Walleye?

[Enigma]

A pic of a buddy, from yesterday, on the St. Lawrence. Walleye correct? Never seen one that big.

Edited August 27, 2021 by Enigma

[land 1]

yup

[wolc123]

They get big up there, especially since the incredible forage base of round gobies arrived.  A guy caught the state record up there a few years ago.

I rarely target them, because they fight like water filled pillow cases and I like eating bass better.  I do catch them by accident every once in a while though.  The one on the right (30") came from up there about 10 years ago and the pike on the left (40") about 20 years ago.  The pike, unlike the walleye, put up quite a fight. 

 

 

 

[Enigma]

And a decent northern his son brought in as well. 

[Enigma]

Guy's a great friend. I was with him at his campsite a day this week but couldn't get on the boat that morning. Dude's the type of guy that just has natural ability and the drive to have outdoor family fun. And he delivers. Type of guy who's never done it before but will show up with gear and catch the biggest fish, kill the biggest deer and then say "Meh, no big deal, how do you want me to cook it for you?" Humble and best of the best imho.

Edited August 28, 2021 by Enigma

[coonhunter]

Nice, both are quality fish

 

[Northcountryman]

They do underfight for their size but Ive never heard ANYBODY claim that bass are better table fare than walleye- NOTHINGS better than walleye , except maybe Salmon !! 

[wolc123]

1 minute ago, Enigma said:

And a decent northern his son brought in as well. 

That's a nice pike.  Those are fun to catch, but tough on tackle when you are bass fishing.  

We have been going up there more than 30 years. My siblings have a cottage just downstream of Alex bay.  We were up there a few weeks ago, and I  had another "accidental" catch while bass fishing.

This bowfin might have been another state record (the record is about 13 pounds and I "guessed" this one at 12).  They must also like the round gobies.  I have caught a few smaller ones thru the years, but nothing close to this one.  It put up one hell of a fight that likely destroyed one of my favorite bass rods.

The fat largemouth was my biggest of that trip and maybe ever up there. We got a few pike on that trip that were close to 30 inches, but none bigger than that this year, and no walleyes or smallmouth bass. 

 

[wolc123]

14 minutes ago, Northcountryman said:

They do underfight for their size but Ive never heard ANYBODY claim that bass are better table fare than walleye- NOTHINGS better than walleye , except maybe Salmon !! 

The reason for that is most folks have not a clue how to care for bass they plan to eat after they catch them.  You can't just toss them into a cooler on ice, like you can with a walleye, perch, crappies, trout, or salmon. 

The fillets need to be twitching, when you remove them from the fish, and that means they got to be alive and in the best possible condition.  I get about 2 years out of a live well pump on average, because it gets lots of use.

Bass meat has more oil in it than walleye or perch, and that keeps it moist thru the broiling, grilling, or baking processes.  Those are much healthier methods of preparing fish than frying.  I admit that walleye and perch are better than bass when fried.

When a large percentage of your families protien comes from "free" stuff, off the fat of the land and water like mine does, you got to pay attention to that.

Edited August 28, 2021 by wolc123

[Just Lucky]

11 minutes ago, wolc123 said:

That's a nice pike.  Those are fun to catch, but tough on tackle when you are bass fishing.  

We have been going up there more than 30 years. My siblings have a cottage just downstream of Alex bay.  We were up there a few weeks ago, and I  had another "accidental" catch while bass fishing.

This bowfin might have been another state record (the record is about 13 pounds and I "guessed" this one at 12).  They must also like the round gobies.  I have caught a few smaller ones thru the years, but nothing close to this one.  It put up one hell of a fight that likely destroyed one of my favorite bass rods.

The fat largemouth was my biggest of that trip and maybe ever up there. We got a few pike on that trip that were close to 30 inches, but none bigger than that this year, and no walleyes or smallmouth bass. 

 

Fid you keep the bowfin to eat? Heard of a couple people eating them and all say they taste nasty.

[luberhill]

18 minutes ago, Northcountryman said:

They do underfight for their size but Ive never heard ANYBODY claim that bass are better table fare than walleye- NOTHINGS better than walleye , except maybe Salmon !! 

Walleye , crappie and perch eat better than ANY bass 

[wolc123]

5 minutes ago, Just Lucky said:

Fid you keep the bowfin to eat? Heard of a couple people eating them and all say they taste nasty.

No, I heard the same thing from a guy at the next campsite the night before I caught it.  That is why I was so quick to release it.  Normally, I am not a "catch and release guy".  To me, that is nothing but the senseless maiming of a fine food source.

My wife won't let me keep pike since my brother in law got a bone stuck in his throat up there a few years ago and they had to run him up to the A-bay hospital to try and get it out.

The operation was not successfully (fish bones dont show on x-rays), but he spit it up the next morning while eating an oreo cookie for breakfast 

Edited August 28, 2021 by wolc123

[Just Lucky]

3 minutes ago, wolc123 said:

No, I heard the same thing from a guy at the next campsite the night before I caught it.  That is why I was so quick to release it.  Normally, I am not a "catch and release guy".  To me, that is nothing but the senseless maiming of a fine food source.

My wife won't let me keep pike since my brother in law got a bone stuck in his throat up there a few years ago and they had to run him up to the A-bay hospital to try and get it out.

The operation was not successfully (fish bones dont show on x-rays), but he spit it up the next morning while eating an oreo cookie for breakfast 

Haha, with stories like that you must be quite the entertainment at hunting camp. 

[wolc123]

4 minutes ago, luberhill said:

Walleye , crappie and perch eat better than ANY bass 

I am thankful that most folks think that too.  Have you ever eaten a big summer lake Erie walleye that was caught as it was suspended under zoo plankton ?  Those big flakes of white meat have a distinct algae taste.  That certainly does nothing for me.

[land 1]

ill say this smallmouth out of river are good to eat, but from say oneida not so good and the big eyes 3lbs or bigger from river aint very tasty compared to a 15-17 in from oneida

[wolc123]

Just now, land 1 said:

ill say this smallmouth out of river are good to eat, but from say oneida not so good and the big eyes 3lbs or bigger from river aint very tasty compared to a 15-17 in from oneida

I agree with that.  Smaller walleyes, caught from colder waters, are way better than those fat summer slobs out on lake Erie and in the St Lawrence.

Years ago, they only had to be 12" to keep in Chataqua lake, and those smaller ones were tasty.  I used to eat a lot more fried fish when I was young, and those little walleyes were top notch.

These days, my favorite fish to eat are 12-15" largemouth bass.  I find them slightly easier to clean than smallmouth and just a little bit better flavored.

The smallmouth bass is still my favorite fish overall. They are almost as tasty as largemouth, but much stronger pound per pound.  They also last longer in the live well than largemouth when the oxygen gets depleted and the water gets warm.

There has been a big increase in bass growth rates in the great lakes since the round gobies arrived.  I never liked bass over 15" before, but now even a 20 incher is relatively young and good tasting.

I used to cull out the larger bass, but now I usually just keep and eat the first 5 legal ones that I catch, even if they are 20" long.  Here is part of our 15 fish haul out on the upper Niagara last Sunday:

 

[Chef]

That's a nice pike.  Those are fun to catch, but tough on tackle when you are bass fishing.  
We have been going up there more than 30 years. My siblings have a cottage just downstream of Alex bay.  We were up there a few weeks ago, and I  had another "accidental" catch while bass fishing.
This bowfin might have been another state record (the record is about 13 pounds and I "guessed" this one at 12).  They must also like the round gobies.  I have caught a few smaller ones thru the years, but nothing close to this one.  It put up one hell of a fight that likely destroyed one of my favorite bass rods.
The fat largemouth was my biggest of that trip and maybe ever up there. We got a few pike on that trip that were close to 30 inches, but none bigger than that this year, and no walleyes or smallmouth bass. 
 

Must be using the PA chest chart that fish isn’t a oz over 5lbs


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[luberhill]

59 minutes ago, wolc123 said:

I am thankful that most folks think that too.  Have you ever eaten a big summer lake Erie walleye that was caught as it was suspended under zoo plankton ?  Those big flakes of white meat have a distinct algae taste.  That certainly does nothing for me.

Yup but I prefer Oneida Lake spring walleyes .

Its all in knowing how to prepare , after catching and eating 1000s of bass, pike, perch, crappies, and walleyes I really do know 

[Hock3y24]

we catch em up to 30" right in the susquehanna. 

[chrisw]

I agree with that.  Smaller walleyes, caught from colder waters, are way better than those fat summer slobs out on lake Erie and in the St Lawrence.
Years ago, they only had to be 12" to keep in Chataqua lake, and those smaller ones were tasty.  I used to eat a lot more fried fish when I was young, and those little walleyes were top notch.
These days, my favorite fish to eat are 12-15" largemouth bass.  I find them slightly easier to clean than smallmouth and just a little bit better flavored.
The smallmouth bass is still my favorite fish overall. They are almost as tasty as largemouth, but much stronger pound per pound.  They also last longer in the live well than largemouth when the oxygen gets depleted and the water gets warm.
There has been a big increase in bass growth rates in the great lakes since the round gobies arrived.  I never liked bass over 15" before, but now even a 20 incher is relatively young and good tasting.
I used to cull out the larger bass, but now I usually just keep and eat the first 5 legal ones that I catch, even if they are 20" long.  Here is part of our 15 fish haul out on the upper Niagara last Sunday:
 

Not trying to jab here but... I've never heard of anyone saying bass is better than walleyes. What I have seen, is people saying they prefer bass over walleyes (because walleyes are typically much more difficult to catch). Not knocking you, if you like bass then by all means go for it. But I'm thinking partly is because it's a lot easier most of the time to fill a stringer with 12" bass...

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[Northcountryman]

7 hours ago, chrisw said:

Not trying to jab here but... I've never heard of anyone saying bass is better than walleyes. What I have seen, is people saying they prefer bass over walleyes (because walleyes are typically much more difficult to catch). Not knocking you, if you like bass then by all means go for it. But I'm thinking partly is because it's a lot easier most of the time to fill a stringer with 12" bass...

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Yes , I agree . 

[wolc123]

7 hours ago, chrisw said:

Not trying to jab here but... I've never heard of anyone saying bass is better than walleyes. What I have seen, is people saying they prefer bass over walleyes (because walleyes are typically much more difficult to catch). Not knocking you, if you like bass then by all means go for it. But I'm thinking partly is because it's a lot easier most of the time to fill a stringer with 12" bass...

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Maybe walleyes are tougher for some folks to catch, but I always found them easier than bass.  That goes from finding them, to getting them to strike, and getting them into the boat or onto the ice. 

They just seem like a dumb fish to me, in comparison. I have taken many a walleye from water less than 10 ft deep, directly below the spinning prop of a gas outboard while back trolling.  That does not work with bass, where a silent electric motor is much more effective.

Walleyes are also more likely to hang out in schools, meaning once you find one, you seldom need to go far for another.

Finally, after you find that school, and hook that fish, your odds of getting it into the boat are much higher with a walleye than with a bass (especially a smallmouth).  

I cant remember many walleye that have gotten away from me after I hooked them, whereas in warm water, sometimes half the bass will throw the hook on the way into the boat.

I did loose the biggest one that I ever saw however, just upstream of the round house in front of Buffalo harbor on lake Erie, about 20 years ago.  

I was long line trolling a large silver hotntot thru there for bass one afternoon, and it felt like I snagged bottom.  There is a strong current there, so it was tough to tell, but when "bottom" began to rise, I thought it must have been a big piece of drift wood.

I tightened up my drag, and slowly began to pull it up off the bottom.  As it got closer to the boat, I noticed the big eyes and very wide body of the giant walleye.  Just then it turned its head slightly, breaking my line, and wallowing back to where it came from.   

I was alone in the boat at the time (I worked on the upper Niagara river then, and often took my boat to work), and there was no witnesses.  I bet that walleye weighed more than 12 pounds.  I am sure it would have been particularly delicious, had I landed it....NOT.

So much for finding and landing them, but when it comes to eating them, I also prefer the bass.  As I said earlier, the reason bass get a bad rap on the table is that most people mishandle them after catching them.  If the bass is alive, and the fillets are still twitching when you remove them, they taste a lot better than if you let them die in a cooler on ice first.

Walleye meat has less fish oil in it than bass.  Fish oil is good for you and it keeps the meat moist thru the baking, grilling, and broiling processes.  Walleyes are certainly better fried than bass but dry out too much using those healthier cooking processes.  Having a family history of heart disease, I try to avoid frying, because it is not so good for you.

Edited August 29, 2021 by wolc123

[mlammerhirt]

Wolc....love most of your posts but this time you seem hell bent on seeing the sky as pink... when the rest of the world views it as blue. Must be the August lull!
Derail over.

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[wolc123]

13 minutes ago, mlammerhirt said:

Wolc....love most of your posts but this time you seem hell bent on seeing the sky as pink... when the rest of the world views it as blue. Must be the August lull!
Derail over.

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That's ok, I know there are lots of walleye fans here, I just am no longer one of them.  When I was young and single, I spent a lot more time chasing walleyes, than I did bass.  My biggest boat is still set up better for them than it is for bass, but I have learned how to make it work.

There certainly aint no August lull for bass.  Last weekend was the best action on them that I saw of the season so far, and it usually only gets better from here on out.

I am really looking forward to the upcoming  Labor day Holiday weekend.  Last year, I was able to take a limit of smallmouth bass on a top water bait (the funnest way to catch them) in seven casts without even firing up my outboard.

 

Edited August 29, 2021 by wolc123

[ncountry]

I would have to agree with wolc.

Years ago I would have listed the best tasting fish as crappie/perch being #1 with walleye close #2 . Nowadays I prefer 12-15" bass(my personal slot limit) over a  walleye caught out of the St Lawrence. 

In the past all my walleye came out of the smaller local rivers and were delicious. I was never so disappointed as the last few times I ate walleye caught out of the St Lawrence. I would take a bass any day over them. Of coarse all my bass come out of small local lakes, not sure if that makes a difference.