Help on filleting a kitty?

[pleasantmisery]

I thought I saw a post or link on filleting a catfish a time ago, probably from TD, but I may be up in the night.
Trout and similar fish I can fillet without a problem but I have never tried filleting a catfish and any help or advice would be appreciated.
[signature]

[Old_Coot]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2][#002850] I filleted a small catfish a few days ago and didn't see much, if any, difference from what it is like filleting a wiper or walleye. As I was doing it, I was thinking "Hmm, I guess fish are fish are fish".[/#002850][/font][/size]
[signature]

[texscala]

Make sure you skin them first. All I do is sken them and then fillet them. You don't need to gut them or cut off their heads
[signature]

[finhunter]

catfish can be filleted in the same manner as other warm water species. The difficult part is removing the skin from the fillet because the skin is so thin and delicate. Just make sure you put your fillet on a really flat spot, try and stretch the fillet as much as possible to keep the skin tight as you cut. Keep your knife parallel to the skin. Another method I have found is to just let the fillets dry out a bit and then the skin is a lot tougher and easier to remove.

If there is any dark areas in the flesh, I will cut it out. Catfish have very mild flavor.
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=142538;#142538"]HERE'S THE LINK[/url] to the pictorial post I once put together on filleting cats. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I often fillet cats with my electric knife, just the same way as I do with other species. However, because of the thin non-scaly skin, it sometimes works better to do it like I show in the pics. That is to "slab" the fillets off the skeleton first and then skin them from the top down, with a regular knife, using the rib cage as a handle.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I can't believe how many people still think you have to skin cats first and then work the flesh away from the bones slice by slice. I can fillet and skin a limit of cats faster than it takes to do one cat the "old way".[/#0000ff]
[signature]

[pleasantmisery]

That's the one I seen and was looking for. Thanks TD!!!!

By the way, what soft lookin and well manicured hands you have in your pics.

I think I'm ready to try it. Thanks to all. YOU GUYS ROCK!
[signature]

[icing_perch]

What works for me on channel cats and bull head is to skin them and remove the heads then use and electric bread knife or electric fillet knife and then start from the tail and fillet towards the belly part. I have tried a regular fillet knife and it doesn't seem to work as good as an electric knife. The other day when my brother and I went we caught 28 bullheads and it took less than an hour to get them cleaned and in the freezer.
[signature]

[texscala]

I make small cuts behind the head and then uuse pliers to pull the skin off. Then I fillet them. Every now and then I will get all the skin off in one pull.
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I think I gave credit to TubeBabe for helping with the pics. Not my hands. And, don't look for me on Brokeback Lake.[/#0000ff]
[signature]

[pennyfarmer]

I have to say skinning them first is the way to go. I have a large drill bit stuck in a tree in my driveway and I impale the head on it, make a cut around the head and use skinning pliers and it comes off really fast and easy. I have a fillet board ready right there and fillet them just like anything else.

Quick and dirty just like I like it.
[signature]

[Out4Trout]

[cool]We have this conversation several times each Spring/Summer on this board, and I'm sure this will be asked another couple of times this year, but I have tried a few different methods and TubeDude's method is by far the EASIEST, and FASTEST way to do the job. Make sure you tryout his kitty krispies recipe too.
[signature]