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So I decided to put my new camera to work making a point. Pat and I sparred, (kinda a strong word) about the necessity of bleeding out catfish and wipers before cleaning them. I contend that the catfish are slimeless when cleaning them if you bleed them first, and that the red line is so diminished that you don't have to remove it. Also I contend that the fillet is better quality and the fish better tasting. You can all be the judge. As I recall Pat implied that I had been smoking something to make my observations. In photo #1, I show the cutting board before I start filleting the 15 catfish I had bled out while on the lake. In photo #2 I show the board after I have cleaned 15 catfish. In photo #3 I show the cutting board after I cleaned the one non-bled catfish. You can all be the judge on that arguement. I know which board I prefer to clean.
The 4th photo shows an image of a catfish that I had just removed from my cooler. No slime. You can actually see how the fishes skin looks dry.
The 5th photo shows 30 filets stacked neatly in a pile. No slime. No fillets sliding all over the place.
Photo 6 shows a side by side comparison of two fillets. Guess which one had been bled first.
Photo 7 shows a side by side of the lateral lines of both fish.
Photo 8 shows a bowl on the cutting board of thirty non-rinsed fillets.
Photo 9 shows 1 non-rinsed bled out fillet, on top of two of Tubedudes preference fillets.
Photo 10 shows two trimmed and rinsed fillets.
Which fillets do you think tastes better? Which one would you most likely want to cut the red meat out of?
And finally Pat tried to make me look stupid implying that the red flesh was sensory organs, and that the blood did not affect it whatsoever. You can all be the judge of that...
These results are the same with wipers.
Although I admit that it would be impractical for people fishing from tubes to bleed their fish before they leave the water, It's not fair to imply that doing so would be a waste of time, and that the fisherman was smoking something if he thought it made the quality of the fillets better and the flavor of the fish superb over the traditional methods.
I rest my case.
Slayerace
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No pics yet.....
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so how are you bleeding them? fillet knife to the gills?
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We used to keep a hangin' pole in the yard. We'd cut off the tail, hang 'em up, and let 'em drip awhile. I never bothered with it for small catfish, but it does prevent a mess with the bigger fish.
I was first introduced to this method after my first noodling trip in Arkansas. My friend caught 2 flatheads (50 lbs. and 35 lbs.) with his hands. I think he ended up bleeding more than the fish, but afterwards they were a pleasure to fillet... fed 60 people at my family reunion.
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They look good. If I am fishing for meat and have room for a cooler, I like bleeding and then straight on ice best.
In a float tube it is hard to have the room to do that though, especially if I have a battery and motor on it.
Keeping them alive in a basket works ok too, then bleed as I come into shore. With a lot of small panfish bleeding doesn't seem to make as much of a difference in the fillets as in the larger fish.
In areas that have some chem. contamination like PCBs, then it is best to remove all of the darker flesh and fat anyway, even in well bleed fish.
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What all fish do you do this with? I've seen on tv where they cut their tails off and hang them for a while. Do you do this at the end of the day or do it and leave them hang on a stringer? I'm not craving cat fish, thanks for that.....
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Yep, straight through from gill to gill then down through the soft part underneath in front of the gills.
So did the pics convince you?
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I only bleed out catfish and wipers.
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it's certainly worth a try!
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really? was this necessary? could you not have posted what you like to do without reference to how anyone else does it or all the BS?
I used to post weekly on this board. and visit it 4-5 times a day to see what everyone was doing. hard to make myself log in a couple times a week now with all the BS and drama.
Glad you like to bleed your fish. thanks for sharing.
I used to work on a catfish farm, and cleaned 4 - 500 pounds of catfish a day. With a pair of fish skinner pliers and a knife. nothing electric. i cleaned for our restaurant and for customers who caught fish out of our ponds and took them home. Never had a complaint, nor have I ever bled a catfish. Maybe i will try it next time and see what i have been missing.
See how easy that was... informational, no be-littling, no BS...
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I have always tried to do it but it never seems to work. I think I may be doing it wrong.
So you are stabbing through both sides and then down and out the bottom?
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Lip Ripper if you had read the original post, and known that Pat and I are friends, there would have been no need for you to turn this into a negative post. My first post was an fyi on how I bleed my cats and wipers. Tubedude started teasing me about it. So, the only person being called out is me, by you. So if you don't like the negativity, don't create it. Just keep lurking.
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I found your ideas very informative.Thanks for the input.
You are clearly butt hurt over TD's comments in the past.
I am sure he meant no harm and was only trying to be entertaining. I am sure he will have his say soon enough.[cool]
So do you bleed them while in the water? On a stringer?
If so do you think the blood in the water attracts more fish? Just wondering..Seems to be a good idea. Blood is bitter and fishy and removing as much as possible seems to be a valid and positive thing.
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Pat is entitled to his opinion and so are you... there really is no right or wrong way to do it.... do it how YOU prefer to.
Unless you have ice to throw them on after bleeding them out... the quality of meat will be much better if you keep the fish alive for as long as possible. (I understand you can keep them alive for as long as possible and then bleed them).
Tubedude is just going to laugh at this... you have only proven that you prefer to clean your fish one way. All he was saying is that he prefers to clean his, HIS way.
He was not trying to call you stupid - I think you took his humor the wrong way.
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[cool][#0000ff]Ooooh....ooooh....ooooh! Ya got me pilgrim. Man, you really go to a lot of effort to try to win an argument...that is really a very subjective thing and largely a matter of personal opinion.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I am first in line to agree that bleeding a fish out will help improve both the esthetics of appearance and the taste on the table. No argument there. I only had two qualifiers...from my standpoint...that make me reluctant to adopt a pre-bleeding process for my own fishing.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]1. Once my fish are in the basket I avoid handling them or taking them out of the basket until I return to the ramp. Better for the fish and better for me and my tube...especially if spines are involved. I still can't wrap my head around a good reason for removing each fish, killing it and bleeding it out before I am ready to fillet them on shore.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]2. My process involves completely bleeding and flushing the fillets...and chilling them in ice water...while they are still flopping. The end result is that these fillets look just as clean and purty as the ones you exhibit in your pictures for comparison. And regardless of how much blood you remove, there is still the sensory tissue along the skin side of the fillets. it does not go away. It just gets lighter. It is "vascular" tissue with a lot of blood vessels.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Bottom line is that I have been catching, cleaning and cooking fish for a whole lot of years...both recreationally and commercially. I have had a chance to observe a lot of different scenarios and I have a pretty fair idea of what it takes to produce good fish for the table.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If I am on a boat (rarely these days) and the fish will be going into a holding box or ice chest I DO bleed the fish before keeping them. But, fish kept in a livewell or in a live basket...like on my tube...will turn out just as good if you don't bleed them first. The bleeding is more a matter of reducing the mess on the fillet board. Otherwise the blood loss is at the fillet station rather than on the boat. No difference in the fish flesh if the blood is completely removed one way or another...preferably while the fish is still alive.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We have known each other long enough and have enough mutual respect that you know I am not attacking you or your preferred methods. All I am saying is that what is best for you is not always best for me.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Bottom line is that I cook and eat a lot of fish myself...and I put on fish feeds for quite a few other folks who are qualified to render educated opinions as to the taste and quality of the final product. I like what I fix and I don't get no complaints from others. Several family members will eat the fish I fix but will never eat it anywhere else.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]So...I ain't claiming that you are wrong and I am right. We each have our own reasons for what we do and we know what we like when we eat it. That's all that really matters.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]All that being said, I do have to agree 100% with you that some species should be immediately bled out...especially if you are NOT going to keep them. I have been religiously practicing this method for handling carp for a long time.[/#0000ff]
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TD is right. The only good carp is a dead carp.
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Really the only thing you convinced me of is that you take internet stuff wayyyyy too personal. Creating a novel post, filled with pics to try and discredit probably the most respected fisherman here, is just childish.
I have fished with Pat many times. We have filleted hundreds of fish out of Willard (cats and wipers) and I can say when it's all said and done, his fillets look every bit as good as the ones you produced. The fillets he does are thoroughly washed go immediately into ice water. They are not bloody or slimy in the least.
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Well there is one step better then just a dead carp... A nice chunk of carp meat on your hook catching you a nice catfish!!! That's about as good as any carp can aspire for out of life. [  ]
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