Of course the only way to know if the fish is edible was to check the fish consumption advisories and actually eat the fish.Ībout the only place sheepshead show up on the consumption advisory outside of the general guidelines established by the DNR, is in the Fox River from the De Pere dam to the mouth of the bay (one meal a month for fish less than 19 inches, once every two months 19-23 inches and do not eat over 23 inches) and in the southern portion of the bay of Green Bay (once meal a month all sizes). I've often wondered: if more people ate these fish would that be a better way to control the population? Especially if a demand for sheepshead rose to the level of tilapia (which were virtually unheard of as a tablefare until recently). Which leads to some anglers clubbing them over the head or otherwise disabling the fish in hopes it will die when tossed back into the water. However, it is most often caught while fishing for walleye, bass or panfish and because sheepshead are much bigger than sought after game fish, it breaks fishing lines and ruin light tackle used for catching the more highly regarded walleye, bass and panfish. All the while he's assuring me that he's good at frying fish but this is the first time he's tried frying sheepshead - also known as fresh water drum, though it more commonly draws four-letter word descriptions from anglers.įor those unfamiliar with sheepshead - the fish not the card game - it looks like a cross between a sucker and carp and when hooked, puts up a good fight, usually a quality sought as a game fish, not a rough fish as it is classified by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The gray sky only served to make Tilky's bright orange-gold colored shirt more vibrant as he climbed a ladder to plug in an extension cord into an outlet just under the roof's overhang. It was cloudy, drizzly Friday as Jeff "Tilky" Tilkens set up his 1970s-era electric fryer on a mostly soaked wood picnic table outside Smokey's On The Bay bait and tackle shop in Green Bay.
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