yep!

Thought it looked familiar. I lived in Hudson 63 years.Dont want to be a Debbie downer but better eating fish in the Croix. We called them croakers too, use to rip the heads open and take out the rocks in their heads. Keep trying will get walleye, Sauger, small and large mouth bass, black and white crappies,and sunfish. Bouncing a jig off the bottom to the right of where you were standing , we call it the United bridge going out to the dyke.lots of snags park benches,shopping carts and fish mornings and evening were the best, Good Luck

Yep, I pull the rock things out of their heads too. Hopefully I can fish there some more this summer, thanks for the tips!

This young man caught a nice walleye a few weeks ago about 700 yds from where you were North and West at the draw bridge

There was a fella in Prairie du Chien that commercially fished sheep head and would smoke them and put them for sale in his shop labeled smoked perch.

Wow, that is a nice fish!!!

Hi Muskrat! That is funny ^^^ Did he get in trouble for it?

I like the colloquial names that are a bit like Greenland and Iceland , early real-estate trick , Greenland is covered in ice and Iceland is not.

Welfare walleyes I like that , might just give away that they are actually good.

I told my wife about the name Welfare Walley, she asked why . I said no size limit , no bag limit and if prepped right you won't hardly know the difference on a plate.

this info below is from
https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/species/fwd/#:~:text=Other%20Names%20Drum%20Fish%2C%20Gaspergou,marine%20relative%20the%20red%20drum.

Other Names
Drum Fish, Gaspergou, Gou, Sheepshead
Description
Aplodinotus is Greek for "single back", and grunniens is Latin for "grunting", referring to the fact that the species may be observed (or felt) making "grunting" sounds. Except for color, freshwater drum resembles its marine relative the red drum. The fish is deep-bodied and equipped with a long dorsal fin divided into two sections. The dorsal fin usually has 10 spines and 29-32 rays. Freshwater drum are silvery in color and lack the distinctive tail fin spot of red drum.
Life History
In Texas freshwater drum may spawn in April or May. Spawning seems to occur in open water. The eggs float until they hatch. Freshwater drum appear to be basically benthic, spending most of their time at or near the bottom. They feed primarily on fish, crayfish, and immature insects, often by rooting around in the substrate or moving rocks to dislodge their prey. The presence of heavy throat-teeth also allows them to consume mollusks to a certain extent. In Lake Erie, they have been found feeding on zebra mussels (although not nearly enough to control the zebra mussel population).
Distribution
Freshwater drum occurs in a variety of habitats, and is one of the most wide ranging fish latitudinally in North America. Populations can be found from Hudson Bay in the north to Guatemala in the south. East to west, the species ranges from the western slopes of the Appalachians to the eastern slopes of the Rockies. In Texas freshwater drum are ubiquitous exclusive of the Panhandle.
Other
Although freshwater drum is considered a rough fish by many anglers, it is prized as a food fish in some areas. Drum are also sought after as bait for other species. In Texas the rod and reel record exceeds 30 pounds, and the trotline record is 55 pounds.

I’ve always called them Drum.

My favorite way to cook is to scale, gut, gill and grill. Make a few cuts in sides, rub with oil or spray with Pam and season with whatever’s handy. Add some butter to inside if you want. Grill a few minutes per side, just till meat starts to flake.

I have found they grill nicer if you let them dry out a bit overnight in frig after cleaning. I use a cookie drying rack on a cookie sheet.

Nah . . . just a labeling thing. Mike Valley is a very nice fella, and just recently hung it up as a commercial fisherman. The town misses his shop, I'm sure. Been in there many times for smoked carp. He has my respect. My brother and I commercial fished back in the 60s. Ran 800 hooks a day in the summer. Sold everything to Epstein's fish market in La Crosse. I can't imagine making a living that way, hoping there will be fish and a market for them year after year and dealing with what Mother Nature might throw at ya whilst on the river.

Why would you dry cookies? lol

We ate several freshwater drum when I was a kid. Filleted them, soak in salt water over night, change to fresh water in the morning and cook them at supper time, rolled in seasoned flour/cornmeal mix and fried. I recall they were pretty good. Dad always said don't keep them around for days, eat them the next day after catching for best results.

Nice youtube video Muskrat.

I watch a show on an outdoors channel on TV called Bottom Feeders its about commercial fishermen in that area too.

In our part of the Midwest we call them drum. Out of the Gasconade River they are pretty good to eat. Out of the Osage River, not so much.

The Drum is a close cousin to the Red Fish of Cajun fame, and can be cooked the same way. Blackened Drum is delicious!

Valley Fish Market??? If that's the place, that guy could smoke a workboot and make it taste good!