Yellow Crappie Fillets???

[Tommy]

Has anyone noticed any fillets having a yellow look to them. We have cooked a few and they have an extremely strong taste. Such to the point that we are culling them at the cleaning table. I have seen it in the past but never as bad as we are seeing it now. In the past, it always seemed that the male fish were the only ones that tended to have this. However, we have noticed a lot of females having this trait lately.

[labill]

Tommy.......My fishing buddy Dave (that caught the big crappie) went to Cypress Lake and caught a nice mess and some of the fillets had that yellow tint. I assumed it was due to to the dark tannic water that's tipical in that lake, and they did have that oily strong taste. Very similar to the red meat in a white bass from gorgeing themselves on shad. We were on Black Lake last Tuesday for a short time, but the few that we caught had beautiful white meat. In fact, I fried them up yesterday and they were great. I wonder if it has something to do with the high muddy water? The water was still moving fairly fast under the bridge and looked to be a couple feet high. I wonder if Wildlife and Fisheries would know what causes it? I may give them a call today and see what they think. I'll post if they have an opinion......

Good Luck,

Labill

[labill]

Called Wildlife and Fisheries.....Their biologist won't be in untill tomorrow. I will have to wait 'til he gets in to get his opinion about the yellow coloring.

Labill

[Joe]

Did you clean your Crappie at night under light? Some lights make the fillets look A bronz yellow color.
Joe





QUOTE=labill]Called Wildlife and Fisheries.....Their biologist won't be in untill tomorrow. I will have to wait 'til he gets in to get his opinion about the yellow coloring.

Labill[/QUOTE]

[Tommy]

Tommy.......My fishing buddy Dave (that caught the big crappie) went to Cypress Lake and caught a nice mess and some of the fillets had that yellow tint. I assumed it was due to to the dark tannic water that's tipical in that lake, and they did have that oily strong taste. Very similar to the red meat in a white bass from gorgeing themselves on shad. We were on Black Lake last Tuesday for a short time, but the few that we caught had beautiful white meat. In fact, I fried them up yesterday and they were great. I wonder if it has something to do with the high muddy water? The water was still moving fairly fast under the bridge and looked to be a couple feet high. I wonder if Wildlife and Fisheries would know what causes it? I may give them a call today and see what they think. I'll post if they have an opinion......

Good Luck,

Labill

HI Bill, Just got off the phone with Dave. Seems like a great fishing partner. We were discussing these fish with the darker meat. I have seen exactly what he was talking about and that was what I was refering to about the darker strip, but these fish have it all over and a lot of the females have it also. I have a call in to a friend, (Mike Wood) a biologist out of the Monroe wildlife and fisheries office. He is getting in touch with a fish pathologist at LSU, and is going to let me know what is going on. Or at least I hope he is. This has really got me worried. I have never seen anything quit this bad before. One would think that if it were related to the spawn, you would see a decline in it and I suppose that was why it never concerned me before now. I will let you know what I find out. If you hear anything on your end please keep me posted.

Great fishing,
Tommy

[labill]

Joe......I haven't caught any with the colored fillets, but another member and my fishing buddy did. I tried some fillets my friend gave me, and they were discolored and had a strong taste, very unusual for crappie to have that strong a flavor. We're concerned there may be contaminants in the lakes that could cause problems. I don't know if they were dressed under lights or in daylight, but I viewed them in the light of day, and they were yellowish with a slight tan tinge. If we find the cause thru Wildlife and Fisheries, it will be posted on this board. Thanks for your input, and good luck!

Labill

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Good luck, tight lines, big crappie!!

[labill]

Still haven't talked to Wildlife & Fisheries. They apparently don't answer the phones on week-ends, so it will be Mon. before I can talk to a biologist. Maybe all the worry will be for naught and turn out hopefully to be just something they ate, which is not beyond the realm of possibility. As an example, when largemouth are eating shad in volume, they have red meat just under the skin from the rich oils that shad bear, and it has a very strong taste. All that I can think of that might impart a yellow coloring to our crappie would be crawfish, since their fat is yellow. This time of year the water must be full of young crawfish, and therefore good forage for all panfish. I know they like them, because I have netted many using tiny mudbugs caught in water filled ditches. Just one man's opinion, but I hope this time I'm on the money. Would like to hear some more opinions from the forum.....any takers?

Labill

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Good luck, tight lines, big crappie!