Eating Drum from the Red

[CatDaddy]

I've heard a guy can do this, so I tried. I'd love to lie and tell you it was as tasty as walleye or catfish and that I won't be keeping anything but drum from now on, but it's just not true. Not bad - much like white bass - but not great. Now I can say I've done it. Fillets just like a white bass: take out the red lateral line and you've got white flaky meat. Again, not walleye or perch. My family agreed.


Who else has tried it? Next on the list: Snapping turtle!

 

[svnmag]

Maybe soak a while in Sprite and make your portions smaller...looks great in the basket and fine pic of the boy!

 

[CatDaddy]

Soaked it in a saltwater and tish of vinegar brine overnight....not fishy, just not exactly what my family has been spoiled with. We don't keep many fish, but when we do I cook the heck out of it. We were on a mission that night to have a fish fry the next day. I'll try Sprite next time - maybe the sugar will add a little something.

 

[Kickemup]

Catch them out of cold water and no one will be able to tell what kind of fish it is.

 

[CatDaddy]

I'm guessing 77 degree Red River doesn't count as cold water????

 

[MSA]

The only ones I have ever eaten were from the tailrace out of clear 40 to 55 degree water, and I prefer the drum to walleye or perch.

 

[Brian Renville]

That's a darn nice drum! I have been wanting to try them as well especially after hearing on here from a few guys that it's the best thing since someone put a jolly rancher in a zima.

 

[Bed Wetter]

The only ones I have ever eaten were from the tailrace out of clear 40 to 55 degree water, and I prefer the drum to walleye or perch.

Holy smokes, that's life altering right there. I had no idea when I woke up this morning that MSA would pronounce cold water drum superior table fare to walleye and perch. The whole world is upside down!!!

 

[svnmag]

Zima?!!! Holy hell I thought the craving in my nipples was gone. Damn it.

 

[squirrel92]

Snapping turtle is delicious. Make it into a chowder you won't regret it. There's a trick to killing and butchering them that I can explain if you'd like.

 

[sl1000794]

Soaked it in a saltwater and tish of vinegar brine overnight....not fishy, just not exactly what my family has been spoiled with. We don't keep many fish, but when we do I cook the heck out of it. We were on a mission that night to have a fish fry the next day. I'll try Sprite next time - maybe the sugar will add a little something.

We add the juice of a half of a lemon to our brine … but that's just us.

 

[JayKay]

Zima?!!! Holy hell I thought the craving in my nipples was gone. Damn it.

The thought of Zima makes me want to shave notches in my eyebrows and get a high n tight. (it's so 90's)

 

[wildeyes]

I ate drum this year for the first time caught out of the river earlier in the year. I mixed it with walleye and didn't tell anybody the only difference I noticed was the meat seemed denser not as flaky, not fishy. nobody said anything when they ate it.

 

[cooter00]

I collect the rocks that are behind the drums eyes I eat a few when the water is cold but mostly keep it for cutbait works good for catfish and pike.

 

[snow]

Hmmm,I'm not sure I would eat fish out of the red,read consumption reports,not good.Fun catchin tho,keeps the kids busy.

 

[CatDaddy]

I'm mercury intolerant, but the rest of my family seems to do ok with heavy metals. Where are the consumption reports you've read? There is the other end of the spectrum that says the Red is one of the cleanest rivers in US.

 

[Enslow]

Smoked carp are where its at.

 

[CatDaddy]

Cooter - what do you do with the ear rocks? Wonder if my wife would notice they aren't pearls.....jewelry?

 

[Rowdie]

I'm a walleye guy. Only clean walleye but ate other fish as a kid. So I tried a drum this summer after reading how guys liked them.

Not even close to being better than a walleye. I'll never clean another.

 

[Lycanthrope]

I'm mercury intolerant, but the rest of my family seems to do ok with heavy metals. Where are the consumption reports you've read? There is the other end of the spectrum that says the Red is one of the cleanest rivers in US.

I think thats just some guys online claiming how clean the red is.... I lived in GF for a while and fished the red occasionally, its a sad distant 3rd cousin twice removed from the Missouri. Course with all the pollution up north now, even the mighty M might be shit soon enough. Thank you much greedy politicians.....