Originally posted by: getdanet1 on 8/20/2005 9:30:04 PM

Hook the fish with your fingers under the gills and bring the head back sharply towards the spine. It breaks the spine and kills the fish instantly. Our guide up in Canada showed us how. Up there you need to return a fish to the water or kill him if you are keeping him. This prevents the practice of Culling. (Switching a smaller fish for a larger one )

Originally posted by: TroubleHook on 8/20/2005 8:54:41 PM

What is the best way to kill a fish without causing too much pain? <!--graemlin::confused:-->

Originally posted by: sscasteel on 8/20/2005 9:40:57 PM

I try to freeze all my fish in ice so they are lifeless when ready to clean.

I WILL TRY NOT TO MAKE THIS SOUND UPSETTING.

SOMETIMES IT IS BEST TO HAVE A PERSON EXPERIENCED IN CLEANING FISH TO DEMO. THEIR CLEANING METHOD.

When I do have live Crappie to clean, I AM [LEFT HANDED] take the Crappie and hold it between my right thumb and index finger of my right hand and in front of the top fins, have the fish's belly laying on the fillet board, have the fish head pointing left in front of me. I then take my fillet knife and with the non cutting side back of blade, give the Crappie two quick short whacks to its head just above the eyes.

THIS TAKES PRACTICE, /// BUT AFTER DOING THIS TO SEVERAL FISH, YOU LEARN FAST WHERE TO STRIKE AND KNOCK THE FISH OUT COLD / MOTIONLESS.

THE FISH WILL SHAKE ITS TAIL A COUPLE TIMES THEN JUST A LITTLE NERVE ACTION [WINDING DOWN] AND IT IS OVER. TAKES LESS THAN 15 SECONDS. LAY THE CRAPPIE FLAT ON THE FILLET BOARD AND CLEAN IT.
I can't speak for using this method on other fish, //mine are usually frozen// but it sure works on live Crappie. After cleaning a good 150 of them, this proceedure almost becomes second nature. Pick up the fish, administer the ritual, and clean. You actually become a machine as you repeat this over and over on every live Crappie you have.

Originally posted by: Johneeed on 8/21/2005 7:59:53 AM

I usually take a small club i carry with me and just bash 'em in the head....


Johnny D.

Originally posted by: getdanet1 on 8/21/2005 9:25:18 AM

Believe me, breaking the spine like I first posted is the way to go.

Originally posted by: Johneeed on 8/21/2005 12:06:27 PM

Like I said allI do is bash 'em in the head with a club the cut their throats and bleed 'em...

sorry to be so graphic....

J.D.

Originally posted by: TroubleHook on 8/21/2005 6:35:39 PM

Ok thanx 4 the info. the thing is that I hate doing that stuff, and my parents wont eather. Do I just have to get used to it?

Originally posted by: ouachitabassangler on 8/21/2005 8:41:54 PM

Lay bass on a cutting table. Pierce just behind the gill to find and sever the spine to paralyze it. You don't want to lossen the head from the body. needing something to grip. Quick and easy, insert fingers in mouth to keep it quiet.......no,no, to hold it securely. Then fillet the fish while on its side by slicing electric knife down to the spine depth right behind the gill. Turn the blade to begin cutting towards the tail, holding the knife flat against the spine as a depth guide but not cutting it. Knife ought to be slicing through in a line from spine to anus line. Stop carving flesh to leave a skin hinge with the first slab flipped over at the end of the cut. Pin the skin hinge and get the slab to lay flat on a raised board, then slide the blade laying nearly flat but slightly elevated backbone of knife, quickly slicing flesh off the skin. Carve out the rib bones, then turn the fish over and repeat. Keep the scraps and mail the fillets to me packed in dry ice. <!--graemlin:;)-->

Jim

Originally posted by: getdanet1 on 8/21/2005 8:51:15 PM

Trouble, It's something you will have to do, if you are going to keep and eat the fish. Like I said earlier. If you are going to keep the fish and not try to Cull them. Kill them right away and keep them on ice in a cooler while you fish. Hanging them on a stringer in 80 degree water all day will not leave you with the freshest fish. You might just lose them to a Hungry turtle, otter or Musky. The others have given you good advice on how to handle them when you are cleaning them, if, they are still alive at that time.

Originally posted by: Lookout on 8/21/2005 8:54:41 PM

LOL Jim. yup, gotta keep em quiet. On the boat, we just smack em in the top of the head with a club. Does the trick every time.

Originally posted by: BaitFish on 8/22/2005 4:14:10 PM

Ouachitabassangler---I agree with you, but are you gonna share?? My address is....

Originally posted by: Johneeed on 8/22/2005 4:41:04 PM

Also the best thing to do is just like the NIKE commercials--"JUST DO IT!!!"

DON'T think about it, Do it.....
desensitize your seld from the situation. Do it...

The more you do it the easier it gets..

Hey when I get a few stripers of mackeral for the table, or what else may swim, I don't take it to my Uncle or Nana like I use to.
WATCH somebody, ask questions.

The only real way to learn is to JUST DO IT AND GET YOUR HANDS DITRY.....

it's really not all that bad.

JD.

Originally posted by: ouachitabassangler on 8/22/2005 7:49:15 PM

I sure clean a lot of fish to be eating so little of it. It seems no matter how many I catch and clean, all I ever manage to get is one serving out of a mess. Somehow relatives, friends and neighbors just happen to drop by while they are a fryin. <!--graemlin::)--> Maybe it's because they drive by and see the boat gone, so they just KNOW.

Jim

Originally posted by: TroubleHook on 8/23/2005 8:44:08 AM

Jim, im not going to fillet a living fish. And my desition is to bash the head, I just worry that theyre not dead but in pain with there head cracked open. <!--graemlin::rolleyes:--> I will grow up someday.

Originally posted by: getdanet1 on 8/23/2005 9:42:13 AM

quote:

Originally posted by ouachitabassangler:
I sure clean a lot of fish to be eating so little of it. It seems no matter how many I catch and clean, all I ever manage to get is one serving out of a mess. Somehow relatives, friends and neighbors just happen to drop by while they are a fryin. <!--graemlin::)--> Maybe it's because they drive by and see the boat gone, so they just KNOW.

Jim

Originally posted by: Johneeed on 8/23/2005 4:22:20 PM

I know hwat OBA is talking about.
After a night of fishing, and if I'm lucky enough to catch a keepa or two ( stripers ) and a few mackeral to go with it, it always seems that family shows up just as I'm gettting ready to fire off the grill for fresh fish, next thing I know all my steaks and fillets are gone...

J.D.

Originally posted by: ouachitabassangler on 8/25/2005 3:12:05 AM

The neighbors might be smelling my livewell dying out, and I don't clean the carpet after every trip, so I figure the fish smell, the flies, etc. tip them off too, but most everyone I know expects some fish are near a couple or three days a week. I got this started inviting people over to help eat stripers. My wife won't touch striper and I don't care for them, but won't waste dead stripers, and any I catch die pretty fast, so I at least get home with them. So there we are with easily 30-50 pounds of striper cleaned down to 10 pounds from each trip.

When cooking them I have to do it outside because of the strong fish odor that coats the kitchen walls. I take a batch out of the oil and there's people "sampling" before they cool down. The pile never gets high enough to replace the drip pan, and no dishes are needed. We have city police living on our street, and all it takes is for one of them driving by to announce a fish fry to their buddies, and even the dog catcher shows up. <!--graemlin::cool:--> <!--graemlin::D--> <!--graemlin::)--> <!--graemlin::cool:-->

Do you think anyone ever volunteers to clean those stripers or cook them up so I can rest and cool down with a shower? Nope. Will anyone help strain the oil? Never. <!--graemlin::rolleyes:--> When the fish are eaten everyone vaporizes somehow, and nobody notices anyone driving or walking off. Where'd they go? Hey, where's that batch of 50 hushpuppies go? <!--graemlin::eek:-->

But there's a part of all that I look forward to, visiting with folks I don't usually see until that happens. I do hear the latest funny cop stories. It makes friends and there's no waste.

Nobody seems to suspect or complain I'm keeping the good stuff in the frigde. That would be the LMB and crappie fillets, catfish, bluegill. THOSE are for my wife and daughter and me and anyone else I let in the house. Not that I wouldn't have the cops in there, or even the dog catcher with all that animal hair hanging off him, but they aren't supposed to go inside homes unless on official purpose. They can go in donut and coffee shops on a 10-8 break. So they 10-8 in my driveway but report a donut shop behind our house. <!--graemlin::D-->

Jim

Originally posted by: mia on 8/26/2005 8:10:06 PM

Sounds like a real party down there....wanna give me your address <!--graemlin::p-->

I've only had the opportunity to keep a few fish of my own, mainly due to transportational difficulties (cough cough stubborn parents dont want 2 drive north to the big lakes cough cough). I have however caught a few big cats that we filleted and cooked up. Only problem was one of em surviving the ride home. He just wouldnt die and i am so innocent i just couldnt kill him my self. Had to have dad whack him good. Long story short we made our fillets, and ate em. That was good catfish. The worse part about cutting em up for me is the noises they make when their dad. A few of the cats croaked, i think it was the gasses coming out cuz they were definently dead. All the same, it made me a little uneasy cutting them up. I figure i got a long fishing career to get used to it

Originally posted by: ouachitabassangler on 8/26/2005 8:49:13 PM

All fish are subject to be eaten by other fish, and that happens constantly in every lake. A large fish grabs or slaps a smaller one then crushes it with its jaws. Then the little victim is spit out, turned, and mouthed again, crushed some more and often carried around like that until digestion begins head first. That's just the destiny of all fish except the very largest that don't get caught by an angler. If whatever pain a fish endures was not meant to be I would think there would be some other way for larger fish to feed. What you inflict on a fish is possibly far kinder than what it would experience otherwise. Because nature is far more "cruel" the issue of cutting a live fish is simply not an issue with me. If done right the fish discomfort is very short-lived. If you remain inexperienced, taking too long to do the job, then of course you add to their plight. Fillet quickly and sever the head all in less than a minute using an electric knife.

Jim

Originally posted by: Johneeed on 8/26/2005 11:40:39 PM

I Agree with everything OBA said. Only The way I do it is: If you know your gonna keep the fish, (this might be graphic sorry folks) bash the fish's head with a small baseball bat (like a old yankees souviner one around 18" long).
bash it good, real good (like your old 5th grade math teacher Ms. Doe that you wanted to bash). Picture Ms. Doe face on the fish when you do it, it will make it a little easier, cut the fish's throat and bleed them (on a stringer in the water). Field dress the fish (gut). Now some states don't allow the transportation of certain types of fish all fillet & steaked up, So put the fish on ICE until you get home do play butcher and carve it up.
The more you do it, the easier it gets. Try not to think about what your doing. (Of course pay attention don't loose fingers), but try to
desensitize yourself from the process.

J.D.