How to Process a Pan Fish ( clean fillet skin)

[davetclown]

[center][size 1][#ff0000]<*@}))))))X< Ice Fishing Tip number #73[/#ff0000][/size][/center] [center][font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font][/center] [center][font "Times New Roman"][size 3]How to process a Pan Fish[/size][/font][/center] [center][font "Times New Roman"][size 3][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/8642/size/big/cat/574"][/url][/size][/font][/center] [center][font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font][/center][font "Times New Roman"][size 3][/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]I don’t need to tell you about safety first, but then I would be skipping a step my self.. so remember your safety rules and practices. [/size][/font]
[size 3][font "Times New Roman"][/font][/size] [ul] [li][font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Never process food while under the influence of alcohol [/size][/font] [li][font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Never cut toward your self[/size][/font] [li][font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Never attempt to clean any animal or vegetable with a dull knife[/size][/font] [li][font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Always have a first aid kit on hand just in case you do make a mistake.[/li][/ul]
[/size][/font] [center][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/8637/size/big/cat/574"][/url][/center] [left][/left]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]There are many tools used for sharpening knives, a quality wet rock or honing steel is really all you need, [/size][/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]I use the wet rock to sharpen my knife before starting to process my harvest.[/size][/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]I use the honing steel to touch up the blade of my knife during my processing of my harvest, My grandma never used any thing other than her wet rock sharpening several times while processing a mess of fish. I prefer the steel because it is easier to clean afterwards.[/size][/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]In my photos you will see paper under the crappie, it is common practice to use newspaper under the fish while cleaning, I prefer to use a clean smooth flat surface that I can wipe down during the processing task because I use a small work area where I cant spread out my work.[/size][/font]
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[size 3]Step 1[/size]
[size 3]I start by making a vertical cut from the top of the head down to the lower fin following the gill. [/size] [center][size 3][/size][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/8639/size/big/cat/574"][size 3][/size][/url][/center]
[size 3]I don’t cut through, you can if you want to, but I find I don’t need to do the extra work of cutting off the head and pulling the innards out.[/size]
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[size 3]Step 2[/size]
[size 3]Rotate the fish 180 degrees [/size] [center][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/8641/size/big/cat/574"][size 3][/size][/url][/center]
[size 3]Insert your fillet knife just under the skin and follow the backbone along the top fin until you have just passed the rib cage.[/size]
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[size 3]Step 3[/size]
[size 3]Lift the edge of the fish[/size] [center][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/8643/size/big/cat/574"][size 3][/size][/url][/center]
[size 3]Cut the remaining flesh down to the backbone[/size]
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[size 3]Step 4[/size]
[size 3]Lift the edge of the fish fillet [/size] [center][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/8646/size/big/cat/574"][size 3][/size][/url][/center]
[size 3]Insert your fillet knife flat level with the backbone just behind the rib cage[/size]
[size 3]Cut along the bone to the tail. [/size]
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[size 3]Step 5[/size]
[size 3]Trace along the rib cage to finish off the fillet[/size] [center][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/8638/size/big/cat/574"][size 3][/size][/url][/center]
[size 3]Be careful not to cut the ribs, they are easy to cut though [/size] [center][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/8640/size/big/cat/574"][size 3][/size][/url][/center]
[size 3]If you do cut though one be sure to remember to remove it from the fillet before cooking.[/size]
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[size 3]Step 6[/size]
[size 3]This is where having a sharp knife is really important. A dull knife will rip the skin or the fillet[/size]
[size 3]Skin the fillet by laying the scale side down on a “clean” flat surface [/size]
[size 3]Hold down the tip of the tail [/size] [center][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/8645/size/big/cat/574"][size 3][/size][/url][/center]
[size 3]Gently cut down to the scales being careful not to cut though, it is easy to do, [/size]
[size 3]Once you reach the skin turn your knife flat to the cutting surface and slide across the skin to the other end.[/size] [center][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/8647/size/big/cat/574"][size 3][/size][/url][/center]
[size 3]Don’t be to critical of how you do, you will get better the more you get in practice processing fish.[/size]
[size 3][/size][size 3]Step 7[/size]
[size 3]Pan Fish has a spare set of ribbones; they are short from a 1/6th to ¼ but easy to remove.[/size]
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[size 3]Look at the flesh from the side you cut away from the rib cage, feal along the visible center line and you will be able to feel the spare set of ribs.[/size] [center][size 3][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/8648/size/big/cat/574"][/url][/size][/center]
[size 3]To remove them cut along the side of the little bones with your fillet knife on both side in my example I cut wider than necessary to show the general area where the bones are located and how to remove them.[/size]
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[Tarpon4me]

Pretty informative. Though, with crappie and other panfish, I usually scale, gut, and head them. Especially if they are of a smaller species of panfish. It almost seems a waste if you try to fillet them. You loose a decent amount of meat for the sake of having a tiney, boneless fillet. Of course as many of you know, I primarily use panfish for bait anyhow. LOL If I want an eatting fish, i'll stick with a 30 pound or less flat head. [cool]
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[lskiles]

Thanks, Dave!
I have yet to catch a panfish bigger than my hand, but if I do I can now have a good idea how to fillet it.
I did try to fillet a smallmouth bass a few weeks ago and after seeing how you do it I can see why it was such a disaster.
I am going after some catfish this weekend. Do you use about the same method for cats? I have never eaten a catfish, but my boss tells me that he loves them filleted and cooked in a beer batter.
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[Tarpon4me]

Catfish are very similar, except the first step is to skin them. The easiest way to skin a catfish is to nail him to a tree. Put a 16 penny nail through his head and into a stout tree. Lightly cut around his head and fins as to free it when you begin your pull. Next, using a set of skinning pliers or just a good set of heavy pliers, get a good grip on the skin and start pulling. Once you get the skin off, you can remove the fish from the tree and begin your filleting process. You'll find it more difficult to fillet a catfish with the thick rib cage they have, but once you get through the rib cage, it very simple to finish the cut. You'll have to remove the rib bones from the front of the fillet, but once you do, the ending product is a boneless white fillet of fish. Rinse the fillet very good and remove any red tarnish meat from the fillet. The red meat is blood saturated and has a strong flavor.

I prefer to cut catfish into 1" squares, roll in batter, and deep fry. The beer batter is a great suggestion, as it makes for a mean plate of food. Add cole slaw, hush puppies, and a cold beer, and you're in happy land.

The biggest mistake people make when cleaning/preparing fish is leaving the dark meat on the fillet. It's not terrible or anything, but it does add a strong flavor to the piece of meat you take a bite of.

I prefer to eat Flathead catfish only, as they have a fishyless smell and taste. Blues aren't too bad either. I feel channel cats have a bit of a strong flavor, but that is to be expected based on the food habbits of this subspecies. They'll eat small live prey, but the bulk of their diet is the dead and/or stinky. And you know what they say, "you are what you eat."
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[lskiles]

Thanks for the info.
The only cats we have here localy, that I can find any information on, are brown bullheads and channel cats.
Some folks do not like the "fishy" or "wild" flavor, but I really do. Had a fellow I work with give me about 20 duck breasts because he loves to kill them, but does not like the "gamey" flavor...have not tried them yet, but I am sure they will smoke real good!

I take it you are from North Carolina. I envy the variety of species you have there with the redhorse and carp and all the cats. I am an aspireing roughfisherman. Not that I just want to catch roughfish, but I want to fish simple. No electronics, no fancy tackle taking up 4 boxes and two buckets...LOL. I want to c[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]onquer as many species as possible.[/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]It is, I am sure, not allowed to add the link to roughfish.com. I have been reading there alot lately and you should check out the lifelist for NC.[/size][/font]
[font "Times New Roman"][size 3]Roughfishing is not what you catch...it is your attitude.[/size][/font]
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[davetclown]

Your welcome, it was a long time comming, I had been meaning to do this post for several years, just slipped my mind every time I had a bucket full of swimmers to process....[blush]

actualy I do, its eaiser if you have a biger knife, one with a 12 or 15 inch blade but my 10 inch blade will to the job, the biggest cat I did was 35 pounds, I do dog fish the same way "bowfin" the same as salmon....

the guys up at tippy dam will skin and fillet them for you for 2 bucks, so I had them do one and I did one, start to finsh for them was 5 minuts, for me it was about 15 minuts... His knife was twice the lenth of mine...[angelic]

I do bass and perch the same way, but for trout and cisco I gill and gully dont skin and dont scale and dont cut the heads off...

years ago I used to nail my cats to the tellephone pole in the yard, aside from grosing out the meter reader a few times and an ocational pole climber it worked pretty well... I cut around the head and down the back bone and along the side of the belly only skin deep. then pull the skin down with a pair of vice grips... my hands would get to slippery with pliers...

cat fish and bull heads are a taisty treet... especialy when done golden brown in a bear batter... thre is a trick tho, dont cut them any more than say 3/4 to and inch think.. meaning one decent size bull head will give you 4 fillets...

If you ever bite in to a raw catfish you may get turned off by them...

one thing I will say for sure, if your buddy goes with you and you get one, do it his way, you can experiment on the next one. its good to have several ways to do something...

when I was younger, I used to do them the way Tarpon says, cut off thier heads, gully them, scale them... then fillet them... we used to be there for hours cleaning fish and swattin skeeters..

we even at one time had an electric scaler... talk about somebodies idea of a pratical joke [shocked] them scales when every where, my hair, the dogs hair the cats hair, even the guiny pig on the other side of the garage would catch a few scales 20 feet away...[laugh]

I swear by the time we were done scaling fish our arms would have more scales on them that the fish did before we started...[]

so when first starting out, go slow, take your time, once you develop a techneque of flips flops twist and turns you will pick up speed real quick...

I had to edit this in, when skinning a cat fish after filletting it, you deffinantly need a sharp knife during the skinning step, so take your time and re-sharpen your knife before skinning the fillet...
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[Tarpon4me]

I tell you a trick with the duck breasts. First of all, they will dry out very quickly on the grill. What I do when I grill them is fillet them down the middle and lay bacon in the crease evenly. You can even toss in some bannana peppers or what have you. The grease from the bacon keeps the meat moist, and it also tells you when the duck is done. Once the bacon starts crisping on the ends, the duck is cooked and ready to serve.

You're close in your accessment, i'm actually in South Carolina. Anyhow, in your quest to catch many different species of fish, you'll find that you won't be successful with out the right equipment. Even catfishing cat be deceptive, especially on the black water rivers of the carolinas. Sonar, for one, is indespensible. Not only to catch fish, but to prevent damage to your boat and gear. The water may look deep and snag free, but more times than not it's probably shallow and full of stumps and limbs. LOL Murphy's Law. But, you can target fish in a primitive fashion and still be successful if you follow the basics. Bass and panfish are easily targeted with out the use of safisticated equipment. Catfish are more complicated, atleast the larger species like blues and flatheads. The tactics change drastically from one body of water to another. It's best to rely on the local knowledge of your bait and tackle stores in your area. More times than not they will be more than happy to guide you in the right direction.

Fishing in the ocean, where I primarily fish, requires the use of Global Positioning systems, Sonar, and other fun gadgets to help us along the way. I remember using a map and compass to find the "general" location of the reef, but that took alot longer and nothing was gaurenteed. Then there was Loran C, and then came GPS. I've seen alot of anglers buy their fancy boats and gear, just to sit in the general area of the reef and never catch a thing. With out the right stuff, you're going to strike out almost every time.

But, it's not about catching fishing right? LOL, BULL CRAP! You've got to catch something, atleast every now and then. Or, what's the point in investing cash into a hobby you suck at? Might as well get a hydro slide or take up water skiing.

Now that i'm off my soap box, you'll find the kitty fish in the deep holes during daylight hours, and along the shore line at night. Channel/bull catfish dig structure, especially large deep holes, since they congrigate in large schools depending on the body of water. Bridges with drop offs along the pilons are prime time areas for channels, as well as big flat heads.
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[lskiles]

Thanks for taking the time to reply to my post.
I re-read my post and can not figure out why I said North Carolina...sorry 'bout that.
The spot I am going to try for cats is a primitive boat launch, no dock, not much but a paking lot and a ramp.
Last time I was there launching my canoe looking for brown trout there was a catfish head on the shore as big as a dinner plate.

Here kitty, kitty, kitty...
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[Tarpon4me]

LOL, sounds like my kinda place. I do some Kayak fishing in the inlet and in the slews off the main river. Sometimes the best fishing is in a shallow water vessel like that. Many great fishing holes are only accessable by dragging the boat through the slop for a short spell.

If you've seen a catfish head the size of a dinner plate, i'd be willing to bet it's not a channel catfish . Average channel is only about a couple pounds. 10 pounders are a trophy. Bullheads are even smaller. If it's primitive like you suggest, sounds like there might be flat heads in the area. Get yourself a little larger fishing outfit with 20 pound line. Tie on a carolina rig with a 7/0 wide bend or Circle hook. Use a live bream or shad for bait, but really any hand sized live fish will work. Toss that out in a hole next to structure and see what happens.



The above rig is one of many typical catfish rigs. A carolina rig is very similar. Instead of the tear drop weight, and egg weight is used. The little round guy between the lead and the swivel is a bead. It keeps the weight from damaging the swivel when they impact. Use a mono leader from the swivel to the hook, atleast 24" long. When you hook the live bait, insert the hook behind the dorsal fin and above the latteral line. This will keep the fish from getting stabed in the spin, thus turning your live bait into fresh cut bait.

Oh, and bring a net, unless you've got the balls to scoop him in the boat by hand. You can do this safely by lipping the fish just like you would a bass. Just make sure the weight of the catfish holds his jaw open, and make sure you have a good grip and dig your fingers under his jaw real good. This way you stay in control and the fish doesn't flop back in the water with the top layer of skin from your thumbs. []
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[idahopanfish]

I have been told a trick for duck is to soak them in milk for 24 - 48 hrs then cook them up like finger steaks. I have also been told that smoking them is hard to get a good piece of meat cause they dry out so easily, so bacon might be the cure for that.
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[davetclown]

I used to waist a bit when I first started, but proficientcy only comes though repitition. Sto;; every once in a while I will oops.

some times long skinny ones have less meet than short fat ones... and you think your waistin because you come up with little or nothin after filletting... when in fact you probably got as much off as could posibly be taken off...

them little blue gills are just so delectibly sweet, they are often called the poor mans shrimp... the only thing that could be better than deep fryd gills or deep fryd shrimp is deep fryd gills and deep fryd shrimp.[] both are small but well worth the effort to prepair.. By the platter full [][][] with beer [shocked]

True the bigger species are ealier to clean, not all that finess handling involved, few of us have the option to get out to the big waters or the supermarket to buy or catch a big fish...[blush][sly]
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[lskiles]

Thanks for the reply. I went out Friday after work and got to the lake about 30-45 minutes after dark. From your description I was using a Carolina rig. I started out with a worm on a gang hook and after about 20 minutes I switched to beef liver. We are not allowed to use live fish for bait in Washington state. The biggest problem I had was underestimating how cold it was at the lake. I sat with my lawn chair andmy gas lantern until I could not stand it anymore. I did not have to worry about cleaning/filleting any cats...none caught. I will not give up.
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[lskiles]

Thanks for the reply. I was going to brine the duck, but I had not thought to soak them in milk. I read somewhere else buttermilk will do nicely also. Have to give it a try.
Nice pontoon, I have been looking at them and want one for the spring.
Thanks also for the reminder to keep looking east...we need to remind one another once in a while that this is all temporary.
God bless you.
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[bassngal]

[cool] I fillet big slab crappie the same way except I use an electric knife. Easy!
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[davetclown]

I know a lot of guys who use those electric knives too, and swear by them. I have seen their work, they do a fine job.

I just cant bring my self to doing it. I mean, there is something about a sink full of water, a bowl full of water, a bucket full of water and fish and an electrical appliance in hand, well lets just say it makes my skin crawl....[blush]
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[bassngal]

[cool] I am thinking about buying a cordless knife to use when filleting.
One lake that I go to has a cleaning station that has a big disposal that chops up all the left overs and washes it back into the lake to feed catfish and anything else that will eat the chum. I like the cleaning station because I can clean the fish that I caught and not have to do it when I get home.
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[davetclown]

cant argue there, I like to use them when I am a couple hundred miles north fishing for salmon, reduces the load coming home big time....
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[Die2Fly]

Another way to clean smaller fish (I keep my limits when it comes to panfish).

Fillet starting at the end of the dorsal/pooper and cut back to the tail. Then cut from the spine to the dorsal on the other half and it will usually flip over so that the skin comes clean off.

Little fish are tasty little guys and if you have children like I do make nice little nuggets for them.
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