Cooking The Koshkonong Catch 

By Lettie Smith


Reading Time:  12 minutes  Last Updated: 02/23/26



What's in a name? So the novice angler is apt to ponder surveying the row upon row of Maribou Jigs, Mepps Spinner, Dardevle Spoons, Rapala Plugs and their relatives hanging side by side in the local bait shop. Whatever happened to the good old worm? After all, a fish is a fish.  But a catfish is not a carp, and neither a crappie. Buffalo and bullheads are not to be confused with the four-legged variety. And while walleye and northern are called pike, walleye is actually perch. Each of these gourmets has its own culinary preference --- just as some anglers prefer walleye under glass, and others hunger for bluegill in the glass.  Here's hoping the following tidbits will appeal to both land and water dwellers of Lake Koshkonong. Let's start with the walleye, perhaps the best eating game fish in Wisconsin. 


Walleye is a long, narrow fish with mottled side and translucent eyes, which give it its name.  This fish is a predator, so watch out for the sharp teeth. It averages one to three pounds in Wisconsin waters, but catches of up to sixteen pounds have been recorded. Walleye like deep cool water on a hot summer day, and returns to the shallows, reefs and cars at night. A deep-running plug might find on in the depths, but a more likely prospect is a medium-weight jig garnished with a minnow and dangled in the night shallows. Then there is northern pike, the largest Wisconsin predator fish outside muskie territory. It looks a lot like the muskie, long and sleek with an elongated jaw and lots of teeth. It can grow to over forty inches and twenty pounds.  Medieval mythology knw the pike as Luce, waterwolf. The fish was said to attack men, and pike bones were worn as talismen against witchcraft. Nowaadays, it only attacks live fish or bait resembling fish, such as spoons (not the kitchen variety.) It lurks in the weedy areas along the shoreline, watching for unsuspecting prey. 


Channel catfish and carp abound in Koshkonong, and you can also find bullhead and buffalo fish. They are vacuum cleaners, so looki for them on the bottom. When skinned, these can be eaten smoked. Catfish can also be stewed, and carp are occasionally boiled. Channel catfish and bullheads, both in the catfish family, are scale-less and "whiskered." The channel variety is blueish color; the bullhead has sharp spiny fins.  They both bite best in warm weather after dark, and their keen sense of smell will find most any smelly bait, from worms to cheese to chicken entrails. Catfish swallow the whole bait, so they'll need a hook extractor. Carp and buffalo are suckers. You can recognize carp by its tubelike mouth and buffalo by its toothless grin. Doughball are the basic bait, can can be most effective laced with cheese. Although carp is not a game fish, it will put up a good fight when hooked, and can be satisfying to catch.   


Serve Up These Delicious Dishes:

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Walleye Supreme 
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2 pounds walleye filleted 1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 Cup of melted fat or oil 3 T. soy sauce 
1/2 Cup of sesame seeds               1 tsp. salt

1/3 cup cognac                            1 large clove garlic, crushed

Cut fish into serving-size portions. Combine remaining ingredients, pour over fish and let stand for 30 minutes, turning once. Remove fish, reserving sauce for basting. Place fish in well-greased, hinged wire grills. Cook about 4 inches from moderately hot coals for 8 minutes. bast with sauce. Turn and cook for 7-10 minutes longer or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

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Baked Walleye With Dressing

(Courtesy of Wisconsin Sportsman Magazine)

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4 top ends of celery                             1/4 cup sugar

2 juicy apples                                      1 medium onion

2 slices of bread cut in small squares       1 t. leaf thyme

1/2 cup raisins, washed in very hot water   3 T. butter


Slice celery and apples. Mix in bread, thyme, raisins, sugar, onions and butter.

Fill cavity of fish with dressing. Put toothpicks on side of fish and lace with string to hold dressing. Spread butter over top oof stuffed fish and bake in 375 oven until golden brown, approximately 45-50 minutes.
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Barbecued Fish

(Former Edgerton resident Chris Lagerman won 3rd place in a WSJ cooking contest)    

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2-3 pound fish steaks or fillets                  1 T. sugar

1/2 cup of salad oil                                 2 T. sherry
1/4 cup of tarragon red wine vinegar         3T. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. ginger                                     1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Arrange fish in glass baking pan. Combine oil, vinegar, ginger, sugar, sherry, soy sauce and garlic powder. Pour over fish, and marinate for one hour. Place fish on well-oiled grill or in a well-oiled hinged grill over glowing coals. Barbecue for 10-15 minutes, brushing frequently with marinade. Turn carefully with spatula or turn the hinged grill. Continue barbecuing for 10-15 minutes or until fish is done. Life carefully onto hot platter and brush with remaining marinade.

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Praiseworthy Pike
(Courtesy of Wisconsin Sportsman Magazine)

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2 medium tomatoes                   1/2 cup American Cheese 
1 cup finely cubed raw potato      8 slices cooked, bacon, crumbled

1/2 cup chopped green pepper     1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 T butter                                  3 strips uncooked bacon

1 cup stale bread crumbs

Split fish lengthwise, clean carefully and dry. Head may or may not be removed. Sprinkle inside of fish with salt. Dice tomatoes, mix with potatoes, green pepper, bread, cheese, bacon, and pepper. Place stuffing inside fish loosely., leaving room for expansion, and sew opening with strong thread. Lay a piece of cheesecloth in bottom of large baking pan and place fish on it. Brush fish with butter and place bacon strips on top. Bake in oven at 325 for 1-1/2 hours. When done bbaking, fish may be lifted out intact on cheesecloth and transferred to serving platter. Garnish platter with thick tomato slices topped with little mountains of coleslaw.