handy hint

[landy1]

G'day all
this may be something everyone else has known for years. but i was recently told an excellent scaling trick by a mate of mine. it only works on smaller fish species ie bream whiting etc. simply hold the fish by the tail and use a high pressure blast from your garden hose to run against the scales. this literally hoses the scales of the fish in no time at all. way easier and cleaner that my old routine, though you do get wet if our not carefull. beats finding that odd scale in your dinner.
cheers

[Touchy - R.I.P.]

G'Day Landy1,got another tip for ya'you will get a lot better taste out of your bream if you skin them,so there is no need to scale them at all, :)I fillet,skin & debone all my fish,takes a little bit more time tho'if you take in the time spent scaling, gutting & cleaning it probably is about the same but with a bit of practise it gets quicker,but I figure it is well worth the effort.Cheers Touchy.

[IanF]

Hey Touchy

Is ther a good guide available on the correct method for filleting and deboning fish? I fillet most fish I catch but deboning is not one of my strong points. Since I'm not good at it I tend to loose more flesh than I should. Maybe ther is a web site or a book that someone knows about that gives some good instruction (preferably with pics)?

Thanks
Ian

[aquarius]

:)Just one thing to add....IF YOU ARE GOING TO SKIN AND FILLET YOUR CATCH ITS ALOT EASIER TO SKIN THE FISH WITH THE SCALES ON!!.TRIED TO REMOVE THE SKIN ONCE AFTER I HAD REMOVED THE SCALES AND LEFT HALF THE SKIN STILL ON THE FISH.
Cheers #Brent ;D

[Luke]

Hi Ian,
I get a sharp flexible filleting knife and I have it half beaten but it's gotta be kept sharp. I take a stone and sharpen the knife whenever it's a forced cut instead of more of a glide through. Especially with smaller fish where every bit of flesh counts. Probably every 2 or 3 fish.I fillet with the bones and slice away the rib cage off the finished fillet. I reckon a sharp blade makes all the difference.
Cheers Luke

[fisho]

.........and if skinning your fish on a public bait board wash it down thoroughly before you start or put your own cutting board on top..........it'll save you sitting on the dunny for hours and ejecting projectiles from your mouth. ;)

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

hey Ian,
A year or two back I was given as a gift a Nordmark (not totally sure of that spelling) filleting knife set containing a great knife, metal fibre glove (helps grip & keeps the end of your fingers on the end of your fingers if you slip), a diamond rod sharpening tool & a book called "How to clean a mess of fish without making a mess of your fish."

They are available from Kmart & tackle stores & are amazingly affordable given the quality of the blade.

If I lost mine today, I'd buy another without hesitation. In 2 years I've never had to sharpen it other than passing it thru the diamond rod tool once or twice during the filleting.

Efficient filleting & deboning requires a good knife specifically made for the purpose & don't use it for any other purpose to preserve its edge & staightness. Store it in a wood block, don't have it bang around in the boat, a drawer or dishwasher. #I use a seperate knife for cracking backbones if cooking whole, bait prep, killing & gutting. You also need a good surface & supply of clean water.

cheers,
chris
p.s I know a guy who scales fish by dragging them behind his boat in a nylon mesh bag, like you use for worming - swears by it.

[Fisherman02]

hey guys:)
yeah chris I know what you mean, in fact you can now buy special fish scaling bag. At first I didn't know what it was for I was asking myself 'How are you suppose to scale a fish with a scaler in a net?'
I reckon it's a good idea saves you having to do it back at the boat ramp:D
cheers jack

[gruntahunter]

dragging them along does scale them BUT


1....... make sure ur bag is not rotten or has holes in it 4 the obvious reason

2.......the fish can get bruised very easily which greatly reduces the quality of the flesh.

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

i reckon you're spot on with reason 2 grunta plus it would break up fine bones making removal more difficult. Personally I'm a fillet & skin em man, after a bit of practice you don't misss much flesh.

Another handy hint, the juice from your esky is a great lawn fertisiler. I have a really healthy green patch just near my driveway where i clean my esky. To that end you may be able to boil down filleted frames & make your own home made "Charley Carp". Then convince the wife that the more fishing you do the better the garden will look - worth a try ;)?
chris

[landy1]

;D
Chris
have you ever boiled fish. my god the stench is foul and takes ages to get out of the house. i had to boil several to obtain their skeletons for a reference collection. the neighbors didnt forgive me for weeks.
P.S. the use of a hose to scale fish is the same principle as the tow bag, as long as you do it while their fresh, otherwise the gluey stuff that holds the scales on hardens.
cheers

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

in that case my next handy hint...

boil fish frames just prior to footy matches on the TV to remove that incessant background noise from the house that starts at game time & finishes just prior to Gilmore bloody Girls. ;D
chris

[landy1]

thats got to be the best handy hint so far ;D ;D ;D :-X

[Volvo]

http://www.ausfish.com.au/chat/images/smilies/cwm14.gif Fancy filletting bream :P. Pfyuck!! what a waste of taste http://www.ausfish.com.au/chat/images/smilies/cwm27.gif.
Only way ta do bream is Gill,Gut,Scale and make sure ya blast or scrub the backbone. Frypan with good level of oil,roll ya Breams in Flour and drop in the hot oil n get that skin nice n crunchy too LOl.

[Harrya]

Yep I agree with you VolVo I have tryed the bag that you drag in the water while the boat is traveling .
And it only works with Winter Whiting any way.
I have tryed Filliting and skining Not bad , But it dose wast a lot of flesh.
But then my Wife can make fish soup yum.
but scale gut and de head and fry as you said take's the cake in my opion for what it worth Harry

[Touchy - R.I.P.]

Landy_1,Forgot to mention that when I debone I put the skined fillets on a flat tray & stickem in the freezer to firm them up(20/40 minutes,firm but not frozen)much easier to handle,then with a thin sharp filliting knife cut out the ribcage,that then will only leave a small section of "pin"bones it the middle,just cut a small V either side & there is your deboned fillet!!Also the knife I use to skin my fish is not all that sharp,too sharp & it is easy to cut thru' the skin/scales if you hold the knife blade on a slight angle & pull the skin with your fingers from side to side rather than moving the knife it is much easier.Hope this helps.Cheers T.><>.

[Volvo]

Yep I agree with you VolVo I have tryed the bag that you drag in the water while the boat is traveling .
And it only works with Winter Whiting any way.
I have tryed Filliting and skining Not bad , But it dose wast a lot of flesh.
But then my Wife can make fish soup yum.
but scale gut and de head and fry as you said take's the cake in my opion for what it worth Harry

Harry mate buddy :) if ya like fish soupa or should i say Fishead Soup , your a true fisho.
One of the main purposes for my Crabpot Pot, is for doin Red Emperor and Cod heads for Soupa.
I very much doubt that royalty nowadays dont eat such good tucker ey.
Ide have ta say fishead soup to be the pick of fish recipies followed by ye old fillet.
Yep whiting is the only fish i think ya gunna have success towin behind the boat scaling. With the bream ide try the hose nozzle as mentioned earlier .
Gets them scales off nicely.
Fish wings is another of me favourites, would never think of chuckin away good size wings with the carcase after ive filletted ey.
Cleaned,skinned,trimmed and rolled in flour then toss in the hot oil.
Add a greek salad(n dont forget the fetta) and your eatin better than them rich folks i can assure ya lol.
Cheers