Final answer!

I need a final answer - can you eat Gaspergou (Goo, Goo-fish, Freshwater drum)? I seem to be catching a lot lately and I get answers from different people in my unit such as "Yes", "Heck no", "make a stew outta the small ones", and my favorite "They taste like fresh steaming turds".

*Can you eat them, how safe is it (my wife is pregnant again), and if so, anyone got a good recipie?*

I hooked a 20lbs goo the other day fishing for stripers below the dam at toledo bend but I've been catching many 1-3lbs goo fishing for sac-a-lait.

Thanks!

I grew up in that area and can give you this advice. As long as you are in the upper river areas where the water is fresh and no salt influence then you are fine.

The other issue is, it is only good to eat them fresh. The day you catch them. You can fry them or stew them. NEVER freeze GOO. Taste like you just ate a piece of cotton.

When I lived in Texas we always kept them. They are good fried and in Fish stew. Enjoy, BOATS

When I caught a bunch of goos I would boil it down let it cool then pull meat from bone add about as much boiled potatoes as meat and add seasoning onions peppers salt etc. and mix all together then form into patties and deep frie they are great even after freezing if you freeze them in water

The best way to cook Gasper Goo is to make a COUVILLION "IMO"

Gou, black drum, and redfish are all drum, and are all basically identical as far as the meat is concerned. Just be sure to remove all the red and fat from the meat, then it will be fine. It has a much firmer texture than catfish, crappie, etc, so it is more conducive to being grilled or slow-cooked (like in a courtbouillion), but it can be cut into thinner pieces and fried. Just like redfish or drum, though, you probably don't want to keep the real big ones, but I've gotten good meat off of anything less than 10 pounds.

Bake it in the oven with Tony chacheres. 45 minutes at 350 degrees. I never ate turds before but Goo is the best.

Goo make a fine courtbouillion or a Seafood Sauce Piquant !
Go to John Folse website
http://www.jfolse.com/fr_seasoniron.htm

I give all of mine to my mom, she swears by them. Fun to catch!! Check out the fishing pamplet towards the back, and it tells you how many is "safe to consume" in a months time.

Filet the small ones and fry like redfish, bass, etc. The real big ones will be strong like a big black drum, but they will not hurt any one to eat them. Safe as any other drum. Call me when the grease is hot.

here u go

the fresh water drum is as close to redfish as you can get without being in saltwater. Being a son of a commercial fisherman I have ate plenty in 55 years . 3 pound gou are goog fileted and fried, throw back the 20 pounders. Baked in the oven with tomato sauce ,lemon and seasoning of choice is pretty good also.

Try them blackened, Good as anyhting you'll ever eat. I also cook them in sauce picaunte, or fried. The 1 -5 pounders are the best.

The smaller one are real good fried. We make a sauce piquante with the bigger ones.

Just FYI --- people in Iowa call the Bohemian bass.

Fry the small ones and cook the larger ones like you would a red fish. My Dad use to take us to catch these when I was a kid, they were fun to catch in the current and tasted good too.