any fishing. bass fishing, trout, etc. that tug and fish-fight is so exhilarating, the epitome of FUN for me. fish cleaning/butchering is NOT fun for me.

my wife sent me out to refresh the freezer supply. okay. oh boy did I have fun catching fish!! I really focused on my fish finder this time, as an example from some YouTube guy I watch from Australia. I'm on a kayak, so it was a truncated version of what he does, but it worked. I would find a hump on the ocean floor, littered with "blips" around it. there is no telling where that hump is, since I move at different speeds and my FF does the fish-finder thing at it's own pace. so I do a tight u-turn and drop the bait and move back along my old track line from my GPS. BOOM! when I swim bait hits the swam, something grabs on.

exhausting fishing (fishing the current/swells/wind), exhausting cleaning all my gear of blood and salt.. EXHAUSTING cleaning my catch. I do it squatted down, with the fish on a cutting board resting on my ice chest..in my driveway. 1000 squats, deep knee bends..hahha.. oh yea. the beach launch is down a steep 40 deg ramp about 100 yards long. I kept forgetting things like my keys in my PFD after I ran up the hill to get my beach wheels!! my heart rate was on fire going up and down that thing like I was training for elk hunting.

next time on any party boat, I am pulling out my wallet and letting the guys fillet my fish. I can clean whole fish presentations with the best of them. but I suck at filleting and pulling off collars, cheek meat, etc. suck at it.

and I CHIPPED the edge of my Japanese knife working so tired. :(. I am glad I dont enjoy eating fresh water fishes...except walleye..maybe Stripers.

Watch “Reed the fishmonger” on YouTube. He’s the best I’ve seen.

I don’t recognize anything that you have there.

Start here - https://www.in-fisherman.com/editorial/cleaning-fish/156659

A sushi knife, scrubber and scissor are no where near what I’m familiar with.

Good ‘ole fillet knife is all that should be required.

That fish look like a Minnesota deer hunter! Congrats on the good harvest.

Harvesting is work but it’s good for the soul! A filet knife would do you wonders!

I am with you guys on the filet knife. Just make sure it's razor sharp. Cleaning fish with a dull knife ruins the catch.

Fresh saltwater fish has so much more natural flavor than freshwater fish does too

I catch bass for the fun and challenge.

I go to the fishmonger, say, “wrap that and toss it”. Go home and say “I caught dinner!”

Since I retired I consider cleaning fish work, as Maynard G. Krebs said "Work???

When I was heavily into Saltwater fishing and had a boat we'd have a cooler with ice and added saltwater so it was a slurry, fish were bleed and then dumped in the cooler.

Filleting was done back at the house on an outside table, it was pretty easy with the fish ice cold.

There was an ample amount of cold beer too, I was pretty good and still have all my fingers!

As was said a sharp knife is critical, knife of choice back then was a 8"Dexter carbon steel, after a few fish a couple of swipes on the hone and it was back to razor sharp.

Once you go electric you ain't going back!

Went camping in the mountains way back years ago and the family camped next to me showed me how to filet fish the easy way. Cut down behind the big gill to the bone, turn the filet knife and cut to the tail which you leave attached, flip filet over then cut it out of the skin, cut out the ribcage then you're finished! Sharp knife or electric is the way you want to go!

2 hours ago, Bass Rutten said:

Once you go electric you ain't going back!

This is the only way to go!!!!

It takes me about one minute per fish with my electric bubba blade. That thing is worth every penny.

I like cleaning them almost as much as catching them. My brother even got me a book about this guy that cleans the fish at the fanciest seafood restaurant in NYC. He says, in broken English, you don’t want the knife too sharp. “Cut along bones, not through bones”

My buddies are always amazed that I can sit on my heels and clean fish by the river’s edge for extended periods, practice makes perfect

It's pretty rare I keep fish, and a good portion of those rare trips end up with me releasing the fish in the end because I decide it's more hassle than it's worth to clean them. Countless walleye, crappie, catfish, white bass, and big bluegills have been released to see another day because I'm too lazy to clean them.

I used to clean them all and stockpile. Even with my measly catches that’s too many fish to eat. I’ve learned that keeping 3-4 of them here and there is the way to go. Back in the day I had to give away tons of frozen fillets, the only thing that saved them from freezer burn was the old lady across the street. She would take darn near as many as I would give her, RIP miss Billie

I filet a fish like Bigassbass wrote. When I ocean fished in CA I had a board that I put in a rod holder and a hose that washed the filets and the board. I'd filet while we were running back to the ramp. The seagulls would follow the boat for the leavings that went in the ocean. An electric knife is quite a bit faster than a regular knife. I still filet a couple of fish a month for dinner the same night I caught them. Alabama bass are the second best tasting fish in the lake I fish.