Eating freshwater fish

[rachunter]

This has been on my mind for a few months.I was reading in the fishing syllabus it's recommended not to eat more then two fish meals a month? It didn't give an amount for each meal.I can't remember the last time I eat freshwater fish.I think it was brook trout in Canada.There's a few fish i'd like to try but that "do not eat" kind of turns me off.I see a lot of you guys eat quit a few fish meals and some of the plates are piled high.Doesn't it bother anyone about the warning? or is it some kind of insurance policy for the state against law suits? Are some fish better to eat then others.I notice not to many guys bother with large/smallmouth bass?

[Jeremy K]

Smarter people will chime in but i was told those test are done on whole fish that are ground up ,not an isolated fillet. I only eat local fish a few times a year myself.

[Lawdwaz]

Had some stupendously good perch last night, gifted to me by the “Babe Winkleman” of Alden, Andrew D.  Known here as Treeguy.  
 

We only have 10-12 meals a year of locally caught fresh feesh.  Wish I could get more.......

[Pygmy]

I eat  local freshwater fish a couple times per week....If I manage to survive two more weeks I'll be 70.....

Perhaps I should have paid attention to the state health advisories  and denied myself the pleasure of enjoying all of the wonderful perch, crappies, rock bass, bluegills, walleyes, bullheads, bass and trout that I have eaten over the last  60 + years...

I might live a year or two longer...

[Robhuntandfish]

With anything moderation is best I would say.  That being said have eaten all types of fish from all types of places.  

You see pics on TV of third world countries buying fish at markets that are just disgusting.  I know where the ones I caught at least came from. 

I wouldn't eat large amounts of large older fish from certain lakes.  But 2-3 year old walleye and perch would seem safe enough to me. I would stay away from a big ole catfish or a carp or something. But as long at it isn't a highly restricted lake I wouldn't worry.  

I eat fish prob twice a month.  But I figure lots of other things will do me in before that.  I catch fish from the same streams and lakes that the deer and cattle around here all drink out of .  So far so good. And man are those fillets good.  

[wolc123]

There are different advisories for different waters and depending on your age and sex.    For example, it is ok for women and children to eat bass from Lake Erie and the upper Niagara river, but not so from the lower Niagara, Lake Ontario, or the St Lawrence river (men over 50 are ok to eat those however).   I am not a catch and release guy (I believe that is mostly just the sensless maiming of a fine food source).  What I do is separate and mark the vacuum-sealed freezer packages.  My wife and kids get the Erie & upper Niagara river stuff, while I get the St. Lawrence river stuff.   I can be on the Upper Niagara or Lake Erie in a half hour from my house and my family has a camp on the St Lawrence, so those waters are where all of our fish comes from.  I much prefer eating (and catching) bass over any other fresh water species, but I save the walleyes and perch that I catch (by accident) for my wife and kids because they like them.     We eat fish from those waters (mostly bass), about twice per month on average.   That keeps everyone happy and healthy and stays within all the state recommended guidelines.  I also mostly target and keep smaller bass (12-15" long) because they taste a bit better and have less chemical buildup in them. 

The reason most guys don't bother with bass is they have no clue how to care for the meat.  You cant just throw them in a cooler and let them suffocate and die, with the guts in them, like you can with perch and walleye.   They have to be kept alive and as fresh as possible (an aerated live-well works wonderful for that, and lets me cull out the big ones (over 15").    The fish should be dispatched with a small club between the eyes, and the meat removed and vacuum sealed while it is still twitching.   If it is not twitching it wont taste as good.  Bass meat has more oil in it than walleye or perch and that keeps it moist when using healthier cooking methods like broiling, or baking.   Walleye and perch are better for frying but that is not such a healthy way to prepare fish.      

Edited March 3, 2020 by wolc123

[helmut in the bush]

Sometimes you just have to rip the tag off your mattress and go for it Bro

Edited March 3, 2020 by helmut in the bush

[Jeremy K]

21 minutes ago, wolc123 said:

There are different advisories for different waters and depending on your age and sex.    For example, it is ok for women and children to eat bass from Lake Erie and the upper Niagara river, but not so from the lower Niagara, Lake Ontario, or the St Lawrence river (men over 50 are ok to eat those however).   I am not a catch and release guy (I believe that is mostly just the sensless maiming of a fine food source).  What I do is separate and mark the vacuum-sealed freezer packages.  My wife and kids get the Erie & upper Niagara river stuff, while I get the St. Lawrence river stuff.   I can be on the Upper Niagara or Lake Erie in a half hour from my house and my family has a camp on the St Lawrence, so those waters are where all of our fish comes from.  I much prefer eating (and catching) bass over any other fresh water species, but I save the walleyes and perch that I catch (by accident) for my wife and kids because they like them.     We eat fish from those waters (mostly bass), about twice per month on average.   That keeps everyone happy and healthy and stays within all the state recommended guidelines.  I also mostly target and keep smaller bass (12-15" long) because they taste a bit better and have less chemical buildup in them. 

The reason most guys don't bother with bass is they have no clue how to care for the meat.  You cant just throw them in a cooler and let them suffocate and die, with the guts in them, like you can with perch and walleye.   They have to be kept alive and as fresh as possible (an aerated live-well works wonderful for that, and lets me cull out the big ones (over 15").    The fish should be dispatched with a small club between the eyes, and the meat removed and vacuum sealed while it is still twitching.   If it is not twitching it wont taste as good.  Bass meat has more oil in it than walleye or perch and that keeps it moist when using healthier cooking methods like broiling, or baking.   Walleye and perch are better for frying but that is not such a healthy way to prepare fish.      

I would never eat anything out of the lower river ,the majority of my fishing is done down there and I have never had any other fish leave such a rotten smell on my hands for that many days .

 

As far as eating bass ,you dont have to do any of that ,just trim the belly fat and get rid of the blood line, that's where the gross taste comes from . 

Edited March 3, 2020 by Jeremy K

[Nytracker]

46 minutes ago, Pygmy said:

I eat  local freshwater fish a couple times per week....If I manage to survive two more weeks I'll be 70.....

Perhaps I should have paid attention to the state health advisories  and denied myself the pleasure of enjoying all of the wonderful perch, crappies, rock bass, bluegills, walleyes, bullheads, bass and trout that I have eaten over the last  60 + years...

I might live a year or two longer...

Huh that explains  alot ......

[wolc123]

1 hour ago, Jeremy K said:

 

 

As far as eating bass ,you dont have to do any of that ,just trim the belly fat and get rid of the blood line, that's where the gross taste comes from . 

I do that also, especially on the larger ones.  Keeping them alive until filleting is not that difficult and a big plus, is that it lets you release the larger ones unharmed, so that you can replace them with smaller, tastier ones.  Most fishing boats have live wells these days anyhow.  I use mine a lot.  I have worn out and replaced about 5 live well pumps in the 30 years that I have had my boat.   The vacuum sealer is also very important for making them taste good.   It honestly tastes the same if it has been frozen in those for 8 months as it does the day it was caught.  I always dry the fillets with paper towels prior to vacuum sealing.       

[Jeremy K]

17 minutes ago, wolc123 said:

I do that also, especially on the larger ones.  Keeping them alive until filleting is not that difficult and a big plus, is that it lets you release the larger ones unharmed, so that you can replace them with smaller, tastier ones.  Most fishing boats have live wells these days anyhow.  I use mine a lot.  I have worn out and replaced about 5 live well pumps in the 30 years that I have had my boat.   The vacuum sealer is also very important for making them taste good.   It honestly tastes the same if it has been frozen in those for 8 months as it does the day it was caught.  I always dry the fillets with paper towels prior to vacuum sealing.       

I agree on the live well. I've always good luck just putting fillets in a bag and covering completely in water . Keeps them from getting freezer burned.

Edited March 3, 2020 by Jeremy K

[rachunter]

Thanks guys i'm going to try a few different fish this year.Most of my fishing is going to be up in the ADK area.

[Buckmaster7600]

I probably eat a meal of trout or salmon once a week. Add the occasional perch fry from time to time.

If eating fish is what kills me I will have proved a lot of doctors wrong with all my other bad habits.


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[johnplav]

In NY, adults males are fine to eat most fish.  For kids and women who may become pregnant its worth knowing the recommendations.  

I benefit greatly from these guidelines... every time my parents visit us they bring a few frozen packages of Lake George perch.    

https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/outdoors/fish/health_advisories/

I'll be honest, I'm more concerned about the fish I buy.  I try to stay away from certain countries, and farm-raised stuff (especially freshwater).

[wolc123]

19 hours ago, Jeremy K said:

I agree on the live well. I've always good luck just putting fillets in a bag and covering completely in water . Keeps them from getting freezer burned.

That is what I always used to do, but the fillets never tasted quite as good as fresh, and it took a while to thaw out all that extra water.   The fillets that have been dried with paper towels and frozen in vacuum sealed bags taste exactly the same as fresh after 8 months in the freezer, and are much quicker to thaw out and bake and eat.      

[Daveboone]

Keep in mind that how urbanized the water is has a lot to do...I live right near Oneida Lake, which is heavily populated around, with quite a few industires in the watershed as well as agricultural run off....In my mind I don't want to eat a lot of fish from there....

Up in the ADKs, little population, little industry or agriculture. Also, predator fish accumulate a lot more...Salmon, pike, etc. 

The lower on the food chain, the better. Luckily perch are pretty low on the food chain!

[Robhuntandfish]

https://www.health.ny.gov/publications/6627.pdf

Oneida lake is listed as 4 meals per month.  Prob because it has had very little industry around the lake. Although it has populations it hasnt had older corporations/industries like the ones around Onondaga where pollutants and mercury etc were put into the lake.  Esp contaminants that last forever. Like Dave says for Perch and even walleye havent been in the lake for long periods of time to accumalate toxins.   Most of the legal walleyes in this years catches will be from 2016 stocking/spawn. 

I would say if your eating fish in the Dacks look it up by lake on DEC site just to be sure.   The Dacks has a lot of mercury advisories.  Which you wouldnt think since it is so remote  

Edited March 4, 2020 by Robhuntandfish

[Pygmy]

I just had fresh ( though the ice)  bluegill filets for the third time in the last ten days..

They were AWFUL !!! ( good, that is)…..hehehe.....

[ncountry]

20 hours ago, Robhuntandfish said:

 

I would say if your eating fish in the Dacks look it up by lake on DEC site just to be sure.   The Dacks has a lot of mercury advisories.  Which you wouldnt think since it is so remote  

Most if not all of the mercury contamination in the ADKSs is due to acid rain predominately from coal fired plants .

[squirrelwhisperer]

I can honestly say that I have never even tasted a freshwater fish. I live on and fish saltwater and eat saltwater fish exclusively. Nothing better than ocean fish. During the season, which starts in about a month, I will eat fish basically once per week. My boys (16 and 11) were raised on the stuff. They're fine! Shoot, they started fishing as soon as they could hold a rod. Older son has been on the boat since 5, little one since 3. 

[Pygmy]

5 minutes ago, squirrelwhisperer said:

I can honestly say that I have never even tasted a freshwater fish. I live on and fish saltwater and eat saltwater fish exclusively. Nothing better than ocean fish. During the season, which starts in about a month, I will eat fish basically once per week. My boys (16 and 11) were raised on the stuff. They're fine! Shoot, they started fishing as soon as they could hold a rod. Older son has been on the boat since 5, little one since 3. 

I like saltwater fish too  !!  Hard to beat fluke,  black sea bass , tautog or cod...

When  are you going to take me fishing ??...

[The_Real_TCIII]

2 minutes ago, Pygmy said:

I like saltwater fish too  !!  Hard to beat fluke,  black sea bass , tautog or cod...

When  are you going to take me fishing ??...

Tautog, Gerry Cooneys head and Jerry Lewis' teeth

 

Fluking is one of my favorite types of fishing, they are a terrifying predator! Its a good thing theyre not bigger lol

[squirrelwhisperer]

I like saltwater fish too  !!  Hard to beat fluke,  black sea bass , tautog or cod...
When  are you going to take me fishing ??...

Soon as they open


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[squirrelwhisperer]

Tautog, Gerry Cooneys head and Jerry Lewis' teeth
 
Fluking is one of my favorite types of fishing, they are a terrifying predator! Its a good thing theyre not bigger lol

Guess you never heard of halibut


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[squirrelwhisperer]

Sea bass and tog are my faves near shore. Tuna and tiles off shore. Don’t care for cod, too many worms.


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