question for some of you bass guys

[ctizzfishin]

I have always wondered, are bass good to eat? are smb or lmb better then one or the other? I always hear of people talking about perch and walleye and all panfish really. obviously trout and salmon and so on...what about bass???

thanks

chris
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[fsh4fun05]

There is probably an archive for this question by now [laugh]. I keep smallmouth out of Flaming Gorge and Starvation, places where there are plenty of 10-12" bass. Perfect size for a breaded fillet. Everyone has their opinion, especially when it comes to taste, but walleye, perch and bass are not that much different. Bass seem to me to be a bit softer but still a white, flaky meat that's great breaded and deep fried.
Bass seem to be a touchy subject because some believe that c&r should be mandatory when in all actuality it is based on the given water. Jordanelle can handle harvesting of small bass, starvation, Powell (20 smallmouth limit), F. Gorge, there may be others.
Bass are not governed in Utah like trout but they are not ignored either. There are reasons for limits and sizes. In order to maintain a trophy fishery in Utah (my opinion) some of the smaller bass HAVE to be removed. I'm rambling again...bass are tasty, eat all you want.
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[BigBassaholic]

I recommend throwing them back,,, not good eating at all... just my opinion... Trout are soooo much better, catch all you can within limits and eat away.....
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[Bassin_Blitz]

Bigbassaholic nailed it- trout are for eating Bass are for catching!!!

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[tlspyder13]

My wife and I don't care for fish too much. Our kids love fish, any fish. My little girl can be a picky eater at times and always takes her time eating. Put a small mouth in front of her and it is gone in like 5 seconds.
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[fishmonger]

Leave the bass,eat the trout.I find the bass are harder to catch than trout!!!lol
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[4_luv_of_fishin]

This is definately a personal taste thing. Trout are easier to catch and available at a lot more lakes. Bass have to be targeted and worked for. Pretty hard to just troll around and end up with bass on the line like you can with trout. But the only way to know if you like them is to try them. I like them and dont feel that there is much of a taste difference between smalls and large. I do feel that the taste depends on where you catch them and what there diet has been in said waters.
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[Springbuck]

TOTALLY disagree with most of the posts here. Bass, LM and SM are really members of the sunfish family and are great to eat, with nice white fillets.

I hate eating trout. Planter trout are the reason I became a panfisherman. Disgusting, fishy little white-meat, alfalfa-fed planted rainbows, you can't fillet or anything. Any big, pink-meated trout, like the cutts at Strawberry, are always protected by a slot limit or something.

BUT, bass taste best in the spring, before they spawn out, when they come up from colder water. After spawn and in really hot sukmmmer water the meat loses it's firmness, and tasters OK< but not as good. They are not as good as walleye or perch, to me. And the small ones, like from Jordanelle, under the 12" slot are the ones I like best.

When bass get big, they turn into a head that eats. I have caught and filetted bass up to 7 lbs in UT, and you get proportionally MUCH less meat from a big one, than two bass half its size. I throw bigger bass back now.....
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[aloneone]

i honestly like to catch and eat most fish, except for those nasty rainbow planters[frown]. "bass are sport fish and should be released" thats what i hear a lot. but i love their white flaky meat, fish are fish they arn't gunna drop of the face of the earth if you keep one or two.
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[fishmonger]

amen spring buck ,amen.
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[Therapist]

Depending on the water you are fishing, keeping some of the bass ( smb or lmb) in the 10-12 inch range will be benificial. You need to be sure what the regs are for that water though. Jordanelle anything over 12 inches needs to be released, same on Utah Lake. Pelican, you can keep a limit of smaller fish, no problem, same on Deer Creek, only I would recommend that all the LMB be released. Lake Powell, keeping a limit of SMB in the 10-12 inch range is a positive thing, same at Flaming Gorge. If you are unsure, contact the DWR Biologist for their recommendation. Contrary to what some of our posters state, bass are great to eat, we just need to conserve the bigger fish and slective harvest the smaller ones.

[trollboy8]

I realize you are asking about LMB and SMB, but I just wanted to put a plug in for stripers from Powell if you have a chance to go down there. I hated fish almost my entire life, but find a few fish tolerable. I don't like salmon, I don't like trout, but I DO like striped bass--a lot. When they start getting a little more catchable, making a trip down there and filling the cooler with stripers is a beautiful thing.
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