Baked Largemouth Bass!

[Tripplebeards]

I have only tried baking a fish whole once. It was a white Bass and didn’t taste very good. I got brave the other day and instead of filleting one of my Bass I scaled it, cut the fins off, and froze it. Next day I thawed it out and made a bunch of cross slits on the both sides. I drenched it in virgin olive oil, sprinkled it, inside and out, with famous Dave’s rib rib, salt, pepper, garlic salt, and rosemary. I also cut up a lemon sticking slices into the chest cavity. I also took about a third of the lemon on and squeezed it on top of the fish. I baked it at 450 degrees for 25 minutes, till the internal temp on the top part of the fish was a 145 degrees. I would have to guess it was around a four and half pound fish give or take. It made a huge meal for two. The fish lasted about 5 minutes. I caught a few more today and prepped one to do the same aging for tomorrow’s lunch. Can’t wait!


Prepped for seasoning...




After it came out of the oven...




We are the cheeks and all...

[DougGuy]

Leave the tail on, nice and crunchy!!

[GhostHawk]

Mom used to broil Tulibee's dad would get spearing, and Northern Pike over 6 lbs got cleaned, scaled, she had some dressing recipe that was spiced totally different than normal poultry dressing. And she would lay half length strips of bacon on top.

Served up on a big platter dad would get the top half to flop over showing the skeleton all the bones connected except you still had to watch for Y bones. They are floaters. Meat would be firm, white, flake perfectly with awesome flavor. But of course it does make a difference to take a fish from 34 degree water, knock it on the head, bury it in a snowbank and then clean it BEFORE you eat supper. Those fish were right at 32 degrees and still kicking even after 6-8 hours out of the water.

Temp makes the single biggest difference in how fish taste. Bass are fine, just in mid summer I preferred to hunt mine down around the 12 to 14 foot depth mark where it is cool and dim.

[Tripplebeards]

Leave the tail on, nice and crunchy!!

I agree! I just figured I’d try it the way I saw on the recipe photo.

[Tripplebeards]

Did it again today and made fish tacos!


Before baking...





And after...

[Winger Ed.]

Cool.

Largemouth are big business here.
I've caught a few off the dock, but throw 'em back.

In our shallow, warm water they don't taste very good.
With all the tournaments and sport fishermen that they bring to the lake, I'm reluctant to keep them.

If the water was colder,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, they wouldn't get the same deal.

[Tripplebeards]

Yeah, everyone thinks Bass are big business” every part of the world.lol I’ve have lived on the river and been catching and eating them since the 70’s from my backyard. In the mid eighties all the fishing shows came about brain washing catch and release so tournament guys could have something to come tour our towns and catch. I just went out Sunday, which the day after a huge bass tournament took place and I fished in my spots for three hours without one bite. In the past week every time I went out I caught my limit of 2.5 to 4.5 pound largemouth along with a few northern pike. Then when the tournaments are sone they usually dump them by the boat landing or miles away. Studies have shown that 90% of the fish released never come back to the same area. I can still remember a few years ago when the bass masters came here and had a tournament. Two days later you could literally walk across hundreds of huge dead large mouth bass floating by the boat landing. Made the local news. There is also a no wake zone by my house and they fly by full throttle non stop in panic to catch fish. I’d like to send them a bill to rebuild my river bank. If you can tell I have zero respect for the weekend warrior tournament fishermen.

The same hype goes with predator hunting. No one ever heard of calling coyotes in the 90’s till predator magazines and tv shows came out. Now it’s big business selling callers and specific guns. A lot of my spots in the past 10 years that were never visited or hunted accept for myself are like the local spillway stacked with fisherman. Over called and pressured. To bad, the coyotes are still there buy now educated.

[Dunross]

Lay a piece of aluminum foil in a baking pan. Rub a little oil or butter on it, then lay a fillet of whatever fish you have on top. Rub a little butter or oil on that, a shake of salt, then spread some of your favorite salsa over all. It doesn't take a lot, you're not making a casserole. Slide under the broiler for a few minutes until the fish is firm and white, but not dried out.

Enjoy.

Have also done the same thing using chipotle (if you want the heat ) or smoked paprika (if you don't). It's all good.