Catfish Eat'n

[WalterHalter]

Have you ever tasted both a Channel and a Flathead from the same water/same trip/same care of catch,prepared the same way? Is one better than the other? Especially from the Minn River?

[WalterHalter]

After reading more about Flatheads it seems they should be treated more like a trophy fish ,but,I'd still be interested if in the past anyone had done a taste test.

[DTro]

From what I've heard, Flathead tastes very good. My opinion is that it's still a fish and people shouldn't feel bad for taking a smaller fish home for a meal.

I haven't kept one yet, but maybe one of these nights when the water is cooler, I'll do that with a smaller one or one that has been hooked bad.

[Scott K]

I have eaten both, in my opinion a less then 5 pound flathead if prepared correctly, you wont be able to tell the difference from a walleye. I too plan on keeping a few smaller flats this fall for a good fish fry.

I don't like to keep them in the summer for several reasons. I think they are a little mushy in warm water. I mainly focus on larger fish all summer, and if I do catch smaller fish, when I get home at 1 am on a weeknight, I don't want to clean fish.

[Gordie]

I too have eaten both and the wife and kids would eat cats before eyes if prepared the right way and I do perfer flats over channels but channels are quite tastey

[Slowhand]

Its all about preference to be sure; me, I prefer channels. I like gettn them early spring though maybe because the flats arent biting yet, but proper sized channel out of river in the spring is good eating.

[Larry FlatCaster]

Its all about preference to be sure; me, I prefer channels. I like gettn them early spring though maybe because the flats arent biting yet, but proper sized channel out of river in the spring is good eating.

I concur... best tasting if water temps are under 55F

[Gordie]

I've had somre channels out of the horseshoe chain from hard water that tasted really good so yea the cooler the water I think that the better they eat.

[hanson]

I too have eaten both and the wife and kids would eat cats before eyes if prepared the right way and I do perfer flats over channels but channels are quite tastey

Thats a no brainer IMO. You mix em up, Cats are preferred over Eyes. Its a fun taste test to play on people.

As with any fish, selective harvest makes better table fare. I prefer my cats 6 pounds (or so) and less. Thats pretty much regulated by MN regulations as you can only keep 1 catfish over 24", that leaves you 4-5 pounders to keep for the majority of you limit. Word to the wise...measure those "keepers", you may just be surprised how long they really are. Remove the yellowish tinted meat, and remove the mudline/bloodline. They don't have bones if you fillet over the ribcage. Same walleye fillet will have bones in it.

As for water temps, I really don't care. Keep 'em in the spring, summer, fall, it doesn't matter to me. I think its more important to trim out that discolored meat that will taint the flavor. Get rid of that, chill the fillets down quick and you'll be good to go.

I'm a deep fry guy. Cut the fillets into smaller chunks or fingers if you will, roll in you favorite batter, and drop into the hottest oil you can get cooking. Minute & a half to 2 minutes on each side and you are done cooking. Nice golden brown!! Trick to deep frying any fish really is hot, hot, hot oil and short cooking times... that will make them light and fluffy.

If you are going to eat a flathead, keep them under 7-8lbs please.

[Gordie]

Yea Chris the look on the faces of those unsuspecting walleye eaters when you tell them that its catfish is priceless and what even better is they are allways wanting more.

[Blue Kayak]

The best tasting fish I ever ate was a bullhead caught right after ice out. If you are going to experiment with cats, you might as well try the bait at the same time.

[Gordie]

bullheads are very tastey rolled in flour, pepper-salt and bacon grease added to the cooking oil. Thats good eaten

[RK]

Hiya -

I'm kind of a closet foodie, and IMHO, catfish is one of the most versatile freshwater fish there is when it comes to cooking options. About the only thing better is sheefish from Alaska, and they aren't exactly widely available. Catfish is great for frying, but it's unbeatable for stuff like soups, chowders or gumbo - it's firm and holds together and can kind of stand up to the seasonings around it. A few 2-4 lb channels is some good eats.

One thing that surprises people I've cooked catfish for is how different wild caught cats are from the farm raised crud you can buy at the store. It's like farm bought vs. grocery store beef. Just no comparison...

Cheers,

Rob Kimm