matt_brown
Well-Known Member
Anyone ever ate one? Was it good?
grass carp
- Thread starter matt_brown
- Start date
Nice !!
chunkandwind
Well-Known Member
Big'un!
Inkstainz
Well-Known Member
That's a nice one!
catman529
Well-Known Member
that's a chunk right there, I would love to catch one like that.
I have never eaten one, but I hear they are very bony like most carp and suckers. However from what I've heard, the taste is not bad. They are a decent eating fish if you can get around the bones. Maybe cook the ribs and eat the meat off the bone, or cook the steaks in a pressure cooker till the bones become soft and you can put the fish in a food processor and make patties. Not sure how I would cook one if I tried. Often I catch them in ponds where they are stocked for weed control, so I let them go.
I have never eaten one, but I hear they are very bony like most carp and suckers. However from what I've heard, the taste is not bad. They are a decent eating fish if you can get around the bones. Maybe cook the ribs and eat the meat off the bone, or cook the steaks in a pressure cooker till the bones become soft and you can put the fish in a food processor and make patties. Not sure how I would cook one if I tried. Often I catch them in ponds where they are stocked for weed control, so I let them go.
Crosshairy
Well-Known Member
I commented on your other thread about cooking them into patties.
My general feeling about them is this - I cooked one once so that I could say that I did. Having done it, it's not worth the trouble to get a food product that's not any better than store-bought frozen salmon patties. If I was killing one anyway, I'd certainly cook it, but I wouldn't go fishing for them specifically for the purpose of trying to fill the freezer.
Another thought: I've never personally purchased these for a pond before, but I've been told that they can be pretty expensive fish (I seem to recall someone saying they were over $5 each). If that's the case, be mindful of killing them from a private body of water unless you have permission from the owner. Most of them are bought as sterile fish, so each one you see was purchased, and they can't reproduce.
My general feeling about them is this - I cooked one once so that I could say that I did. Having done it, it's not worth the trouble to get a food product that's not any better than store-bought frozen salmon patties. If I was killing one anyway, I'd certainly cook it, but I wouldn't go fishing for them specifically for the purpose of trying to fill the freezer.
Another thought: I've never personally purchased these for a pond before, but I've been told that they can be pretty expensive fish (I seem to recall someone saying they were over $5 each). If that's the case, be mindful of killing them from a private body of water unless you have permission from the owner. Most of them are bought as sterile fish, so each one you see was purchased, and they can't reproduce.
catman529
Well-Known Member
What crosshairy said is right. Only trip loud (sterile) grass carp are legal to stock in TN. I can't remember if they are $5 or $10 each but depends on the size and the hatchery. They don't reproduce and will live 5-10 years usually. Is he going to stock new ones since the big ones have slowed down weed consumption?
matt_brown
Well-Known Member
Crosshairy this was done at the landowners request. He has more ordered. He said once they get so big they do not do as good of job as the younger grass carp do
Crosshairy
Well-Known Member
matt_brown said:
I didn't mean to imply that you didn't have permission - I saw that you posted that initially. My comment was only to people as uninformed as myself when I initially took one to eat. I found out after the fact that a guy had paid money out of his own pocket to stock the fish for weed control in this lake. I had no idea they were so expensive.
The truly massive fish that you see swimming around are probably past their "helpful" stage, and they do a lot of mud-churning in the shallows, sometimes hurting water quality.
A random quick story about grass carp - I caught my biggest one (a mere 9 lbs) on a DEEP-DIVING CRANKBAIT in a small pond. Never even saw the fish prior to the strike. I've never seen one strike a minnow-type lure before, but this guy nailed that lure. I thought I had a massive bass until I got him within eyesight. Weird stuff.
DaveB
Well-Known Member
I was in short pants, fishing a farm pond (no permission, didn't even know the word). Caught one of these grass carp. My Dad said it was a trash fish, throw it away. I took it to Miss Johnson, the (to me anyway) 200 year old black lady lived at the bottom of the hill. Miss Johnson said somethin to the effect, get that outta here, whats wrong with you and so I took the carp and buried it.
You guys sure these fish are edible? And tasty? I never knew Miss Johnson to be wrong about anything. I used to bring a bucket of blackberries to her front door. Weird the stuff you remember
You guys sure these fish are edible? And tasty? I never knew Miss Johnson to be wrong about anything. I used to bring a bucket of blackberries to her front door. Weird the stuff you remember
That is a big arse fish. I'm w/ Poser, thing eats grass, whats there to make it taste bad. Plus, a fish that big..bones shouldn't really be a problem. There is so much meat on that thing you could try cooking it different ways (would smoke some for sure). I'd give it a try.
