Filleting fish

[snoozebutton]

It depends on the species of fish

Pan fish I will go around the bones

Pike and walleye Ill side the whole fish

That's the way I do it.

[BK19]

electric knife cut the filllet off then cut the ribs and skin off

[upnorth]

I used just cut through the ribs, remove the ribs and then skin and remove the ybones. Now I cut around the ribs, skin em and then remove the ybones, on most fish. Takes me a little less time and there seems to be less mess.

[MNice]

Around the ribs for me. I usually only fillet 5 or 6 pan fish at a time, so time is not a big issue for me.

[FL SNIPER]

I'm like bigslugger....I go around the ribs on panfish and through the ribs on walleyes. Sunfish always get scaled...that helps get a little more meat and I think the skin tastes good. I use a regular, hand powered, fillet knife....and a spoon to scale.

[Just Me]

Frozen Fish....boilerguys way

Fresh Fish......around the bones.

Just Me

[Deitz Dittrich]

It was taught to me that, what you describe Boiler is "Canadian".. down and through the ribs and out the tail.. Down and around was considered the "American".

I myself switch it up.. Perch and Walleye and pike I fillet Canadian, while crappies and sunfish I go American...

[CALVINIST]

For panfish I always chop off the head first, then filet around the ribs, then skin. A little messy, but I have always done it like that, and I can do a single fish pretty quick.

[KEN W]

As with some above.....long narrow fish(walleye,northern,and perch) through the bones.

Sunfish and crappie.....around the bones.

[The Donk]

All the fish I cut up are the "american way"

[crothmeier]

I usually go around the ribs, but after trying cutting the ribs out after, it seems less likely to waste meat.

[fishersofmen]

Can someone explain to me how you cut around the ribs while at the same time getting all of the fillet at the back bone and the little bit of meat at the belly?? It just seems impossible to me.

[tv4fish]

Once you get behind the ribs, punch your knife all the way through to the bottom of the fish, lay your knife so you slide along the backbone, follow the backbone all the way through to the tail. Simple.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Can someone explain to me how you cut around the ribs while at the same time getting all of the fillet at the back bone and the little bit of meat at the belly?? It just seems impossible to me.

Its really quite simple once you get the hang of it. You go from the top/front of the fish down to the ribs.. then out the tail.. Then go back and carve around the ribs and out the belly.. Very little if no meat is wasted.

When in college, I used to go to resorts and fillet fish till I and my friends had enough to run to the store for fun juice.. I can usually fillet and package 1 fish per min.

[blackdog1101]

For panfish, through the ribs to remove the side, then remove the bones and skin. For larger fish, around the ribs.

[opsirc]

when I first started filleting, I did it your way, until a friend show me the way Frank does it. Have been doing it that way ever scince.

[Chris Haley]

For panfish (which includes perch) I go through the ribs, take skin off then around the ribs. I then turn ribs bone side down and kind of peel the meat off the ribs with a fillet knife. I save all these "chips" together and deep fry with beer batter. mmmmmm just like a potato chip. The nice thing here also is that you are not cooking the rib meat with a much thicker piece of fish that takes longer to cook. It also makes cleaning much faster.

[FL SNIPER]

I think its funny how everyone kind of has their own niche when it comes to cleaning fish. I doubt there is many that do it exactly the same from start to finish. Whatever works for you I say...but no bones please.

[IFallsRon]

Old school at my house was head and scales off and no fillets for panfish. That was a job the kids got and mildly screwed up.

[hondarider550]

It sounds like I agree with alot of the other guys here. For pan fish I cut around the ribs and for perch, walleyes, and pike its usually through the ribs. Also I do all of my fish cleaning with the good ole armstrong knife... I just have this feeling that there is too much wasted with an electric knife. I watched someone use one years ago and I could have had a meal off of what this guy wasted with his electric knife...

[schr0563]

Used a manual knife for years and then switched to electric. Now get done in a fraction of the time with less wasted meet. Start the cut along the gill and run along the backbone to the tail but not through. Flip the attached fillet over and skin in one simple motion. This all takes about 5 seconds. Then I simply score the fillet about the ribs, flip it over so ribs are against the cutting board and fillet them out with the knife held at just the right angle. This probably takes another 10 seconds, since you need to avoid cutting too deep or too shallow. Repeat on the other side of the fish and you are done in less than a minute. All species get cleaned this way. I also remove the y bones so they are completely bone free (yes, all fish have y bones).

Regardless of your method - the key with any approach is to practice.

[Sandmannd]

All fish for me. I cut the head off. Start on one side and go down the back bone till you don't feel ribs. Once on the backside of the ribs push the knife all the way through the belly and go all the way down to the tail. Open the fish from the top (spine) side and you will see the ribs. Just run your knife along the inside of the ribs till you don't feel them and cut down to the belly. Flip fish and do the other side. Now when you are done, grab the tail and pull, the spine and backbone come right out and you have one butterfly fillet. If you aren't going to eat them right away then fold together with the skin still on and freeze. The skin helps to protect the meet.

[Drewski]

I cut them down the middle, skin em, and take the bones out.

[so haaad]

I'm 100% Canadian...eh.

[Whiskeywalleyes]

Canadian way. 1 minute per walleye cleaned & baged.

I do it just like the video's by a MN fishing pro Jason Boser.

See attached Video.

walleye

Pike

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcWyGrV0qao