Suggestion for a new area

[Mdt]

(08-25-2016 11:03 PM)MuskieBait Wrote:  If you keep the fish cold, it doesn't matter if you keep it whole or gut it first. Bleed the fish immediate does improve the taste a bit though, and getting rid of the blood helps to preserve the quality of fish much longer. Just cut the gill and let the fish bleed out.

You are right. The fresher the fish, the less the smell. Unfortunately, the fishy smell comes from proteins that are degraded (broken down) after death, and from the freezing process too. There's little you can do except eat the fish fresh...or keep a box of baking soda in the fridge with some extra lemons or limes for good measure.

When we're camping, we just keep it simple. Cook it on the fire, then add a bit of salt if necessary. We don't even bother with any spices. But if you are doing it on the BBQ, you can always try lemon pepper. Bass is white flesh and the flesh can be sweet. It takes on the flavour of whatever spices you used. I did cook a Smallmouth Bass once on a campfire, in a pan, with pesto sauce and it turned out pretty good.

Be warned though...sometimes fish that came from weedy, shallow water like Bass, can taste a bit muddy. It's for that reason I don't keep Bass most of the time unless we're camping or if the bass is caught from cold water in the fall (or Smallmouth from deeper lakes up north).

Very informative, thank you