I ask this because my brother in law caught a mess of crappie at gibbons creek. My sister told me that they taste funny compared to crappie from Conroe. Well I ate some of those gibbons creek crappie and they definitely tasted fishy compared to crappie from other lakes. I think that maybe it is the result of something that happened between the livewell and getting cleaned and frozen. My brother in law said they were all still alive in the livewell when he got home and I know he knows how to take good care of them when he cleans them. They cooked some from gibbons creek and som that I caught at Conroe recently and they said there was a definite difference, the ones from Conroe were much better. Any thoughts?

Maybe the slime was not washed off completely

The skin on a fish will absorb elements of the water surrounding it. The skin sometimes smells strong. That smell transfers to the meat and causes the taste difference. If you smell the skin of one of those Gibbons crappie, my guess is it will smell very strong and fishy. Fish will definitely taste different depending on the water it comes from.

I agree with what Ken said. I have had clients from Florida fish with me and they said that the crappie there are really big and plentiful but being in lakes with lots of vegetation, they just don't taste like the ones we have here (Granger Lake has no vegetation). If you notice the algae in some lakes kind of smells like a skunk. I think that those fish might take on a bad taste being in that water.

hatchery trout suck , farm raised tilapia sucks , Diet and water quality makes all the difference.

Mo

the old saying is "you are what you eat". Ever had any pronghorn antelope? They eat almost exclusively sage grass. If you try to eat some (note I did say "try"), you might think that someone dumped a 1 pound can of sage in the pot, LOL Yes, I believe that fish can taste different from one body of water to another, and even by the time of year (water temperature related) within the same body of water.

I have had the fish rom everywhere, quality water, diet and plants make a big difference. proper handling and preparation plays a role also. Older east coast lake have more environmental issues from steel mills, auto plants, ect years ago before regulations were in placed. So if you see a 3 eyed fish it just may taste a lil different lmao

It's funny, but if you put a crappie from Lavon in a bag and a crappie from Ray Hubbard in a different bag, I can tell you which is which from the smell.

Yep the Guatalupe Crappie we Catch on our Retreat each Year do taste different than the Lake Houston Crappie I normally catch,Love Me Some Guatalupe River Fishing!

I agree with everything above. I catch Crappie from Granger and from Lake Georgetown and even the consistency of the meat is different from lake to lake. Granger Crappie meat is much firmer than Lake Georgetown Crappie meat. What I find interesting is that a neighborhood lady who I give fish to, says she can tell a difference between the fish I give her that I catch on brushpiles and the fish she catches from the bank. I've always attributed that to her fish being on a stringer and stressed more than my fish which are in a live well with fresh water pumping through it.

Yes they definitely taste different from different waters.

I guess this is "Food for Thought"
You can really tell the difference in catfish from different lakes!!!
So why not crappie

Wylie, that's because Rowlett creek below Plano is mostly sewage. I lived at Brekenridge park along Rowlett creek for a few years and after every rain the side of the bank was covered with the typical unmentionables that are flushed down the toilet.

No doubt you can tell in some lakes.
I've also noticed significant difference in the density of the meat. Some lakes produce "mushier" fillets than others, and that taste difference usually goes along with it.
Both, I believe, come from the water and transfer to the fish both thru diet and penetration of the skin.
My

This time of year the crappie like a mud bottom as it holes heat a little better than the hard bottom. When I keep fish I put them on ice as soon as possible. After getting home wash them good before cleaning and again right after. With crappie they need to be cooked a little hotter than catfish. The last fish I kept was from the pines and were a little muddy but they did come out of a mile or more north of 155 bridge. So I guess for real they were creek fish.