Rock Bass

[Dumroese]

Has anyone here ever ate rock bass?
I read an article about Gull lake rock bass and how they are great to eat.

What do ou folks think of Rock Bass...good or bad to eat and how to prepare them:confused:

[stelmon]

They can be good and horrible sometime's. I use to eat them out of st clair and they tasted good. But a couple year's ago the family and I caught around 30. Tasted like you know what!

[shane25]

We used to catch a lot out of Lake Leelenau. They weren't to bad, but like Dumroese said you don't want to eat to many at a time. They have a pretty strong flavor the bigger they get like most fish. Try frying them in a beer batter. That way they aren't to bad.

[WALLEYE MIKE]

All depends on your taste. I eat only walleye,perch and bluegill.(and smoked salmon) I have eaten bass, pike, rockbass, sheephead but prefer the finer tasting fish. I normally just fry in oil or butter. No added spices or tartar sauce. I want to taste the fish flavor, not all the added flavors.

[shooter921]

Not much of a fish eater, just catching em, but I have tried it, YUCK!

80

[Hook N. Sinker]

I caught a very large rock bass once and ate it. It tasted pretty good, much like bass. Don't remember how I cooked it though. Normally don't eat rock bass, just like catching them. The Detroit River is full of them.

[Big Kahuna]

Rock bass can be pretty tasty. I believe it depends on what they are eating. In areas where there's lot's of crayfish, the rock bass seem to taste better. Also in the colder water way north.

[The Whale]

I have had great experiences in catching and eating rock bass. They can be very tasty if cleaned and prepared well. Here is my process;

Fillet the fish as you would any other, be sure to remove the skin and NOT to just scale 'em. Also, be sure to remove the "belly" meat, that is, cut off the fillet approx. 3/4 the way down, just past where the rib bones end.

Rinse well under running cold water, do not soak fish in water for any extended length of time. Freezing fillets in block of water is a good idea, but when thawing, run under cold water. Soaking (submerged) fish will cause the fish to toughen.

Prepare a mixture of equal parts of corn meal, flour and crushed saltines. Add no additional salt, the crackers have enough in/on them to provide perfect seasoning.

Dip fillets in plain milk (no egg needed - all that does is allow excessive coating mixture to stick and obscure the taste of the fish. Shake the fillets in a zip lock with the prepared coating mixture to cover completely, gently shake off excess coating.

Place coated fillets in a skillet (or deep fry if prefered) that is heated BELOW the point of smoking anf fry just a minute or two on either side to a light golden brown. Be careful not to overcook, most people overcook fish and wonder why they are tough and dry.

Drain well on paper towels and serve them up when still hot. A bit of lemon squeezed on, maybe salt/pepper if that is your liking, and man oh man, GREAT eating !!!

I have caught and eaten rock bass from the Detroit river, Huron river, rivers "up north", many, many inland lakes, and have never been disappointed at the quality of eating they do provide.

As mentioned in an earlier posted reply, the bigger they are, the "stronger" they may taste, I usually keep rockers 8"-9" and under for the table, others go back to provide the thrill of the scrappy fight to other anglers.

Give them a shot, they are worth it !!! Good luck and good eating.

[Spanky]

If you want the red eyes, gull lk. is the place to get em. The lake is surrounded by dense weed beds, and they are full of red eyes. Crickets, worms and crawlers are the prime bait. We usually catch em 3 to 1 when we are targeting gills. I myself would rather eat the gills and perch, but I have eatten them in the past. Let them 12 inchers go and eat the 8-10 inchers, they taste better!

[bocephus]

up north at my cottage, our lake is cold and clear and they are feeding on crayfish and shiners. they taste almost as good as the walleye. and they get big too. lots of fun to catch and good to eat! good luck