Is this fat? I have seen catfish fillets look like this but not crappie.
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Is this fat? I have seen catfish fillets look like this but not crappie.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fishingpox
I've seen red meat on Bass and Catfish ... but, never on Crappie or other "sunfish" ?? And no, it wouldn't be "fat" .... that's the yellowish white stuff that's usually in the belly cavity. The only time I've seen Crappie meat, that was any color other than the usual "off white to white", with any tinge of "red" .... is when they've bled onto the fillet, during cleaning.
Gotta picture of this anomaly ?? ..... cp :cool:
No pappy, I will take one though. I filleted them and put them in the freezer. I started to throw them away. It's a long shot here; I did keep some fish that swallowed the hook and I kept because they were badly injured, my water was pretty bloody. Maybe blood? I'll take one when I thaw them out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by crappiepappy
I've never seen a streak of red meat on crappie (or bream) but with certain bass and catfish you wont want to eat that. I believe it's a blood line in the side of the fillet and it's a very strong taste that isnt good to eat. To me, it's easier to roll that out of the fillet with the fork instead of trying to cut it out of the raw meat. All bass and catfish doesnt have it but alot do...maybe something to do with the size of the fish.
Every once in a while i have a red streak on one side of a crappie if the live well isn't hit square when 'pitching' a fish from the front seat of my Tracker, could this be it? its like a bruise about the size of my thumbnail???--shu
I think what fishingpox is talking about is this red meat that runs along the "seam" from about the center of the gill plate to the tail, on the outside of the fillet. On a crappie or bluegill, it's barely there until they start to fatten up in the Fall, then we've noticed that it gets more pronounced. On a trout or salmon, it's in the same place and after cooking, turns a brown color. Here it's pointed out by the knife tip...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...t/MVC-021F.jpg
I have read that the fatty part and skin of fish will collect PCB's and blue-green algea toxins, but mercury is mostly in the meat of the fish. We have some bad mercury lakes here close by, and we don't eat the fish from them anymore. But our favorite lake gets algea blooms every summer and they post warnings. I haven't gotten sick from it yet.
This page from our fishing regs shows pretty much what I was trying to remember. Plus Oregon lakes you don't fish for food! (too much anyways)...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...onWarnings.jpg
I have eaten fish from some of these high mercury lakes, mostly crappie and bluegill, and other than more than average hair loss and antisocial behaviour coupled with gum bleeding and memory loss, I've been just fine.:eek: :D :eek: :D :eek: :D
WHAT!!!!!!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...t/MVC-021F.jpgQuote:
Originally Posted by Glowgood Jigster
I think you nailed it, Glowgood !!
Is that what you were talking about, Pox ?? If so, yes ... I have seen that, but never paid much attention to it. It's not fat, so if it doesn't taste bad ... I wouldn't worry about it. ..... cp :cool:
If that's the line that runs down the middle of the fillet i cut that out making the fillet 2 parts 'meaty' and 'crispy'. Thats the 'fishy' tasting part of the fish and part of getting ready to fry fish to me. Wife likes fish taste so sometimes we cook the fillet as it falls.--shu
PS we have the blue green algae in the Harris chain so we didn't eat many fish for a couple years but the fishermen are still here so we went back to eating them.
We See That In Alot Of Our Fillets In East Tn Doesn't Hurt The Taste On Mine
Thats it, on these I have it seems to be a little more red and some bigger.
Hey Rusty, I've seen a lot of crappie fillets with that look. However, of the ones that I have cleaned, that red meat is very, very thin (unlike other fish). I think that it is too thin to really make a difference in taste. See how thick it is next time you clean some and let me know...Quote:
Originally Posted by fishingpox
I see this red streak often on large Crappie fillets.
Cooked I can't tell which fillet has it.
I think it is just a matter of blood supply to the fish's muscles. It takes more blood to feed the powerful muscles in the tail of larger fish. Maybe if we were to fillet them as we catch them or mark them in some way we could tell if the fish that fought longer has this visable blood.
If you will look when talking to a person and they get agitated or excited you will see the viens in their neck swell providing blood to the brain as brain activity increases.
That's my opinion.
We call that bacon and we always trim it out Crappie usually don't have any but I would trim it if it did Jmo
the red "stripe" in catfish and bass and some others is an accumalation of toxins. It is best to cut it out. I have seen crappie like the one in the pic, don't think it is the same thing. I tend to agree that it is just blood.
once battered and cooked you can't tell. that reddish line is very normal to larger fish, i just fillet mine and cut out the rib cage then soaked in ice water over night with alittle salt.