Father was a fishing guide growing up (saltwater early on and freshwater later). Old man supported the family for 20+ years fishing - it's very near/dear to my heart (old man has long passed).
A monster striper (striped bass) or hefty blue cat is hard to beat in terms of freshwater fighting but even growing up around it all, I prefer crappie over most freshwater fish because of the flavor of the meat. Flounder fishing and/or gigging is more my speed in salt... I haven't done much offshore.
Super cool to know so many forum goers are fellow fishing enthusiasts! Tight lines to y'all!
... and to stay on track, congrats to the JBC Raffle winners. Sick prize packs!
Crappie sandwiches, oh man. My grandfather taught me to fish, and crappie off a 50' bridge was my first. He didn't mess around, 2 hooks all the way, coolest hing ever for a kid.
Flounder is nice, it's whatever you put with it, but crappie actually has flavor. I heard Oprah loves it, as long as it's called croppie!
But bluefish or smallmouth pound for pound, put them up against anything... especially on light tackle. I don't eat anything from fresh water anymore unless it's trout from way upstream. Gotta love a little fishing.
The best part...
Small largemouth, lol!
