Following the catch, what is the paramount priority for retaining flavor in freshwater bass?

Chilling the fish quickly

The single most critical step in preserving the ultimate palatability of any harvested bass, especially those freshwater varieties that might possess borderline flavor due to environmental stress or warmer capture temperatures, is rapid and effective chilling. Flavor degradation and the transfer of undesirable compounds are accelerated by elevated temperatures immediately post-mortem. Therefore, best practice mandates that the fish must be humanely dispatched to minimize stress-induced chemical changes in the muscle, and then immediately placed onto a generous amount of ice or into an ice/water slurry. This swift reduction in temperature slows the process of decay and flavor transfer, making temperature control absolutely paramount for quality retention.