First time on local water last night.
My wife and I did some fishing yesterday. Caught 45 bluegill and one small bass.
Looks like some good eating. We've caught a few bass this year, but none at the 14" length required to keep them. I prefer to eat the bluegill anyway so bass are usually catch and release even if they are over 14".
The bass in the picture clearly isn't over the required 14" size, however, these fish come from a private pond. In fact, all bass caught in this pond under 12" are culled in an effort to reduce bass over-crowding and stunting, a common issue in smaller waters.
the fish in your other pic are burned. Your oil was too hot, over 300 degrees burns the oil and in turn everything you cook in it takes on a burned flavor. Get a good heavy pan, add oil and warm slowly on a lower heat and use a good temp gauge like one use for a turkey fryer. When you hit 300 add some fish. The oil temp is still rising but will drop when fish are added. I prefer to use a cast iron pan on a gas burner with canola oil. Canola has a higher burn temp so it is a bit more forgiving. A shallow depth of oil heats up surprisingly fast, go slow and learn your combo of cooking equipment and how it reacts.Im not very good at cookin fish for some reason. I tried cooking a few catfish last night and was extremely disappointed in my work. I plan on trying a few recipes for carp in the future just not tonight. It will help feed more people as fertilizer in the garden than me cooking it so i dont feel too bad. Wish i had a bow or spear i saw quite a few along the bank but could only get this one to bite. I might try to go back tomorrow and catch some more. When fall is closer i will start catching them and keeping them for coon bait too.