Fish Eater Question: After responding to another post, I got to wondering how much fish most people se aside for a meal. I pack fish in 1.5 pound bags of boneless fillets for two...

bapabear Loc: Blaine, Washington

After responding to another post, I got to wondering how much fish most people se aside for a meal. I pack fish in 1.5 pound bags of boneless fillets for two people. I am a heavy fish eater. My wife is a light fish eater. Given a fillet size perch or crappie I usually eat 6 fillets and my wife eats two. When traveling with my normal fishing partner, We normally target 8 fish. That allows 6 fillets each for dinner and two each for sandwiches the next day on the boat.

I am curious how much others eat (Catch and release excluded).

Graywulff Loc: Cortez,Co.

bapabear wrote:

After responding to another post, I got to wonderi... (show quote)

I eat 4 to 6 fillets per meal. The limits here are quite conservative mostly except for yellow perch and northern pike. No number limit on either of them but I generally quit with 8 or 10 perch and I rarely catch more than one or two pike and only keep the smaller ones cuz of mercury problems.

Commander Bell Loc: Lafayette Indiana

bapabear wrote:

After responding to another post, I got to wonderi... (show quote)

I'm also a fish eater and so is my wife. We eat what I catch, unless of course the fish is to small. If there is a daily bag limit I stop there. Any left over catch is frozen and served at family gatherings or when guests are invited

Richard E. Loc: South Dakota

Please excuse my glutton appetite. Two years ago, I located a Perch pond that really produced. I packaged a limit of Perch (15 in South Dakota) into a freezer bag on several occasions , and that is the number prepared for a meal. Keep in mind that when we eat fish, we skip the potatoes. It is a real fish fry. Seems like the serving plate is always empty when we finish. My wife is not a huge eater, but somehow I manage to "step up to the plate".

Graywulff Loc: Cortez,Co.

Richard E. wrote:

Please excuse my glutton appetite. Two years ago, I located a Perch pond that really produced. I packaged a limit of Perch (15 in South Dakota) into a freezer bag on several occasions , and that is the number prepared for a meal. Keep in mind that when we eat fish, we skip the potatoes. It is a real fish fry. Seems like the serving plate is always empty when we finish. My wife is not a huge eater, but somehow I manage to "step up to the plate".

😁😁👍👍🎣🎣🎣

bapabear Loc: Blaine, Washington

Richard E. wrote:

Please excuse my glutton appetite. Two years ago, I located a Perch pond that really produced. I packaged a limit of Perch (15 in South Dakota) into a freezer bag on several occasions , and that is the number prepared for a meal. Keep in mind that when we eat fish, we skip the potatoes. It is a real fish fry. Seems like the serving plate is always empty when we finish. My wife is not a huge eater, but somehow I manage to "step up to the plate".

Wow! That is 30 filets. How long is the average perch?

Richard E. Loc: South Dakota

Averages about 9". Each filet is about 3 bites.

bapabear Loc: Blaine, Washington

bapabear wrote:

Wow! That is 30 filets. How long is the average perch?

Taking the perch or crappie I usually see and keep, that would be about 3 pounds of boneless fillets. Even if they are 9 inch perch, you are still a big time fish eater

SALMON ADDICT Loc: Snohomish county Washington

bapabear wrote:

After responding to another post, I got to wonderi... (show quote)

So far it seems most replies are about pan fish.as I'm mostly a salmon fisherman my filet of choice is salmon and it really depends on the size of the salmon.a smaller salmon say 5-6 ,lbs,I will eat one filet to myself,about 1-1/2 lb,now a bigger fish obviously means bigger filet,a 10+ lb,er will bring out the glutton in me and 2+ lbs on my plate is common,preferably from the tail(no bones)

Richard E. Loc: South Dakota

Did I mention that I only eat two meals a week? (Not really) Three pounds seems a little strong, but I have never placed the catch on a scale. South Dakota has no possession limit (but a daily limit of 15) Some days like all fishing are short, but some keep you working only one rod. Winter conditions this year are a bit alarming. Colder than normal for a short period, with a considerable amount of snow cover. With the drought we have been experiencing, there is concern regarding winter kill. Almost keeps me up nights wondering how successful the Spring season will be. I have been spoiled over the last several years. Walleye 25 miles from home and Perch about 5.

bapabear Loc: Blaine, Washington

SALMON ADDICT wrote:

So far it seems most replies are about pan fish.as I'm mostly a salmon fisherman my filet of choice is salmon and it really depends on the size of the salmon.a smaller salmon say 5-6 ,lbs,I will eat one filet to myself,about 1-1/2 lb,now a bigger fish obviously means bigger filet,a 10+ lb,er will bring out the glutton in me and 2+ lbs on my plate is common,preferably from the tail(no bones)

That is a pretty good portion. I usually go just about 2/3 length filet on a typical 4 or five pound red. I eat the front part, my wife eats the back part. I debone the fish with a quality deboning tweezer before cooking or freezing. I always cut salmon into parts, or the tail will overcook.

bapabear Loc: Blaine, Washington

Richard E. wrote:

Did I mention that I only eat two meals a week? (... (show quote)

I now weigh all my bunched fillets. A 1 and 1/2 pound bag is about right for my wife and I with enough left over for a sandwich or compliment to fried egg the next day.. It doesn't seem to mater if its a bag full of little perch filets or two large greenling fillets. With salmon, I deliberately cook more than I can eat so that we can have a salmon dip or salmon cake dinner the next day. With the 1.5 pound bags, it is easy to know how many to take out when we have guests or when we want to make something different later in the week, like fish tacos or fish sandwiches etc. Note: in a professional container type vacuum bagger, fish will last 9 months with no problem, as long as the fish is kept near freezing until bagged and bagged the same day as caught. That storage time only works if the freezer is not self defrosting and the bag does not get punctured. Fish will last 6 months with shrink wrap covered by freezer paper under the same freezing conditions. : At five months or sooner, smoke all your fish. That will extend storage life and save waste.

Commander Bell Loc: Lafayette Indiana

bapabear wrote:

I now weigh all my bunched fillets. A 1 and 1/2 p... (show quote)

Thanks we have been looking to purchase a vacuum sealer for some time now. I like the idea of weight portion bags. Will do this in the future.

FourchonLa. Loc: Fourchon Louisiana, South Louisiana

Bapa, I don’t weigh them but usually vacuum seal 12 speckled trout filets per bag. Most before filleting are 13 to 16”long. Our limit is 12” minimum length, 25 per man per day. I will cook two bags at a time for 4 people. Better be careful reaching for a filet. You might bring back a nub. 😁 Redfish are a different story. Minimum length is 16”, 5 per man per day. I will filet them all but 4 filets will feed all four of us. The larger ones, 20 inches and up to 27”, only one in your catch can be this long or longer, I filet and leave on what we call the half shell. Put them scale down on the pit, season up, look out. A real treat. Two filets can feed four people. See what you did. Now I’m hungry. 😁👍

bapabear Loc: Blaine, Washington

The reason I switch to weight ( a kitchen scale is real cheap,) is because it can be tough to judge fish portions when the thickness varies. A standard restaurant portion is 4 to 6 oz.. I figure my 1.5 pounds should take care of most couples with leftovers. I know a few people that make it prudent to take out an extra bag. Side note. When out with my regular fishing partner on over night trip, I often take 2.5 rather than 1.5 pounds of fresh mixed catch of the day. I salt it, pepper it, add garlic, dill, and maybe some cayenne pepper depending on my mood. I then make a block about 1 and one half inch thick in foil. I punch a few holes in the top to prevent boiling and cook broil at 450, or throw on the bbq at 450. Cook about 8 minutes or to your preference. It is an easy no dished way to fix a bunch of mixed size fillets.