Florida Bass Fishing Forum
Smallmouth, Largemouth, We're All About Bass!

Do smallmouth bass have good table fare?

I fish for smallmouth bass on the Shenandoah and I practice catch and release. But do they have good table fare? How do they taste?

Public Comments

1. They taste fine. You just don't get a lot of meat on a typical fillet. Amazing, but true. (That's why it's rare I'll harvest any Bass species-the "fight is better than the bite".)

Soak the fillets in a marinade of whole milk for 45 minutes-1 hour, and then Pan-fry in a good batter-mix. You won't know the difference between them and a Walleye, Pike, Bluegill, Catfish or Crappie.

Hope this helps ya?

2. For eating, they are great.

As for their table fare, I have no idea, because i have never been asked to join any of them at their dinner table

3. As with any food, you have to try it before you decide. Some people like to eat Bass while others do not.You should decide for yourself. We can all sit here and say whatever but it ultimately comes down to you and your taste buds. It'll look great fried, broiled, steamed, poached or any way you cook it but if you just don't like the way it tastes, it's not a great table fare for you. If you do, it's the perfect table fare for you. ~good luck catchin'.

4. Smallies I feel tastes a tad better than Largemouths but still not worth it for me to harvest, i'd rather let them loose so I can see them thrive and for others to catch another day. The sport of catching them outweights what their worth on a dinner plate.
If I want some good eating, I would rather keep Blue gill, Crappies, Perch, they're often plentiful, plus they taste waaayyyy better!

5. i fish a state lake in oklahoma that is overrun with 10-13 inch smallies. we eat those. the smaller ones are tasty. right up there with walleye and crappie. as with any bass, if they get over about 18 inches, they dont taste as good.