whitefish tactics

[shamalex72]

I was out yesterday and had a bunch of whitefish swim through. Most just cruised the bottom, only two came into the decoy(got one). If I had a smaller decoy, would the bottom cruisers come up and check out the decoy, or is that what they typically do, stay on the bottom?

They are not the best smelling fish, I thought my wife was going to throw up when she came home from work

I am going to cook it this weekend and see how it tastes, maybe I won't want to get anymore.

[Sunnie]

My dad used to put a series of buttons on a string and jig them in. Try smoking them it might be the best option because of their oils. THEY ARE GREAT SMOKED

[Gordie]

sunnie is right smoking them is about the best way to eat whitefish. you can do it on your gas grill (if you have one) lowest heat and some wood chips on the burner(in a old cake pan has worked the best for me. also the whitefish must be soaked in salt water(tender quick) 24 hrs then clean water 24 hrs then smoke away

[Gordie]

sham just was emailed to tell you that whitefish are great pickled and that the guy that told me is talking from experience. he has some of your decoys

[MJ1657]

sunnie is right smoking them is about the best way to eat whitefish. you can do it on your gas grill (if you have one) lowest heat and some wood chips on the burner(in a old cake pan has worked the best for me. also the whitefish must be soaked in salt water(tender quick) 24 hrs then clean water 24 hrs then smoke away

About how long does something like that take Elwood? Do you set the fish right on the grates?

[Huey]

I had a fresh whitefish that was broiled along side some walleye. It was good. We had caught it by accident just a few hours earlier on a walleye opener by Ely.

BTW, that fish didn't smell. Some tulibees I've caught icefishing on Gull Lk smelled like they just came from a pig farm.

Also, in my very limited experience, a small tinsel jig makes a good whitefish decoy. They would never really stop and look at it, like a northern. You just get a fly-by. We set up on a shallow sand bar between deep water areas.

Let us know how your fish turns out. Congrats on getting the whitefish.

[Gordie]

when the fish starts to split probally about 3 -4 hours the fish should be gut and gilled if your gas grill has two burners like mine start one side and put it as low as it goes tthen put the fish on the other side right on the grill put smoke to it for about 1 1/2 hour then just heat.

when I clean water soak mine I typically put a cup of brown sugar in the water(1 cup per gallon of water) and sometimes even add molasses to the water gives the fish a sweet soked flavor.

[shamalex72]

I cooked the whitefish today, baked it with butter and lemon pepper. Not bad, quite a few bones though. Can the bones be removed like a northerns "y" bones?

[Gordie]

never tried it but I'm sure there would some way of doing it guess I'll have to get one out of the freezer and check on that. was saving them for smoking but you never know