Uploaded July 2016 | Updated September 2026, 18 hours ago
Some friends here have been requesting that I prepare fish whole, with the skin on. I’ve done that before years ago, but I think it’s time to try it again! Whole fish is the tastiest! And it’s easy! Let’s give it a try. Oh, wait… we need to pick up some fish. See the recipes, fishing equipment, music credits and more below.
Grilled Whole Bluegill
Ingredients:
10 bluegill of 8 inches or longer
¾ stick of unsalted butter, melted
McCormack’s Gourmet Collection Cajun Seasoning
Directions:
Scale the bluegill with the back of a knife or fish scaler
Place the fish on a cutting board, it’s back toward you, it’s head to your right
Insert knife forcefully just behind the fish’s gill flap
Cut down and toward you to detach the top part of head
With your right hand, grab the head and pull it down, and away from the fish
Remove the guts along with the head
Wash the inside cavity of any remaining blood and tissue.
Cut 4 or 5 slits on a angle on each side of the fish
Lay the fish out on a baking sheet and butter the top side
Season the top side with Cajun seasoning
Flip the fish and butter the other side
Season the other side with Cajun seasoning
Set a grill to medium-high
When hot, oil the grill with vegetable oil and paper towels
Place the fish on the grill for 5 minutes with grill covered
Flip the fish and grill the second side for 4 to 5 minutes more
Serve! Watch for the bones!
Grilled asparagus:
Ingredients:
1½ pounds of asparagus
¼ to ⅓ cup of olive oil
1 teaspoon of seasoned salt
½ teaspoon of fresh pepper
Directions:
trim the woody parts of the asparagus, saving only the upper ½ to ⅔ of each spear.
Place asparagus in shallow container and drizzle the olive oil over it
Sprinkle with the seasoned salt
Mix all ingredients well
Set a grill to medium-high
When hot, oil the grill with vegetable oil and paper towels
Place asparagus on grill for between 5 and 8 minutes with grill closed
Serve!
Fishing Equipment:
The lure is a Zman “CrusteaZ” in bloodworm color. It is attached to a Gopher 1/16 ounce jig head in chartreuse-black.
The spinning reel is a Pflueger Trion GX-5. This model is no longer made.
The spinning reel line is SpiderWire, Ultracast, Invisi-Braid in 10 pound test, 2 pound monofilament equivalent.
The spinning rod is a tiny Daiwa SMC401ULFS Spinmatic-C SpinRod (4- Feet, Ultra Light, 1 Piece, 1-4 pound line test recommended). It can be found on Amazon, Fish USA, and other places.
The boat is a Bass Hunter I ordered from Bass Pro Shops about 12 years ago. They no longer sell it. Also, this model is no longer available, but newer models like it are still sold. Check here: sportsmansguide.com/product/index/bass-hunter-ex-96-boat?a=670576&pm2d=CSE-SPG-15-PLA&utm_medium=PLA&utm_source=Google&utm_campaign=CI&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=WX2*0186929000000&gclid=COz4v7CNocsCFQmQaQod_-EG4g
FISH IN THE LAKE:
largemouth bass, bluegill, white crappie, black crappie, yellow perch, channel catfish, and grass carp
WHY KEEP SMALL BASS:
We had biologists come out and do an electroshock survey of the lake. They found too many small, stunted bass. Their advice was to remove all bass under 12 inches, and to release the bigger ones. This rule is usually the opposite in large public lakes.
Learn how to fillet a fish here: youtu.be/KgiGqlrB0LM
Background music: “Walk Across Town” by Fiddlin' Mutt Poston & The Farm Hands. It is from Hoe Down Volume 2, downloaded from archive.org. It carries a creative commons CC0 1.0 Universal license.
Some friends here have been requesting that I prepare fish whole, with the skin on. I’ve done that before years ago, but I think it’s time to try it again! Whole fish is the tastiest! And it’s easy! Let’s give it a try. Oh, wait… we need to pick up some fish. See the recipes, fishing equipment, music credits and more below.
Grilled Whole Bluegill
Ingredients:
10 bluegill of 8 inches or longer
¾ stick of unsalted butter, melted
McCormack’s Gourmet Collection Cajun Seasoning
Directions:
Scale the bluegill with the back of a knife or fish scaler
Place the fish on a cutting board, it’s back toward you, it’s head to your right
Insert knife forcefully just behind the fish’s gill flap
Cut down and toward you to detach the top part of head
With your right hand, grab the head and pull it down, and away from the fish
Remove the guts along with the head
Wash the inside cavity of any remaining blood and tissue.
Cut 4 or 5 slits on a angle on each side of the fish
Lay the fish out on a baking sheet and butter the top side
Season the top side with Cajun seasoning
Flip the fish and butter the other side
Season the other side with Cajun seasoning
Set a grill to medium-high
When hot, oil the grill with vegetable oil and paper towels
Place the fish on the grill for 5 minutes with grill covered
Flip the fish and grill the second side for 4 to 5 minutes more
Serve! Watch for the bones!
Grilled asparagus:
Ingredients:
1½ pounds of asparagus
¼ to ⅓ cup of olive oil
1 teaspoon of seasoned salt
½ teaspoon of fresh pepper
Directions:
trim the woody parts of the asparagus, saving only the upper ½ to ⅔ of each spear.
Place asparagus in shallow container and drizzle the olive oil over it
Sprinkle with the seasoned salt
Mix all ingredients well
Set a grill to medium-high
When hot, oil the grill with vegetable oil and paper towels
Place asparagus on grill for between 5 and 8 minutes with grill closed
Serve!
Fishing Equipment:
The lure is a Zman “CrusteaZ” in bloodworm color. It is attached to a Gopher 1/16 ounce jig head in chartreuse-black.
The spinning reel is a Pflueger Trion GX-5. This model is no longer made.
The spinning reel line is SpiderWire, Ultracast, Invisi-Braid in 10 pound test, 2 pound monofilament equivalent.
The spinning rod is a tiny Daiwa SMC401ULFS Spinmatic-C SpinRod (4- Feet, Ultra Light, 1 Piece, 1-4 pound line test recommended). It can be found on Amazon, Fish USA, and other places.
The boat is a Bass Hunter I ordered from Bass Pro Shops about 12 years ago. They no longer sell it. Also, this model is no longer available, but newer models like it are still sold. Check here: sportsmansguide.com/product/index/bass-hunter-ex-96-boat?a=670576&pm2d=CSE-SPG-15-PLA&utm_medium=PLA&utm_source=Google&utm_campaign=CI&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=WX2*0186929000000&gclid=COz4v7CNocsCFQmQaQod_-EG4g
FISH IN THE LAKE:
largemouth bass, bluegill, white crappie, black crappie, yellow perch, channel catfish, and grass carp
WHY KEEP SMALL BASS:
We had biologists come out and do an electroshock survey of the lake. They found too many small, stunted bass. Their advice was to remove all bass under 12 inches, and to release the bigger ones. This rule is usually the opposite in large public lakes.
Learn how to fillet a fish here: youtu.be/KgiGqlrB0LM
Background music: “Walk Across Town” by Fiddlin' Mutt Poston & The Farm Hands. It is from Hoe Down Volume 2, downloaded from archive.org. It carries a creative commons CC0 1.0 Universal license.
