Dichotomy among njfishing members

[RnK]

Originally Posted by Fin Reaper

Grew up on lake Musconetcong and fished every damn day but we only ever kept / ate perch caught thru the ice. Everything else tasted like the lake smelled which wasn't always a good thing (especially in August). We also had family with boats in Point P so we did a lot of Fluke fishing and kept everything we were legally allowed to...I think it comes down to not just taste or an investment of time / money I think there is this subconscious thing that a bunch of fish from the ocean wont be missed but a bunch from the lake will...can't defend it, just saying

Having done a lot of fresh and salt, I think that is a very good summation.

Besides the resource seemingly so much more limited in fresh water, plus with the exception of a few fresh water fish (perch, walleye) they simply are not good table fare. Native trout are delicious, but hatchery fish leave a lot to be desired from what they are fed. I'd venture to guess there many fishermen of largemouth bass that have eaten one.

Everything that comes out of the ocean is excellent table fare, with very few exceptions and some of us would argue even what most turn their noses up at, like blues, can be delicious if prepared in a compatible manner, like smoking blues. Additionally, salt water fish freeze very well short term and that shelf life can be extended 3-4x by vacuum sealing.