I'm just extra fussy, but I do like to remove the red line on my WB fillets. I think it improves the flavor markedly and doesn't add much processing time.
That said, for best eating out of UL, I still prefer the jumbo bluegills and crappie. Only a few weeks away.[
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Thanks for the tips and recipes. Guess i'll just have to fish more so I can try some new recipes[
]. Where are some good areas to look for crappie?
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Rocks, Docks, N Weeds
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JR is doing pretty good right now. Look for little pools along the river using little jigs with curly tails has been working for me. [inline Picture.jpg]
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