A quick "heads up"

[dirtface]

In all my years of fishing there are some things that have stumped me a little. Filletting fish has always eluded me. Clumsy, uncordinated, ??? I don't know. But I have been getting better as time goes by, and I dont make as much salmonburger as I use to. I bring this up because I refuse to believe I am the only one out there with this disability, and the recent Fish Alaska magazine has a great article on accomplishing this artful feat. After reading this article I have full confidence that this will be the year I finally discover the "knack"! dirt.

[AKmud]

I don't know if you have seen this thread, but fishNphysician posted some great photos of his fillet technique.

[Paul H]

A good teacher and some practice go a long way. Also a good sharp knife, that you touch up when it starts to loose it's edge. Fillet knives don't need to be very big or long, a folding rapalla fillet knife will handle fish up to the 40# range with ease, and the nice thin blade cuts easily.

Fish skin is tough and after a couple of fish you should touch up the edge. When you try and fight a dull knife you'll end up with a mess as you're putting too much force into the blade. I'm far from an expert at filleting but a friend who's filleted fish by the thousands makes it look amazingly easy to prodouce nice fillets.

[alaskachuck]

I was once a hacker myself. I could make a fillet look like it was hit by a semi doing 65 down the sterling highway. Then backed up over it again. Practice helped. Being shown by someone who is very good at it helped more. Keeping the knife sharp is the KEY for me. After each fish i put a quick edge on the knife. It then just flows down the fillet clean and looks pretty good. Now they dont look like they do a New Sagaya but they are presentable.

[Xanfly]

I can do a pretty good job, like others have said, a sharp knife is key.

And trust me you aren't alone. and judging from some of the hack jobs I see at the cutting tables you are probably far from the worst. Some of em just don't have a clue.

[AK2AZ]

The easiest way is to just take me along and I`ll do the cleaning.

[dirtface]

Really???

The easiest way is to just take me along and I`ll do the cleaning.

That could be arranged. But really, AK 2 AZ ?? are you here, or are you there?

[dandeo2003]

Easy

I guess I'm just lucky, but all I have to do is catch the fish. My wife cleans and or fillets them. She would rather do that than catch them - her words not mine. She said she agrees about having a sharp knife.

[ak_powder_monkey]

working at a lodge one summer cured me of my filleting problem

[AK2AZ]

That could be arranged. But really, AK 2 AZ ?? are you here, or are you there?

I`m here but don`t do that good of job anyway. Fish AK magazine this month has instructions for a couple different ways to filet salmon and halibut.

[RastaHunter]

One of the best tips I have ever learned about making a nice filet is after the filet is off the fish locate the pin bones and make a cut down to the skinand back along the row of bones until they stop and then do the same on the other side of the row of bones. then just run your finger under that strip of meat and it comes out with all of the bones. Your filet will have a small gap in it and you will lose a little bit of meat, but people like to have a piece of fish that is completly boneless.

[DRIFTER_016]

One of the best tips I have ever learned about making a nice filet is after the filet is off the fish locate the pin bones and make a cut down to the skinand back along the row of bones until they stop and then do the same on the other side of the row of bones. then just run your finger under that strip of meat and it comes out with all of the bones. Your filet will have a small gap in it and you will lose a little bit of meat, but people like to have a piece of fish that is completly boneless.

Yep, been doing it that way forever.
There is nothing I hate more than chompin' into a bone!!!! :mad:
It takes a little more practice, but this works well for filleting pike.
Just follow the Y bones on the out side and then repeat on the inside of the Y bones and remove the strip.

[preed]

i saw a guy two years ago, wait, start over, a girl two years ago at the cleaning table in Valdez using a battery operated fillet knife. that girl was filleting fish so fast and so perfectly we were in awe. Dad and i just watched, it was amazing. we even asked her how long she had been doing it like that and her answer was "10 minutes" she had never used one till then. last year at the last minute, last trip of the year, Valdez of coarse, dad grabbed his corded fillet knife laughing saying he wanted to try it out. even his very first try at it the fillet came out flawless, a thing of beauty. he happily cleaned all our fish in record time and every single fillet was absolutely perfect. i will be getting a motorized knife this year, no doubt about it.

[alaskachuck]

i saw a guy two years ago, wait, start over, a girl two years ago at the cleaning table in Valdez using a battery operated fillet knife. that girl was filleting fish so fast and so perfectly we were in awe.

Seriously?????? Did she have a boat and motor too. I think im in love. I have never seen that but on the rivers it is probably a little more of a pain to carry it. Other than that Id love to see someone using one in action

[pike it alot]

pin bones

Rather than cut the pin bones out I just pull them out with my leatherman before I cook them,it takes me less than a minute to do two fillets.