Rock bass. To eat or not to eat?

[Mr. Sheephead]

Been catching some giant rock bass on a local lake. I have been letting them go. Boy, are they great fighters. I have decided to keep a few, have yet to fry them up. Does anyone keep Rockies. How are they?

[Loogie]

I caught a bunch of them and decided to keep them. Fried them up along with some crappies and sunnies. No one could tell the difference. Quite tasty.

[RebelSS]

Rockies are great to eat! I've been eating them ever since I was a kid. Taste a lot like sunfish, in my opinion. Fry 'em up!

[mixxedbagg]

Yeah. Tasty fish. Just don't tell your friends you're doing it!

[Surreal Deal]

They got great big ribcages that come up close to the skin, making them a bugger to get boneless fillets. I haven't kept one in years but I always found it hard to get much more out of them than their back meat.

With that said, they are perfectly edible but like all panfish you have to keep an eye out for worms.

[McGurk]

I've eaten them as my Dad will keep them, but I'm really on the fence. In summer they tasted a little "dirtier," but that can be said with a lot of fish. As stated, watch out for worms, just like "pumkinseeds," but I think it's less of an issue in winter. They are tough to clean, but you can get some size to them that will rival good sized crappies.

Where did the negative stigma for them come from, as they are considered a roughfish with an open limit?

[bigbad401]

I have kept and ate plenty over the years. I have fried them up with sunnies and crappies and can't tell the difference. The last one that I filleted up had a huge crayfish in its stomach. GROSS.

[Jig Man]

We have kept a few and smoked them. With the large rib cage as stated earlier they are not a bad fish to smoke!

[minnbowhunter]

With that said, they are perfectly edible but like all panfish you have to keep an eye out for worms.

I was told that those parasites will be destroyed when you fry the fish and are safe to eat. Growing up we ate alot of Rockies with them in the flesh, no one ever got sick. Like all fish the meat is firmer and cleaner in the cold water.

[jnorm1984]

Not a bad tasting fish, Ive ate em before and will do it again!

[MercMan]

I, too, have eaten rock bass since I was a kid. I wish more people would keep them and eat them. It's frustrating when trying to walleye fish and you have to sift through all the rock bass.

I guess rock bass was the main reason I got so big into fishing when I was a kid. For kids, there's nothing like catching A LOT of these things and the action can be intense. They're not finicky and they do fight pretty darn well!

[toughguy]

They're not bad eating. They are actually very closly related to a sunny. Better in the winter than late summer that's for sure.

[wplatehunter]

Wow I have never tryed them.

[Iron Cowboy]

I agree they arent bad but like any fish better in winter months. My little trick for the naysayers or the people with the high society pallet is to just mix them in with the other panfish fillets and see if they can pick out the rocky's

they never can...that say's a lot.

[sparkydm]

Where did the negative stigma for them come from, as they are considered a roughfish with an open limit?

There is a limit on them. The limit is 30.

[PEATMOSS]

The best way to prepare and serve Rockies is as follows:

1-Fillet fish boneless and remove skin.

2-Soak fillets in whole milk for at least an hour

3-Remove fillets from the milk (save milk) and grind fillets using a meat grinder or food processer

4-Spoon ground fillets into shallow bowl or dish, add milk and gently combine mixture

5-Place bowl on the floor and hope your cat is very hungry!

[Gordie]

wormy fish but tastey if they diont have anyworms

[broman]

Had my first ones a few years ago. I also liked them. Forest Lake has a good population of them if you want to find some.

[jigginjim]

I have found them with worms in the summer. BUT, not in the winter. Great eaters, I'm looking for some this winter. I may even pickle them.

[deadeye]

I must be the only one who doesn't eat them. IDK I guess I never had anything against them but they always got thrown back. Never even thought to try them. I haven't even caught one for a few years now so its never crossed my mind.

[ottersled54]

I've eaten them as my Dad will keep them, but I'm really on the fence. In summer they tasted a little "dirtier," but that can be said with a lot of fish. As stated, watch out for worms, just like "pumkinseeds," but I think it's less of an issue in winter. They are tough to clean, but you can get some size to them that will rival good sized crappies.

Where did the negative stigma for them come from, as they are considered a roughfish with an open limit?

We were best to live in a area where we have a great variety of fish. So alot of fish that are eaten in other parts of the states are considered rough fish here.

I grew up eating bullheads (small catfish lol, pickled white sucker, smoked carp, and even occasionally eelpout(fresh water cod) And have friends that keep sheephead (freshwater drum) and eat it all the time. None of these compare to the fish we love to catch, but I must say none of them tasted that bad. Well compared to perch, walleyes, sunnies, and crappies okay not as good.

[herefish101]

MM MM GOOD

[bogwalker]

Strictly cold water eating fish. No good in summer months.

[FYGR8]

Good to eat when taken through the ice.

[Mr. Sheephead]

Just fried up the Rock Bass. They tasted great. Fried them up with blue gill, and crappie and could not tell the difference. Nice size fillets!!! Meat was snow white.

Got to have my fish with ketchup????.