Caught 13 fish today, but need advice.

[kjhowland]

I agree about checking the water conditions. As a massachusetts resident, we have NO clean water, and the only fish suitable to eat are stocked fish. Here sunnies are small and considered trash fish. Good luck.

[wolfy-hound]

You can bread them in cornmeal, flour, or breadcrumbs. It depends on what you prefer. You should season whatever breading you are using(salt and pepper etc), before you dredge the fish.

You can use a egg wash(egg with a little water or milk). Dip the fish in the wash, then into the breading to coat. Then fry in hot oil witha frydaddy type fryer, or into a hot pan.

If the fish are small, you might want to scale, head and gut them, and wash well, then cook the whole fish. If they are larger, then filet them. I usually don't scale the fish, instead I filet, and then skin the filets. Just slide the filet knife between the skin and meat to cut the skin and scales away from the meat. I'm just lazy that way, but the skin can be tasty as well, so that's up to you.

I'll eat most fish from most places, as long as it wasn't a sewage pond, and the fish doesn't have parasites I can see. Once I've cooked it thoroughly, I really don't think there's much that will hurt me. At least not on a rare meal of a few fish. If there's chemical or heavy metals etc etc.. it takes a supply of the contaminated fish to get the stuff stored up in you really, and I trust my body(as decrepit as it is) to get rid of most junk.

After all, I eat fish out of the St Johns river, in jacksonville... it can be nasty in spots.. eating the fish hadn't made me ill yet. Enjoy your fish!

[4theSNAKElady]

Thanks guys!!! I'm gonna check the water to make sure it's not too bad, but I mean, I don't plan on eating that many...I' prefer land animals . Gotta get me a fillet knife and I'll ask around the lake to see if anyone eats them. I mean, people swim in it all the time with their kids, so the water must not be that bad.