Fish, Fish, Fish. Who doesn’t love a nice, scaley fish. From bony to flakey, cold water to warm water, a good fish can change someone’s life.
Today, I wanted to talk about my favorite fish in three major categories: Best looking, best to catch/best fighting, and best tasting. And then, we have the G-FOAT, or the Greatest Fish of All Time. I also would like to clarify that these are fish that can be found in Pennsylvania, as most of my fishing expertise is in this general area. Essentially, this covers Lake Erie and her tributaries, the whole way down to the three rivers of Pittsburgh and then out to the streams of native trout in the Allegheny National Forest. So, without further ado, I think we all want to know what my fish takes are.
To lead us off in the best looking category, we have three fishies. The brook trout is one of them. A truly beautiful fish that everybody loves. It is the only “trout” that is native to Pennsylvania, and is also our state fish. I think that there is nothing better than catching a microscopic fish out of a microscopic stream in the middle of north central Pennsylvania. Brooks are often confused with Brown Trout. However, the browns are spotted with black and the occasional red dot, whilst the brooks are covered in light yellow spots. Connor Brink is also a big fan of these brookies, which is elite ball knowledge.
The best looking number two is the big, beautiful Paddlefish, known for the giant anterior rostrum and being one of the only filter feeders in freshwater America. I don’t really feel like there is much explanation here. Just look at these guys. They are big and beautiful. If the Paddlefish has no fans, that means I’m gone.
Finally, best looking fishy, I’ve got a relative of the Bluegill, the loved, tried and true Pumpkinseed. Just take a look at these guys. They know that they are good looking. You catch one, you think it’s that little old blue gigi. But, the closer it gets, the happier you become. You see those beautiful colors, and happiness sets in. However, that happiness still goes away whenever you have to put it back in the water. When you get spiked by these guys, I tend to scream at the top of my lungs. But, I digress. These guys are beautiful.
Let’s get into the next category, most fun to catch. Leading us off, I have the Erie native Steelhead. These are giant rainbow trout that enter the lake, settle down for a little bit, get even bigger, then return to the tributaries of the lake to lay their eggs. So these things are quite rad. They become more “toughened” living in the Lake, just because there’s hundreds of different things that want to eat them. So, when they are in the streams, they are aggressive and they fight with every fiber of their being.
Our two hitter is a big time upset for many people. As a relative of the largemouth, it’s quite hard to outshine that guy. But, I’m a proud member of the Smallmouth Bass Fan Club. Pound for pound, these guys put up a better fight every single time without fail. They are much better looking fish than the largemouth, in my opinion. They have beautiful red eyes, and they have a more yellowish tint to them.
Finally, I got a tie for the third spot. It is a tossup between some of the boniest fish in all the land, the Northern Pike and the Muskelunge. They are both very similar looking , but they have some very minor differences. Muskies have a more pointed tail compared to the pikes’ rounded tail. The muskie is also significantly larger (on average) than the pike. Pikes, however, are found at a wider range of places than the muskie. The pike also has a footing in Europe, the muskie does not. But, enough about these guys, let’s talk about their fighting skills. Lets keep it short and sweet, they are mean, and are very aggressive. I remember catching a decent pike on a lizard soft plastic in mid summer, and boy do they fight.
Honorable mention for the best fighting fish, I have the Flathead Catfish. Unfortunately, I have not had the pleasure to say I’ve reeled one of these guys in. From what I’ve heard, they are pound for pound great fighters. Also, it helps that they are GIANT fish, usually one of the largest species in the three rivers of Pittsburgh and across the world.
Okay, enough about those guys, let’s move on to a category for my catch and cook fellers out there. Best tasting fish. This category I only have two fishies, but they are top tier.
To start us off strong I got the Crappie. They are truly great for however you cook them. I tend to like them fried more than anything else, but there are different strokes for different folks. They are very nice looking fish as well. In my day, I’ve caught some slab Crappies, some ranging up to two and a half pounds, at a very secret location. These guys will always have a very special place in my heart. I like to think of Crappies the way that some people think of Little Caesars. You can catch upwards of 50 a day, year round. They’re not the hardest fish to fish for. Most importantly, they are tasty as sin. So if you need a fish, the crappie is always there for you.
In the two spot I got the Walleye. These guys are some of the scariest looking freshwater fish you’ll ever see. Their eyes; horrifying. Their teeth; horrifying. Their dorsal; big, sharp, and scary. But, boy oh boy do they taste good. To quote my friend, Noah Musloe, “It’s absolutely fire. Throw a lil lemon on dat thang, mmmmmmmhmmmm.” Couldn’t agree more with the young man. You know ball. I love walleye, you love walleye, everyone loves walleye!
I’m done playing around now. It’s time to go to the G-FOAT. The Greatest Fish of All Time. This is truly an honor that some fishies would only dream of. I will say that without question, my G-FOAT is the great Yellow Perch. Boy, do they do it all. They are great fish that you can harvest upwards of 50 times a day (Thank you Fish and Boat Commision). They are also downright stunning. They feature a yellow belly with dark green stripes going from its back to around mid body. And they have bright orange pelvic fins that really make a statement. Their dorsal spikes are similar to that of the walleye, but aren’t as sharp (in my opinion). They are also absolutely delicious. Most of the time, I prefer to bake over fry, but different people like different things so you do you. They come in all sizes as well, from the smallest perch being the size of your pinky, to the big boys out of Lake Erie reaching upwards of three pounds and 17 inches. These guys are fantastic, much love to the Yellow Perch.
Before I close out on you guys, I would love to throw some other honorable fishies out there. I think that the Largemouth has a lot of positive aspects to it. You got the catchability, you got the fight. I will give a quick shout to Mr. Connor Brink, who reminded me of something I haven’t done in quite a while. He said,”Fishing top water is insanely fun but insanely inconsistent.” Great take, but inconsistency kills the fun of top water. 90% of the time you’re not getting that huge jump out of the water from a giant bass, but, I digress. But, they aren’t eating fish, they are just fish you admire when you catch. I got to give the Channel Catfish its flowers as well. They taste great here and there, but it’s just a very inconsistent taste with these kitties. They fight with every fiber of their being, and that’s something you got to love.
I am going to leave you with a quote from THE Lil Muz. “Get off your chair, turn off Fortnite, go get your buddies, and go fishing.” Now, I will say you can fish whilst sitting, but Muz, you do you man.
I love fishing, and I think that everyone else should too. If you guys want to be featured in the next article about big bad dinosaurs, feel free to reach out, [email protected]. Let’s get to work on these dinos :).
