05-22-2007, 12:58 PM
Hey there broken_rod, and welcome to the BFT message boards! Please feel free to navigate the site and ask any questions you may have.
As for your question, the fellas pretty much covered cleaning the fish. You know, I gauge how I clean the fish based on it's size. If it's a small panfish, you loose alot of meat by filleting it. It's just not worth it. You're better to scale, head, and gut it. But, if it's a good sized fish, you're just as good to fillet it. Personally, the ONLY species of fish I keep that I don't fillet is Crappie. I never fillet crappie. I scale, head, and gut them. Anything else, if I can't fillet it, I don't waste my time keeping it. Back in the water they go. About the only two fish I keep out of fresh water is crappie and flathead catfish, only flathead catfish between 10-20 pound range. The other species of catfish just don't taste as sweet as a flathead. [
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Make sure you wash the meat very good before cooking/freezing it. When and if you do freeze your catch, make sure and fill the freezer bag with water before you toss it in the fridge. Covering the fish with water will help to keep it tasting fresh when you thaw it out. Also, don't thaw the fish out in hot water or in the microwave. Take it out of the freezer the day before and let is slowly defrost in the fridge. The fish will taste much better. [cool]
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As for your question, the fellas pretty much covered cleaning the fish. You know, I gauge how I clean the fish based on it's size. If it's a small panfish, you loose alot of meat by filleting it. It's just not worth it. You're better to scale, head, and gut it. But, if it's a good sized fish, you're just as good to fillet it. Personally, the ONLY species of fish I keep that I don't fillet is Crappie. I never fillet crappie. I scale, head, and gut them. Anything else, if I can't fillet it, I don't waste my time keeping it. Back in the water they go. About the only two fish I keep out of fresh water is crappie and flathead catfish, only flathead catfish between 10-20 pound range. The other species of catfish just don't taste as sweet as a flathead. [
] Make sure you wash the meat very good before cooking/freezing it. When and if you do freeze your catch, make sure and fill the freezer bag with water before you toss it in the fridge. Covering the fish with water will help to keep it tasting fresh when you thaw it out. Also, don't thaw the fish out in hot water or in the microwave. Take it out of the freezer the day before and let is slowly defrost in the fridge. The fish will taste much better. [cool]
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