Channel cats

[final flight]

Anyone try smoking them ?

[Sk8man]

Awful hard to keep them lit Rollie sorry....couldn't keep myself from being a wise-azz.....must have been the coffee

Edited November 6, 2015 by Sk8man

[BSmaster]

Took me a minute - that is funny.

 

I would think that the texture is wrong but I could be wrong as well.  If you are thinking about the cats out of the river - that is one greasy fish.  I filleted them out for a guy at work - he loves them.  he chunks them up rolls them in corn meal and plops into the deep fryer.  My hands smell terrible for a week.  disgusting.

[BSmaster]

to each their own,,,

[final flight]

Thanks for the replies , went down and fished till 6:00, had a blast, 3 cats, 2-4 lbs. 6 smallmouth biggest around 18", 2 walleye ( dinks) and a perch. Released all. Good night for very low and very clear water conditions. Back at it tonight. :)

[Sk8man]

Thy are a blast to fish for Rollie. As a kid we used to fish the heavily and used corn meal balls about the size of marbles.....they hammer them. When we cooked them we let them set a while in lemon juice (to reduce the fishiness) before breading them and baking in the oven. Same with bullheads.  Later in life I became a little concerned about them being "bottom feeders" with all the pollutants now in the waters around here so I haven't had them in a long time. Never had them smoked though.

[ERABBIT]

Rollie alot of guys that go to Canada in the spring for bullheads from the Meshoppen area have them smoked.

[bulletbob]

 I would not even attempt to smoke them.. The cats from the Susquehanna are borderline inedible as far as I am concerned... Yes you could soak the fillets in milk or salted water for a few days I guess, but if I need to do that to a fish to choke it down, I just let it go alive- back where it belongs.. I fish the river as well, and the only fish that are good eating are the Walleyes and the Rock Bass when the water is cold... Perch in there are good as well, but we don't see many perch in the NY section.. Cats?.. Never again for me.. they are just nasty... bob