Cooking Bluegill Whole | Bluegill Catch and Cook

Please watch: "Bream & Blues Ep. 1 Some Days"
• Bream & Blues Ep. 1 So... -~-
You've seen how I catch bluegill. Here's how I cook them. I've seen some people fillet bluegill. Unless they're 10 inches or larger they aren't worth filleting. NOTE: A 10 inch bluegill should be released to spawn another generation.
Step 1: Scale the fish
Step 2: Behead and gut the fish.
Step 3. Wash the fish thoroughly
Step 4: Place in brine overnight
Step 5. Cook, eat or wrap and store however you like.
This is different from how dad used to clean bluegill. He would behead, split the gut pocket open, then scrape out all the guts. That's far slower and messier. That's not to mention how gross the meat from the gut pocket is anyway. Even catfishermen cut away the gut pocket on shad when fishing cut bait. That should tell you something.
Bluegill catch and cook is easy. I like to pan fry my bluegill with chilli power, paprika and garlic salt. Bluegill cooking can be done in several ways: baking, deep fat drying, blackening (pan frying) or you can even smoke them or grill them.
Catching and cooking bluegill: I always soak my fish in a salt brine. It keep the fish fresh for a long time. I have fish in my refrigerator for over a month in a nice salt brine.
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[@jddrafts]

Brings back memories from when I was a kid. We had an old wooden table by the pond to clean them on. The barn cats would come out and be on site to take care of the heads snd guts. With 5 of us none of them ever made it to the freezer though.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Yup!

[@AnthonyMiyazaki]

I remember catching bluegill as a kid (in Nevada lakes) but I had no idea how my parents prepped and cooked them. Great video Damon!

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Oh, nice. They are a bony little fish.

[@gthornock]

Thanks! I've been waiting for your cooking videos - very real and looks delicious.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Yeah, man, now I actually have to clean the kitchen and stuff! I'll have to do a beer batter show at some point.

[@gooddoggo2258]

Fresh bluegill, salad, peanuts. Sounds like a good meal. I like fruit with fish. Everyone thinks I’m weird, but I cut up some strawberries to have on the side when I bake rainbow trout.

[@KwendeMadu]

Nothing wrong with that!

[@donmarijuann]

Thanks for the video, im brand new to fishing so I like your simple, straight to the point approach. If I catch a bluegill this weekend I'm going to give this a shot! Cheers

[@BlackWarriorLures]

It's totally worth it!

[@Juanelo1946]

I had to tune in to see how you cook up your bluegill. It's totally different from my way, but yours sure looks fabulous! Chili powder and paprika are all I need, huh? Great meal! I love it!

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Glad you like it. Yeah, as I say I soak in in brine, beer or white wine for a day or so. That really seasons the meat. also I'm diabetic and have cholesterol problems, I have to cook differently. Thanks for stopping by!

[@Juanelo1946]

I eat differently too! I'm on a low carb diet, so I almost never use regular breading! Your way or preparing the fish is GREAT! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

[@ratdog3055]

There you go Jon, disrespecting the crappies again LOL. Wondering about the bone issue?

[@Juanelo1946]

Hi Ratdog! Wait... you'll see me actually eat crappie in an upcoming video my friend! LOL!! I don't mind the bones of whole fish at all, but Ms. Lulu doesn't like them. That's why you see me filleting them so often.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

C'mon, fellas! Real men eat fish bones. I've eaten them like this since I was a kid. Getting the bone out is much like riding a bicycle to me.

[@rtrilla]

I used to catch and release bluegill, I didn’t know they were good eats. Now I stock em in my freezer

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Yup! They are good to eat!

[@jakefromstatefarm6443]

I tried it and man let me tell ya. It's better than I thought. I have 25 lodge seasoned cast irons and I season them after every use. Came out great. Always season your cast irons after every use not every other week or a month. After every use. Trust me. Been doing cast iron cooking for 25 years.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Works pretty well. Thx for the tip.

[@fishingistherapy]

I like that brine idea, it helps to preserve them well. Great video.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Yup. It works. I've also used beer, a lager, as a brine.

[@noahalonge]

Haven't tried the chili powder, I'll do that on my next batch. Lately, I like to do a mustard marinade/"brine"; choose your favorite mustard, add s&p, smoked paprika, whatever seasonings tickle your fancy (I love any sort of garlic herb blend). Maybe some Worcestershire if you're feeling frisky. Pan sear, enjoy. I think the vinegar in the mustard adds a wonderful acidity to it. I still like to give it a squeeze of lemon juice when I plate it, though. Your videos and words are exceptionally thoughtful. I've enjoyed seeing what you have to share and teach, and I really like the overall aesthetic.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Thanks! I'll have to try that. Does it make a difference between brown or yellow mustard?

[@noahalonge]

If the basic Heinz yellow I use works so well, I have to imagine any others, including browns, would do the trick. I know Dijon is good for it. I believe the vinegar and general mustard flavor are the main players, so anything beyond that is preference- different notes, complexities, etc... But now you have me wondering.

[@noahalonge]

I've never tried a straight salt brine though, I always just salt the marinade. I'll give that a go, too. I've done it with gills, white bass, cats, it's all pretty dang tasty!

[@quercus4730]

Great video.Thank you for posting it. My favorite seasoning for bluegill is salt and pepper.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Salt ans pepper is classic!

[@K3Flyguy]

Well done! Thank you for sharing!

[@BlackWarriorLures]

hehehe! Thank you for watching. I'm glad it helped.

[@jakefromstatefarm6443]

Hell yes. Looks good brother

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Makes a good eat!

[@kayakjohn9665]

Great video keep them coming

[@BlackWarriorLures]

thx

[@rayfordhickman3087]

Man if my dad saw you cut that much meat of them fish he would have a fit.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Yeah, at which point, I'd hand him the knife to clean them himself, lol.

[@mondaytuesday6972]

Rayford Hickman my granny would also😂

[@redfishbluefish4973]

That’s exactly what I was thinking. At least two full bites were cut off of each bream.

[@MikeGav1984]

Great idea I've always fried my bluegill never had them without breading im going to try that

[@BlackWarriorLures]

It's worth a try.

[@ronaldhotboy]

Thanks bro!

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Glad it helped.

[@OutdoorAdventureswithShawn]

never even thought about brine for fish - you have taught me yet another trick/tip - chili powder and paprika - who do thought ! looks good to me ! thanks -- what else you got up ya sleeve to show us ??

[@BlackWarriorLures]

It works! My favorite brine is a lager or some other dark beer.

[@OutdoorAdventureswithShawn]

@@BlackWarriorLures OK- i am going to try it out -- i will do a batch with and with out and taste test the family !!

[@thomasweeks7992]

Looks delicious thank you!!

[@BlackWarriorLures]

It's a good eat!

[@millec60]

Do you prefer a fork to a spoon for scaling? I've always used a spoon, but fork makes it look easier

[@BlackWarriorLures]

I use the fork.

[@brookmiller1986]

Looks good I will try sometime over spring/summer

[@BlackWarriorLures]

It works!

[@jesseappleseedOG]

Great video! Ty!

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Glad to help.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

I hate it when people post, then delete the post.

[@jeffnix3307]

Looks good

[@TheSausage318]

Zatarans blackened seasoning is my favorite fish seasoning. Good vid! Will try.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

I'll definitely have to try that!

[@austinkramer3264]

I really like your video!

[@BlackWarriorLures]

thx, man!

[@The3DPrintingWarrant]

Nice

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Those were tasty that day.

[@vhf2582]

Good video. Did you clean the guts out of them off camera?

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Well, I cut out the whole gut pocket in the video. I can either us it for bait or throw it away.

[@BigLewBBQ]

I like to cook whole bluegill too! Great video.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

thx for checking out the channel!

[@BigLewBBQ]

Black Warrior Lures I'm going to have to try this pan sear method.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Yeah, it's much healthier for me.

[@BigLewBBQ]

Black Warrior Lures I rarely deep fry fish any more.

[@bbeenn]

Great quick cleaning! Fork way is better than spoon for scaling, I just tried. I couldn't see how far you cut the ribs. Do you cut them totally off or are there still some ribs when you do it? Thanks man, great teaching!

[@BlackWarriorLures]

It doesn't matter as long as the gut pocket gets cut out. The ribs are connected to the spine, so there is no way to get all the ribs out. There are always some rib bone left, usually an 1/8 or 1/4 inch or so, but I don't measure. It doesn't matter. The goal is to get the guts out in one cut.

[@bbeenn]

Black Warrior Lures thanks - quick reply! I'm prepping our catch right now. Have a great one!

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Have a nice diner.

[@mondaytuesday6972]

Black Warrior Lures can i ask u to just split gut open & clean in side.... cut the head off & just split belly down middle& use spoon to clean inside real good..saves all meat that way... was taught that way & man!!.. love it💞🍴🍛💞💞

[@BlackWarriorLures]

That's how I was taught as well, but I choose not to do it that way. Not sure why people care about the way I clean the fish I caught, with the gas I paid for and the bait I raised and flies I tied.

[@madhaviintiruchulu557]

Nice video frnd 👌 thanks for sharing 😊👍🌹🤝🌹

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Thank you!

[@tonybowen472]

Great video!!!

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Yeah, man! I hope to get a blue catfish catch and cook video by the weekend.

[@tonybowen472]

Black Warrior Lures catfish is my favorite fish to eat...blues get bigger than the other cats right?

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Well, at least in North America blues are the biggest, but around the world there are far bigger catfish: Wels catfish of the UK, Red-tailed catfish in the Amazon and the Giant Mekong catfish in southeast Asia. Blue catfish used to be as big as there were during Mark Twain's day, but all those giant blues are gone. All we have left are the light weight 100 lbs fish we call big blue catfish.

[@lawoull.6581]

Awesome brah

[@BlackWarriorLures]

hehe!

[@outdoorswithjustin]

solid gold right there

[@BlackWarriorLures]

It works.

[@zacmcgrady2020]

Good video

[@ratdog3055]

You didn't mention the bones issue? If you get a chance try some Everglades seasoning. Great stuff!

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Hmm, never heard of Everglades seasoning. Where do you buy it?

[@ratdog3055]

You can go to their web site Everglades.com and they had a store locator. Or you can order it on line from them. I got hooked on the stuff after seeing it on DeerMeatfordinner.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Thx, man.

[@andypetrovich2155]

I dig it dude, but, how does your stomach handle peanuts, fish, and ice cream?

[@BlackWarriorLures]

intense training, lol!

[@andypetrovich2155]

Ha! It must be some training!

[@averageguyonabike1888]

.....The fork for a scaler. Pure genius man.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Well, it's old school. That's how my dad taught me.

[@terrymiller111]

I use a spoon, but both can work.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

I've heard of people using spoons. I've never tried a spoon as dad always used a fork.

[@jerrywoodworking4997]

good video

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Thank you!

[@robertarnold6672]

I LOVE to eat bluegill! A mighty fine meal. Crappie are great too!

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Yup, they are a great fish for eating! Man, I've never caught many crappie, never been good at it.

[@sylviapingleton5354]

Thank you

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Glad to help!

[@clayton203]

I have always used a spoon to scale ,,never used a fork,,I will have to try it👍🏻

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Honestly the spoon is way better. The fork can tear the skin.

[@clayton203]

Black Warrior Lures I got ya,,thought you done had a new trick,,,used to know an older lady that would use a rag to skin catfish,,tried it,,it works ,,but I will stick to skinning pliers

[@davidgordy1]

Nice!

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Yeah, those were the day, back when I was eating meat, lol!

[@TheDigihax]

Hey buddy if I were to buy these Short Stem Floats | $1.25 can I use these for Bluegill and Crappie? If so I'm interested in buying from you...

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Yup! The float don't care what biting the hook. I've caught minnows with these. Let's see current pricing on the short stem floats is $1.67 each. It's a cheaper deal on the shipping if you get a dozen. The original design that my dad created was for bluegill, but again the float doesn't know what's on the other end. The long stem floats are the more sensitive but in shallow water close to the bank they're just too long. The short stem floats are closest to dad's floats in size and proportion. Let me know.

[@TheDigihax]

@@BlackWarriorLures Nice thank you buddy, I'll go back and register on your website and buy them, oh man I didn't know you had: Do-It-Yourself Fishing Float Making Kits. Okay I'm sold man I'm gonna buy these here.

[@TheDigihax]

@@BlackWarriorLures Hey man the shipping ain't all that bad I'm gonna bookmark your webpage and start buying from you instead of Bass Pro Shops...

[@user-yk2ts2hy9f]

Making me hungry for them

[@BlackWarriorLures]

They'll eat!

[@rogercook1737]

If you like boiled shrimp take the blue gill and put it in boiling water for about 2 or three minutes and take it out, its low fat and as good as shrimp.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Oh, I never would have guessed that.

[@jaroncathcart7191]

Hell yeah!!! Blue Bell 12 pack Vanilla Cups

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Classic!

[@billybateman7340]

What are you using to scale these fish?

[@BlackWarriorLures]

I was using a simple diner fork.

[@billybateman7340]

Thank you Sir. I'm 67 and the eyesight is not as accurate as it use to be. Moma use to use a spoon. That worked fairly well but not as well as your fork appears to. It was working so well I couldn't catch what it was. Smooth.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Yeah, the fork is all I've ever used. You have to be careful though. If you're too rough you'll damage the meat. Bluegill are pretty tough though.

[@billybateman7340]

I enjoyed your video. Thank you.

[@jasongreen8313]

Nice I eat them the same way with the same seasonings!

[@BlackWarriorLures]

hehe! It's a good way to go!

[@highnumber9494]

Nice...I am going to use this method.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Give it a go!

[@highnumber9494]

Black Warrior Lures Cool, I noticed you mentioned your "music days" in one comment. Did you play/tour? I play drums but these days I am getting more into fishing and outdoor living.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

@@highnumber9494 I used to play saxophone, have a master's degree in music performance of all things.

[@highnumber9494]

Black Warrior Lures That's cool. I went through a period of getting into Coleman Hawkins, Trane, Cannonball, etc. Great instrument.

[@johnvanegmond1812]

Thanks for the how to. I too like to cook my bluegill without breading and oil.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Yup! Glad it helped.

[@johnvanegmond1812]

You might have a use for this recipe. Put 1/4lb bluegill like you cleaned in a 2qt sauce pan. Add 1/2 cup milk, 1 Tbs butter, 7 or 8 10" chopped garlic chives, salt black pepper to taste. Then I take a big double hand bunch of mild greens and drop in on top. Sprinkle lightly with garlic bred seasoning. Put the lid on and simmer on med/low heat 15 min or so. When the greens have wilted, I slide it into bowl. I eat it with jasmine rice or as a soup. You already know how to eat small bone in fish! Not everybody does. For greens my favorite is lambsquarter. It grows all over here in SE Iowa. Amaranth and spinach works too. Kale and dandelion are a little to zingy for me with fish.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

That's sounds good. I've never tried a soup-like fish recipe.

[@johnvanegmond1812]

You can even do it with ramen noodles. Seasoning packet, water, and fish. Pull the fish out when done, then cook the noodles. That one is super fast. Once I got past the mental limit of breading and frying, a whole world for fish opened up. I'm trying to find a good fish for poor mans lobster. Big head asian carp are thick with white meat and I'm going to give that a try. Cod works but I rather use what I have at hand.

[@jtotherog]

@@johnvanegmond1812 asian carp are absolutely delicious. Youre one of the few people who know that secret!

[@josiahgleason3395]

I like this video, any fish taste good but especially the small ones. I like them hot too.

[@jamesoakley9333]

I prefer deep fried- but whole bluegill are delicious

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Yup.

[@wraith696969]

I cannot understand who downvotes these videos. This is always great to learn about ya brother. Tight lines. JJ

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Well, thank you. I try hard.

[@luciddreams5272]

I just caught my first 5 blue gill ever they were fun to catch but this gives me some solid ideas to eat them now since i just did catch and release.

[@madmullet1990]

YUM!!👍

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Very yummy!

[@goto1546]

Good brother

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Thanks

[@itsjay6681]

Are you from the south? I ask because of your pronunciation of "white" and "oil". I grew up in a rural part of southern Virginia.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

I live in west-central Alabama and fish along the Black Warrior River.

[@donwilson350]

Good video man those fish look really good but hey looks like you need a food saver machine I've got a couple and you freeze that stuff up and then it'll last fish will last for 2 years and you won't have to worry about it freezer burning I do that with my venison as well I put that in food saver bags with the machine and it'll last 3 years but it don't I've got at 8 before the three years or even the two years are up

[@BlackWarriorLures]

I keep hearing nothing but good things with these vacuum machines.

[@justinkane9731]

That salt brine was a bit much. Perhaps I left it in too long. My fish was very salty. I will try this again.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Well, don't use as much salt or use beer or white white instead. a good lager is better than anything.

[@Putaspellonyou]

Please make sure we let that bleach solution evaporate completely before prepping food on it!!!

[@BlackWarriorLures]

That's a good point!

[@bobbyD2848]

Good job surprised how northerners fillet blue gill or crappy- in the south we scale ,gut, de-head sometimes and fry - that’s how we do it😊

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Thx,! Yeah, scaling, gutting and frying is the best way really.

[@goto1546]

Whats good for cold water catfish

[@goto1546]

To catch them

[@BlackWarriorLures]

For cold water I switch to stripes and hybrids.

[@littlebitofeverything652]

Hell's yeaaaa!:)

[@BlackWarriorLures]

It works!

[@bigtim7627]

already

[@BlackWarriorLures]

It'll eat.

[@papalou190]

Cast iron is still the best way to cook

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Oh, yeah! All I use!

[@BoogalooBoy]

What bout all the intestines?

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Catfish bait!

[@jimfitzgibbon5492]

Better way to scale those or any fish. Just spray them against the scales with a garden hose with a nozzle on end of hose. Jimmy

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Thx, man! I'll keep that in mind.

[@motoozark4361]

Do you eat the bones?

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Na no way. I may have to do a how-to-eat-bluegill video. You pull the pectoral fin out and peel the meat off the spine. You basically fillet the fish after you cook it.

[@motoozark4361]

Awesome. Thanks for the response.

[@jodysams3592]

You over powering the blue gill

[@BlackWarriorLures]

uhhh?

[@charlesholbrook737]

Give me the peanuts.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

hehe! Those were good peanuts.

[@robertevras6577]

Waisted a lot of good meet chopping off the belly....

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Well, not if I use it for bait. Still I don't see anyone offering to clean the fish for me, so I'll clean whatever way is easiest/fastest for me.

[@robertevras6577]

Black Warrior Lures I will give you that one...lol! It is 100% your fish, and bait is a solid solution!

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Yeah, thx, man!

[@notsohandy7868]

in Pennsylvania we cut off the belly meat because of heavy metals... mercury is in a lot of streams around here

[@myrao819]

Can u send me some bluegills pleaze?

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Thx for stopping by. I haven't keeping any fish here lately. They keep finding more Mercury contamination in fish.

[@MrRedforman1]

That's exactly how we do it in the south man. I don't care for fillets.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Thx!

[@MrRedforman1]

Black Warrior Lures , yeah I find it easier to cut the heads off, clean the guts out and scale them.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

@@MrRedforman1 Yeah, and these little boogers don't have much meat on the anyway, so the old school way is best really.

[@legiumzapata1791]

Why don't you eat the fishheads?

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Because I don't want to.

[@Dutch1722]

I cut under that gill plate and takes the head off.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

That'll get it done.

[@Dutch1722]

I cut out the face basically so all that meat on the top of the head gets eaten. Nice video.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Thanks for the tip. Do you cut the face out just behind the eyeballs?

[@kingrolle]

You threw away a lot of meat with the way you clean.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Not if I use it for bait, and since no one is offering to catch and clean the fish for me, I get to clean however I wish.

[@davidgordy1]

@@BlackWarriorLures You Tell 'em!

[@BlackWarriorLures]

@@davidgordy1 Yeah it's crazy how people think they can just show and tell you what to do even though they haven't done anything, lol.

[@calidude5116]

They will hate just cuz yu black bro. Thanks for upload again we know they can't cook

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Are you serious? So, all those chefs coming out of Le Cordon Blue can't cook?

[@alexisquintana3960]

You threw away a lot of meat the way you fillet.

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Not when I use that meat for catfish bait. And this is not a fillet.

[@AttractWealthh]

Brotha your wasting meat

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Not if I'm using it for bait.

[@AttractWealthh]

@@BlackWarriorLures look at my channel