Tackle Box Truths: Can You Eat Bass Fish & Should You?
Fishing has been integral to human survival since ancient times, providing a crucial food source for expanding populations. In fact, for most of human history, the now common practice of catch and release did not exist. The immense popularity of recreational bass fishing begs the question; can you eat bass fish?
In this article, we’ll delve into the topic of eating bass and examine its status as a dining option. We will also touch upon the ethical considerations involved, outline the rules and regulations associated with eating bass, and discuss how socially acceptable it is.
Can You Eat Bass?
The simple answer is yes, you can absolutely eat bass. All species of fresh and saltwater bass have non-toxic meat, and many are considered table-worthy, boasting flaky, soft flesh with subtle, pleasant flavors. Providing you follow your local regulations and practice ethical fishing, you are perfectly within your legal rights to consume bass, should you decide to do so.
Now, let’s tackle the next logical question ‘Is bass a good fish to eat?’. Generally speaking, saltwater bass are considered better tasting than their freshwater counterparts. However, given the diverse range of bass species and the influence of various other factors, it is challenging to give a simple yes or no answer.
Bass can undoubtedly make for a tasty meal, but crucial factors such as preparation method, freshness, and notably, the specific species you’re consuming, all play a significant role in the overall taste. Let’s take a deeper look into the various bass species and examine how they step up to the plate.
If you’re going to eat bass, just make sure you cook it first (this fish was released)
Freshwater Bass
Freshwater bass are some of the most pursued sport fish in the United States. There is a multi-billion-dollar industry for boats, licenses, gear, lures, and competitive tournaments. It is directly because of their popularity as a recreational species that anglers rarely eat them.
Bass anglers often practice catch and release to preserve not just the number of fish in a fishery, but also the size of individual bass within it. This helps to maintain a healthy and abundant population.
A delectable flavor
Largemouth Bass
Largemouth bass are the least commonly eaten of the freshwater bass species, due to the high reverence many anglers have for them. If you decide to eat largemouth bass, the small to average-sized fish will have a milder flavor and more appealing texture. Larger-sized largemouth bass are known for having an off-putting, overly earthy flavor.
Largemouth of about this size or smaller will be the best tasting
If you decide to keep largemouth to eat, deep frying in cornmeal or a beer batter is always a well-received approach, but you can also grill, pan-sear, bake, or broil with any number of seasonings.
Get the complete lowdown on largemouth bass in our detailed species overview page!
Smallmouth Bass
While smallmouth bass are held in equally high esteem, they are better known for their taste than their largemouth brothers. They are prized for their clean white flesh and mild, slightly sweet flavor, comparable to that of Walleye. This is primarily attributed to their natural habitat of cold, clear water.
While I do not keep smallmouths anymore because they are my favorite bass species to pursue, the few times I have tried eating them, I must admit they were delicious. Try grilling, baking, or broiling with a simple blend of herbs, spices, and melted butter. Better yet, another excellent preparation for smallmouth is deep fried in cornmeal and put on a sandwich with tartar sauce, lettuce, and tomato.
Want to reel in a smallmouth bass? Our species overview page has all the information you need!
Although a favored target species for catch and release fishing, smallmouths are well known for being arguably the best tasting of the black basses
Spotted Bass
Spotted bass occupy a middle ground when it comes to eating quality, lying between largemouth and smallmouth bass. They are not known for being as tasty as smallmouth, but they are much more commonly eaten than largemouth.
In fact, during a trip to Lake Lanier in Georgia a couple of years ago, local anglers advised me to keep as many spotted bass as allowed by the regulations because they were harming the native largemouth population.
A zesty twist
For a deeper understanding of the spotted bass, explore our detailed species overview page!
Saltwater Bass
Going back to our question – ‘is bass a good fish to eat?’. Well, when it comes to saltwater bass, the answer is a definitive yes.
In contrast to freshwater species, saltwater bass are highly regarded table fare and widely sought after for their taste. It is not uncommon to find sea bass on the menu at prestigious restaurants across the globe.
The black sea bass is a prime example of a saltwater bass known for its exquisite taste and texture. Deep frying a black sea bass would be a waste; these fish are best prepared simply to showcase their sweet flavor and flaky texture. An easy and delicious way to prepare black sea bass is to pan-sear it, baste it with butter, and serve it with a creamy sauce and fresh spring vegetables. You can find a recipe I’ve tried before here.
Sea bass are held in such high regard that they are often prepared and served in fine restaurants, although they also make for great eating when caught!
Seafood lovers widely favor striped bass for their delicate taste and tender meat. If you come across “sea bass” on a restaurant menu, it will likely be a sea-caught striped bass. While they can reach large sizes, only the smaller individuals are typically eaten due to their soft texture and sweet flavor.
Interestingly, striped bass are stocked in many inland reservoirs in the United States and live their entire lives in freshwater. However, these freshwater striped bass lack the flavor of their saltwater counterparts and so are less highly prized.
I have personally caught and cooked a freshwater striped bass and would not recommend it. It had an overly “fishy” flavor and tough texture.
Striped bass are excellent pan-seared or grilled with seasonings such as a cajun spice blend, garlic, herbs, or lemon pepper.
I didn’t find this freshwater-caught striped bass to taste exceptional. However, striped bass caught in saltwater are known for being delicious.
What Makes a White Fish?
A common question when discussing saltwater bass consumption is, ‘Is sea bass a white fish?’. When discussing fish in a culinary sense, the term ‘white fish’ is a general designation for species of saltwater and freshwater fish that possess white, lean flesh.
The distinguishing trait of these fish is their subtly flavored meat, which lacks the heavy ‘fishy’ or oily taste found in some other species like salmon or mackerel. White fish are desired for their mild flavor that is not overpowering, which makes them a versatile base that complements flavorings and seasonings well.
Therefore, the answer to the question ‘Is sea bass a white fish?’, is yes. Sea bass is indeed considered a white fish. However, this categorization is not exclusive to sea bass and doesn’t imply that all saltwater fish fall into the ‘white fish’ category.
Flavor and texture
Is It Acceptable to Eat Bass?
Whether or not it’s acceptable to eat bass depends on who you ask. This question continues to be a heated debate among the recreational fishing community. Die-hard tournament anglers and bass fishing purists will tell you it’s unacceptable to eat bass under any circumstances. On the other hand, most anglers don’t care whether you keep bass or not as long as you’re following the rules and don’t take more than necessary.
Personally, I tend to agree with the latter. If you follow the rules and catch bass ethically, who am I to say you can’t eat them? It makes no difference to me.
However, I hope that if you decide to consume bass, you release the big fish and only eat the smaller ones. Big bass are the breeders that keep the population going. Large bass can spawn big groups of offspring each spring and are usually 20+ years old, so taking them out of the equation disrupts years of progress.
It’s generally not acceptable to keep large bass such as this big smallmouth, which I promptly released after a few photos
Depending on the fishery, keeping bass can either help, harm, or have no noticeable effect on the population.
In certain fisheries where there is an abundance of small bass, keeping some of them can be beneficial. Doing so reduces competition and allows the remaining fish more space to grow and mature. However, keeping bass can be detrimental if a fishery has a declining or low population.
You are fishing responsibly and sustainably
On many waters, you will need to work with size limitations if you want to keep your catch. These regulations can require you to only keep bass over a certain length, under a certain length, or a specific size range.
Commonly, there are also bag limits, which cap the number of fish you can keep per day. In most states, the bag limit for bass is five per day. Even if you can keep five bass per day, only take what you can eat or need for one meal.
A sign showing the statewide regulations for keeping largemouth bass in Florida
Important Considerations
If you’re interested in eating your catch, there are several other important factors to consider and some tips and suggestions to help you get the most out of your experience.
The first is water quality. Not all bodies of water inhabited by bass are necessarily clean. Due to pollution, water in some areas can be contaminated with harmful levels of mercury, other heavy metals, or parasites. Before consuming anything, always assess the water quality.
If you plan to eat bass, make sure you’re not eating fish from areas with poor water quality
Next, if you want the best eating experience, consume your catch as soon as possible. With any fish, the fresher, the better. If you’re heading out in the morning, aim to catch your lunch, not dinner.
Lastly, as we discussed, there are many ways to prepare and cook bass. The most common approach for preparing bass is to fillet the fish using a sharp fillet knife to remove the boneless fillets. Afterward, clean the meat by soaking or rinsing it in cold, fresh water. This helps to remove any impurities, resulting in a clean and flavorful fillet ready to be cooked and enjoyed.
Ease of preparation
Bass can be cooked in many ways; you are only limited by your imagination and creativity in the kitchen. For a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, bread the fish or coat it in beer batter before frying. Other great ways to cook bass include grilling, pan searing, and baking. Bass is also well suited for soups and chowders if you’re looking for something more suitable for cold weather.
A fish soup being cooked up bankside, perfect for colder weather!
Conclusion
The question ‘can you eat bass fish?’ ruffles some anglers’ feathers but is a non-issue for most. In summary, you can certainly eat bass if you desire to. Just ensure you do so legally, consider the health of the broader bass population, consider water quality, and only keep what you need.
If you remember these essentials, there’s no harm in eating bass because, contrary to popular belief, freshwater and saltwater bass are delicious when prepared correctly and eaten fresh.
