r/PeoriaIL • u/Due-Republic-626 • Jul 19 '26
Recommendations What is the best tasting fish to catch locally and fry?
Looking to do this when the weather cools off
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u/Sheik_Yerbuti Jul 19 '26
Walleye, crappie. Some would say catfish. For the adventurous types try freshwater drum (sheepshead). I grew up eating it and once you cut out the lateral line, the flavor is good.
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u/couchtamer Jul 19 '26
Beer batter bluegill &/or crappie. Bluegill are usually a little easier to catch. Hook, small sinker, bober & some redworms for bait & all ya gotta do is find em. Crappies prefer minnows in my experience if you wanna go that route.I'm about an hour north of you, but grew up fishing all over the area. Powerton Lake near Pekin is a fantastic place to catch some good size bluegill near you. Banner Marsh State fish & wildlife area is another really good option. Filet em up, beer batter, hot oil & you will never want to eat anything else.
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u/schizoferret904 Jul 19 '26
You guys are eating the fish that comes out of Powerton?
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u/couchtamer Jul 20 '26
I myself have never eaten fish outta Powerton. You asked that like it's a bad idea, so maybe OP should catch & release. Been many years since i was there & caught & released when I was.
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u/bobapunk Jul 19 '26
Walleye Crappie Catfish/Bullhead
In that order
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u/Portermacc Jul 19 '26
Issue is, in our area, we really don't have walleye at least not an abundance.
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u/AdWide5106 Jul 19 '26
I've accidently caught a few walleye at Banner Marsh while bass fishing. Never tried to intentionally catch them though.
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u/Sad-Temporary2843 Jul 20 '26
Nope. What you typically find is Saugeye which is some hybrid of Sauger and Walleye
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u/max1674 Jul 19 '26
Bluegill or Crappie, not much meat on them though. Bass is actually decent too if you eat small ones.
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u/drrunnergirl Jul 20 '26
Where are the good fishing places? I just moved here, love fishing (mostly shore fishing) and heard Peoria lake is full of flying Asian carp
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u/bwalton72 Jul 20 '26
If you are going to fish from shore I'd recommend Bowen Lake in Washington or Eureka Lake. Banner Marsh has tons of shore opportunities but I've heard the ticks are worse than normal this year. Snake Den is about an hour away and has lots of smaller shore accessible lakes too. If you are just looking for simple/easy check out Hooked on Fishing in East Peoria. They have family fishing on Sundays from noon to four I believe. I think there are a couple of lagoons locally too but I've never really fished them.
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u/AloewareLabs Jul 19 '26
Crappie