fishing reports

[Bill]

Bill bluegill are excellent table fair. Second would be perch for freshwater. That said once you get above 9 inches you really have to worry about pfas.

I can’t eat tuna in a restaurant any longer. Can’t even buy it at the store and cook it. I suspect many fish are the same. Once you’ve had it the day it swam you’re ruined.

Tile fish are becoming my favorite salt water fish so far. Ate some last week that we caught in August and vacuum sealed. Still good. Tuna only lasts 4 months sealed.

 

[SwampCat]

I can’t eat tuna in a restaurant any longer. Can’t even buy it at the store and cook it. I suspect many fish are the same. Once you’ve had it the day it swam you’re ruined.

Tile fish are becoming my favorite salt water fish so far. Ate some last week that we caught in August and vacuum sealed. Still good. Tuna only lasts 4 months sealed.

My opinion, of course - people are often talking about what is the best tasting freshwater fish - is it walleye, crappie, catfish, etc. There are many saltwater fish better than the best tasting freshwater fish

 

[Telemark]

My opinion, of course - people are often talking about what is the best tasting freshwater fish - is it walleye, crappie, catfish, etc. There are many saltwater fish better than the best tasting freshwater fish

Most of the freshwater fish in the perch and sunfish families aren't significantly different on flavor or texture. When I did a side by side test, yellow perch won for flavor.

I also prefer saltwater fish, but it's about $100 per box to take it with me. Cod and halibut are my favorites, followed by haddock and pollock.

In a side by side taste test, I preferred rainbow trout over Atlantic salmon. I don't buy salmon anymore unless it's on sale.

 

[Telemark]

I'll add that bass skin does have off flavors, so it's best to skin it, whereas you can scale perch.

Growing up, no one liked bass that much. I watched a CD that came with a filet knife my grandfather purchased, and it recommended skinning bass. It was a revelation. Now we generally prefer bass to walleye, so it's pretty much all we catch, also because they are much easier to catch than walleye, and the perch and rockbass have become hard to find due to the cormorants.

 

[Kdog]

If I can't fillet it, I'd rather not eat it. No matter what it is. My brother took around 30 trout home from last weeks trip and said they were incredible. Just gutted them and pulled the gills (left the skin and heads on) then I vac packed them and we put them in ice.

I am planning a couple pompano trips the next few weekends and may actually keep some this year.

 

[fingers]

Redear sunfish are on beds, caught over 100 panfish today, mixed bag of redear and bluegills.

 

[Kdog]

Last weekend I went to Port Saint Joe and fished Indian Pass, Cape San Blass, talked to others fishing in Mexico Beach and in PCB. In total I caught 1 pomp in Indian Pass and a good bit of Spanish and some blues off the pier in PCB.

This past weekend I went to Destin and absolutely wore out them and myself out. Fished from 5:30 to 4:30 and caught 60-70 pomps and gave a few to other guys that weren't catching them. I was not prepared so did not keep any for myself.



Caught a bunch of Spanish (80 plus) and give or take 40 lady fish.



Ate at the Shack in Ft. Walton and while it was great, Hunts in PC last weekend was better.



I have come to the realization that I am getting to old to get up @ 4am, work until 4pm, prep everything, load up, go to dinner with the wife, then get to bed around 8pm so I can get up @ 11pm to make the drive, start fishing when I get there, fish nearly 12 hours, go check out some other places before going to the room, get cleaned up, go to dinner and get in bed at 10:30pm two weekends in a row. I set my alarm for 4am, but when I hurt to bad trying to roll over to hit snooze, I decided to turn it off.

Finally got up @ 5:30 but was hurting too bad so I just went to the Okaloosa Pier. Nobody was catching anything, me included, so I wrapped it up @ 8:30 and headed home. Still hurting today and trying to decide if I will do it one more time this coming weekend.

 

[SwampCat]

Last weekend I went to Port Saint Joe and fished Indian Pass, Cape San Blass, talked to others fishing in Mexico Beach and in PCB. In total I caught 1 pomp in Indian Pass and a good bit of Spanish and some blues off the pier in PCB.

This past weekend I went to Destin and absolutely wore out them and myself out. Fished from 5:30 to 4:30 and caught 60-70 pomps and gave a few to other guys that weren't catching them. I was not prepared so did not keep any for myself.



Caught a bunch of Spanish (80 plus) and give or take 40 lady fish.



Ate at the Shack in Ft. Walton and while it was great, Hunts in PC last weekend was better.



I have come to the realization that I am getting to old to get up @ 4am, work until 4pm, prep everything, load up, go to dinner with the wife, then get to bed around 8pm so I can get up @ 11pm to make the drive, start fishing when I get there, fish nearly 12 hours, go check out some other places before going to the room, get cleaned up, go to dinner and get in bed at 10:30pm two weekends in a row. I set my alarm for 4am, but when I hurt to bad trying to roll over to hit snooze, I decided to turn it off.

Finally got up @ 5:30 but was hurting too bad so I just went to the Okaloosa Pier. Nobody was catching anything, me included, so I wrapped it up @ 8:30 and headed home. Still hurting today and trying to decide if I will do it one more time this coming weekend.

Great trip. What did you catch the pompano on.

 

[Kdog]

All were caught on goofy jigs with teasers with a few coming on egg head jigs (didn't throw the egg head jigs that much). I am used to a slower bite and typically throw a double teaser rig, but after several doubles and one triple, I went with the standard single teaser rig. I really do not think color matters but I caught most on a pink/orange or orange/pink combo with a pink/chartreuse or orange/chartreuse not far behind.