The deep dark secret of Rock bass....

[natetreat]

Yep, rock bass love the Chehalis river. As for eating them, when I was a kid we'd catch them and have fish frys. We found that if you bleed them, they taste way better. Although I don't think I'd eat them now, I have in the past. What we used to do to catch them was to dig up a nightcrawler and put it on a hook under a float. When you catch your first fish, it will swallow the hook and bait. Then you rip the hook out, it will rip out the gills and they're stuck to the hook. Cast it back out and you'll have another fish on before you can count to twenty. This method only works when you're eating them, because it kills them. Obviously this works well for perch too. They're not very smart fish at all.

[Mike Carey]

great info guys. rockjiggr, I'd like to use your info and post an article so this info is in the main web site area. That ok with you?

[Dan360]

If I get into a few, I'll stick around and have some fun. I use a 2 inch watermelon grub (Kalin's) on a 1/16 oz jig head. Light line and appropriate rod and its like fishing for crappie without all of the spooking.

[Fish-or-man?]

Hey, I remember this thread (I need to check this section more often)! Man, I really have to hit the Chehalis this summer for rock bass. I caught some at Black Lake last week, and they were scrappy for the most part, but I recall those Chehalis River rock bass being vicious! I used to eat them when I was younger too Nate, largerly because if I was using a piece of nightcrawler they'd have it in their gut by the time I jerked! Thanks for all the tips Rockjiggr!

[Merryshine]

I used to gut, de-head, and scale panfish to pan fry too. Thats the way I was taught as a child and I do still enjoy a nice bluegill fry like that from time to time. However, I got tired of bones sticking in my throat so I learned to filet my catch. I filet everything- including trout. (sideline note- the WDFW recommends removing skins and fatty areas of freshwater fish, especially trout, because toxins concetrate in those areas of the fish)

When you remove the skin of a panfish, you remove much of the fishiness. Folks that I know who swear that they hate fresh fish but love fish and chips are amazed when I fix them bass filets rolled in seasoned corn meal and fried in a little oil. No skin, no fish odor or unpleasant fish taste.

I do agree, however, that fish taken from shallow warm lakes taste muddier than those caught in deep, clear, colder waters. That is why I like fishing American Lake and St Clair for panfish. The water is DEEP and usually cold compared to other shallow and weedy lakes around the area.

I recommend that you give the Rock Bass another try and filet and skin the fish before cooking. You may find that they are much more palatable than you thought before. Of course the downside of this method is that you end up with only a small portion of meat from a small fish. But, since they are plentiful, eagerly bite, and have no real competition for catching them, getting a good number of fish to make a meal should not be a problem.

Good luck!

I love eating what I catch. Years ago an old timer showed me that fish that are immediately iced after removing them from the water and cleaning them stay firm and are much better tasting. No matter what I catch, it goes on the ice within minutes of coming out of the lake or river. Do not leave them in a bucket. Ice is the key.