I grew up in Southeast Missouri fishing crystal-clear Ozark mountain streams like the Huzzah, Courtois Creek and Big River.
Besides smallmouth bass and bluegill, goggle-eye were among our favorite targets both for fun and for tasty meals.
Quite often when telling stories of my youth I mention goggle-eye, only to see bewildered looks on many faces.
“What is a goggle-eye?” is a common question.
The answer to that question can also cause some very funny looks because not too many people have ever heard of the rock bass, either. Rock bass is the official name for the goggle-eye.
The confusion begins with the fact that goggle-eye look nothing at all like bass. They are, in fact, more closely related in both appearance and taste to panfish.
