Amen to the above. Down in Alabama, I raised my daughter out catfishing I think. Stop by the grocery to get chicken livers and head to the pond for the evening. We ate the 2-4 pounders. I love catching those 8 and 12 pounders (6 lb line- work them easy), but they aren't worth eating.
Sometimes the wife soaked in milk, but the younguns didn't need it to get rid of the fishiness. Cornmeal with some spices and fry..