For my money I'll rank them like this:
1 - COLD WATER Crappie
2 - Walleye
3 - Yellow Perch
4 - Bluegill
5 - Trout
I'm specifying the water temp in my first selection because in my opinion crappie out of warm water is not nearly as good....the flesh is too mushy.
I'll vouch that Crappie can be mushy if they are caught summer through fall particularly when cleaned and cooked right away. IMHO most every fish is best when caught from Jan thru about mid April.
I have however enjoyed crappie year round. If the fish are refrigerated overnight in a salt bath before cooking or freezing this will help to firm the flesh. Also, in my experience, the best summer caught crappie are those that soak overnight and are frozen before eating. When I freeze fish I like to just cover them in water and squeeze out the air. Fish froze this way will not freezer burn.
Lately we have been enjoying pan fried BG. It's a blast to cook a heaping platter of them. We just gather round the platter and feast on them. Yum.
