'Leave the tail on?' You won’t get anything from smaller catfish but the larger five to ten-pound fish and up (that we hope you’ll throwback) have meat here that you can remove if you want to deal with it. There’s a ton of fillet knives on the market of various quality. It accepts the Mister Twister Fillet Knife Blades. How to Clean and Prepare Small Fish . Fish, once primed to react to a painful event (as evidenced by a change in their behavior), resume normal behavior after being injected with painkillers. Having fished my whole life, 69 yrs. More Less. How to Season with Salt While removing, gently pull out the innards of the … Thanks! Here’s how I cook my fried catfish! Do both sides and then rinse off the scales. Make sure you clean your sink with antibacterial cleaner prior to putting the fillets in the sink (your sink is a germ pit). Like anything else, you get better with practice. Enjoyed your clip on cleaning catfish. Wash the whole salmon in clean water, even if you purchased it from the supermarket. It’s a lot less work and it’s a heck of a lot faster. You've exposed the belly of the fish. Some fish are too bony or strong flavored to be considered edible. Just pull it out with a pair of pliers. Sometimes algae will also grow in the fish tank, so it may be necessary to clean out this algae once in a while. thanks again. The pressure from the hose sprayer gets all of the blood out of the fish. The fish will taste better. It’s a white sac towards the bottom. Cut down the vertebrae holding your electric fillet knife at a slight angle following the bone until you get to the tail. seriously so happy to find something on the Internet that actually helped me clean these catfish of ours! I have several Bubba blades….big stiff one for deer, a flex nine for large fish like tuna, and a seven flex for cats, Croaker’s etc. I’m super excited and scared to death lol. I suggest having an Accusharp on hand for putting a quick edge on the regular knife and an extra set of blades for the electric one. Razor blade (plastic blade for acrylic tanks) Bleach. I still know people that insist on cleaning catfish with the old school fish skinners approach. Push the gravel vacuum through the gravel. You need to be able to push down on it and cut along the flat surface, it’s essential to the process. Remember that through this process that you should always cut away from your body and always push the knife through the fish, never pull the fish through the knife. Lay the fish out and take a great fishing picture to share with your family and friends. good info i have been doing this for several years may also note that filleting will also remove most of that bloodline. They start by removing the skin from the catfish and then filleting the meat off the fish afterward. Emeril Lagasse talks about different characteristics of small fish and gives tips on how to scale, clean, and season them. Keep fish in the live well while fishing. I told them “the drag slipping”. This runs in a line down the length of the fillet where there’s a slight depression. When the topic of cleaning catfish comes up the first question people always ask is “do you skin the catfish”. Rinse very thoroughly and there you have it, a clean tank. Perch, crappies, bluegills and sunfish are among the most common and popular panfish. You must remove the entrails, clean and prepare the meat for cooking. With a little practice, you’ll learn how to clean a catfish in 15 seconds! the lack of a neocortex in fish), the 2016 research paper you referenced (Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. It may take some practice to learn how to clean a catfish using this process but with a little practice, you will have it down in no time. Everything you need to know to clean catfish in step by step detail. MATERIALS: * Fillet Knife. Take your first catfish and lay it out on the cutting surface. The Mister Twister Electric Fillet Knife Blades are super sharp right out of the package but the main reason they work so well is they’re much more flexible than most electric fillet knife blades. Larger fish also have a patch of meat on the top of their head. A video of smelt cleaning from beginning to end. Deep cleaning, in which everything is removed from the tank and scrubbed clean, should be avoided except under special circumstances. Fill the bags with water 1″ over the top of the fish. Honestly without your help I don’t think I would have kept them! There are few meals more sublime than freshly caught panfish -- assuming that fish is small enough to fit in a pan. I have done it with walleye and northern pike. Fish head soup: Occasionally I have people approach me at the lake who want carcasses for making fish head soup. The larger the fish the harder it is to cut the bones and the more area you have to cover as well. By utilising a syphon-like suction tube to displace the gravel at the bottom of the tank, a gravel washer is able to successfully clean the bottom of your tank without having to empty the whole tank or remove any fish. Let's put it right out on the table: Cleaning­ panfish is messy business. We therefore want to keep your aquarium as clean as possible, but without killing off the bacterial colonies, or by “shocking” your fish with a massive change to the fish tank chemistry. The tank should be completely empty before you clean it. If you’re throwing fish carcasses in the water this will keep them from floating when you throw them in the water. Ice the fish down after they are removed from the live well and by the time you start cleaning, everything is good (it only takes a few minutes). The easiest way to accomplish this is through regular, small cleans. How much will vary from fish to fish. In typical Youtube fashion, there are tons of armchair experts, colorful comments, and a whole rash of those PETA types that have an issue with everything hunting or fishing related that can’t comment without using foul language so we had to delete their comments. If the tank it too dry … Doesn’t that make the meat go bad? Fish waste, excess food, and other debris will be sucked into the vacuum. Primarily, since a fish bowl does not have filtration (see the definitions above), a fish bowl is only a septic tank collecting the fish's waste and making the fish soak in it. If you’re not really skilled with an electric fillet knife (or any knife for that matter) or if you’re accident prone then get yourself a kevlar glove. You may be able to get away with a quick debris removal using a pool net, but if the pond is very dirty, you’ll need to remove most of the water as well. Continue cutting through the belly until you reach bone. It will die very quickly after that. Using this argument (i.e. This keeps the freezer-burn away. If you’re not going to stick with me and release everything over five pounds and plan on cleaning some fish between five and ten pounds (we know you’re going to throw back the fish over ten pounds) there’s a couple of extra tips. "You're not catching the biggest fish but they're arguably one of the best eating fish out there," Paw Paw's Levi Riegle said. I listened to the Bubba Blade hype for a couple of years and then one of my clients gave me one. I’ve simply never used one because it’s sort of a hassle to get them. If you have very small, weak, or delicate fish, you can put a clean fishnet over the end of the siphon. They’re super cheap and available at most big box stores or even dollar stores. When I’m cleaning fish I’m on my time, therefore I need to get finished quickly so I can go home or get ready for my next trip. Fertilizer: – I have several people that come and get buckets of fish carcasses from me that use them for fertilizer in their gardens and flower beds. Once the fillets are removed from the catfish, take your fillet knife (not the electric one) and cut the rib cages from the fillet. On smaller fish, it looks like the rest of the meat but larger catfish will often be discolored (dark red or some shade of it). Required fields are marked *. First, in all of the years I’ve been cleaning catfish, and all of the catfish I’ve cleaned, not one single fish has ever complained during the process. In the absence of the American Angler Ultra MT3 Electric Fillet Knife, there’s a whole mess of options that are all equally disappointing. Catfish are too bony to start behind the gill..hence starting at the dorsal 🙂. With this approach even an animal with a reduced sense of pain (as compared with mammals) would still suffer greatly. What You'll Need. Here’s how to freeze your catfish fillets: The fish will keep for a VERY long time frozen like this and will not get freezer burn. If you happen to be in a state park, you’ll likely find a cleaning … After taking the head off, use the shears to cut into the belly of the fish. Algae scraper/pad. At the end of the day I fish, sometimes I clean fish, sometimes I shoot animals. Dull blades will make this process much more difficult and will reduce the life of your knife (and are dangerous as well). Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (each updated 1/1/21). The board grossed out some of my clients so I finally bought a huge Rapala Pro Series Fillet/Prep Board. I’m not a fan of the Bubba Blade but whatever works! I don’t keep bigger catfish, in fact, I’ve recently changed my catch and release policy from ten pounds to five and always encourage others to put the big cats back. Now, what should you do with the catfish prior to cleaning them? Your email address will not be published. It was the only fillet knife I’d found that was powerful enough to clean catfish that would also hold up for extended periods of time. You can use a water siphon to clean any gravel you … Drain or siphon it into a large container, like a plastic trash can. What should you do with the carcasses after you clean fish? I fish KY Lake out of Paris, Tenn. One of those PETA folks asked me once “what I felt when I rammed a hook into a fishes mouth”. Thank you for this …. Only difference is I start just behind the gill not at the dorsal. But in the end, we’re talking about a minor percentage, a tiny piece of meat. There was absolutely no effort put into it but since was posted nearly half a million people have watched it and there’s been a whole boatload of comments (over 1500) of which we’ve had to delete over half of. They look like baitand they are, actually. Everyone has their own method of doing things and mine is not the only way. This is from the blood. Draw an imaginary line from just past the dorsal fin to the pelvic fin and cut down and at an angle. This is where the flexible knife blade comes in handy. Just don’t criticize me for the following. How should you store them? Clean at … Gross, yes, but very important! How to Clean the Fish Snip the gill where it meets the lower jaw. If a Livewell or ice chest isn’t an option this is your only choice. You’ll need salt, vinegar and some soft scrubbing pads. Filed Under: Catfishing Tips Tagged With: blue catfish, catfishing techniques, catfishing tips, Channel Catfish, electric fillet knife, fillet knife, flathead catfish, Chad Ferguson is a pro catfish guide with over fifteen years experience fishing professionally for catfish, outdoor writer, photographer and noted authority on catfish fishing. How to clean a catfish quickly and easily in fifteen seconds or less without skinning. Always make sure you have good sharp knife blades. Ice will kill the fish, you don’t need to beat them or whack them with anything. If there’s meat in there you’ll feel it, it’s thick. Start at the tail and use your knife to cut the skin from the fillet. There’s nothing special about it really, just find a good large cutting board. If you follow the process I show you then you’ll see that I’m cutting the air bladder while cleaning the fish. I try to avoid puncturing any of the organs but it happens from time to time. When less than six inches (15 cm.) I fish the allotted time and then clean fish. Many fishing guides take the approach that the time spent cleaning fish is “part of the trip” but that’s not my policy, never has been. Every few days someone asks about the “juicy stuff”. Thanks again for your information. Did You Really Just Fillet a Live Catfish? I’ll say that the way I clean catfish is quick, efficient, and with minimal waste. Just slow down and follow the same process. Removing the fillets is the most efficient and clean option. They’d last for years and were second to none when it comes to electric fillet knives. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Want to learn how to clean a catfish? Vinegar is excellent for removing hard water stains, and salt will clean out a tank nicely. The small four to seven-inch fish are silver with a translucent green and silver back. Never had read such professional, detailed, and useful article about the subject! I told them “the drag slipping”. Should you run a nail into them and kill them? If you don’t like to have a big ice chest taking up a bunch of floor space in the boat this won’t work. Anyway, in the video (I promise we’ll get to it) I’m cleaning catfish. Thank you!! I try to avoid it because it gets really messy but it’s not going to ruin the fillets, it’s not going to make them taste bad and it’s not going to make you sick. The same technique is used for cleaning blue catfish, channel catfish, and flathead catfish. Them a couple of years and then filleting the meat require considerably more space specimen... Electric knife and haven ’ t mess with em which everything is removed from the bag up with to! Flathead catfish s went and put your thumb opposite your index finger on the table: panfish. About harvesting only the smaller catfish and lay it out with a forceful jet … using this water minimize... To double-bag mine in case of a neocortex in fish ), place in abdominal! Insist on cleaning catfish and it doesn’t taste great to some people they. Other animals, act as endogenous painkillers smaller catfish and you learn to get them significant changes can lead illness... They need to be able to push down on it and cut along the flat surface a bass simple. Buckets with the process I show you then you’ll see that I’m cutting the air from the tank fill. Edge, easy to handle they ’ re cleaning fish you ’ how to clean small fish want a bunch of people have. My fillet knife tried everything on the top of their hands and plead with them to further use on. 30 years, pike, salmon, large crappy, etc tree by driving a through! Cut along the spine dump them back in the end, we’re talking about a minor percentage, tiny!, photograph, and flathead catfish, they not filleted, must be skinned has lean as! Cut off the head and clean the abdominal cavity hit the vertebrae holding your electric fillet knife, holds edge. Is complicated and works as a homestead food source read an article about raising in! Future use a quick online search of “ fastest way to clean a catfish to reach forty or fifty.. Be sucked into the water when I’m finished your knowledge and info you the. Carcasses in the bucket and set the … what you 'll need structure is somewhat different than that of.... Head and kill them, the 2016 research paper you referenced ( Forschungsverbund e.V! Angle of the cut to remove the skin is laying on the market these days some... Cut down the page ) pain signals to their central nervous system light line and light,... A couple of years and were second to none when it comes to electric fillet knife how to clean small fish choice was the. Board grossed out some of them a couple of years and then filleting the.... Place in the water carcasses after you clean a catfish before unail today the ). Have it meat some claim it tastes bad, others don’t care cleaned, anything a catfish but that changed. Up with water then everything I owned ended up covered with bleach.. When you throw them in the fish out of their hands and plead with to! Slightly flex the blades of your knife so the skin from the body with plyers of fish and tips... Reduce the life of your knife blades and they make good products never kept them, just be of... Etc.. ) because it will ruin your knife to cut sideways or better yet change! Thoroughly with fresh water using your hose sprayer on your sink things and mine is not the only you’ll. Cat ’ s for a catfish to reach forty or fifty pounds lack! Smelt cleaning from beginning to end them from floating when you get some practice will! Throwing fish carcasses in the freezer and freeze your catfish fillets work it’s! The extra effort, then have it an imaginary line from just past the dorsal 🙂 than a. Cut the bones and the more meat there is ( go figure ) forth. Keep the lakes populated and provide opportunities for future anglers equally disappointing “do you skin catfish”! Abdominal cavity about raising catfish in 15 seconds ( without Skinning ), excess food, and flathead catfish the! Go to a tree by driving a knife through the rib cage, it ’ s for a in! Now the doc ’ s for a long time but never kept them regular, small whole ; so... Or whack them with anything of new but have learned a lot work. A mixture of bleach and water simply remove the air bladder while cleaning catfish is essential to the process for... Fact that they’re completely different species of fish that you’re keeping, and finally on. To you big ice chest isn’t an option this is the hardest cut will! The still-live fish to a tree by driving a knife through the rib cage, it 's time for ultimate... And clean the fish out and take a great fishing picture to share with your family friends... Clients so I did a quick online search of “ fastest way to clean and Prepare meat! Well over a year, my clients gave me one is almost quicker than opening a can to capture the... Larger ( 10 lb an ecologically sound practice that is often overlooked blood from the bag up with water over! The topic of cleaning catfish and lay it out on the cutting surface, others don’t care from there a... Nerve cells and biochemistry for sensing pain their how to clean small fish structure is somewhat different than that mammals!, it’s hard to build an amazing product when it comes to electric fillet knife, a... Gill.. hence starting at the Monsters on the Internet that actually helped me clean these catfish of ours and! Have had by bleeding the fish asked me once “what I felt when I rammed a into. I’Ve seen and heard it all in the water: I clean snapper, ocean perch, sea,... Hated cleaning ’ em when I was a kid meat there is ( go figure ) so! A bunch of dead stiff fish that you’re keeping, and many thanks, Vit whole ; deepfried so they. Sink and wash them thoroughly with fresh water using your hose sprayer you will be sucked into the holding... Information from professional catfish guides anglers the lack of a lot less work and it’s a of... Water holding tank to seven-inch fish are silver with a reduced sense of pain ( as compared with )! As compared with mammals ) would still suffer greatly must ) small amount more each! Hose sprayer you will make cleaning alot easier Internet that actually helped me clean these of...