ok, so this sounds retarded.......   but keep in mind noone showed me how to fish. i tought myself. (with lots of help from BASS, magazines & this site!)

so here cums the stupid question.....

i think i have the general idea of how to clean my catch down.......... is there anything i should really be aware of, or any tips to make this learning expierence more pleasant?

...help please! :-[

The way i fillet any fish is to cut right behind the gills all the way to the back bone. Then I will take my fillet knife and turn it towards the back fin and continue to cut along the bone all the way to the tail. Just before you cut off the fillet lift up on what yu have cut and lay it down so the meat is facing up then take you fillet knif and go along the skin of the fish until the fillet comes off (only meat) Then repeat that on the other side.

...then cut off the belly meat.

Here are few good articles on cleaning fish, including proper handling between catching and cleaning:

http://www.fishingkites.co.nz/cleaning-fish/fishindex.htm

http://www.fishingkites.co.nz/cleaning-fish/fishindex.htm

http://www.ohiodnr.com/Home/FishingSubhomePage/how_to_fishplaceholder/fishingfilletfshfilletfish/tabid/6118/Default.aspx

These articles should answer most questions about cleaning a fish.

try your best not to keep the fish in the first place.  then you never have to clean them.

try your best not to keep the fish in the first place. then you never have to clean them.

The problem with a lot of fisheries anymore is catch and release fishing. Nobody takes anything home anymore and the fish can get way overpopulated and undersized. I personally am a catch and release man but we shouldn't discourage people who want to keep the occasional bass.

where i fish all these foreign people keep alll they catch and fish with no lisence.

try your best not to keep the fish in the first place. then you never have to clean them.

The problem with a lot of fisheries anymore is catch and release fishing. Nobody takes anything home anymore and the fish can get way overpopulated and undersized. I personally am a catch and release man but we shouldn't discourage people who want to keep the occasional bass.

That's 100% correct.  Our friends at In Fisherman (arguably the most conservation friendly fishing group in the world) tell us that "selective harvest" is good for the fishery and that we should be doing it.  So yeah, keep a few and cook them the way you like.

I like to fillet mine and cut those into chunks and deep fry them in a shore lunch batter mix that I buy in my turkey fryer.  I have a shallow pan with a basket for doing things like fish, onion rings, etc.  Any time I get an excuse to use that thing to cook I do.  But hey, I'm from the South and we like to fry stuff so that's shouldn't surprise anyone.

Enjoy them!

where i fish all these foreign people keep alll they catch and fish with no lisence.

So call your DNR hotline and report them.  Complaining about it here isn't going to do you any good.  As was mentioned before 100% catch and release is NOT always a good fisheries management plan.

i do but it seems like the park police don't really care.

I would suggest buying an electric knife. They are well worth the investment.

i do but it seems like the park police don't really care.

Then I would find out who is supposed to care and keep going up the chain until I found someone who did care.  If your conservation officers are not doing their jobs then you should find out why.  

Also, are you sure the "park police" are the proper people to call?  Are you calling your state DNR hotline?  Illinois has one to report all poaching and they do respond.

do a search on youtube and you will get a few videos on how to clean/fillet a fish. I haven't seen bass on there but I have seen stripers, hybrids, and crappie being cleaned. Its all the same.

The decision to keep or release your catch should be predicated on how prepared you are to keep your catch fresh, should you decide to do so. Fish is more delicate than milk. Would you keep a bottle of milk in luke warm water for a day and then drink it? I think not.

An aerated livewell is great....providing you add the chemicals necessary to keep your catch healthy for the day. Belly up fish is not keeping them healthy! If they go belly up, you must clean them immediately or they're wasted. (The FDA confirms this.) If you do not have the proper livewell to keep your catch lively, it's best to kill and clean them right away, then put the carcasses on ice. And when you do this, you MUST remove the gills quickly and foremost! Or the flesh will be tainted. If I'm keeping a particular fish or two, I kill them, gill them, gut them and put them on ice....seconds after landing.

Mostly I'm a CPR fisherman anyway, so keeping a fish is usually not an option for me. I'm mainly telling you this in the event you do decide to keep a few fish for the dinner table. Know this also....99% of the people who say they do not "like" to eat fish, have only eaten improperly kept and prepared fish.

The decision to keep or release your catch should be predicated on how prepared you are to keep your catch fresh, should you decide to do so. Fish is more delicate than milk. Would you keep a bottle of milk in luke warm water for a day and then drink it? I think not.

An aerated livewell is great....providing you add the chemicals necessary to keep your catch healthy for the day. Belly up fish is not keeping them healthy! If they go belly up, you must clean them immediately or they're wasted. (The FDA confirms this.) If you do not have the proper livewell to keep your catch lively, it's best to kill and clean them right away, then put the carcasses on ice. And when you do this, you MUST remove the gills quickly and foremost! Or the flesh will be tainted. If I'm keeping a particular fish or two, I kill them, gill them, gut them and put them on ice....seconds after landing.

Mostly I'm a CPR fisherman anyway, so keeping a fish is usually not an option for me. I'm mainly telling you this in the event you do decide to keep a few fish for the dinner table. Know this also....99% of the people who say they do not "like" to eat fish, have only eaten improperly kept and prepared fish.

Very interesting info.  How do you square this with the laws stating that it is illegal to clean fish while on the water?