Smallies for dinner

[K&M]

This isn't as much a recipe, but if one is wondering how it is to cook up some smallies, if done right, you cannot tell them from walleye! I just use any interesting white fish recipe--say for halibut even. The trick is to soak the fish in milk (you can use salt solution, but I like the milk soak better). With the lake being overtaken by smallies, maybe if we kept more and ate them, it would help the problem. We just had some almond encrusted smallies a couple of nights ago and will certainly start harvesting more!

 

[wayne gustaveson]

We always soak our fish fillets in milk - but actually Buttermilk. It works really well for tasty fillets.

 

[Dan Spitzer]

Caught lots of Smallies. Looking forward to some LP fish dinners. Report to follow.

 

[Biggs]

Buttermilk is the best for sure.

 

[K&M]

Ah, Wayne, as usual, you are right! I have used buttermilk and agree, just forgot! I must need to cook up more fish so I won't forget...

 

[Ryan]

Lol. Now the lake is being “overrun by smallies“ and it is a “problem”.

Eat the SMB if you want. But I’ll never agree with either of the above statements.

 

[fisheye]

I have never had a problem with fresh caught smallmouth fillets tasting to strong, same for fresh striper with the bloodline trimmed? It's the frozen ones I have brought home that became to strong for my pallet. Do you think the buttermilk soak would work for those?

 

[Dangle Angle 114]

Lol. Now the lake is being “overrun by smallies“ and it is a “problem”.

Eat the SMB if you want. But I’ll never agree with either of the above statements.

It's true though biologists don't lie.

 

[Mildog]

We always use either buttermilk or milk with just a splash of soy sauce. In a pinch you can add some lemon juice to regular milk to make a Faux buttermilk of sorts, it thickens the milk and makes it a bit tart like buttermilk...The salt from the soy sauce helps the solution work its way into the fish, not sure if it osmosis, equilibrium or other scientific process LOL But is does work.. as the solution works it way into the fillets it adds flavor and also helps breading stick before cooking. Smallie fillets are excellent to eat, especially breaded up and fried and its good for the lake.. E M S M B "eat more smallmouth bass"
Wayne never lies.. now maybe he tells a fish story or two LOL

 

[nsaneone]

The lake, especially the south end is NOT over run by Smallies, i have noticed a steep decline of the amount of smallies and Large mouth i use to catch over the last 5 years, they need to implement a Slot limit on the largemouth Bass like Sand Hollow and a slot limit and a lower limit on the small mouth so there will be bass for years to come, now with all of the foreigner's and out of state people that have discover the lake, (visitation up over 150% from last year) it is now the time to do this, i fish Powell over 100 days a year and it is not the same as it was 5 years ago by any stretch. 5 years ago i would be able to catch over 150 small mouth a day on the south end of the Lake, now you are lucky to catch 30 and you have to cover a lot of water to do it. a big large mouth over 4 lbs. are next to impossible to find, there just is not that many of them left.

 

[Mildog]

I wont comment, I will leave the reply to that to Wayne. It would be good to hear his thoughts on that.

 

[nsaneone]

KEEP AND EAT ALL OF THE STRIPERS, THEY ARE VERY GOOD TO EAT, AND THE LAKE IS OVERRUN WITH THEM. JUST MAKE SURE YOU PUT THEM ON ICE RIGHT AFTER YOU CATCH THEM. MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD.

 

[Dangle Angle 114]

The lake, especially the south end is NOT over run by Smallies, i have noticed a steep decline of the amount of smallies and Large mouth i use to catch over the last 5 years, they need to implement a Slot limit on the largemouth Bass like Sand Hollow and a slot limit and a lower limit on the small mouth so there will be bass for years to come, now with all of the foreigner's and out of state people that have discover the lake, (visitation up over 150% from last year) it is now the time to do this, i fish Powell over 100 days a year and it is not the same as it was 5 years ago by any stretch. 5 years ago i would be able to catch over 150 small mouth a day on the south end of the Lake, now you are lucky to catch 30 and you have to cover a lot of water to do it. a big large mouth over 4 lbs. are next to impossible to find, there just is not that many of them left.

We caught two 4 pounders in the same trip this year

 

[wayne gustaveson]

The lake, especially the south end is NOT over run by Smallies, i have noticed a steep decline of the amount of smallies and Large mouth i use to catch over the last 5 years, they need to implement a Slot limit on the largemouth Bass like Sand Hollow and a slot limit and a lower limit on the small mouth so there will be bass for years to come, now with all of the foreigner's and out of state people that have discover the lake, (visitation up over 150% from last year) it is now the time to do this, i fish Powell over 100 days a year and it is not the same as it was 5 years ago by any stretch. 5 years ago i would be able to catch over 150 small mouth a day on the south end of the Lake, now you are lucky to catch 30 and you have to cover a lot of water to do it. a big large mouth over 4 lbs. are next to impossible to find, there just is not that many of them left.

I will comment on SMB numbers after the results are in for the annual Fall gillnetting in November.

 

[WyoRado]

Interesting to see the different perspectives we all gain from our time on the lake. We caught bigger smallmouth and more largemouth this year, than ever before in previous years. This was on the north end, all while targeting stripers, I rarely put anytime into chasing the green and brown bass. Once we found the striper schools on shad, it was almost a guarantee to go to the nearest main lake point and catch 10-12 bass of both colors.