Tip for Better Fillets

[Big Spoon]

Now that we're well into the open lake season, and filling coolers I wanted to share a tip: the table quality of your fillets is greatly improved if you take a few seconds to bleed your fish before you ice them down.  I will cut my fish, throw them in the livewell to bleed out, then ice them down as soon as they're done (you can certainly bleed them right in the cooler, though it'll look like a crime scene when you're done!).  This process not only improves the quality of the meat, but makes the fillet process much cleaner - especially with Lakers.

 

These guys put together a nice video on how to do it: 

 

[Sk8man]

You can bleed them right in the net too leaving it over the side less mess.

Edited May 10, 2020 by Sk8man

[Dad with Twin boys]

Thanks for this tip.

[rvan]

Starting bleeding all fish last year in live well then to ice quality very apparent should have done years ago

[schreckstoff]

I started doing it this year and also wish I had always done it. Quality is better and the fillet process is WAY better.

[GAMBLER]

Bleeding fish, skin off and take the brown/red meat off the back side of the filet between the meat and the skin. Trout, salmon and walleye all taste better without that meat on the filets.


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[UNREEL]

I fished with a guy a few years ago who would cut the tails off of salmon and toss em in the livewell to bleed out. 

It was easy and fast. Anyone else do that? 

[Born to Fish]

We use hand pruners in the boat, it’s quick and easy

[jimski2]

Pacific commercial trollers have a bleeding drain box overboard on the side of their boats. Landed salmon are immediately bled out and the blood and other gurry go back into the water without contaminating fresh caught fish. The gurry comes from internal intestines. Ice is quickly used to immediately cool and preserve the fish quality. The better quality fish boats will dip the fish in fresh water and then a blast freezer unit seal  the fish in a solid ice coating. Better quality restaurants pay top dollar for fish handled this way.

[jimski2]

Check out "You Tube" for commercial fishing salmon boats on the West Coast for their handling methods.

[jason]

Clean your knife after each cut. Wash your fish in ice cold salt water. Pat dry before vaccum sealing

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[Gator]

I bled some walleye while kayak fishing earlier this week, and Tommy said he didn't even have to wash his fillet board lol. Unfortunately, I used my pen knife to slit their throats, and one of them juiced all over my jacket and pants. Adds realism to the spread.

[Sk8man]

Good thing the wife didn't see those pants Keith

[jimski2]

The gurry and intestinal fluids are also unsanitary. The live well keeps your fish contaminated also. Drain the fish in a bucket separate from your catch.Put your catch in a ice filled cooler, especially during hot summer surface water temperatures. Those livewell temperatures then is like making soup out of your catch.

[Gator]

My livewell temperature in the kayak today was lake temp. This time, I managed to bleed them on the outside of the boat...using heavy duty shears rather than a penknife did the trick.