Posts: 542
Threads: 0
Joined: Feb 2015
Reputation:
0
Well, it's that time of year again so I thought I would make a short video of how I fillet wiper and most other fish. Keep in mind that it has been 10 months since I have filleted a wiper so tgisnt my best work! lol
I actually do everything but catfish like this, even trout! For trout, just follow up with some tweezers and pull them pin bones (above the rib bones).
The key is using a breaking knife, also called a boning knife, rather than an actial fillet knife. My American Angler breaking knife is like $15 on Amazon and has done hundreds of fish!
Here is the YouTube link to my short video...
https://youtu.be/Dc8_Isv7D-8
[signature]
Posts: 656
Threads: 0
Joined: Feb 2012
Reputation:
0
Your process looks good, but I will never give up my electric fillet knife. It takes all the cutting work out of it. You just aim the blades and it does all the work for you... no back and forth cutting motion with your hands... the electric fillet knife just glides through the fish.
Don't forget to cut the cheeks out of the walleyes[  ]
[signature]
Posts: 542
Threads: 0
Joined: Feb 2015
Reputation:
0
How well does it take the skin off? I have an electric but never got a feel for it I guess. I ruined a couple fillets with it and haven't given it anotger try... Maybe I'll try again sometime
[signature]
Posts: 656
Threads: 0
Joined: Feb 2012
Reputation:
0
Takes the skin off great. Since you were nice enough to post a video sharing how you fillet your fish, I will post a video of how I do it the next time I get out and catch something.[ ]
There are advantages and di  vantages to electric knives vs. regular knives... and when deciding which to use it is really subjective... definitely a preference thing.
Most electric fillet knives you buy these days are made in China and they are not made to last more than a year or two... particularly when you are cleaning a lot of fish. So one advantage to using a regular knife like you do, is that you don't have to replace it every few years.
[signature]
Posts: 386
Threads: 0
Joined: Jan 2003
Reputation:
0
Should you go electric, go cordless. I own both. Seems the cord was always in the way unless you use a plug behind you. At least that seemed to be the best for me. Doesn't matter with the cordless. Cordless are more expensive and a little heavier, but weighing the pros with the cons, I prefer the cordless. I use the Rapala brand.
[signature]
Posts: 542
Threads: 0
Joined: Feb 2015
Reputation:
0
Yeah, we went out today and brought back another few limits to fillet so I dug out the electric and remembered a couple things I personally didn't like about them vs the breaking knife. It was a little easier on the hand/wrist, but I didn't feel like I was getting as clean of a cut and leaving a little meat behind... It wasn't bad though
The biggest problem I found was the clean up. This time of the year, I'm usually doing 12-15 wipers at a time. I have an outdoor fillet station so I have gotten in the habit of making a bit of a mess when processing fish. After 2 fish, I had blood and gunk all over the electric motor part of the knife. Hard to clean well without filling the motor with water. I am assuming this is the reason deck hands on charter boats use real knives vs electric fillet knives.
Either way, I wasn't trying to start the argument of electric vs regular knives. They both do the job, it's all personal preference... Just trying to show people that processing fish isn't real hard and anyone can do it!
[signature]
Posts: 14,467
Threads: 191
Joined: Jan 2011
Reputation:
15
I agree the cleanup is a pain with the electric, but on wiper with the heavy rib bones, I like how easy they cut them verses my fillet knife. Now with your big blade that might not be an issue. I do hate leaving meat behind as well, but I find if I go a little slower and try to be careful, even the electric can do pretty well. That's why I'm always too slow at taking care of my fish. I also find when I cut that close, I get small pieces of spine in the meat that I shaved off, so I have to go back and remove them. Guess it's a trade off little meat loss vs extra time and trimming. Anyway thanks for the video it will be great for those that haven't seen it before. TD taught me one day and it sure saved me a lot of time over what I was doing before. Later J
[signature]
Posts: 656
Threads: 0
Joined: Feb 2012
Reputation:
0
I wasn't trying to start a debate or argument either.
Any knife you are used to using will get the job done.
[signature]
Posts: 4,630
Threads: 2
Joined: Feb 2005
Reputation:
0
Grab a box of nitrile gloves. NPS had a crazy deal and I got something stupid crazy like 600 for $8. I know it makes me sound like a princess but I use them for everything. Preparing meat for the smoker, working on my truck and of course filleting fish. Keeps the electric knife clean because the gloves wash off so easily.
[signature]
Posts: 1,869
Threads: 16
Joined: Feb 2012
Reputation:
3
Now this fellow knows how to fillet.
[url "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcMunymoAQg"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcMunymoAQg[/url]
[signature]
Live to hunt----- Hunt to live.
Posts: 436
Threads: 6
Joined: Aug 2004
Reputation:
1
Thanks for the info in this thread. I usually catch and release but plan on taking the kids out more this year which I'm sure they'll watch to keep and eat their catch. Do wipers and crappie have pin bones like trout and salmon that you need to worry about when filleting them?
[signature]
Posts: 542
Threads: 0
Joined: Feb 2015
Reputation:
0
No pin bones on the white meat fish... Trout and salmon are awesome when you pull them with tweezers though! Still get a big fat fillet with zero bones! Yum
[signature]
Posts: 36,072
Threads: 301
Joined: Sep 2002
Reputation:
60
[#0000FF]Neither of them have the fine little pin bones of trout. But the wipers have a row of heavier bones that run along the lateral line...but only as far as the ribs extend. Most of the time these are removed by making a good vertical cut when you remove the rib cage...as in the picture below. If you run your finger along that cut in the fillet afterward...and if you missed any bones...you will feel them so you can cut them out or pull them out with long nosed pliers.
[inline "5 REMOVE RIB CAGE.jpg"]
[/#0000FF]
[signature]
Posts: 280
Threads: 0
Joined: Jan 2007
Reputation:
0
I'm a glove man too. TEAM PRINCESS!
[signature]
Posts: 4,063
Threads: 60
Joined: Sep 2007
Reputation:
22
[quote HD7000]My American Angler breaking knife is like $15 on Amazon and has done hundreds of fish![/quote][font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]My Bubba knives do exactly the same thing and cost 5 times as much! Nanny, nanny, boo, boo! Just pullin' your chain - a little.[/#800000][/font]
[ ] [fishin] [  ]
[signature]
Bob Hicks, from Utah
I'm 82 years young and going as hard as I can for as long as I can.
"Free men do not ask permission to bear arms."
Posts: 3,713
Threads: 130
Joined: May 2011
Reputation:
5
HD, I have an American Angler electric that is plug in, a Rapala that can be used on the internal battery, plugged in to regular 110 AC, or a DC converter that lets you clip it to battery terminals. They both work well depending on where I'm doing the cleaning. The American Angler has blades that are a bit thinner and a little more flex. They work very well for getting between the shin and the meat, and make filleting a Catfish a very easy job. Both of those electric knives have their place and do well. But a couple years ago I invested in a Cutco filleting knife. That sucker wasn't cheap, but it is SHARP, made in the USA, guaranteed for life, and sharpened for free if needed. I take it when I will be camping / fishing and not in an area that has a cleaning station. Another BFT member commented about nitrile gloves, and he is 100% correct. I bought a couple boxes at Harbor Freight. Not for the purpose of keeping my hands clean, but they give me a better grip on the fish.
[signature]
"OCD = Obsessive Catfish Disorder "
Or so it says on my license plate holder
Posts: 895
Threads: 0
Joined: Sep 2009
Reputation:
0
+1 on what TubeDude said about wipers.
Also, depending on how you fillet crappie, there can be a small line of pin bones that run along the top of the rib cage like a wiper. For those of you that think I'm crazy, here is what I'm talking about:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM5AkrZf...tml5=False
Check out around the 3 minute mark where he shows how he cuts out the pin bones.
That is a technique that I've used in the past for bluegill and smaller crappie. If I fillet like show above, I won't worry about taking out the bones if I'm cooking for myself. For the family, I cut them out. All members of the sunfish family will have these if you fillet them as shown in the video.
If you are simply cutting behind the gill plate, turning your knife 90 degrees, and taking the meat off down to the tail, you won't have those bones in your fillet when you remove the rib cage.
[signature]
|
