If you want to catch and cook fish, don’t worry! it isn’t as hard as it may seem. There are very simple methods to catching and cooking fresh fish!
Don’t misunderstand me. I’m no fantastic fly fisherman, I don’t travel to secluded streams to outsmart champion size trout. No…
What I can do is go out to a locally stocked pond, catch a limit of fish, and have them prepared for dinner that night!
And you can too!
In fact, catching and cooking fresh fish dinner is the easiest way to learn how to take an animal from pasture to plate (or stream to steam…?).
Because of the fact that everyone has access to freshwater, we’re going to discuss the easiest way to catch some good eating freshwater fish.
The easiest way to load up on freshwater fish is to use worms.
Spend an hour flipping logs or digging up the compost pile, and you will have enough worms to last a week! Get a small fishing pole, with 4 to 8 lb test (that is the type of line used. Monofilament is best for a beginner fisherman), and a package of size 8 eagle claw baitholder hooks. Skip the bobber,it’s unnecessary.
Tie a clinch knot to the hook, thread half of a worm (for bass or trout) or a piece of a worm (for panfish) onto your hook, and cast it on in. Let the worm sink to the bottom, and watch your line. When it suddenly starts moving on you, reel the line tight, and quickly jerk the rod backward, to “set the hook” into the fish’s mouth.
Now lets talk about your target. There are 3 fish you should target that are easy to catch, clean, and eat!
Panfish
Panfish are a conglomerate of different types of fish, including Sunny’s, or Pumkinseed, Crappie’s, and Bluegills. These fish are usually the easiest fish in a pond to catch, and actually are pretty good table fare as well! Fish for them by the banks of the pond, near docks, and by fallen trees. Also look for circular depressions in the sand, as these can be beds.
To clean panfish for dinner, remove the scales by sliding a knife or scaler against the scales, flicking them off of the fish. Then slice a small fillet off, by running a knife down the back and side of the fish, toward the rear. This creates a small bite sized fillet.
Trout
Usually found in streams or larger ponds and lakes, trout are in the salmonid family, and resemble a smaller salmon. They are very good for eating and stocked fish are not difficult to catch.
Look for pools and ripples behind rocks in rivers. This is where trout will be waiting for a tasty fish to float by, and that is what your worm will look like. Let the line drift downstream, but notice any taps or increase in speed in the line. Again, reel slack in, and set the hook.
Trout can be filleted, or also can be gutted and cooked whole. Run a small knife into the anus and cut up the belly of the fish, only use the tip of the knife, so as not to puncture the guts. Run it all the way to the gills. Reach into the cavity, and rip out the insides, being careful to watch out for hooks the fish may have swallowed. Break the membrane running the length of the spine and clean out the cavity there. Once all the guts have been removed and cavity washed, the whole trout can be cooked, skin on or off.
Walleye
Walleye are a bit tougher to catch, but are, in my opinion, the best tasting freshwater fish. They are not as prevalent as the 
other two fish mentioned, but if you can find them, they are well worth the challenge. Usually found dwelling at the bottom of lakes and streams, walleye can be best caught in the early morning and late evening hours, as the sun rises and sets. If deep, use a jig head instead of a bait holder hook when fishing for walleye.
Walleye do great filleted and are a real freshwater delicacy.
Cooking Freshwater Fish
All these fish do fine pan fried in butter. If you want to add a little flavor or texture to the meal, encrust the fish or fillets by dipping them in an egg wash and then adding lemon pepper, panko, or any other seasoning you like. Just enough time on both sides so that the fish is cooked through, but not dried and overcooked. Monitor the fish while it cooks, as times will depend on the heat and size of the meat.
Fish are by far the easiest animal to learn to clean and cook. And everyone has access to edible freshwater fish. So, if you want to learn to butcher, grab a pole, load up on worms, and get ready for a feast!
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After you clean and wash your fish, sprinkle with salt, and put in a gallon bag with Buttermilk cornmeal. Shake the bag to fully cover the fish. Now place the fish into a pan of hot cooking oil, make sure the fish is completely covered in oil. Cook until it is a light golden brown, it will float in the oil when it’s done.
Now save the left over buttermilk corn mean and make hushpuppies. Cut up a small onion diced fine, measure your cornmeal and ever how much you have add equal parts of complete pancake mix, add onion, 1 egg, and just enough water to stir it up good. When your fish are all done, drop spoonfuls of your hushpuppy batter into the hot oil, when you see it golden brown on bottom flip it over. They cook very fast.
That’s the SOUTHERN recipe for cooking fish and hushpuppies. We would never cook a fish in butter YUCK
No one asked lmao
I still like her suggestion. I’ll have to give it a try.
Thanks for the recipe. All I’ve ever used was butter to cook fish along with some herbs and spices.
We usually catch bass and blue gill and an ocasional rainbow trout in the lake near us. We pack them in plastic quart containers, fill with water and freeze. After thawing, dip them in milk, then in a 50/50 mixture of flour and corn meal with a little salt and pepper. Fry in peanut oil, a higher temperature oil. Simple and the wife/kids/grandkids love a fish fry. I usually do it outside on an electric griddle to keep the mess outside.
Oh man Rad, that makes me hungry just reading it!
Frying in butter takes longer because you have to cook at a lower temperature and the fish dries out. Deep fry or pan fry in oil. Been doing this over 50 years.
If you pan roast fish in butter, you typically cook in Clarified butter which has a high smoke point. You finish with fresh butter, garlic, Thyme basting it until skin is crispy and fish is sweet, flakey, roasted and perfectly moist. Nothing will ever beat that. Truest way to taste the fish. Pan frying in cornmeal or batter I’m sure is delicious, but kind of takes away from the fresh fish.