Whites are good to eat but I like to cut out the red meat.I dont keep the smaller ones because if you cut the red out theres not much left and I dont like wasting time cleaning small one for a bite of meat.I keep them when they are around 15 inches.That is the best eating size that I've found.They fillet good at that size and there is enough meat left after you cut the red out that its worth messing with.