fileting steelhead

[fishineddie]

i can fly through walleyes and other fish but i tried a few steelhead and basically shredded them can anyone help?

[Hi Ho Silver_Joe]

i can fly through walleyes and other fish but i tried a few steelhead and basically shredded them can anyone help?

Use a long knife. Remove the belly first then remove the entire fillet with the rib cage. then go back with a smaller knife and remove the ribs from the fillet. The lateral bones can also be removed by using your fingers as a guide to cut through the fillet on each side of the bones. And there you have it... Boneless steelhead. That right there is some good eatin':D

http://www.fishontario.com/articles/filleting-fish/trout.html

[fishineddie]

thanks for the info joe..my friend has a few left in the freezer so i can practice...:)

[Far Beyond Driven]

Here's how I do it:

Cut behind the head down to the spine from the top of the fish to the bottom, turn the knife sharp edge towards the tail, and cut towards the back of the fish. Cut through the pin bones that stick out of the spine, but not through the ribs. When you get even with the anus, poke the knife through the bottom of the fish, then cut up though the skin just before the tail. You'll have a fillet that is only attached at the ribs.

Flip the fish over, and repeat.

Flip the fish back over, grab the fillet at the top and pull it up to see the ribs where the meat is attached. Starting at the head end of the fish, lay the knife on the ribs and swipe it back to the anus. Two or three swipes and you should be able to remove all the meat from the ribs and get down to the skin on the belly. Cut through this, and trim the bottom edge as needed. Flip the fish and repeat.

However you do it, do as much as you can without removing a fillet from one side. If you cut one side off, then work on the other, the second side is much harder.

This sounds complicated, but I can clean a steelie /salmon this way in about 30 seconds.

If you want to take the skin off, cut to the tail but not up and through the skin. Peel the meat off the ribs as mentioned above on both sides, the flip the fillet meat side up and work your knife against the skin at the tail, and work forward.

FBD, Holland, MI

[live2fishdjs]

You probably need a bigger knife (not a joke:) )...get a Forschner-you'll love yourself for it and you won't botch anymore fish if you keep it sharp.:D

http://www.fishdogco.com/forchner.cfm

Another tip is to be sure the fish are cool (preferably COLD). A warm fish is much more difficult to clean. Put them in a fridge or on ice in a cooler if need be before cleaning.

[andy capp]

Use an electric:D