Guthook on Fish

[Wyatt]

I got to looking at the guthook on my Swing Blaze today and wonder if it would be the ideal tool for gutting salmon. It has a nice wide radiused tip that is more compact and probable safer than a fillet knife with less chance of nicking the fillet, especially while bobbing around on a boat. Downside is you would have to carry 2 knives, but for a bunch of fish it might just work! Anyone ever use this traditionally hunting tool on fish?

[bryasch]

why would you have to carry two knives. Just use the other side.

[akriverrat]

id rather use a fillet knife for filleting. that blade looks a little short to pass all the way through a slab of red salmon. also the thinner the blade the better final fillet you will come out with. the gut hook looks like it would work well though.

[spoiled one]

Just a question here, but why would you gut the salmon if you were going to fillet it? Personally, I bleed them out and fillet, then ice them down. No need to gut them in my opinion. If you are just wanting to gut then steak or roast them use what you have. It appears that it should do the job.

[akriverrat]

im not very good at filleting whole fish. i can do a much better job on a fish that has no head and no guts. i see people filleting there salmon all the time with guts in and they usually get blood all over there meat or other inner bodily fluids :eek:. i also dont like to get water on salmon meat, halibut and rockfish seem to do better with water but water pales out salmon meat and softens the texture. keep my fish headed and gutted in the ice chest till im ready to fillet and freeze. call me finicky but thats what working at a fish retail outlet will do to a guy.

[chico99645]

"i also dont like to get water on salmon meat, halibut and rockfish seem to do better with water but water pales out salmon meat and softens the texture. keep my fish headed and gutted in the ice chest till im ready to fillet and freeze. "

I agree with you 100% "akriverrat" on not letting salmon meat touch water. I bleed out all my fish immediatly and gut them within 15 minutes of being caught. Ice them down until I am ready to filet them. I scale all my salmon first, for silvers and reds a high pressure hose peels off those scales with ease. Kings are a pain in the butt but I still scale them as best I can. I then pat them dry and filet them. I put meat to meat and keep the skin facing out and vaccum seal it all. Every time I go the Deshka and see people filet fish and wash them down in river water that has silt and floaties all over. They bag the meat and take it home and sometimes without ice. I just cringe. All that bacteria is just having a field day in that awesome meat. Then again, its like hanging out at a butcher and seeing some of the dirty filthy smelly moose meat being turned in. Some butchers will not take it and I don't blame them. People wonder why game meat is gamey and fish is fishy. Its all about meat care (Cool, Clean,Cold and Dry)

My salmon is always good and firm with great color. Keeps 2 years although I never keep it long than 1. All other fish, the water doesn't seam to bother it very much but I do bleed and skin all my fish and its always snow white except lingcod. I think I will try your gut hook idea for gutting the fish. I usually use sissors and thats a pain but better than a filet knife when working in a small tight space. This year I will have more room with the bigger boat but the gut hook makes sense. Good Tip.

[Wyatt]

Just a question here, but why would you gut the salmon if you were going to fillet it? Personally, I bleed them out and fillet, then ice them down. No need to gut them in my opinion. If you are just wanting to gut then steak or roast them use what you have. It appears that it should do the job.

I think my statement was misunderstood as I never mentioned filleting the fish. I was comparing the merits of opening up a fish with a guthook vs. a fillet knife. Whether it's because you gut to steak, fillet or butterfly, would a gut hook be a better tool? I believe a REAL fish knife is still needed to process the fish no matter how you prefer to process it. I too don't like to leave the guts inside a fish for more than 4-5 hours even with ice available. I will at least open them up and that's what got me thinking guthook. I almost always bleed immediately, gut within 4-5 hours and do the real processing at home.

[Daveinthebush]

Filleting

im not very good at filleting whole fish. i can do a much better job on a fish that has no head and no guts. i see people filleting there salmon all the time with guts in and they usually get blood all over there meat or other inner bodily fluids :eek:. i also dont like to get water on salmon meat, halibut and rockfish seem to do better with water but water pales out salmon meat and softens the texture. keep my fish headed and gutted in the ice chest till im ready to fillet and freeze. call me finicky but thats what working at a fish retail outlet will do to a guy.

If you fillet the fish correctly you do not puncture the insides at all. In fact, both fillets should come off together, hinged at the belly.

[akriverrat]

i understand the concept of it but like i said, i do a better job with a H&G salmon.