IMO crappie is so clean it is almost tasteless without the breading. Not sure what soaking will do to it besides make it mushy. Fresh and drier the better for me. Its always more flaky. Now we eat alot of river cats and we cut out all the red meat and then chunk it. THrow that in a clean cattle trough with a screen on top. We pump cold well water in from the bottom and the oil and funk flows off the top. Snow white clean blue cat nuggets is the bomb. Just enough taste to know you are eating fish without the mud and oil funk. Blackened Flat head bellies on the grill are the delicacy. Porterhouse of the MIssouri RIver!