# are white trout worth keeping?



## JOSHua (Oct 9, 2008)

i went and fished 3 mile and couldnt keep these white trout off my hooks .... i didnt keep any because i wasnt sure if it would be worth eating. i just moved here maybe 9 months ago and have been catching all kinds of fish i have never seen before. these "white trout" almost look like wall-eye but with no color. and if they taste like wall-eye im onna start keeping them 

thanks


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## amberj (Oct 1, 2007)

they are great if you fry them up fresh. If you like mullet you will like white trout. DOnt freeze them and dont let them sit in the fridge fry them up the same day you catch them and they are pretty good.


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## konz (Oct 1, 2007)

yes they are pretty good....fry them up and you will be happy with them. I like them better than specs myself.......but that's just me. We had a fish fry the other day with a bunch of white trout.......people tore them up!


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## DreamWeaver21 (Oct 3, 2007)

They get a bad rep (I find myself wanting to turn a spinning reel upside down and reel backwards when fishing for them.) But like the others said, if you eat them fresh they are pretty good. I wouldn't stock a freezer with them, but if you can get some that are big enough they are worth cleaning then give them a try.


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## Hook (Oct 2, 2007)

They are VERY good King Mackerel Bait.


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## amberj (Oct 1, 2007)

> *DreamWeaver21 (2/5/2009)*They get a bad rep (I find myself wanting to turn a spinning reel upside down and reel backwards when fishing for them.) But like the others said, if you eat them fresh they are pretty good. I wouldn't stock a freezer with them, but if you can get some that are big enough they are worth cleaning then give them a try.


Turn your reel upside down and reel backward when fishing for them, that is funny as hell. I just about feel outta my chair laughing at that one. That one just got me.


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## BananaTom (Feb 16, 2008)

*When I have a allot, I clean them and keep them in a baggie with a little milk on them. *

*I put them on the top shelf of the frig, and fry those puppies all week long. *

*Man I got go find some lunch now!!!!*


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## amberj (Oct 1, 2007)

> *DreamWeaver21 (2/5/2009)*They get a bad rep (I find myself wanting to turn a spinning reel upside down and reel backwards when fishing for them.) But like the others said, if you eat them fresh they are pretty good. I wouldn't stock a freezer with them, but if you can get some that are big enough they are worth cleaning then give them a try.


Found this online and had to post it. Either a backward reel or a huge zebco and a spark plug for a sinker.


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## Drew Mixon (Oct 4, 2007)

> *OnPlane (2/5/2009)*I can't stand them. My buddy Ben will eat anything that swims in the sea though. He loves them. I just can't force myself to eat a white trout, when you have so many other choices.


same family as redfish (Sciaenidae), same genus as seatrout (Cynoscion). why would this pose an issue? because its not a glamor species? lots to learn, grasshopper.

i love white trout/sand trout. often i spend too much time chasing other species, but easily as tasty as a spec, and more plentiful, the white trout is a very fryable species! i'd rather have a handful of trout, than a pair of redfish. the difference on the table is night and day, as far as i'm concerned. and sooo easy to clean.

cheers.

drew


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## naclh2oDave (Apr 8, 2008)

I'm eating some right now. I took it em filletedthem out. Sprayed a cassorole dish with olive oil, lined it with white trout fillets, seasoned them, made up a batch of crab/shrimp breadcrumb (ect, ect) stuffing and spread that over the fillets, put more fillets on top od that and seasoned. Then I bake at 420* for 30 minutes the broiled on high for another 15. Tastesabout as goodany other stuffed fish, cept for maybe mahi or flounder.

Then what ever is left over I mix i some picante or salsa warm it back up and eat it like a dip. Finger lickin good.

As long as you keep it fresh and eat it within 48 hours without freezing it is great, get creative. As good as spec or red.


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## Drew Mixon (Oct 4, 2007)

> *OnPlane (2/5/2009)*You are certainly entitled to eat nasty fish if your prefer to do so. Myself, on the other hand, will stick to fish that is worth eating.


i understand--seatrout is nasty. got it. 

educate me though...what is a fish'worth eathing', in your vast experience?

cheers.

drew



and by the way, welcome to the forum. :grouphug


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## countryjwh (Nov 20, 2007)

> *OnPlane (2/5/2009)*I hope you used imitation crab, otherwise it was a waste. I'm sorry if I have such a strong opinion on this. It's just the way I feel.


this is coming from someone who said they caught a 4 ft. shark off the beach and cut his head off for the jaws and then buried the rest on the beach. in my opinion someone who does that there opinion does not matter. 

now white trout fresh are absolutely delicious when they are fresh.


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## FishnLane (Oct 1, 2007)

I enjoy catching and eating white trout. It is such a good feel to get out, drop anchor and catch a fish at first throw. I suggest setting a size limit vs taking all that you catch....giving the smaller ones time to grow. We successfully freeze them with vacuum packaging (ensuring that they are dry when freezing). freeze flat. They are terrific for fish fries. No bones in filet and quick to clean. ENJOY those....for they may be extent someday and the powers that be will limit them to 2/trip.


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## Glastronix (Apr 14, 2008)

> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=smalltxt vAlign=top><SPAN id=_ctl1_ctlTopic_ctlPanelBar_ctlTopicsRepeater__ctl11_lblFullMessage>You are certainly entitled to eat nasty fish if your prefer to do so. Myself, on the other hand, will stick to fish that is worth eating. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


Well if white trout are nasty, then specks must taste about like skipjack. Since white trout has lighter meat, than specks, they taste less strong than specks, and you will not find any worms....give me white trout any day...I love 'em and eat 'em all the time...have you even ever tried them onplane?


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## Drew Mixon (Oct 4, 2007)

> *OnPlane (2/5/2009)*grouper, snapper, trigger, cobia, flounder


catch a lot of those from the beach, do ya?

cheers.

drew

maybe you should delete your posts here about fish you have no experience with, and delete the posts about illegally killing the shark, wasting the meat and 'burrying it', and just start over. maybe then we can all be friends. k?


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## C-monsters (Mar 28, 2008)

This is a question about individual taste. You don't have to be a fishing expert to like or dislike any particular species. For those that like white trout, great, eat all you want, they seem plentiful and easy to catch. For those that don't, throw them back or use them as bait. I suggest the original poster take some home, clean them, fry them up, and decide for himself.

In my OPINION, white trout, even when fried fresh, has a mealy/soft texture that is not as pleasant as many other fillets.


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## JOSHua (Oct 9, 2008)

wow..... this got out of hand ....

ill just take one next time so i can fry him up and try it out


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## konz (Oct 1, 2007)

That's the best thing you can do Joshua. Personally I don't keep any under 12". This is not law.......just a personal thing. I'm sure you will like them......they always come out white and flaky for me.

Tight lines brother


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## Glastronix (Apr 14, 2008)

> *This guy is just a big butt !! *
> 
> *Look at all his posts since he joined this day !!!*
> 
> *The best thing we can do, fellowPFF'ers,is tonot respond to his attitude !!!!*


I just looked as his posts, if you can call them that...he has never even posted a report...wow, what a contribution he has made, we are lucky to have his expertise


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## Death From Above (Sep 28, 2007)

Fresh white trout are great and are perfect if you are having a big fish fry. I personnally like to eat the small ones over the 2-pounders. The small ones fry up firmer and crispier. I love to catch speckled trout, but would rather eat white trout.


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## tom1s (Oct 4, 2007)

i only keep the big hog white trout cause if i cleaned what i caught it would take forever. GREAT fried, but dont try to freeze or store them, eat the same day :letsparty


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## Emerald Ghost (Mar 11, 2008)

We successfully freeze them with vacuum packaging (ensuring that they are dry when freezing). freeze flat. They are terrific for fish fries. No bones in filet and quick to clean. 



Hey Fish,

Your vacuum packaging sounds like a good idea. I wondered about going one step further and do like someone suggested a few weeks back on freezing fish. Pat the filets on a paper towel to take the water off of them and then put the filets in the freezer for 5 minutes to dry the meat further, and then vacuum seal them ?

You could really stack the freezer for a good fish fry !


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## Shiznik (Feb 24, 2008)

We used to spend the night on Bob Sikes Bridge and look forward to catching tons of them. They make a great fish fry! And they are fun to catch. That's a fish you can take the kids along and they will have a blast catchin!


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## FishinFool (Oct 2, 2007)

When you catch them, put them in a very cold icy solution, ice & water. You will be able to filet them much better. As you filet them, put the filets in a clean icy solution of ice & water. This keeps the meat firm. You can freeze them using the clean icysolution in a ziplock bag. If unsure how to follow the directions I gave you, call me and I will take all of them off your hands.:hungry

Jim 

529-0424


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## Nitzey (Oct 9, 2007)

Oh, well, this thread has grown long, but here are my two cents worth.

After many, many years of fishing, I finally ate some white trout this week. We caught a bunch last weekend, and lost two out in the Gulf using them for bait, but no large fish brought in. So, we ate the bait.

We did fry them (recommended by the Oar House), and I almost never fry fish. To me they were good butthe meat was soft. I found some worms and cut them out while cleaning the fish, but did not tell my wife; she surely would not have been happy. 

We gave white trout to several neighbors, and they loved them. So, I guess we will eat the bait again.


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## choppedliver (Apr 4, 2009)

I think if they were more elusive to catch, people would give them a lot better "ratings". We tend to value things less when they come easy.

We are damn lucky to have a fish you can go catch tons of any day of the week, the fwc doesnt regulate them, they are easy to clean, and they taste pretty good. 

I fried up 8 of them the other night in some Zatarains and peanut oil the other night and mmmm mmm good. A little lemon juice on them, delicious. I didnt have one single white trout taste "fishy". It was white, flakey, delicious meat.

Helps to use peanut oil. Makes everything taste better in my humble opinion.


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

Best thing to do is just try it out yourself......folks will always bicker about best fish to eat, car to drive, boat to fish out of....blah blah blah....

I eat them, and use them for bait...I throw alot back also. I fry them up fresh and have froze them and they taste the same. They are very delicate and fall apart easy when they are frozen. Freeze them in a bag of water with some salt added, then let them completely dethaw without trying to break them apart. I cut my filets in half that way they don't fall apart as easy and are easier to manage....Just do it like you want it though....Good luck:letsdrink:letsdrink:letsdrink


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## mekell (Sep 27, 2007)

Place the filets in a brine solution and refrigerate over night. This will firm up the filets and allow you to fry them without them falling apart. The taste is good, but without brining they are mushy. Try this and I think you will enjoy.


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## Deeplines (Sep 28, 2007)

Let us know how you liked them, just curious. 

I catch slack for eating ruby red lips. IMO the ruby is the 3rd best fish in the gulf, but that's just my opinion.

Oh, I'm another that like the white trout but prefer the ground mullet over it if fishing the 3 mile bridge, again just my taste andthe texture. I wouldn't pass any white trout up though.


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## BananaTom (Feb 16, 2008)

*35 Years ago, I was toldTrigger Fish were trash fish, no one kept them, they were thrown back.*

*Now, well, you know, they are great.*

*And now white trout are said to be trash fish.*


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## jvalhenson (May 14, 2008)

i cannot read all the white trout bashing without defending them since i catch them and eat them as often as possible. They are every bit as good to eat as any other fish and far better than any spec ever thought about being. If you know what you are doing they will not fall apart when you cook them and they freeze just as good as anything else too. All you have to do is have them very very cold before cleaning them and use a very sharp knife(forget the electric knife which I would not touch for any fish anyway), once cleaned(you can either scale or skin but i usually scale as the skin is very thin and you never know its there anyway), at this point either fry them fresh coated in mustard or cover them completely with water to freeze them(like this they last for months in the freezer and are just as good when thawed). If you go ahead and fry them fresh just have the grease HOT before you put them in. The only way they will get soft is if you put them in before the gease is ready. Then dont touch them till they get crispy(just a couple minutes) If you freeze them do not thaw them in the microwave or with water....just set them in the sink for a while and let them thaw mostly then put them in the fridge to finish thawing. This does take a while so you have to take them out the day before you are going to cook them but this will have them just like they were the day you froze them. Then cook the same way...again make sure the grease is ready before putting them in. Very simple and very good and for those who do not like them for whatever misguided reasons just keep putting them back and I will keep putting them in my freezer.


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## Fiver (Nov 6, 2008)

> cover them completely with water to freeze them.


I don't allow my fish to touch freshwater unless I'm rinsing <U>immediately</U> before cooking.


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## Collard (Oct 23, 2007)

Ihad sme a co-wrker fried up aftr being frozen........I would have rather eaten fried garbage,and that's xactly where the fish and the bite took went to. Frozen are N-A-S-T-Y!


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## Shankopotamus (Apr 8, 2009)

I tried them back when I used to fish off the 3 mile back in the day. I was surprised at how good they were. You can tear em up with a stingray grub!


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## Charlie2 (Oct 2, 2007)

White Trout, like any fish, have to be handled properly after catching.



My 5 kids grew up on the old Three Mile Fishing Pier and all will fight you over a White Trout.



People would come down from GA and camp out on the Bridge and take back coolers full of them.



I make seviche from White Trout, which some people don' t like for some reason; probably the same reason they don't like White Trout. Try it for yourself, then make your own decision. JMHO C2


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## stonedv8 (Oct 10, 2008)

> *BananaTom (5/14/2009)**35 Years ago, I was toldTrigger Fish were trash fish, no one kept them, they were thrown back.*
> 
> 
> 
> ...




LONG, LONG Time ago Lobster was fed to prisoners because it was considered trash and not worthy of feeding to regular citizens. 



But then I am sure it was not served steamed or boiled and with warm drawn butter and a fresh lemon either.


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## Live4Fish (May 12, 2009)

They are great if they are fresh and if they are big enough to get a decent fillet out of. They are also great *COBIA and Kingfish bait. *I use them for bait most of the time if they are decent sized


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## fred (Dec 28, 2008)

I just ate some white trout (pan fried) that I caught and froze (in water)last September. Delicious.

I also grind the backs and skin for frozen chum after I remove the filet. White trout and specks love white trout chum. King, dolphin and snapper seem to go for it pretty well, too.


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## fisherboy20 (Jun 3, 2009)

i agree they make excellent king bait. and i love to eat them. fun to catch even better to eat. if you put them in some corn flour and fry em up mmm mmm mmm good


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## choppedliver (Apr 4, 2009)

> *Live4Fish (5/14/2009)*They are great if they are fresh and if they are big enough to get a decent fillet out of. They are also great *COBIA and Kingfish bait. *I use them for bait most of the time if they are decent sized


Wow how far do I have to go to catch some fish like the ones in your picture?


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## Florabama (Oct 19, 2007)

I've never tried freezing white trout, but specksseem to do fine if you vacuum pack them. I've got some speck filets from May in my freezer and I've been thinking of pulling them out and frying up a few fish sandwiches. Try vacuum packing and see if theydo OK. In any case, I love em.


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## choppedliver (Apr 4, 2009)

not sure what these people are referring to when they say dont freeze them, I put everything in a bag full of water and they thaw and cook and taste just fine.


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

White trout are pretty tastey and can be frozen.

What we do is put them in a zippy lock, squirt in enough Yellow Mustard to cover them, squeeze the excess air out, then freeze them.

When they thaw they marinate in that yellow mustard.

Then roll in Zatarans or your favorite coating and fry em up.

Dayum, a little drool just landed on my shirt....


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## OldDan (Mar 3, 2009)

>>>You can freeze them using the clean icy solution in a ziplock bag. If unsure how to follow the directions I gave you, call me and I will take all of them off your hands. <<<



I freeze all my seafood that way: in a ziplock bag, covered with ice water. I also add a shake or two of salt to the water and squeeze all the air out prior to freezing. It lasts a long time, with no freezer burn. I have eaten fish and shrimp over 6 months old, and it tasted as good as the day I caught it.



When I decide to keep a fish (any fish), I gut it as soon as possible, rinse it, quickly chill it in ice water, then throw it in the cooler and pack it in ice. I chill shrimp and crab the same way.


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## choppedliver (Apr 4, 2009)

> *hjorgan (7/16/2009)*White trout are pretty tastey and can be frozen.
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> 
> 
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LOL you had me at Zatarans


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## TURTLE (May 22, 2008)

> *countryjwh (2/5/2009)*
> 
> 
> > *OnPlane (2/5/2009)*I hope you used imitation crab, otherwise it was a waste. I'm sorry if I have such a strong opinion on this. It's just the way I feel.
> ...


What ? You don't like real crab meat? If you think white trout is "Nasty" And like imatation crab better then the real thing, you may want to consider another sport.Just say'n, I know everyone has different taste , but crab( Real crab) is a huge part of the oceanic culunary creations, I even use Blue crab meat in lots of sauces I put over steak and sometimes pork chops.It's a pain to clean but to me , I have 3 traps down at all times in the back yard and catch plenty crabs and I don't mind cleaning them if my wife is going to make something with them, or just eat them right out the pot and throw my shells off the pier.

We have so many things we can eat that taste great to me around here in our waterways, it's a real shame not to enjoy it.I don't know you , but if the comment the other guy made about you cutting a sharks head off just for the jaws is true, Damn !!!! what a waste , not just because shark can be delicious but if you are not going to eat it at least give it to some one who will.Thats just mest up.


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