The Best Eating Freshwater Fish

If I’ve heard it once I’ve heard it a thousand times: “I’m a catch-and-release fisherman because I don’t like the taste of freshwater fish.” Anglers and foodies alike who will happily eat saltwater species like tuna, swordfish, and haddock, always seem to turn their noses up at the idea of eating fish from a lake, river, or pond.

I understand that most people buy their fish in plastic-wrapped packages at the grocery store where there aren’t a lot of freshwater species on offer, but I don’t get how recreational anglers will happily spend over $5.00 a pound for a forkful of halibut when they spend their free time catching and releasing some much more readily available, tasty, and frankly cheaper alternatives.

Saltwater fish are admittedly delicious, and I will straight up devour a pound of ahi on occasion. But unless you live on the coast, making fish like this a regular part of your diet will cost you as much as buying a decent used car. Now I’ve always figured that freshwater anglers do this because some genuinely don’t like the taste of freshwater fish, but maybe it’s really because they’re just eating the wrong kind of fish. There are a ton ofdelicious freshwater speciesout there whose flesh is easily comparable with their ocean-dwelling cousins. Fish that taste good enough that it may make a few anglers rethink their view and give up their catch-and-release lifestyles altogether.

Walleye

During the recentLake Erie walleye scandal, I was as shocked and disgusted as everyone else when watching the footage of the fish being sliced open to reveal a gut stuffed with lead weights and extra fillets. However, it wasn’t just because of the blatant cheating. When they were cutting those fish open, the first thought that popped into my mind was “God, what a waste of fillets.” They’re that good.

Walleyeare one of those fish that upon just hearing the name, I’ll involuntarily start to drool. Their meat is light and flaky with a texture not unlike a well-pounded chicken breast. It has its own unique, fresh flavor that makes it the perfect fish for dozens of different dishes. My grandmother had a recipe for awalleye bakewith butter and croutons that was so delicious, I started learning how to be a better walleye fisherman just so she would make it.

From simply tossing fillets, cheeks, andwingsin flour and frying them in a pan of hot oil, to chunking up the meat with potatoes and onions for acreamy chowder, to stuffing the fish whole with breadcrumbs, lemon, and butter and then wrapping them in foil and tossing them on the fire, it’s hard to go wrong or find a better-eating fish out there than thewalleye.

Catfish

Catfishhave an undeserved bad reputation when it comes to being table fare. It’s no wonder honestly, with their beady pig-like eyes, whiskered mouths, a habit of living in dark, muddy, and murky water, and their diet that consists ofpretty much anything. Some people consider them bottom feeders that taste like mud, and many anglers will actually cut their lines once seeing they’ve hooked a catfish rather than handle their slimy-skinned bodies. However, there are certain parts of the country, principally the Mid-West and the South, wherecatching and eating catfishis practically a religion—and it should be, because catfish are absolutely delicious.

Whether you’re talking aboutgiant flatheadsandblues, aggressivechannel cats, or dainty yet scrumptiousbullheads, there’s a satisfaction that comes with catfish eating that no other fish seems to have. Their flesh has a heartiness that makes it incredibly versatile that no matter how you prepare it, you always feel as if you’re eating something substantial. While it takes a bit ofknow-how to clean and prepare them, once you master the catfish there are few other species you’ll rather eat. Fromcatfish sandwiches, tocatfish creole, tocatfish fritters, tocatfish parmesan, there is something purely joyful about catfish eating that puts one in mind of sitting around the table with friends and family and enjoying the bounty of the harvest.

Panfish

When I was a kid, I would bring home almost every fish that I caught for dinner. It was as if the fish didn’t count as actually being caught until I brought it back and showed it off. Since most of my childhood fishing was done with aworm and bobber, I ended up eating a hell of a lot ofpanfish. This wasn’t a bad thing, I found these small, aggressive, and easy-to-catch fish delicious. And as I’ve grown to an adult, that feeling hasn’t changed.

While there are some exceptions among panfish species, such as rockbass which have a bit of an oily, fishy flavor to them. Your typical panfish likecrappieandbluegillhave a light, delicate, sweet flesh that makes them some of the best-eating fish in freshwater. Their fillets andeven their skeletonscan be fried into crispy mounds of deliciousness. They can be gutted, scaled, andgrilled wholewith a bread crumb and butter stuffing, or lightly braised or baked for some morecreativeorexoticmeals. Panfish are good enough eating to make even the most brazenbig fish junkierevert back to the days of their childhood on occasion when they would happily sit on the dock with a cheap spin-casting rod and fill a bucket with a mess of panfish.

Trout

As atrout fishing guide, I live in a world of trout conservation where the centralized theme of the profession is complete dedication tocatch and release. While this is all well and good, every now and then I have to take a step away from these lofty ideals and bonk a few squirming trout on the head. Then I’ll toss them in the cooler and bring them home for a good old-fashioned fish fry.

Trout are one of those fish you can do almost anything with when it comes to cooking, and it will almost always come out good. Trout flesh is light and delicate, yet is still oily and fatty making them the perfect fish forsmokingorpickling. Trout are also a great fish for anyraw-fish recipesas fileting and chilling the meat makes for greatsashimiorceviche. I even have a buddy who specializes in making his own homemadetrout sushi. You canpan-fry a troutby the riverside, go total caveman and stick them on a stick toroast over the fire, or even get fancy with recipes likeTruite Au’ Bleu(Blue Trout) or trout almondine. It’s all good stuff.

Bass

I can already hear the angry tapping of the comments that the lip-ripping,wacky-worm rigging, hardcorebass anglersare going to leave on this article. Bass are after all the country'smost popular sportfishwith the entire fishing industry seemingly bent towards catching them, holding them up for a badass grip and grin, and then tossing them back into the water to grow bigger for the next go around. But there are a few fishermen out there who love catching bass for an entirely different reason—they make for some damn good eating.

Bothlargemouthandsmallmouthbass have a thick layer of muscles along their sides which helps make them some of the best fighting fish in freshwater and in turn also makes for some thick, almost steak-like filets. Possessing a slightly fishy edge to their flesh, bass are a fish-eaters fish with a flavor comparable tosnapperordrumthat can be cooked in much the same manner. Bass are great fish towhole-fry, where chunks of meat can be pulled from their large ribs and other bones with your fingers like you’re power-eating a roast chicken from the grocery store. They work extremely well in chowders andstews, can bebraisedorgrilledwith lemons and onions,beer-battered, or even transformed into a deliciousbass-melt sandwich. Bass are a good enough eating fish that if it weren’t for their popularity with tournament anglers, we may accidentallyeat them into extinction.

Out of The Frying Pan

When it really comes down to it, whatever fish you like to eat is all a matter of opinion. Here, I’ve only listed a few of my personal favorites, excluding anything sea-run like salmon or striped bass since they aren’t a true freshwater species nor anything exotic like the South American Pacu (which may be the best-tasting fish I’ve ever had).

Instead, I’ve stuck to the everyman fish that are easily caught and readily available for every angler or foodie out there so long as they're willing to get out on the water and try their luck at catching them. While catch-and-release certainly has its place in the angling world, getting people away from the seafood aisle and out on their local water to enjoy the sport of fishing can do as much for protecting our fishing future and heritage as letting them go and letting them grow.

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