Are these the same fish that's called a "Sheeps Head" up north? I've caught a number of them up home, but don't remember them having such a silver body...

Hey folks i really want to know from someone who's done it. Do they really have more bones than say a red drum? Are they edible as in good or edible as in "I was on the show Survivor Cedar Creek" "All we had to eat was freshwater drum so i just ate rice for 30 days" ?

Ok now I will say with confidence I eat them they fillet just like anyother fish and I've not had a problem with bones in them

They are good as in I would rather eat them then most catfish, and I do like catfish. If it's under 12" just gut them chop the head off and scale them then fry them like you would bream, from 12" to 18" I fillet them just like any other fish. Over 18" to 24" I gut them and scale them so that I can bake them. I'll cut steaks off of them if they are over 24", though I have only managed to catch two that were over 24" so far.

I've caught a lot of them, but today was the first day I've caught anything over 10" and @ 12" I cannot say it had an impressive amount of meat on it. Looked like Silver Dollar sized fillets would be about all you could get out of it

They actually fillet quite nicely. The fillets are said to be "sweet" in flavor. I filleted a bunch for a friend once when we were fishing for reds at Tradinghouse. I'll say one thing...The fillets left quite a greasy/oily resudue on the freezer bags.

Definition: [gas-per-GOO] A freshwater drum that inhabits deep rivers and lakes throughout the United States. Also known as goo or gou, this fish has a white, lean flesh with a succulently sweet flavor. Gaspergoo is most commonly available in the spring and summer months. It's suitable for frying, grilling, pan-frying or steaming. See also fish.
Source: http://web.foodnetwork.com/food/web/encyclopedia/termdetail/0,7770,2673,00.html

R

Hmmmmmmm gonna hafta try some of that. I know they fight plenty hard.

Freshwater drum ... smaller ones actually do taste pretty good & they seem to be no more or less bony than a sandbass. Only time I've had occasion to eat them is when I had a mixed catch fishing on the bank ... a few crappie, few drum, cats etc. Now I'm not sure if the bigger ones taste good or if they get too tough.

They're freshwater drum. They're good for a few things. They taste great, they fight well, especially in rivers, and they get huge. As in, 50lbs or larger.

And yes, up north they are sometimes called "sheepshead".

Hmmmm, guess I have caught a ton of them back home, but for some reason the ones I catch here don't look the same as I remember them looking in Iowa.

I know the ones I caught back home were a lot bigger, but then I've only caught 15 or 20 of them here so far this year. yesterdays were the biggest Ive seen here.

Drum are indeed fun to catch

http://www.dallasloanguy.com/fishpics
here are a few we caught last year.

The meat is white and has a firmer texture than that of many species, so it holds together well under different cooking methods.

"Po' Man's Lobster" is another nickname for freshwater drum. Poach some meat in shrimp/crab boil and eat with lemon to emphasize that shellfish quality.

These fish filet readily. Bone structure consists of a spine and rib cage � the same structure you see on most of the other species you're going to clean.

The older/larger a drum is, the more noticeable their membranes/connective tissue becomes. You might consider eating some smaller ones (maybe two pounds and under) and releasing the hefties.

I go a little higher on the weights, say up to 5 or 6 pounds, after that, they are pretty tough.

Never heard or tried "Blackening" the fillets off the bigger fish.

Might be like the bigger Reds. Basically the freshwater drum/gaspergou/sheepshead is the cousin to the Redfish.

To me they do not fillet out as well as say the sandie/striper/hybrids, simply because their bodies reduce in size drastically once you get past the end of their dorsal fins.

For the 5lb.+ fish, they work well in stir fry dishes, and would probably great in a seafood gumbo. JMO.

When you feed on them, avoid the skinny ones especially if they have sunken eyes. Avoid the extra fat ones. They are delicious fish and I think better eating than redfish. Their distribution is extensive in the U.S. fresh water. They are in the same family as redfish, trout, croakers and lots of other coastal fish. They do not have floating bones in the muscles like carp and buffalo.

Michael,

A Sheeps Head is a saltwater fish. They hang around piers, bridges, and ship wrecks. They eat barnacles off of anything they are attached to.