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I deep fried just over a pound of HSB fillet pieces last weekend. Bottom line...Very Good!

I wish I had taken pictures of the raw meat and the fried end product, but I was in too much of a hurry to get the cleaning process over with and the fish went from the fryer pretty much to the mouth. So, your imagination will have to do...

I had read that the red meat should be removed from the fillets and imagined it to be a fairly simple task, but the red meat in my fish was rather marbled in the outer meat (not just a simple strip that could be cut off easily). So, I left it in the fillets as apposed to butchering up the fillets and wasting a third of it. Not to say that a third of the meat was red, but removing it would have also removed plenty of white meat too as I'm no master with a filet knife.

I do simple cooking...

1.) Fillets were chunked into thumb-sized pieces, bagged and put in the freezer...

2.) Thawed, drained, dipped in egg, white floured once, and fried.

So, no extra steps in marinading or any seasonings...just plain fried fish! I did have ketchup on hand just in case, but it was not necessary.

I did not get ANY "fishy", "muddy", or "pond" flavors like I have with some catfish or frog legs. I was very pleased and my vegan daughter even tried some (I think knowing that the fish were humanely raised helped her cheat a bit).

I'm also very glad they did not taste the way fish food smells! lol I can't brag enough on the results. Some people will only eat crappie and say bass even taste fishy. I don't understand any of that, but if your one of those with more perceptive taste buds with regards to fresh water fish...try some HSB...it certainly won't kill you.


Fish on!,
Noel
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QA, this post made me so hungry! Congrats on the harvest and great tasting fish.


It isn't what we don't know that gives us trouble, it's what we know that ain't so - Will Rogers


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Originally Posted By: Quarter Acre
I had read that the red meat should be removed from the fillets and imagined it to be a fairly simple task, but the red meat in my fish was rather marbled in the outer meat (not just a simple strip that could be cut off easily). So, I left it in the fillets as apposed to butchering up the fillets and wasting a third of it.


Make a "V" cut at the end of the red meat in HSB and "unzip" like a zipper. We had a guide at Lake Texoma show this to us. This video shows how to do it.

To us, it greatly improves the taste and quality of the meat. Takes no time.

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Excellent video Jlud! That's pretty much what I was expecting to see, BUT...

My fish did not have that easy strip of red meat, but rather a lighter marbled pattern to the outer layer of white meat. It would have been very time consuming to surgically remove 5 to 10 patches of meat from each fillet.


Fish on!,
Noel
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QA - I haven't filleted HSB but I think the video showed him not pressing the knife hard against the skin. This would leave the marbled section and a thin layer of white meat with the skin. Then the red strip could be zipped out. I easily could be wrong but that was my take from video.

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Good video. I use that exact technique on walleye to remove (zipper) the red meat and pin bones. I do not press the knife down hard on walleye either when I seperate the fillet from the skin or the "zipper" method does not work very well. Even leaving a little of the white membrane can make it hard to zip.

Last edited by Bill D.; 10/16/19 02:19 PM. Reason: clarification

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We do it after we have separated the filet from the skin.

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I wasn't aware of the zipper technique but like roundy and Bill D. I don't press hard to the skin so that most of the red stays with the skin. I use the same method for catfish where instead of skinning I remove the filet with skin from the fish and then remove the filet following the same technique. I filet with a razor sharp rapala knife that my bride knows better than to mess with. smile

Whether that red strip needs to be removed depends on one's tastes and tolerances. I had a colleague of Asian descent who remarked about being hungry for fish. I gave him some fileted crappie but when I later asked him how they were he said they were bland and didn't even taste like fish. So I asked him what kind of fish he liked and he replied carp. Anyways the next spring when carp were piled up below a low water bridge I caught a few with my fly rod and dropped them off as whole fish on my way home. I never heard the end of how good they were and he did indeed appreciate the fish and my effort to catch them for him.

I know people who don't remove the red band on HSB and I think their tastes might prefer it that way.

Last edited by jpsdad; 10/16/19 07:22 PM.

It isn't what we don't know that gives us trouble, it's what we know that ain't so - Will Rogers


roundy #513204 10/24/19 09:38 AM
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Originally Posted By: roundy
QA - I haven't filleted HSB but I think the video showed him not pressing the knife hard against the skin.


That's the key to butchering a HSB. Don't shave tight to the skin - leave a bit of meat - 3/16"-ish.

Then it's easy to remove the dark strip that runs down the side along the pin bones.

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First log entry of the year...The HSB fillets from last October were well recieved by my guests even with the red meat intact...However, I just fried the last of it up a few weeks ago and it was a bit fishy tasting. I guess it does not age well in the freezer with regards to the red meat flavor. I can assure you that fillet chunks were mixed and randomly bagged so it was not a case of "one bad fish". Lesson learned...eat it all soon after harvest.

Next, and more recently, I caught the first HBG out of the pond by accident. I was checking the Lily and APW hanging baskets and had caught this guy hanging out in one of the buckets...

[Linked Image]

Nice and fat, but more importantly...no parasites. The HBG have always had the little yellow grubs attached to their fins and such. It's nice to see the complete absence of the buggars. Hopefully this is a sign of times to come.

I have added water lilies to the hanging baskets...Attraction, Colorado, Perrys’ Baby Red, and a Liou. The smallest of the 4 (Perry's and Liou) are struggling to get established and grow. The fact that these two were barely a morsel to begin with, the aoccational crawdad that finds the bucket, and the HBG that are apparently liking the solitude of the buckets...it's a wonder they are still hanging on.

Anyhow, I hope to do a little fishing in the pond this weekend, checking DO levels (get back in the habit), trapping some craws, and I may throw the net out and see how many tadpoles I can catch in one throw. They have been biblical this spring...leftovers form last year, I suspect. I am betting 50 to 100 in one throw! I guess I will throw them back unless someone needs some bullfrog tads...come and get'em. I am on the fence wether they are good or bad because there are sooooo many of them.

Have a good weekend!


Fish on!,
Noel
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Great up update QA. Really good fish in the photo too. Looks > 9" maybe close to 10". did you happen to measure it?


It isn't what we don't know that gives us trouble, it's what we know that ain't so - Will Rogers


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I did not measure it. I was not expecting to see it. It was likely 9" long. I did get out and set the crawdad trap with an overnight catch of 50, one adult male FHM, and a few very small HBG. I added a few more craws from the results of throwing a 7-8' net...I could easlily get 20 tadpoles per throw and could have done much better, but the higher densities of tadpoles where over the underwater rootwad stuctures which is not good for the net...don't ask me how I know...I learn the hard things the hard way!

Boiled and on the menu for tonight...

[Linked Image]

I also did some DO testing and I must be doing something wrong. My aeration runs at night now (about 9pm to 5am). I checked it Saturday morning around 8am and it was around 4ppm at the surface and closer to 3.7ppm at 4 foot deep. I am currently removing crawdads to reduce the murky water with hopes to increase the aeration run times along with reducing turbidity...maybe this will help the DO levels too. The pond has always struggled with murky water, low DO and low feeding activity...I think the three are related. Last fall I thought that I might have too much biomass in the pond, but I could not catch more than a dozen 1/2 pond HBG over the course of a week fishing every day for an hour each...so, I threw them back in thinking that overpopulation was not the problem. I did remove several HSB, but added 10 more 10" HSB shortly after.

I fished for a 1/2 hour saturday at feeding time using earth worms and did not get a bite. The fish were not feeding well at all. My wife was with me which meant the dog was there too...I am sure this added to the lack of fish activity. My wife has one volume and uses it nonstop (practically)...bless her heart. Channing is a great dog, but weighs 90 pounds and substainially adds to the movement of the dock.

Attached Images
Craws.jpg
Last edited by Quarter Acre; 06/01/20 08:16 AM.

Fish on!,
Noel
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Love boiled crawfish!


7ac 2015 CNBG RES FHM 2016 TP FLMB 2017 NLMB GSH L 2018 TP & 70 HSB PK 2019 TP RBT 2020 TFS TP 25 HSB 250 F1,L,RBT -206 2021 TFS TP GSH L,-312 2022 GSH TP CR TFS RBT -234, 2023 BG TP TFS NLMB, -160




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That's a nice mess of crayfish.

I don't make any attempt to be quiet on the dock at feeding time.
When the fish hear someone on the dock, no matter the time of day, they come up to see if they're going to get a snack.

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Yikes, the summer is getting away and my log entries have been few. I have been frequenting the pond most daily, but doing little besides enjoying a 15 minute break while I tend to the craw trap and observe the feeding. I DO HAVE A RECORD HSB TO REPORT...

20" long and 3.5 pounds...

[Linked Image from forums.pondboss.com]

Compared to last Septembers record of - 18" long and 2.6 pounds at 83% RW.

Fantastic weight gain of almost a pound, but only 80% relative weight. I know the exact length makes a big difference, but I am afraid that it was a bit longer than 20 inches actually. So I rounded the weight up and the length down to be consistent with the traditional "fish story"...

[Linked Image from forums.pondboss.com]

My original goal was to grow larger HBG and use the HSB as population control. It would seem that the HSB are looking very nice to my eye even though they are lower than 100% RW. That indicates to me that they ARE hungry and likely doing there job, but not starving.

The new record HSB was caught on a pinky sized hook (no weight what-so-ever) and one of those Gulp baits (two-tone reddish brown). It was cast fairly close to the dock and just left to slowly sink and BAM!

I have done very little fishing at the pond this year, but plan to change that as summer fades as the fish seem to take a hook better this time of the year. I did catch a HBG too. It was not a record, but very fat and happy...more to come...

Attached Images
HSB 8-13-20.jpg The fish was this BIG.jpg
Last edited by Quarter Acre; 08/14/20 08:15 AM.

Fish on!,
Noel
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*taps foot impatiently*


Im going to ask a lot of questions, but only because I'm clueless


5-20 Acres in Florida. Bass/Tilapia/Bowfin/Gator
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Surprised that you can have crawdads in a pond with fish.


It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.

Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.

Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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I don't know what to think about that Dave. The pond being pretty muddy may help the craws and it's got a fair amount of rip-rap on the dam shore. I have not harvested a HSB this year (only caught that one above). They are not easy to trick to the hook and I am concentrating more on a 72 Pick-Up hobby this season so fishing has been minimal. I hope to take a HSB soon for table fare and look forward to inspecting its stomach contents for craws. I am afraid that my fish populations are lower than I thought, but I know there are plenty of these HSB in there and IF they feed on craws...they should be A LOT bigger than they are. Maybe the craws are eating my fish...they're doing great. I'm still trapping 20-25 a night, but only able to soak the trap 3 nights a week.

I think I'll fish a bit tonight!


Fish on!,
Noel
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72 chevy ? I had a 68 short bed bright yellow. Miss tht POS but was fun 2 drive.


The people who say I can't do it can just sit the @^#% down and watch me. Friends call me Rusto I also subscribe to pond boss mag. http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=504716#Post504716
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So we digress but here goes - is the 72 a Chevy? My first vehicle was a 72 Chevy pickup with a 400 big block and dear decals on the door - bought it that way. Put in a 650 cfm Holley 4 barrel carb and glasspacks - you wouldn't know it by looking at me now but I was stylin and profilin back in the day!!!

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Oh yeah - and a cassette stereo system that cost me more than I paid for the truck................

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If there's something I don't mind getting off topic on...its cars and trucks (and it's my thread, so there). Here's some teasers...

[Linked Image from forums.pondboss.com]

[Linked Image from forums.pondboss.com]

[Linked Image from forums.pondboss.com]

I hope to have it done this year!


Fish on!,
Noel
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OMG - that's freakin awesome, and it's the 400 big block. Exactly what I had but mine never looked that good. Does it have the tool box on the driver's side of the bed? That box was awesome for storing things that should not be left visible in the cab! Can you imagine now vehicles coming with the gas tank behind the seat in the cab. Man, I miss that old truck but the memories remain vivid.

I'll move on but one last little tidbit. Not sure if what you have will work but if you take the wire that holds the brake fluid reservoir cap on, it will slide under the rubber on the side vent window and flip the lock while you pull on it - presto you can get into the truck if you lock yourself out. Hoods could be opened from the outside back then and that trick actually worked on fords and chevys. I often wondered if they were designed that way - surely not. In later years the lock on the vent window had a button that had to be pushed but the wire bracket would push the button while you twisted and open that baby right up. It was a great trick to know but could get a person in trouble.............

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Looking really good. Are you doing all the work yourself? Did you mod the engine? I had a 69 GMC with a 327 and 3 on the tree. I didn't keep it very long, I got tired of pushing it home. lol! It ate plugs and points but with a new set it would get rubber in all 3 gears for maybe a week, then it would start going down hill until you put another set in.lol!


Bob


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Thanks for the compliments!

This was originally a 72 C10 Custom Deluxe...It's a far cry from that now. It does not have the bedside tool box, but those parts are in high demand if you have some stashed away. They are worth a pretty penny. Those tool boxes where not very common to begin with and they lived down there with all the road muck and rotted away mostly. I don't think they are being reproduced.

The engine is an early 70's Pontiac 400. I'm a big fan of the way the old Pontiac motors loped and shaked the chassis. They tend to have that BIG motor rock to them without having to make it a racecar motor out of it. It might have 350 HP, but it shakes the bedsides up and down about an 1/8". Pretty much a stock 1970 motor with a healthy cam that will run on 87 octane. It has an old 3 speed automatic TH400 transmission.

I'll keep the brake bail trick in mind, hopefully I won't need it...lol.


Fish on!,
Noel
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