I don't want to be a downer or get people into any arguments so let's not do that but I was out fishing along the Mississippi River this last Friday. I had another fisherman next to me on the shore and he caught a freshwater Drum/Sheepshead and asked me what I do with them. I replied that I normally just put them back. He proceeded to pull out a big fixed-blade knife and stab the fish through the head remarking that it's a junk fish. I have heard that people do similar things with Dogfish/Bowfin when they catch them as well since they "eat all of the game fish." I decided to read up on the subject of junk fish and found that most of these "junk fish" are native to Wisconsin and the surrounding states. They also have their own benefits to the environment. I guess the freshwater Drum/Sheepshead is actually one of the very few fish that is able to and does eat zebra muscles. I can understand doing this with invasive species. Anyway what do you do with these fish once you catch them? Why do you do this with the fish?

I see it all the time here in Florida, especially hardhead catfish. The idiots assume that since it isn't good table fare, it doesn't belong in the ocean/lake/wherever. If caught, they should be required to take a class on ecology and biodiversity. Of course, they would probably have a problem with polysyllabic words...

quote mapsguy1955: "Of course, they would probably have a problem with polysyllabic words... "

Ha! Polysyllabic - One of my all time favorite words. LoL

Can't remember if it was official DNR guidance or just the word on the street, but my memory from growing up near a carp-choked lake in Wisconsin is that you were supposed to kill any carp you caught, because they stirred up so many nutrients from the bottom and caused massive algae blooms. But this lake might have been a special case - the carp were so numerous that if you paddled through weedy areas in the summer, you practically couldn't avoid whacking one with your paddle every other stroke.

quote dele: "Can't remember if it was official DNR guidance or just the word on the street, but my memory from growing up near a carp-choked lake in Wisconsin is that you were supposed to kill any carp you caught, because they stirred up so many nutrients from the bottom and caused massive algae blooms. But this lake might have been a special case - the carp were so numerous that if you paddled through weedy areas in the summer, you practically couldn't avoid whacking one with your paddle every other stroke."

I can understand the killing of carp or the goby because those are invasive species and have actually wreaked havoc on some local waters. I was talking about native suckers.

Verbiage in WI is the same as MN regarding native "rough" fish. The same wanton waste laws apply as do with game fish. Utilize or release. I release most of mine but I do eat some. Drum are decent though you don't get a ton of meat off them. Suckers are great, I usually harvest a couple dozen a year. Burbot are great eating. Bowfin I've always released but I've heard people say they are good to eat as well (that seems to be more common in the south). Gar taste great, though you need a tin snips to clean them...

Sure fooled me!
When I saw the headline "Junk Fish," was under the assumption that the topic
would be Small Mouth Bass!! :)

quote The Great Outdoors: "Sure fooled me!
When I saw the headline "Junk Fish," was under the assumption that the topic
would be Small Mouth Bass!! :)"

I was waiting on this post :)

quote The Great Outdoors: "Sure fooled me!
When I saw the headline "Junk Fish," was under the assumption that the topic
would be Small Mouth Bass!! :)"

Thumbs up

quote timatkn: "

quote The Great Outdoors: "Sure fooled me!
When I saw the headline "Junk Fish," was under the assumption that the topic
would be Small Mouth Bass!! :)"

Thumbs up"

x2

If I need catfish bait or bear bait I keep 'em, if not I toss 'em back in. Throwing them on shore to rot isn't cool!

They make good fertilizer for my garden. I read one time that it was illegal to put back rough fish. If you don't want them and accidentally catch one what exactly are you to do with it?

quote Savage Voyageur: "They make good fertilizer for my garden. I read one time that it was illegal to put back rough fish. If you don't want them and accidentally catch one what exactly are you to do with it? "

The statement of illegal to release is false, at least in MN and WI. The only similar law is that speared or shot (bow and arrow) fish cannot be released. Which should be obvious...

In fact, several "roughfish" species in WI are zero harvest (River Redhorse, Black Redhorse, Black Buffalo, Blue Sucker) and must be released.

If you accidentally catch one and do not want to use it for anything you are to release it per wanton waste laws in both those states.

quote Schollmeier: "

quote Savage Voyageur: "They make good fertilizer for my garden. I read one time that it was illegal to put back rough fish. If you don't want them and accidentally catch one what exactly are you to do with it? "

The statement of illegal to release is false, at least in MN and WI. The only similar law is that speared or shot (bow and arrow) fish cannot be released. Which should be obvious...


In fact, several "roughfish" species in WI are zero harvest (River Redhorse, Black Redhorse, Black Buffalo, Blue Sucker) and must be released.


If you accidentally catch one and do not want to use it for anything you are to release it per wanton waste laws in both those states.


"

Thanks. I hope I made it clear that the idea that you were supposed to kill carp was just something I'd heard from other fishermen when I was a kid. I was too young at the time to know or care whether their information was correct or not.

Had smoked dogfish or correctly called bowfin smoked once. It was not too bad. Bowfin are huge lovers of crayfish if available.
I wonder if any one lake arounfd the BWCA has bowfins. Never heard or seen a report of one from DNR surveys or anglers.
They are terrific fighters on a rod and reel.

My brother caught a bowfin/dogfish the other day. Not in the BWCA but in Southwest WI and he loved the fight it put up. I don't know that they have them up North. I think something called the Burbot takes it's place. The Burbot is very similar to the Bowfin though.

quote RLancer: "My brother caught a bowfin/dogfish the other day. Not in the BWCA but in Southwest WI and he loved the fight it put up. I don't know that they have them up North. I think something called the Burbot takes it's place. The Burbot is very similar to the Bowfin though."

Actually the burbot and bowfin may look alike they are far apart as being alike.

The burbot is a cool-coldwater fish and in lakes like Mille lacs which has a fair number of burbot. In the summer in that lake the fish will lose weight due to the stress of warm water. Your getting toward its southern range.
Bowfin flourish in warm-hot water and swampy lake or eutophic lakes. Also bowfin have the ability to breathe out of water. Burbot do not and are related to codfish.

quote The Great Outdoors: "Sure fooled me!
When I saw the headline "Junk Fish," was under the assumption that the topic
would be Small Mouth Bass!! :)"

LOL - beat me to it!!

quote Pinetree: "

quote RLancer: "My brother caught a bowfin/dogfish the other day. Not in the BWCA but in Southwest WI and he loved the fight it put up. I don't know that they have them up North. I think something called the Burbot takes it's place. The Burbot is very similar to the Bowfin though."

Actually the burbot and bowfin may look alike they are far apart as being alike.


The burbot is a cool-coldwater fish and in lakes like Mille lacs which has a fair number of burbot. In the summer in that lake the fish will lose weight due to the stress of warm water. Your getting toward its southern range.
Bowfin flourish in warm-hot water and swampy lake or eutophic lakes. Also bowfin have the ability to breathe out of water. Burbot do not and are related to codfish."

I learn something new everyday. That's some cool info.

on my local lake , Waconia there is a good population of sheepheads/drum , when you first catch them you think you have a nice walleye , but as they get close to the surface you realize what it is :( but i always just release them , i feel they have been there for awhile and have a place in the lakes eco system.
and waconia does have carp too and a carp trap, but when they do go shallow they will turn a fairly clear lake into a murky lake. the biggest fish i've seen in person was a carp that did kind of a whale breach , it had to be close to #50

quote The Great Outdoors: "Sure fooled me!
When I saw the headline "Junk Fish," was under the assumption that the topic
would be Small Mouth Bass!! :)"

First thing that popped into my head too. Hahahaha

quote shock: "on my local lake , Waconia there is a good population of sheepheads/drum , when you first catch them you think you have a nice walleye , but as they get close to the surface you realize what it is :( but i always just release them , i feel they have been there for awhile and have a place in the lakes eco system.
and waconia does have carp too and a carp trap, but when they do go shallow they will turn a fairly clear lake into a murky lake. the biggest fish i've seen in person was a carp that did kind of a whale breach , it had to be close to #50"

They can get old.
Fresh water drum reach age 40 in Upper Red lake and one was aged to be 72 years old in Red Lakes, Minnesota by aging what is called his ear bone or otolith. They get rings just like aging a tree.

couple of pics out of waconia , 2nd pic we get a few this size out of there , 1st pic dont know the guy but a big one out of waconia. theres a few videos on youtube about eating/preparing sheephead. they claim its good eating. i havent tried one yet.

Never heard of anyone eating sheephead before.......

quote QueticoMike: "Never heard of anyone eating sheephead before......."

like carp and buffalo fish from Minnesota are shipped out east for various ethnic groups whom love them. Many fish you just got to know how to fix them.

quote Pinetree: "

quote QueticoMike: "Never heard of anyone eating sheephead before......."

like carp and buffalo fish from Minnesota are shipped out east for various ethnic groups whom love them. Many fish you just got to know how to fix them."

I've read about it once. Never actually met anyone who does eat them. Something to try I guess.

quote RLancer: "

quote Pinetree: "

quote QueticoMike: "Never heard of anyone eating sheephead before......."

like carp and buffalo fish from Minnesota are shipped out east for various ethnic groups whom love them. Many fish you just got to know how to fix them."

I've read about it once. Never actually met anyone who does eat them. Something to try I guess."

I had a friend who now is out of the business commercially harvested 1 million pounds(documented) of carp out of Mille lacs lake in the mid 1990's in a few years. He sold most of that out east. He did ship live carp to some southern states to stock in ponds for people to catch.
One thing with the Mille lacs carp they were very clean of chemicals compared to much of the Country.These carp often weighted close to 30 pounds. The sad thing the market was inconsistent and he once had to unload close to 100,000 pound in a farmers field because the market went dry.

One side note with the carp removed their was a nature vacuum in Mille lacs and the yellow perch population filled in and was at record high populations with all that extra food available for them.

well i'll say this about sheephead , we have caught them on minnow imatations to spinnerbaits . so it isnt like they're sucking crap up off the bottom like a carp.(crap-carp Hmm) there really isnt alot of meat on them , mainly a cut above the rib area. one of these days i'll give it a try ,,,i think ? ;)

Sheephead are good table fare just not a lot of meat on them. If you have purchased Mississippi perch you actually just bought sheephead. I learned that from a commercial fisherman he said people won't buy sheephead but they will buy Mississippi perch. It's all in the marketing! In Southern Iowa & Illinois by the Mississippi they call perch, ring perch.
Oh and if I'm not going to eat the fish it goes back in the water.

Fresh water drum(sheepshead) are decent eating if fresh and with red meat trimmed away but do not freeze well. They are predatory for the most part and love crustaceans. They tend to only eat animal matter and only fresh. In Manitoba they call them silver bass(even in the master angler book) and I have seen many being kept. We use to enjoy catching them in the Red River, Manitoba on our annual trips using crawfish colored crank baits and jigs. They had bone jarring strikes and fought like crazy. They are underrated as a game fish imho. Carp can cause a lot of damage, but are one of the most popular game fish in the UK and they spend thousands of dollars to take trips here to catch them as we have less pressured carp, lol. I have really enjoyed catching big gar. People should try to respect and enjoy them all, even the lowly canoe country smallmouth , my personal favorite "trash fish" :) One thing that can't be argued(unless you're delusional) is that all the trash fish listed would outfight a walleye by a mile. My wife and I call Walleye fish sticks, they are good to eat and fight the same, and yes I've caught thousands (yummy!).