Dumb question!

[Jim Bob]

Am from Colorado, will be fishing in Kansas, lake is loaded with Bluegill and Crappie, how do you clean them? If we get lucky enough to catch em.

Thanks again!

[steve schmidt]

If you have an electric knife, cut behind the gill but NOT THROUGH the backbone...lay your blade flat and work right a long the backbone towards the tail and go right through the rib cage as you do it. NOw...if you stop just before you exit the end of the tail, you can "flip" the fillet that is still attached to the body over and then lay your knife on the narrow portion of the fillet (by tail) and then with slight downward pressure remove the skin. Make sure you keep the knife flat or at a very slight angle so you dont cut through the skin. I then cut the piece with the rib cage off entirely (Not much meat on the ribs). Then remove any little "cling on's"..wash the fillets a few times and fry em up!

The other procedure with a knife is harder to describe...easier to show someone. Good luck.

[Lunker]

This is hard to explain. Make a cut from the back down to the chest(belly) down one side to the bones. The cut should be just behind the fin that is located behind the gills. Then cut along the back, stopping the point when it hits the rib bones, making an incision from where you started the first cut down to where your knife no longer touches the ribs and poke through out the belly, continuing your cut until you have fileted the tail. Peel back what is cut so far, and carefully seperate the meat from the ribs and belly with the tip of your knife until filet is detached. Repeat on other side of fish. Then you have two filets with skin on. Use fingernail to pin tail of filet skin to board, run knife along the skin seperating from the meat. This is really hard to explain online but I tried. I prefer fried in a cornmeal/flour mixture, then served hot with a sauce made from 50/50 mayo mustard. Good luck

[can it be luck?]

Steve, that was explained perfectly! I do mine the exact same way, I use a knife though. PS: Lunker, Most of my friends fillet like you explained.------------------------------------------
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[This message has been edited by can it be luck? (edited 01-18-2004).]

[fishnutbob]

Lunker, I also clean my panfish that way, if I have bigger fish, gills I like to scale them, and fry with the skin on. It takes a little practice at first but its faster. I like a small knife and it would help if you could watch someone first.

[CrappieJohn]

If you plan on filleting thesecritters with a traditional fillet knife, get one with a good backbone. Softer knives work well on walleyes and trout, but when cutting through the ribs on pannies the soft ones like to "wander" and you'll be tossing away some very good food. Another issue is keeping the knife sharp. It is imperative that you keep that blade very sharp!

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Plastics...making better fishermen without bait! Good Fishing Guys! CrappieTom
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[can it be luck?]

I just got back from my mother's house where she had cooked up some gills we caught on Blackduck lake this summer. She had scaled and cut thier heads off when we cleaned them. Man, talk about tasty! I think by leaveing them cook with the bones and skin intact, the flavor is twice as good! And by grabbing the spine and flakeing the meat off with a fork there's no wasted meat. I usually fillet all my fish, but I forgot how good they are with the skin and bones left on! Thanks Mom!!

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[IceHawk]

My Mother and Father inlaw do this for me on ocassion. They always leave some with the bones and skin intact, cut the head off gut them and scale them. They than fry these fish, with some fried potaoes and beans, it doesn't get any better than this.

[BLACKJACK]

canitbeluck, I agree, panfished cooked whole are great, my mom does it all the time. My theory is that when you're eating 1/2 a fish that you've taken the bones out of, it cuts down on the breading/grease and you get more of a true fish flavor. We all get caught up in the 'gotta fillet them' because all the pros do, but maybe I'll try some whole ones next time.

[fishnutbob]

My grandmother would always eat them whole the sunnies now I know why the flavor is great can't beat it.

[This message has been edited by fishnutbob (edited 01-20-2004).]

[can it be luck?]

True fish flavor...Yes, that's a good description! Sort of a "mixing" of the flavors, skin, meat, and bone. On second thought, turn them loose! Let them grow! CPR!......NOT! How about, Please pass the tarter sauce and lemon!! Dig in folks!!

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