Thread: Are Green Sunfish Good to Eat?

As long as I leave the dorsal and anal fins on the fish, they just pull right off after the fish is cooked, and I can eat one virtually as fast as the filets: just run your fork or finger along the backbone and above the ribs until you get to the end of them and then along the whole fish. I don't fool with the ribs.

Originally Posted by bxn

i don't get the point of gutt'n em and choppin the head off instead of just fillet'n em.the idea of pickin through all them bones is annoying.i only fillet em nowadays.i acually want to fillet fish after a while of not bringing home some decent sized gills.maybe im just one with my fillet knife or somthing lol :D

I used to be the same way, but on those smaller fish, you miss ALOT of meat. And as blairarnold said, you leave on the dorsal and anal fin, and only pull them out after they are fried. They come right out of the meat. Then you pick up the fish and bite lightly and pull back on the back meat, and it slides right off the bone. Same with the underside and on the tail. I really like 'em this way, plus you can eat all those smaller fish (like green sunfish) and try and put a small dent in the over-population of green sunfish.

Originally Posted by limbhook

I think that fish is what we use to call a rock bass or goggle eye, little body big mouth very aggressive little fish.

THERE ARE SEVERAL VERY SIMILAR SPECIES BUT WARMOUTHS, ROCK BASS, AND MORE ARE NOT GREEN SUNFISH. WE HAVE EATEN GREEN SUNFISH BUT PERFER TO USE THEM FOR fLATHEAD BAIT.

Have no doubt Festus
you can eat them with the rest of us.