Reelfoot tomorrow

[RUGER]

Not crazy AT ALL about the SE wind but me and tophat gonna give the bream a shot in the morning.
Looking forward to it anyway.

 

[TN Larry]

It looks like from the FB posts for Reelfoot that they have been biting. Good luck. What area do you plan to fish?

 

[pockets]

You have to show him who the real Bream Master is? Good luck.

 

[thirdwilliam]

good luck

 

[Displaced_Vol]

BIL was out there last weekend. First time he's ever been & they ended up with 50ish good bluegill in the cooler over 2 days. Caught some more dunks and a few bonus fish here and there. Seemed it was pretty good considering they had never seen the place.
On a selfish side note I was supposed to go out too but I had to back out. I hated it I've never been on it either.
Good luck!

 

[RUGER]

I haven't fished there that much but today was horrible. By far my worst trip there.

Started on rat island and the se wind just made it impossible
Moved to Kirby pocket and the wind was better but nothing but dinks
I caught a nice drum, that was the highlight lol

When they are on bed and you don't know where the beds are it's tough.

 

[WTM]

did you filet thhe drum?

 

[WTM]

im off next week and may go if i can put my boat in without getting hurt worse. it will probably rain and storm all week. thats how my luck is when i take a week off.

 

[TheLBLman]

I caught a nice drum, that was the highlight

Taste just like chicken?

 

[WTM]

Taste just like chicken?

the ones i keep out of ky lake taste just like that redfish filet i paid 25 bucks for in destin one time. you just got to filet them so no red meat is showing on the filet.

 

[TheLBLman]

I may have to try some of those drum filets.

Heard Ruger had an excellent recipe for grilled grinnel, so was just wondering what he did with the drum fish.

 

[WTM]

blackened with old bay or seasoned with lemon pepper. you can make fake shrimp cocktail by cutting in strips and gently boil in crab boil seasoning.

 

[RUGER]

I will cook the next one I catch

 

[X-Tennessean]

the ones i keep out of ky lake taste just like that redfish filet i paid 25 bucks for in destin one time. you just got to filet them so no red meat is showing on the filet.

Really?
I catch several of them! Caught 4 last weekend from 2lb to probably 6-7lb.

 

[WTM]

Really?
I catch several of them! Caught 4 last weekend from 2lb to probably 6-7lb.

yeah they are not scavengers. they eat a ton of crawfish, small mussels, worms and small fish. ky lake has a lot cleaner water than years ago and you dont want to eat one from dirty water. you want to put them on ice as soon as you catch them because they spoil really quick if they die in a livewell.

the only bones a filet has are a couple of pin bones like a bluegill. either eat them or v notch them out. and like i said filet all the red meat out and the filets wont be thick like you think they would be.

fyi, if they are on the root feeding, drag jigs and more than likely you tear into a smallmouth too. they follow drum schools around and pick off any crawfish or worms that they miss.

 

[X-Tennessean]

yeah they are not scavengers. they eat a ton of crawfish, small mussels, worms and small fish. ky lake has a lot cleaner water than years ago and you dont want to eat one from dirty water. you want to put them on ice as soon as you catch them because they spoil really quick if they die in a livewell.

the only bones a filet has are a couple of pin bones like a bluegill. either eat them or v notch them out. and like i said filet all the red meat out and the filets wont be thick like you think they would be.

fyi, if they are on the root feeding, drag jigs and more than likely you tear into a smallmouth too. they follow drum schools around and pick off any crawfish or worms that they miss.

Thanks!
I may have to try one sometime!
Been catching them while catfishing and when I start pulling cranks I usually catch a few as well.

 

[Buzzard Breath]

yeah they are not scavengers. they eat a ton of crawfish, small mussels, worms and small fish. ky lake has a lot cleaner water than years ago and you dont want to eat one from dirty water. you want to put them on ice as soon as you catch them because they spoil really quick if they die in a livewell.

the only bones a filet has are a couple of pin bones like a bluegill. either eat them or v notch them out. and like i said filet all the red meat out and the filets wont be thick like you think they would be.

fyi, if they are on the root feeding, drag jigs and more than likely you tear into a smallmouth too. they follow drum schools around and pick off any crawfish or worms that they miss.

Great info. I may have to give one a try myself.

 

[TheLBLman]

yeah they are not scavengers. they eat a ton of crawfish, small mussels, worms and small fish. . . . . . .

the only bones a filet has are a couple of pin bones like a bluegill. either eat them or v notch them out. and like i said filet all the red meat out and the filets wont be thick like you think they would be.

I would think they COULD be better than catfish.

Also amazing how different cultures value different fish species.
In parts of Europe, fishing for carp is much akin to fishing for trout in the U.S.
Also seems many Asian people would prefer carp for the table than catfish.

 

[Displaced_Vol]

the ones i keep out of ky lake taste just like that redfish filet i paid 25 bucks for in destin one time. you just got to filet them so no red meat is showing on the filet.

Isn't a redfish a species of drum or am I wrong? I could see freshwater drum being pretty good but I've never fooled with one. That'll change next time I hook into one

 

[RUGER]

Isn't a redfish a species of drum or am I wrong? I could see freshwater drum being pretty good but I've never fooled with one. That'll change next time I hook into one

Yes, it is a red drum.

 

[Deer Assassin]

should of checked with a fishing expert

h2

 

[rukiddin]

the ones i keep out of ky lake taste just like that redfish filet i paid 25 bucks for in destin one time. you just got to filet them so no red meat is showing on the filet.

yep. Had some buddies from eastern NC come here to bowfish with me. They have no freshwater drum there. We shot a few and my buddy said I'm gonna clean these things for no other reason than they are called drum. He called me after they'd got back home and said they tasted just like red drum.

 

[RUGER]

should of checked with a fishing expert

h2

SE wind, he would have caught the piss out of them.
More than any guide out there.

 

[Deer Assassin]

SE wind, he would have caught the piss out of them.
More than any guide out there.

money

 

[TheLBLman]

I don't normally fish for bream.
But when I do,
I need to show Ruger how to catch them at Reelfoot.

 

[WTM]

I would think they COULD be better than catfish.

Also amazing how different cultures value different fish species.
In parts of Europe, fishing for carp is much akin to fishing for trout in the U.S.
Also seems many Asian people would prefer carp for the table than catfish.

yeah it all depends on the person and what they are used to eating in fish or perception. i like blue cats(papaw called them white channel cats). i dont care for spotted cats or flatheads, only because pawpaw only caught and sold blue cats and he didnt care for spoted or flatheads either. now, ask someone else what the best tasting catfish is and they will likely say flatheads. probably because they have a taste for flatheads or have eaten a lot of them.

to me some fish are better fried, some are better blackened or baked or broiled. i dont care for fried drum, but i do like it very much blackened or baked/broiled. someone else may like it fried better.

i like bluegills anyway i can get them, fried filet or bone in, blackened and i even make a dip out of them. to me they have a hint of rich crab flavor and i absolutely love crab. on the other end of fish flavors salmon and trout make me want to puke. probably because my stepmother force fed us jack mackeral patties. i couldnt put enough mustard on those things to kill the fishiness.

 

[TheLBLman]

yeah it all depends on the person and what they are used to eating in fish or perception.

For sure.

I had a Grandfather who had been a "market" hunter (on Reelfoot Lake) in his younger days. At the time, their most common fish they ate while slaughtering ducks was grinnel. I suspect this had more to do with availability than preference, and hungry people will eat what they have, and do what they must to keep from going hungry.

Can't say I've ever found any species of fresh fish that couldn't be "good" (if prepared a certain way), some much better than others. I like the differences, in say trout vs. crappie, etc.

As a child, I many times ate (and enjoyed) fried carp patties prepared by my Grandmother. Kinda thinking I'd like to try some recipes out on some large Asian carp, as see no reason not to take advantage of their being in KY Lake. Wish they weren't there, but if more people were eating them, maybe there wouldn't be as many!

 

[WTM]

For sure.

I had a Grandfather who had been a "market" hunter (on Reelfoot Lake) in his younger days. At the time, their most common fish they ate while slaughtering ducks was grinnel. I suspect this had more to do with availability than preference, and hungry people will eat what they have, and do what they must to keep from going hungry.

Can't say I've ever found any species of fresh fish that couldn't be "good" (if prepared a certain way), some much better than others. I like the differences, in say trout vs. crappie, etc.

As a child, I many times ate (and enjoyed) fried carp patties prepared by my Grandmother. Kinda thinking I'd like to try some recipes out on some large Asian carp, as see no reason not to take advantage of their being in KY Lake. Wish they weren't there, but if more people were eating them, maybe there wouldn't be as many!

silver carp are great. i gill bleed them and put them on ice immediately. i have since batter fried them and they taste like atlantic cod. i like them very well made up like crab cakes, probably my favorite.

since they are asian, this was my first try.

https://www.tndeer.com/threads/first-try-with-asian-carp.381923/#post-4830586

sorry for hijacking your thread Ruger!

 

[TheLBLman]

sorry for hijacking your thread Ruger!

I'm sure it's ok with Ruger!
We're just trying to add merit to his drum-catching skills.
I'd even be willing to swap him a good mess of bream for a single big drum fish.

 

[RUGER]

I don't normally fish for bream.
But when I do,
I need to show Ruger how to catch them at Reelfoot.

Yes you do because at Reelfoot I will be the first to admit, I suck at it.
Course what I know about Reelfoot and $2 will buy you a coke.