To some in certain places, like the Midwest k_g, fish are supposed to taste like nothing, except perhaps whatever spices are in the coating they're fried in.
Funny that fish can smell like vegetables, eh? Seems some folks can find schools of sunfish by finding the cucumber smell. Or maybe it's watermelon?
Thanks for the info re: flour, just like trout up in the Sierras when I was a young man.
Eating bait? Well, I'd hate to count the number of sardines I've eaten over the year, along with a few mackerel, and the best bait in the world for largemouth and inland striped bass................planted rainbow trout!
