River crappies

Hey guys.  Recently caught a nice pile of crappies from a river system near me.  When cleaning them, i noticed the meat was very firm.  I usually dont fish for them because all the crappies i have ever caught prior had soft "mushy" meat and i didnt care for the texture.  I was thinking perhaps these river fish that have pushed up a long way from the lake they hang out in the rest of the year, have "toned up" (for lack of a better term).  Anyone else have any experience with this?  

Crappie are great, even from warm water. 

A quick tip that will firm them up, even is the dog days of summer. 

Once you have all of your fillets, put them in a bowl with a tablespoon or so of vinegar and water, mix the fillets around, and then rinse them well, and put them in a bowl full of water, and add a pinch of salt. Then add a bunch of ice, enough ice so that you can’t see the fillets. 

Then put them in the fridge overnight. The next day they will be good and firm. Works every time! 

Winter and the cold water it brings.