Whitefish Spawn

[crestliner]

Has anyone heard anything about the white fish spawn at Bear Lake? I know it should be starting and this a great time to catch the cutts in shallow as well as the whitefish. Knowing this info could sway me towards Bear Lake instead of Strawberry this Saturday.
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[fishnate]

I don't know for sure but those whities should be there I'll be over there Friday or Saturday and I'll let you know what I see and/or catch if you don't end up going yourself.
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[BearLakeMack]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]I'm over there tomorrow and will try a jig with a meal worm on the rockpile. The spawn should be kicking into gear. December is the time frame. They usually show up on the rockpile first and later in the shallows.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Speaking of whitefish, I've caught a lot of them but never ate one. Are they boney or are they worth the effort to fillet? Any recipes out there? I know they were a staple of the early settlers along with, of all things, suckers! YUCK![/size][/font]
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[FrozenFish]

Whitefish are as bony as trout are. After gutting the fish I just pull back on the head and peal the skin right off then bake or fry them, then roll the meat right off the bones. Very good tasting fish. Just cook them as you would a trout.
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[TubeDude]

Whitefish are closely related to the salmonids (trout). Their skeletal structure is almost identical. That means you have to deal with the line of hairlike flesh bones that extend up through the meat from the spine...for about half the upper length of the body.

To remove this line of bones, lay the fillet skin side down and run your finger along the middle of the flesh area. You will feel the tips of the little bones and can then see them. With a sharp knife, cut two parellel cuts, one on either side of the bones and lift out the strip.

Whitefish live in cold clean water and have largely the same diet as trout. They taste good, but their flesh is often not quite as firm as a well-fed trout. I cut the fillets into "fingers", coat them in a mix of cornmeal and flour (or bisquick)...with seasoning...and deep fry. They hold together better with a light coating on them.

Another good way to fix them is oven broiling. Lay the fillets on a sheet of foil, in a cookie tray. Squirt on a little lemon juice and season with garlic salt and seasoned pepper. A little Italian Seasoning, cilantro or thyme are possible flavorful options. Dot the fillets generously with butter and put about a foot away from the broiler coils for about six to eight minutes...depending on how thick the fillets are. When there is a little browning of the butter and the fillets flake easily, use a spatula to lift them onto the plates.

As far as suckers go, they are ugly but are a fine food fish. Like most members of the minnow family, they do have a lot of bones. But, the flesh is firm, white and flaky. They were a staple of the early pioneers, who pitchforked them by the thousands from Wasatch streams when they swam upstream for their spring spawning runs.

For anyone who knows how to pressure cook fish, suckers are a good candidate. Pressure cooking softens the bones and they can be made into fish croquettes or fish patties. They are also good pickled. Again, the vinegar dissolves the bones and with the right recipe, you can't tell them from expensive pickled herring.

For anyone who is interested, I have a pretty sizeable collection of original fish recipes. Be glad to share if you are looking for something special...for a certain species or a specific kind of cooking.
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[BearLakeMack]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Thanks guys. I still not completely convinced I'm going to keep a bunch and give them a go but I'm closer. I have a friend from work that wants all I can catch. He smokes them and loves them but just because he'll eat'em doesn't mean I will. The crazy guy likes nasty ole duck too! ANOTHER YUCK! Never had a good duck. Usually it's how good is the sauce or aromatics that masks the duck flavor. Plus the texture has a lot to be desired. JMHO...[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Now, I was under the impression that whitefish were from the herring family. Is this correct or incorrect? I've also read that, probably for Pugstone's site that the Bear Lake whitefish are better eating then the mountain or river whitefish because they have less bones? I guess if I want to find out more I better start doing a little research. Not now though, I'm going fishing today! Later![/size][/font]
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[TubeDude]

[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Here's a good website, from the state of Utah, on Bear Lake species, etc. [url "http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/bearlakeinfo.htm"]http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/bearlakeinfo.htm[/url] [/size][/font]

[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Whitefish are definitely not members of the herring family, in spite of the fact that Utah "tanglers" have called whitefish "herring" for a hundred years. They also used to refer to walleyes as "pike". Everybody used to throw perch up on the bank as "trash fish" too. That would get you shot at Deer Creek these days, but the shoreline used to be littered with dead perch.[/size][/font]

[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Since the Bonneville whitefish grows up to 4 pounds, their bones will be larger than smaller mountain whitefish...or Bear Lake whitefish. But, the skeleton is still virtually the same. They still have the fine flesh bones...as do ALL members of the salmonid and whitefish clans.[/size][/font]

[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]I also smoke a lot of different kinds of fish, and whitefish are a prime subject for the smoker. Many fly floggers fish the Weber and other open winter waters for whitefish, just to fill their smokers.[/size][/font]

[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]As far as eating them..."Everybody to their own tastes, said the old maid as she kissed the cow."[/size][/font]
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