What do I do with a fish after I hook it?

[colowyo0809]

So, I've fished before. Used to be every summer we would go fishing. I've even hooked the stupid worm, caught the stupid fish, and put it on the line

But, I've never actually processed a fish before. What do I do after I catch it? Do I put it, still alive, on the stringer until I have more? Do I kill it immediately? Do I dress it up in a gown and heels and take it to dinner? what do I do with the stupid thing? We are thinking about actually buying fishing poles and getting tags and doing the whole fishing bit this spring/summer/fall Advice? Scorn? Comments? Gold?

Thanks!

 

[Damummis]

Once you catch it you take it off the hook. Sometimes you have to yank the hook out if they swallowed it. Pliers helps. You can throw them in a bag, on a stringer, in a bucket, or tell your SO "hold this". Once you have all your fish, you get to clean them. I personally use one glove to hold the fish, slippery buggers, and hold my knife with out a glove. I use the poop shoot for my starting point. Cut straight up the belly till you can't go any more. Open her up and scoop out all the guts. You can leave the head on if you want. Depending on the fish I will cook with skin on.

 

[rebecca100]

You are talking my talk now! We fish almost daily in the summer. Now first of all, you put it still alive in the livewell, bucket, or on a stringer until you have enough caught to eat. Now usually by the time that happens and you've made it home they are already dead. They will still flop a little, but rest assured that they are dead. They die easily when transported. Now what you do after that depends on the fish. If it is a catfish then you skin it. If it is a scaley fish then you use a spoon or a scaler to run backwards against the scales to remove them. Pull out the fins(not the tail and I use pliers for fin removing). Remove the guts after that and then cut off the head. That is the easiest way I can think of to tell how to process a fish. The other method is to fillet it, but that is harder and takes a little mastery to do right, so if you are new to fishing I would just suggest doing it the easy way. Then you cut your fish into sections, fry, and enjoy. Just watch out for the bones. Someone here may have better advice, but that is how we do it.

 

[miss_thenorth]

LOVE it! esp this part:

Do I dress it up in a gown and heels and take it to dinner?

Do I put it, still alive, on the stringer until I have more?

Yes, until you have your limit, or you want to go home. through the mouth and gills.

Kill it right before you process it, unless you are icefishing, then knock it over the head and toss it down on the snow/ice.

and then there is this again. http://www.fishingkites.co.nz/cleaning-fish/fishindex.htm on how to fillet a fish.

If you do decide to dress it up and take it to dinner, we will need pics

 

[k0xxx]

Depends on what you want to do. You can put them on stringers, place them in a ice chest, or clean them as you catch them. Personally, I use an ice chest and clean them after I get home.

I'd recommend looking up some YouTube videos on cleaning fish. It would be easier to learn from seeing it done, than from trying to visualize something that you have never done.

 

[colowyo0809]

Hey, thanks guys!
I appreciate it!

 

[Dunkopf]

If you leave them alive and put them on a stringer, be sure to anchor the end of the streamer real well. They flop around quite a bit and can actually pull the stringer with them out of sight in to deeper water.

If you find a decent place to fish here in beautiful Colorado let us know. I fished here a lot as a kid. Back then the population was right at 1 million. Used to be able to catch 12-16 inch rainbow. Last time I went about 15 years ago I fished about 8 hours and got a couple that were barely over the minimum length.

 

[Denim Deb]

Geez, you guys clean fish way differently than I learned. We always cut the head off, and yank the guts out all w/one cut.

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

No gutting here. DH fillets everything,and with fish like Pike, skins them as well.
Check on Youtube for tutorials on processing fish.

 

[Beekissed]

Can I do the scorn thingy?



Sorry....couldn't contain myself!

Now I am done.

My brothers used to cut through the area at the back of the head and pull the head off and the guts just followed. Always thought that was kinda neat.

What kind of fish are ya goin' after?