what does everyone consider eaters for sunfish?

[Swill]

I consider a twin cities lake decent if I can consistently catch sunfish in the 7-9 range. I will and have kept 6-6.5 sunfish too, if the are fat and wide, or if they got tossed in to the bucket with the slaughter, but anything under 6 seems to be too much work to clean. Thoughts????

[Deitz Dittrich]

My rule of thumb, for the most part, I ahve broken the rule at times.. .. If the fish touches both ends of the hole.. I put it back.. I have an 8" auger. 6-8 in ch fish are great for eating.. plan on frying up quite a few this winter.

[icefishing21]

8 inch minimum

[dan z]

8" flop on the ice for me too

[magic_minnow]

I also like the 6-8". They fry up like potato chips! Plus I heard it helps with trophy fish?

[Zelmsdawg]

I'm more of a 7-9" guy although I may keep smaller if I already have a couple crappie or a pike...to many different variables to say exactly but I wouldn't keep one over 9"

Zelmsdawg

[takeakidfishing]

I'm with the majority of the population. 6-8 inches are the good eaters. The potato chips are the first to be eaten of the plate everytime. But this snow make put a little dampener on catchin some pannies!

[Craigums]

How do you guys cook them up? usually I just filet and fry but I was watching Ice Fishing Today and they did it a little differant. They scaled them, then cut the head off, and scooped out the guts. Threw it in a bag of flour and fried it up whole...Just tore off the fins before eating. Seemed strange to me cause Ive never seen them eaten that way but I may give it a try

[Swill]

Craigums- That is an "old timer" way of eating them. My grandfather in the 80's always cooked them up that way, and so did his buddies. He would think we are crazy to clean a fish that small any other way.

I never cared much for how they cooked, and tasted. Skin on, scales off, and battered is good, but whole fish fried? Not so much.

Plus, in my opinion it is a big mess to scale fish and seems to take just as long.

[fishuhalik]

I filet 'em up. Way less messy and easier to eat, especially for my little munchkin.

[OnAFly]

6-8" are good enough for me, bigger ones swim free

[pushbutton]

il give it a try, to rhyme like on a fly. 6 to 6 1/2. there will be no humps on the back.

i know there a pain to clean, but lakes filled with monsters is my dream. ok so no rap recording contract for me.

[OnAFly]

wow, I'm a poet and didn't even know it!

[TurnUpTheFishing]

6.5-8 inches are not hard to come by. Those 8" plus should be left to control stunting issues.

[mainbutter]

eaters are the ones that bleed, less likely to survive. I don't target a particular size, I just keep the ones that are damaged substantially from swallowing a hook etc.

They go in a soup, size doesn't matter, in fact pretty much 80% of the fish is used in making the fish stock anyways.

[mikefishing]

7-8" Everthing smaller is a waste, anythig larger should be left in the lake.

[life=outdoors92]

too many people keep the ones over 8 and 9, and thats why we have such small, stunted growth down in the cities.

[Northlander]

I like the 7-8" ers or so. Smaller are a pain to clean and bigger go back to keep more in the system.

[RonZych]

They scaled them, then cut the head off, and scooped out the guts. Threw it in a bag of flour and fried it up whole...Just tore off the fins before eating. Seemed strange to me cause

Thats how we ate them as kids growing up. We would pile them into the laundry room tub and go at it. Of course Dad was no where to be found. Probably on the couch watchin football or Verne Gagne wrestling. The skin really holds in the moisture in the meat and gives it a sweet taste.

We also ate the tail fins like potato chips.

If you are willing to clean them all sizes are good. I dont discriminate. And yes, I will keep the bigger ones. And no, I dont care what you think about it.

Leave the preaching to my pastor.

[PiedmontAngler]

I like em from thumb to pinky (extended) about 8 inches.

I'm with you Swill. I grew up scaling them and let me tell you, as a kid, after 30-40 fish scaled (we had a family of 5) I wasn't so excited about eating them any more.

My wife's family has always fillet everything, ever since the wedding, I've done mine that way. Like fishuhalik, was easier 4 the munchkins to gobble up. Kinda like eating candy in my opinion. I just fried up 20 lbs of panfish and walleye before the snow fell. Use the turkey fryer and a basket outside. just sat there with a few beers, some sides and a tv. Sent the pan into the house whenever it was full. Dang, now I'm hungry.

[frazwood]

I have been keeping more fish lately and I think that I've decided that I like to eat bluegills in the 6-7 inch range the best. I've kept a few bigger than that and they just weren't as tasty. I've even kept smaller than that (it takes a good knife, though).

It doesn't hurt that I've gotten a lot of practice with the smaller 'gills, as I have been having a hard time finding any bigger than that.

[jwilli7122]

when i keep sunnies i keep 100% smaller than about 7 inches. unless there are very few 7 inchers...then i keep 100% smaller than about 6 inches. and yes, i will keep 3 inchers.

if you toss the little ones and keep the big ones, you're just being lazy. it's not that hard to clean little fish and taking them is good for the lake.

[Lunker]

7" is the minimum gill. 9" minimum crappie.

[tearin' lips]

I agree with turn up the fishing. 6-8" are the perfect eaters. anything 8+ goes back for me. All my fisheries classes have adimately stated that a good percentage of larger 'Gills are male. They have a substantial role in fighting off the stunted fish from spawning nests. Which is a good thing, because the larger genetics will be passed on and in return there will be larger 'Gills in the fishery.

So put back them bigger fish guys, keep a few if you have to, but know that those bigger 'Gills are only going to help the population.

[Hoyt4]

8 to 9 go into the bucket..