fillet help....

[little_stephen]

No jokes...... Im embarrassed enough that Im asking this..... but since Ive only been fishing for a matter of a year or two...... and since no1 has been teaching me these things.... i have no choice but to turn to my adopted fishing family..... you guys. so help.....

ok, i know this is breaking most of our personal fishing rule number one about catch and release..... but lets just say im on a camping trip and I happen to catch a bass. and it happens to end up being dinner.... maybe along with a few perch, bluegill, whatever i can catch......

does anyone have any tips for me on this whole fillet process.....?

Ive never filleted a fish myself...... ive been doing my research, it seems simple enough..... but I really dont want to trash my first dinner of my camping trip........

I know theres the obvious size difference if im filleting a bass than if im filleting a panfish..... but the techniques the same right?

Fillet knife, cut behind the fin. cut thru to the backbone..... then slide it down along the side of the fish using the back bone as a guide and out the tail.....

but im also trying to figure out the technique for smaller fish..... cut from behind the ear back to the top of the head. then the tip of the knife down the spine & out the tail. then role the blade up along the rib cage and down thru the bottom......

do i have the right idea here?

help..... please......

[DINK WHISPERER]

EAT A BASS!?! OH BOY........................DELETE THIS WHILE YOU STILL CAN BRO! OR, LET THE BASHING BEGAIN!!!! J/K man, i want to learn as well!

[Muddy]

Lay the fish side ways , after you gut it

Take your fillet knife and cut the fish just behind the gills ( the side away from the head)

Stop when you feel the backbone

Slide knife sideways facing the tail and glide the knife over the back bone to the tail.

Slice the tail down to the cut from the outside

Turn the fish over and slide your knife between the flesh on the inside and the skin

Do the same on the other side of the fish making both cuts to clear a clean fillet

Now feel across your fillets and you will find a few bones here and there, yank them out with a needle nose pliers

That Simple!1 It takes practice and this way you never have to scale or skin them

[little_stephen]

ok..... i figured i should get this done and over with......

in my own defense.......        let us not forget that in the good ole' days a nice old bucketmouth meant dinner.

if anyone of you eats a trout. Im sure trout unlimited would hunt u down and burn u at the stake....

heres the bottom line...... I posted this mostly refering to small fish (cough cough...... panfish) but in order to get a response I figured I should apply it to bass......  

CATCH AND RELEASE RULE NUMBER ONE........... YOU DO NOT THROW BACK AN INJURED BASS!      its not exactly humane.... read up. any time u see articles on it. they always tell u to put the fish out of its missery by tossing it on ice...... now i personally have never been tossed on ice. but Im just saying...... its the natural order of things.....

I landed my personal best earlier this month on a small lake where TONS of kids fish. that monster female got sent home to make her babies and be caught by some kid to make their dreams come true..... however. If im going to be trying to catch my dinner. and an injured bass is all i catch, its going to be consumed by my end of the food chain....

Id rather make sure it doesnt go to waste by me screwing it up...... if the bashing must commence then so be it. but at least have something constructive to say.....

[little_stephen]

Lay the fish side ways , after you gut it

Take your fillet knife and cut the fish just behind the gills ( the side away from the head)

Stop when you feel the backbone

Slide knife sideways facing the tail and glide the knife over the back bone to the tail.

Slice the tail down to the cut from the outside

Turn the fish over and slide your knife between the flesh on the inside and the skin

Do the same on the other side of the fish making both cuts to clear a clean fillet

Now feel across your fillets and you will find a few bones here and there, yank them out with a needle nose pliers

That Simple!1 It takes practice and this way you never have to scale or skin them

question...... how do I avoid dicing into the gut bag if im going straight down the ribs?

or r u saying that when i fillet down the backbone that the blade will go right over the top of the ribs???

thats what Im most worried about is spoiling the meat....... :-/

[Muddy]

Always gut the fish and wash out the body cavity before you fillet it.

[little_stephen]

ok. uve got me..... everything ive seen just skipped that step. plus im gunna be camping. so were talking picnic table, water bottles to clean with and no expierence gutting a fish!?

[burleytog]

Always gut the fish and wash out the body cavity before you fillet it.

No reason to gut a fish before filleting. Just adding an extra step to a process that should take no longer than a minute or two.

[SirSnookalot]

Always gut the fish and wash out the body cavity before you fillet it.

I've cleaned so many fish that i don't want to do it again, My dad owned a market and broke me in at an early age.  Gutting is important , worms can be an issue sometimes, also easier to work with the fish.

I scale most most of them, then wash them down, a score cut down the backbone, then gut them.  Grab the tail then work a sharp filet knife up the side.  Some fish taste better with or with out the skin.

Bones vary with the different species.

Nothing wrong with eating your catch as long as you abide by the laws of your state.  Personally I wouldn't eat bass, they aren't very good, but perch and walleye are as good as it gets.

[aarogb]

    The most imperative thing to know is that you MUST have a sharp knife!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[little_stephen]

Nothing wrong with eating your catch as long as you abide by the laws of your state.

My Point of view exactly!

[Big Bait Fishing]

Always gut the fish and wash out the body cavity before you fillet it.

first off , i would never eat a bass , but since i eat trout , i never be-head a trout or gut him. i just cut just past the gills and down to the ribs (easy now don't be tryin' to cut thru the ribs)then startmaking my way towards the tail, going high on the top(dorsal fin) , once you feel the ribs you just turn the knife horizontal to the ribs and you'll just be grazing them, when you get to close to the tail, stop(don't cut all the way thru), flip the fillet over with your knife , cut thru the fillet to the skin , then run the knife between the fillet and skin, and repeat on other side. this way you don't have to gut it or take it's head off . much cleaner. and what ever you do don't leave the carcass in your trash can or you'll have a foul smell in 2-3 days. take to a field and chuck it!!  

[cart7t]

I've found that filleting larger bass, those above 5-6lbs is much easier.  

[CODbasser]

dont fillet the pan fish, put them on a hook while they are still alive so you can catch a big ol bass to eat...  ;D

just kidding

[fishfordollars]

Always gut the fish and wash out the body cavity before you fillet it.

No reason to gut a fish before filleting. Just adding an extra step to a process that should take no longer than a minute or two.

X2, you never get into the gut sack so there is no reason to do it.

[fishfordollars]

I've found that filleting larger bass, those above 5-6lbs is much easier.

Quote of the day. Outstanding...LMAO!

[Rob G.]

I do not know for sure, but why not search Youtube and see if someone has posted a video clip of the process.  It is difficult to explain, you really need to see it done.  Good luck!  You can always cut the head, tail, and fins off.  Gut the fish, clean the scales off and cook them that way.  Still tastes good, you just have to scrape the cooked meat off the bones to eat it.  Just like you would a catfish at a restaurant.  That is much easier to explain than filleting.

[mynameisgeorgel]

I'd just try to catch more panfish, bass isn't a good tasting fish