EATING BASS

Largemouth bass is just a big sunfish.  Fillet them, cut out any red you see (along the centerline) and prep like any other fish.  Forget all that soaking nonsense, not needed.  Same goes for smallies, only they are better in every way.  Sadly none in Arthur, or close enough to none.  
 
That said, I generally send them back.  They are by-catch for us, so we only box them when they eat my expensive hooks.  My way to respect the guys that thrash the water with buzz baits and motor between my anchored boat and shore as if they didn't see 160 sq feet of floating living room with lines out everywhere.  Yeah, come to think of it we should eat every bass we touch.  

It's early Friday morning, fog just breaking over the water and the "frog spit" still floating along the edges of shoreline on the mighty Allegheny River!  Canoes are in the water with camping, food and, fishing gear being transferred from vehicles by people eager to get underway.  This was a common sight at the 3rd St. boat launch in Franklin, PA; sometimes one canoe, sometimes many canoes and  a row boat or two.  
 
Eventually, with "everything in it's place and, a place for everything" the vehicles would be parked and canoes shoved from shore.  Now the race was on, not to get there first but be the first, to get hooked-up with a Bass!  Rods swished, reels whirled and, baits zinged  with the inevitable call " AHHHH shhhhhhhhhhhugar, I'm snagged" bringing 'hoots and hollers' from the other boats!  Of course "ahhhhh shhhhhhhhhoot" could be heard followed by 'boos and hisses' from the other boats at the call of "fish on".
 
No motors, just paddles and current taking us where we needed to go which was any convenient spot where we could set-up camp before nightfall.  Tents were pitched, firewood gathered and, to each his own preparing dinner.  Some would fish while others sat at the fire or, on the river's bank watching the last glow of daylight as the "frog spit" began reappearing.
 
Saturday morning brought about a flurry of activity as the camp fire was rekindled, breakfast prepared (to each own) and anglers scurried to be the first to get fishing.  Most, had made this same trip so many times over the past years that we knew where we could camp and where the good fishing could be found.  If you find your canoe swamped with water in the morning it's most likely payback for taking someone's fishing spot the last trip.
 
The entire day would be spent fishing with vision of bass for dinner or, one of Don's special Sunday morning breakfast.  Don, the guide to our excursions, having made so many trips as a kid with his dad and uncles knew a lot about the Allegheny from Tionesta to Emlenton.  Don's breakfast would include eggs,  cooked how you liked them (as long as you liked them the way he cooked em), bacon, toast and, a side of Bass.  Yep, Bass (if available) for Sunday morning was a staple on the banks of the Allegheny.
 
Following Sunday breakfast the canoes would be loaded and once again shoved off as the sun broke over the hills of the Allegheny,  the surface fog dissipated, and the "frog spit" once again disappeared along the water's edge.   By afternoons end we were usually reloading our vehicles and discussing whether our next trip should from Tionesta to Franklin or maybe a trip from Cochranton to Franklin on French Creek!
 
Well, here it is, first day of bass, and like the past several years I'm not on the Allegheny or French Creek.  Things have changed over the years, as it does for so many.  Don's gone now, as is, so many of our friends and family that once joined us on our excursions, and I no longer live near the mighty Allegheny.
 
This time of year always brings back those memories, how could anyone forget eating eggs and Bass for breakfast on a Sunday morning, along the banks of the mighty Allegheny River  One memorable moment; when a new person, standing on the river's shoreline just before sunrise or sunset would question the bubbles on the water's edge.  Nobody would say a word, we just looked at each other and grinned, we'd already been told  and we knew it was coming...................  "frog spit", Don would blurt out, "it's frog spit"!
 
Nobody, ever questioned it...............

BeenThereDoneThat.
It's early Friday morning, fog just breaking over the water and the "frog spit" still floating along the edges of shoreline on the mighty Allegheny River!  Canoes are in the water with camping, food and, fishing gear being transferred from vehicles by people eager to get underway.  This was a common sight at the 3rd St. boat launch in Franklin, PA; sometimes one canoe, sometimes many canoes and  a row boat or two.  
 
Eventually, with "everything in it's place and, a place for everything" the vehicles would be parked and canoes shoved from shore.  Now the race was on, not to get there first but be the first, to get hooked-up with a Bass!  Rods swished, reels whirled and, baits zinged  with the inevitable call " AHHHH shhhhhhhhhhhugar, I'm snagged" bringing 'hoots and hollers' from the other boats!  Of course "ahhhhh shhhhhhhhhoot" could be heard followed by 'boos and hisses' from the other boats at the call of "fish on".
 
No motors, just paddles and current taking us where we needed to go which was any convenient spot where we could set-up camp before nightfall.  Tents were pitched, firewood gathered and, to each his own preparing dinner.  Some would fish while others sat at the fire or, on the river's bank watching the last glow of daylight as the "frog spit" began reappearing.
 
Saturday morning brought about a flurry of activity as the camp fire was rekindled, breakfast prepared (to each own) and anglers scurried to be the first to get fishing.  Most, had made this same trip so many times over the past years that we knew where we could camp and where the good fishing could be found.  If you find your canoe swamped with water in the morning it's most likely payback for taking someone's fishing spot the last trip.
 
The entire day would be spent fishing with vision of bass for dinner or, one of Don's special Sunday morning breakfast.  Don, the guide to our excursions, having made so many trips as a kid with his dad and uncles knew a lot about the Allegheny from Tionesta to Emlenton.  Don's breakfast would include eggs,  cooked how you liked them (as long as you liked them the way he cooked em), bacon, toast and, a side of Bass.  Yep, Bass (if available) for Sunday morning was a staple on the banks of the Allegheny.
 
Following Sunday breakfast the canoes would be loaded and once again shoved off as the sun broke over the hills of the Allegheny,  the surface fog dissipated, and the "frog spit" once again disappeared along the water's edge.   By afternoons end we were usually reloading our vehicles and discussing whether our next trip should from Tionesta to Franklin or maybe a trip from Cochranton to Franklin on French Creek!
 
Well, here it is, first day of bass, and like the past several years I'm not on the Allegheny or French Creek.  Things have changed over the years, as it does for so many.  Don's gone now, as is, so many of our friends and family that once joined us on our excursions, and I no longer live near the mighty Allegheny.
 
This time of year always brings back those memories, how could anyone forget eating eggs and Bass for breakfast on a Sunday morning, along the banks of the mighty Allegheny River  One memorable moment; when a new person, standing on the river's shoreline just before sunrise or sunset would question the bubbles on the water's edge.  Nobody would say a word, we just looked at each other and grinned, we'd already been told  and we knew it was coming...................  "frog spit", Don would blurt out, "it's frog spit"!
 
Nobody, ever questioned it...............

What a nice post. Thanks.

had some fresh breaded and fried LMB out of pymie recently.  had heard that eating them was ok when the water was colder but started getting a "weedy" taste as the water warmed.  we pulled these out of water that was plenty warm and they tasted just fine.
 
BTDT, awesome story!  i've made the franklin to fishermans cove/sandy creek float a handful of times.  99.9% of the SMB got were released but a couple that were gut hooked were kept and cooked.  the meat never made it to breakfast but was mighty tasty cooked over an open fire on one of the camping islands and chased with a cold beer.

The only guy's that eat every bass they catch are the regular guy's that pound the snot out of lake Authur through the ice.15 inches and they die  this year they where crying about the lack of keeper bass soo channel cat became the next target,then they found the wipers. Although I enjoy the fight of a big wiper, I don't think they make good table fare,I have eaten bass on few occasions but will stick to eyes,perch,crappie and big gills. You can eat anything if your hungry enough. 

Except for stripers, all bass get released by me. I just do not like them prepared in any fashion. Crappie, now that's a different story; I do like them
 
and Walleye - in a divine class by itself.