Rise and shine. This is Early Bird Fishing. Prepare for world class fishing instruction, stories, and news, in less than 5 minutes.
Here’s what we got for you today:
How to prepare fish for your family with health and safety in mind 🔪
The ‘Jurassic Park’ for trout anglers may be no more 🦖
Nobu’s Miso Black cod recipe 🐟
Hooked and Healthy.
If you catch your own dinner, there’s nothing better than a sizzling fillet fresh off the pan. Still, a little care between hook and plate goes a long way toward keeping your meal clean, fresh, and worry-free.
Check Before You Chew
Before tossing your catch in the cooler, check your state’s fish consumption advisories. The EPA and local wildlife agencies post online guides showing which species and lakes carry higher mercury or PCB levels. Pregnant women and kids should take special care—smaller, short-lived fish like trout, perch, or crappie are generally safer than big predators like bass or pike.
Handle With Care
Once you land the fish, keep it cold immediately. Heat breaks down flesh fast and encourages bacteria growth. Bleed it if appropriate, rinse it in clean water, and store it on ice until you get home. Never toss it into a warm bucket and call it a day—unless you like that swampy flavor.
Fillet Like a Pro
A proper fillet job doesn’t just make your dinner prettier—it also makes it cleaner. Use a sharp knife to slice away skin, fat, and the dark lateral line near the belly, where most contaminants accumulate. The skin can taste great when crisped up, but it’s also where pollutants tend to hang out—so skip it if you’re fishing questionable waters. Studies show that removing skin and fat can significantly reduce levels of lipophilic organic pollutants like PCBs and DDT in fish fillets. (Don’t worry if you don’t know what “lipophilic” means—neither do we, but it sounds like something you don’t associated with your fish taco.)
Cook It Right
Cook fish to 145°F or until it flakes easily with a fork. No need to burn it to a crisp, but undercooked fish can harbor parasites or bacteria.
💡Pro Tips:
Freeze and verify. If you’re unsure about local water quality, freeze your fillets and check advisories before eating.
Go light on big predators. Species like bass, pike, and walleye tend to carry more mercury—mix in smaller fish for balance.
Keep it clean. Always use fresh ice and drain melted water regularly to prevent “fishy” bacteria growth.
Trim smart. Remove fatty tissue and belly meat where contaminants like to linger.
When in doubt, peel it out. Skip the skin if you don’t trust the water—studies back it up.
Fresh, clean, and handled right—that’s the Early Bird Fishing way.
🎣 IN THE FIELD
Anglers in the Bluegrass State: sorry, no drone-casting allowed. Kentucky just outlawed using aircraft or unmanned drones to fish, hunt or herd wildlife—though snapping scenic drone shots probably still flies.
On Colorado’s Lower Blue River ('Jurassic Park' for trout lovers), a billionaire-led land swap and a proposed permit system have anglers more tangled up than a bad backcast. What started as a deal to open access now feels like a ‘bait & switch’ — fish populations are tanking, permit talk is rising, and the gold-medal stream just got a lot more exclusive.
Check out this documentary on Nobu, a legendary sushi chef:
AI CORNER
Every week we generate fishing related AI images. See the coolness/weirdness below:
💋 CHEF’S KISS - RECIPE OF THE WEEK
Nobu’s famous Black Miso Cod recipe: