Fisherman: "I never met a bluegill I wouldn't eat."

Saturday, June 21, 2008

After catching nearly a bucket full of nice sized bluegill recently, Bill Wilson, 53, said, "I never met a bluegill I wouldn't eat. Bluegill or perch are at the top of my list of gourmet wild treats, and there is no better time than this month to collect the bounty inspite of the high water."

In Missouri there are more than a million anglers and a large number of them fish for these tasty fish. A big part of the reason for these high umbers is that in Missouri, the bluegill and perch grow big. The record bluegill was a three pounder and the state record green sunfish weighed more than two pounds and came from Stockton Lake back in 1971. Area lakes have an excellent population of bluegill and has produced many lunkers. One of the many good things about fishing for the finny fighters is that they will hit most any small lure or live bait.

I always thought the bluegill should be the state fish due to the many things it has going for it. These small fighters are sought after by many demographics from kids to grandparents and are found in nearly every kind on water in the state. They fight good, are great on the table and are the easiest species to find.

Its great to get the larger eight to nine inch fish, but they are usually few and far between. Smaller perch are just as good to eat and only a little more difficult to clean. With the smaller fish you have several options about cleaning and cooking them.

The standard fillet technique is great if your fish are of giant size, but if they are in the six inch range, you must do something else.

Wilson said, "My grandfather was a panfish expert and he even developed his own short blade knife to better handle the job of cleaning bluegill. The knife was nothing more than a paring knife blade that was cut to a length of just over an inch. You don't need extra steel getting in your way. The panfish was cut on either side of the dorsal fin and the fin removed with pliers. The skin was cut along that same line to the back of the head and then along the sides just behind the gill plate, but not down to the stomach area. The corner of skin, at the head and gill plate was pulled back. Using the short knife he cut just through the backbone following the gill cover. He didn't cut off the head as he slipped his thumb into the cavity and pulled in different directions. In one hand would be the head, skin and viscera while in the other was the skinned body with the tail attached. The tail was cut off to make more room in the frying pan."

Cooking these panfish with the bones was the secret to enjoying them. It sounds a lot like the way my mother would cook fish. They were shaken in flour, put into hot bacon fat and fried until they were golden brown. When the meat pulled from the skeleton, they were done. We used a dull table knife to carefully lift the meat. The bones remained as a unit giving you a perfect fillet on the dinner plate.

Small perch are also ideal for mock shrimp. This mouthwatering dish is made from perch that have been boiled to the point where they turn opaque in color and then chilled and served with cocktail sauce and a slice of lemon on a bed of lettuce.

In cleaning panfish, its important to keep your knife sharp. Also, work at a height where your back is straight. Cleaning these small critters will take a little extra time, but they are worth it.