Hybrids

[Dbllunger]

I'll have to keep a rockfish this year if I catch a small one. Sorry, Will!

Yes if you catch one small enough then keep it and eat. I've done it on several occasions. Very tasty grilled as you would with any saltwater fish. Problem is that where you and I catch stripers it's really hard to find one small enough! I've had bigger problems.

 

[Lt.Dan]

I caught one once. I kept it because I wanted to see how they taste. It was delicious. As said earlier, right under Walleye and Sauger.

 

[Cache]

I marinade them in Italian dressing (after trimming filet as stated above) and cook them on the grill or bake.

This right here!

 

[East TN Bowhunter]

I removed all of the fat and blood line and was pleasantly surprised at the flavor and texture of the fish.

We fried it but with its firmer texture, I will keep another one and try it a few different ways.

We had it and crappie. My wife and I liked the hybrid best while my son preferred the crappie.

I think they are best when caught in cold water in the winter time. Once the water temp gets above 60s I start throwing them back. When I do keep them, like @WTM said, I don't get as close to the skin when fileting and therefore end up with a lot less red meat on the filet. Then I tilt my knife at a 45 and cut thru the filet on each side of the edge of the red line and come out with one big filet and one small filet from each side.

 

[CATCHDAWG]

I'll have to keep a rockfish this year if I catch a small one. Sorry, Will!

I keep 30 pounders. Cut out the lateral line and fillet the fillets into basically Captain D's sized pieces. Delicious!

 

[Pilchard]

I keep 30 pounders. Cut out the lateral line and fillet the fillets into basically Captain D's sized pieces. Delicious!

I don't doubt that they are good. I have eaten big ones from New England and they were phenomenal.

I just don't like killing a big old fish that will be swimming in the same spot next year if i put it back.

I know this is hypocritical because I have killed many big fish throughout the years but I just can't make myself do it.

Perhaps it's because I don't freeze fish so it seems wasteful to me. Or perhaps I am just being silly.

 

[Soft Talker]

Rockfish are "Grouper" of the river.

 

[woodsman04]

Yes, white bass and stripers occasionally spawn together and create natural hybrids. My memory is that most are white bass males and striper females. It happens the other way as well.

Again, it's not a frequent occurrence, but it does happen.

I know of a certain spot where I can be pretty certain I'll catch the true hybrids around Labor Day each year.
I think they spawn together often

 

[woodsman04]

I used to like eating them. And white bass. Fillet and fry just like crappie or bream.
I don't know what happened. One time I filleted them and cooked them. And they were just off. Not palatable… like I couldn't even make myself swallow.
Then I caught some more and filleted them. Just looking at the meat made me queasy. So I fed it to the dogs.
I don't keep them anymore.

Don't know what it was, but something turned me off on them

 

[Dbllunger]

I don't doubt that they are good. I have eaten big ones from New England and they were phenomenal.

I just don't like killing a big old fish that will be swimming in the same spot next year if i put it back.

I know this is hypocritical because I have killed many big fish throughout the years but I just can't make myself do it.

Perhaps it's because I don't freeze fish so it seems wasteful to me. Or perhaps I am just being silly.

I'm the same. Fine for those that want to eat a big one but I just don't want to kill one of those old fish.

 

[TITANSFAN2104]

I don't doubt that they are good. I have eaten big ones from New England and they were phenomenal.

I just don't like killing a big old fish that will be swimming in the same spot next year if i put it back.

I know this is hypocritical because I have killed many big fish throughout the years but I just can't make myself do it.

Perhaps it's because I don't freeze fish so it seems wasteful to me. Or perhaps I am just being silly.

its alright to change as you get older!! I remember a time that i shot every squirrel that crossed my path. Now i have several right around my house that we just watch. That being said , if i ever get a good squirrel dog they wont be so lucky

 

[mike243]

I have ate several 15-20lb rockfish over the years and cut the red out, we liked it fine, I caught a redfish down at gulf shores that was somewhere around 36", I had never filet 1 before and will never do another 1 that big, a chain saw is the proper tool for 1 that big and when I got through cutting the red out it was a pitiful amount of meat for the size of the fish. If I ever do another smaller 1 I might leave all the red in and maybe soak it to pull some blood out. Honestly was ashamed of throwing that much away. I can see why they do them on the 1/2 shell grilling.

 

[MidTennFisher]

I have ate several 15-20lb rockfish over the years and cut the red out, we liked it fine, I caught a redfish down at gulf shores that was somewhere around 36", I had never filet 1 before and will never do another 1 that big, a chain saw is the proper tool for 1 that big and when I got through cutting the red out it was a pitiful amount of meat for the size of the fish. If I ever do another smaller 1 I might leave all the red in and maybe soak it to pull some blood out. Honestly was ashamed of throwing that much away. I can see why they do them on the 1/2 shell grilling.

Yea filleting the skin off a redfish is not needed. I eat a lot of those and make a few trips a year to the coast here to fish the inshore creeks. Eating a 36" red is an odd concept, I didn't know you were allowed to keep one that big anywhere!

Here the slot limit is 15-23" and I always keep the skin on, cook it flesh side down in butter, then flip it over to the scales to finish cooking it through. The meat is so good and stays juicy that way. I never worry about soaking it or anything and it's delicious. Maybe yours didn't taste good just because it was such a big, old fish? For the most part, older fish don't taste as good.

Now I'm wondering if this same trick would work with stripers and their cousins? That would save me a few steps of filleting skin and cutting the red meat out.

 

[Mud Creek]

Never

 

[mike243]

#1 I didn't state it didn't taste good, had always read to cut the red out, 1 over the slot limit in Alabama was the regs then. If I get a chance to eat more rockfish I will probably soak them also, but not as much red in the fresh water rockfish from here.

 

[SaltwaterWalt]

I eat the heck out of hybrids and white bass. They are number 2 on my list of favorites (crappie are still #1).

Everybody is different in taste ... I for one, cannot stand any catfish caught out of a lake or river ... just too fishy for me. However farm raised commercial seem ok. I throw back every catfish I catch. Some would frown on that ... but then, I frown on people throwing back delicious stripes ... to each his own!

 

[Pilchard]

Yea filleting the skin off a redfish is not needed. I eat a lot of those and make a few trips a year to the coast here to fish the inshore creeks. Eating a 36" red is an odd concept, I didn't know you were allowed to keep one that big anywhere!

Here the slot limit is 15-23" and I always keep the skin on, cook it flesh side down in butter, then flip it over to the scales to finish cooking it through. The meat is so good and stays juicy that way. I never worry about soaking it or anything and it's delicious. Maybe yours didn't taste good just because it was such a big, old fish? For the most part, older fish don't taste as good.

Now I'm wondering if this same trick would work with stripers and their cousins? That would save me a few steps of filleting skin and cutting the red meat out.

It didn't used to be an odd concept and still isn't in Louisiana, unfortunately.

Many don't know the history of the commercialization of redfish. Nets were used to wipe out entire schools of the "bulls". They became popular table fare after a celebrity chef(Paul Prudehome (Sp?)) made them famous by "inventing" blackened redfish in the 1980s.

The recovery of their population has been remarkable. My personal favorite is to have them on the half shell Rockefeller style. Preferably one that is under 6-7lbs.

 

[WTM]

I have ate several 15-20lb rockfish over the years and cut the red out, we liked it fine, I caught a redfish down at gulf shores that was somewhere around 36", I had never filet 1 before and will never do another 1 that big, a chain saw is the proper tool for 1 that big and when I got through cutting the red out it was a pitiful amount of meat for the size of the fish. If I ever do another smaller 1 I might leave all the red in and maybe soak it to pull some blood out. Honestly was ashamed of throwing that much away. I can see why they do them on the 1/2 shell grilling.

freshwater drum are the same way. i never keep one over 10 pounds or so out of good clean water. bleed em, gut them and place on ice immediately. a good manual filet knife and i can filet one in about 30 seconds and never cut through a bone.

im sure redfish are the same as drum and start to break down as soon as they are killed.

 

[Vince]

Hybrid is good eating when fresh, IMO. Didn't taste as good after freezing though.

 

[jlanecr500]

We eat hybrids, caught in the spring, all summer long. Then, fall is rock fish time. We eat rock fish until the hybrids are running again in the spring. If you dont like the wild taste, marinade in milk overnite. Of course, walleye is our favorite.