Giant Drum fish

panther pride

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While weeding out invastive plants by the Mississippi, I get a shout from my pca to come help him out with a big fish. I drop my garbage bag ful of weeds and run over and wade in ( i'm wearing sandles). I grab the fish ( a large freshwater drum) and haul it onto the riverbank, a man sees us and offers to help, he gives me his knife and I gut and chop the head off, he fallets it on a large rock and we take the meat home and fry it up after skinning the scales off.
the fish was very large almost 10lbs in weight (a wild guess)


Tastes somewhere between turkey and gator
Not something I'm doing very often for fish eating safety reasons. I have a fishng lisence and my pca does to.


Whe I go to the dr at the end of the month, do you guys think a murcery test is a good idea ( Government DNR standards say you can eat river fish, a meal a month if youe not preg, or planning on getting somebuddy preg).
 

cairo

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I feel dumb today, but what does PCA stand for?


I don't think you should be worried about mercury poisoning over one delicious fish, unless there is an alert about it for that particular body of water.

On a side note, are Drum both fresh and salt-water fish? I remember watching someone catch a huge red drum off the coast in Florida. But now that I think about it, it was right at a river outlet. The water was salty though. I remember it well because a guy with a camera was so excited about it, that he backed up and fell in the water trying to photograph it.
 
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panther pride

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No Freshwater drum are native mississsipi fish/ they are VERY common and alot of people consiter them trash fish, although they are very pretty IMO



Took Tom to the vet and hes going the 31st for a teeth cleaning surgery.
 

bonnie1965

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Originally Posted by Panther pride

Personal care attendant ( I have high fuctioning Autism)


No Freshwater drum are native mississsipi fish/ they are VERY common and alot of people consiter them trash fish, although they are very pretty IMO

Took Tom to the vet and hes going the 31st for a teeth cleaning surgery.
People out this way frown on eating catfish, too say they are trashy bottomfeeders. When I was growing up back that way, catfish was yummmyyyy along with trout and bluegill
I used to cry when my mom killed the bluegill, I loved every single one of those fish.

I think you'll be okay from one fish. Maybe if you ate it everyday you would have to worry a bit.
 
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panther pride

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There is a COOL tooth I got from the throat dont have pictures though. Might make a good necklace

I love the flesh its firm and has a flavor that is very simalar to chicken/turkey and gator.
 

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Personally I wont eat a fish that eats pond scum but some do
 
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panther pride

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It tastd GOOD for where it came from,


I wish you guys could see the tooth I got, maybe one of you should post a link abut Freshwater drum throat teeth
Carp and other bottom feeding fish sometimes hve huge throat teeth to help them crush clams and other hard shell food

... Now if you excuse me I need to clean up a bottle of water Leopalorn spilled
 

taterbug

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Are the teeth pearly white and shaped like a clam shell kinda?? My grandpa and I used to catch drum and you could hear them making a rattling noise. My grandpa said they had rocks in their heads would always take the "rocks" out and save them. He said that's where the rattle came from. I wonder if it's the same thing?? They are gorgeous fish....with a purplely,bluish,green tone going on!! I would LOVE to catch a ten pounder!
 

arlyn

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hehe
Drum fish make their noise by rubbing abdominal muscles against their swim bladder.

I'm not sure why anyone would consider drum to be bottom feeders of the same sort as catfish.
They eat fish, insects and mullosks, their 'bottom feeding' is simply foraging for prey under rocks or hiding in the muck.
 

taterbug

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Haha!! Probably another one of my grandpa's tales!! heehee....and after all these years I believed him! But I did see him get those rocks outta the head of a drum....unless he just made it look like thats where they came from!! Amazing...he passed away 12 yr ago and he still got me!! lol
 

arlyn

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My stepdad told me the same thing

He also used to tease me because all I could ever catch was squawfish and bullheads.

I didn't care, I was fishing and catching stuff!
 
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panther pride

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Today I will see if my pca will allow me to rip out more of those teeth from the head, I buried it after decapating it under some river rocks. Hopefully a racoon didnt get it, lol.
 
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