In this part of the world (rural Queensland), you can catch some pretty respectable Saratoga or Barramundi in the local river.

The only problem is this. You catch the fish, you gut it, you put a stick through it and you barbecue it over a fire. Then you throw the fish away and eat the stick - because it tastes better.

I can never get freshwater fish to taste any good no matter what I do.

;D I used to to eat freshwater catfish occasionally. My father pickled them once and made my friends eat it when they visited.

I caught a few big yellowbelly and they tasted OK.

Love my freshwater fishing.  Nothing beats a quiet day on the lake trolling or casting for natives.  I even get a kick out of carp fishing ( they will pull most freshwater fish backwards).  Love fishing for trout too.

Come to think of it, it doesn't really matter what I'm fishing for!

As for eating, freshwater barra have never been noted for eating well.  Never heard of many people eating 'toga either.  Do you have access to Australian Bass up your way?  Much better option for a feed.

My favourite FW eating fish is the Redfin, followed by trout, bass 3rd, then I let everything else go (except the carp, but I wouldn't feed them to my mother in law!).

Haven't seen any Bass in the river. We get mostly Saratoga, Barra and of course yellowbelly.

The mowong is known up here as the 'mother-in-law' fish because you don't eat it yourself, but even mowongs are more palatable than the freshwater stuff.

fishings great till you catch something.
hooks are dangerous too.
next time I go, will not put any hooks on the line.

have found fish from cold waters is tastier.

Drumnets are best for the river fishing. Hassle free fishing. The taste of the net can be detected when cooked.

I like freshwater crays and yellow belly..perch redfin etc...I think I do prefer saltwater though.

I suppose a freshwater fish test would depend on what water is like but in my experience fish like that is best brined smoked even a humble mullet or an eel tastes great when smoked properly.

Welcome to OzPolitic tallowood.

Give me a barramundi any day or a john dory! Mmmmm! Fillets only please, I don't really like bones but I know the fish tastes better with bones.

tallowood wrote on Jul 31^st, 2008 at 2:25pm:

I suppose a freshwater fish test would depend on what water is like but in my experience fish like that is best brined smoked even a humble mullet or an eel tastes great when smoked properly.

Have found any fish, especially freshwater, takes on the taste and smell of the water it lives in.

Lightly smoked fish is great, especially small saltwater varieties such as trevally etc

boxingkangaroo wrote on Sep 17^th, 2008 at 7:56pm:

tallowood wrote on Jul 31st, 2008 at 2:25pm: I suppose a freshwater fish test would depend on what water is like but in my experience fish like that is best brined smoked even a humble mullet or an eel tastes great when smoked properly. Have found any fish, especially freshwater, takes on the taste and smell of the water it lives in. Lightly smoked fish is great, especially small saltwater varieties such as trevally etc

Sometimes I do cold smoking the way they smoke salmon in Tasmania, it involves 5-6 hours of curing a fish in brine and then 12-16 hours of smoking at temperature below 29Deg C. It tastes really great and can be kept for few months in winter in comparison with only few days of hot smoked fish.

Yes, I find freshwater fish to be a bit of a struggle. It just doesn't taste quite right. Maybe in a nice coconut curry?

Yabbies on the other hand. Yum. Let them purge a bit first.

locutius wrote on Sep 18^th, 2008 at 9:40am:

Yes, I find freshwater fish to be a bit of a struggle. It just doesn't taste quite right. Maybe in a nice coconut curry? Yabbies on the other hand. Yum. Let them purge a bit first.

Actually yabbies can be farmed and provide some cash flow.
You may find some more info in links below

http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/docs/pub/PondCheckList/Pond%20Aquaculture.pdf

http://www.austasiaaquaculture.com.au/content/view/13/28/

locutius wrote on Sep 18^th, 2008 at 9:40am:

Yes, I find freshwater fish to be a bit of a struggle. It just doesn't taste quite right. Maybe in a nice coconut curry? Yabbies on the other hand. Yum. Let them purge a bit first.

I love yabbies Locutius

and theyre cousins the freshwater cray..they are both delicious.

I,d love to farm them for my own use.

I have fly fished for trout for about 40 years now and mostly on a catch and release basis ......They never quite tasted right for me unless they were smoked ..........Fly fishing was a passion from anywhere in S A to Vict or NSW and including the Snowy Mountains

8-)

Sorry to bump an old topic but there are some great tasting FW fish out there.  People have already mentioned yellowbelly - yep it's delicious when it's fresh and cooked right.  Try wrapping it in foil and cooking it whole (skin on).  When you remove the foil the skin comes off leaving the moist meat behind.  All you would need to add for flavour (if anything) is a little butter and lemon.  Beautiful!  Also perch is another delicious fish.