I don't know anything about eating them but do put up a fight.

+1

Those are some mean dudes!

they spawn when bass do usually. ive seen them in march with fry.

Caught one on Fork in March with a tail like that on a spinnerbait back in Little Mustang. Check it out on my blog. It destroyed my spinnerbait. Had to realign it and add a new skirt.

They filet out just like bass. The only thing is, you cannot soak the meat in water or freeze the meat. You have to cook them fresh. Have your grease ready to cook when you clean them. Wash the meat off gently and then immediately seasona dn batter and put in the grease.

Here is the HONEST TRUTH about how they taste. The meat has little to no flavor at all. I have eat some channel cat and sand bass that did not have the red meat cut out that would make one of these taste like a prime rib. It is a different textured meat to anything else that I've eaten. Kind of like cotton or something. You can also make Grinnell patties. Just like Salmon patties just substitute the meat.

They are always thick in Oil Well bay - you can catch em in the hole right under the bridge and along edges of creek channel - if you can get back that far when lake is up - fish a cut chunk of bream or shad, a 4/0 hook an no weight cast away from boat along hyacinth stands - while U wait them pesky 10-12# channels and an occasional 7-10 pound bass will also pick up your cut bait -- say it ain't so!!! LM on cutbait

we caught a 5 and 7 pound bowfin on Pines this spring and DAYUMM they fight!

Caught a 15 1/2 lber on fork a few years back. She was pretty stout.