Filleting Stripers

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marty ament

marty ament

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Headed down to hunt stripers this weekend. I have heard if you slit the throat you won't have as much red meat in your fillets.
Any truth to this? I take lots of ice to cool the fish as soon as there in the boat just wondering about cutting the throat.
Also any boils seen recently North or South?
 
I slit the gills, put them in the live well, with the water running, to bleed out.
And then fillet them when the fishing slows down.
Way less mess this way.
It’s so nice to have them all filleted and on ice when we get back to the dock.
If I leave them til last, I end up wishing that I’d let them all go
 
Just returned from the lake -- Saw no surface activity from Lake Canyon to Forgotten // Water temp 79.5
I find no difference in the taste between the red and white meat
Putting them immediately on ice was probably the most important lesson I learned 10 years ago
 
PBH-- Do you find a difference in taste between the red and white ? There is a texture difference

In either case for fish tacos or the other ways we have all found to prepare them - They are good eating
 
I do basically the same thing as Treetop. I don't slit the gills with a tool/knife, I hang the fish over the open live well hatch and reach behind the gill plate, hook a finger around one gill and pull it until it breaks. Then I immediately drop it into the live well. When fishing slows I then put them on ice or filet them. I have a filet board in the center ski well that mounts on the side of the boat. Pull out my 12v electric knife and go at it. Works great, no blood in the board or boat. I do not cut the filets so close to the skin as to leave a large red meat area. I only have the red strip remaining which is cut out before cooking. It peals out easily. Chuck
 
Sounds great I hope get in to a few boils this next week and give this technique a try. I always cut out the red meat before cooking but less blood while cleaning is a good thing.
 
TightLines said:
PBH-- Do you find a difference in taste between the red and white ? There is a texture difference

In either case for fish tacos or the other ways we have all found to prepare them - They are good eating
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I certainly do... the red meat, to me, tastes like a piece of fish that has been sitting in the sun for a few days. It is literally awful. I cut out all the red meat and feed it to my dog; generally, even my dog won't eat that red meat unless I season it with a fair amount of salt and cook it thoroughly.
 
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Stuart Hepworth said:
I certainly do... the red meat, to me, tastes like a piece of fish that has been sitting in the sun for a few days. It is literally awful. I cut out all the red meat and feed it to my dog; generally, even my dog won't eat that read meat unless I season it with a fair amount of salt and cook it thoroughly.
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Funny stuff. The only thing my dog wont eat is Sauerkraut.
 
I catch stripers and immediately place them in a cooler on ice. I then immediately cast again to catch another striper as quickly as possible. Bleeding them is great but I don't take the time because if I can keep the fish cold they taste great. When preparing the fillet to eat I cut the red meat off and cut the white meat in small 1-2 inch chunks before pan frying them coated with buttermilk and flour.
 
We have been soaking fish in buttermilk for years it takes a lot of the fishiness away. Than power with fish fry and in the grease can't wait.
Wayne I'll be fishing from Bullfrog to GHB you think we will find some boils?
 
marty ament said:
We have been soaking fish in buttermilk for years it takes a lot of the fishiness away. Than power with fish fry and in the grease can't wait.
Wayne I'll be fishing from Bullfrog to GHB you think we will find some boils?
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Yes I think there is a high probabilty that you willl see boils.
 
marty ament said:
We have been soaking fish in buttermilk for years it takes a lot of the fishiness away. Than power with fish fry and in the grease can't wait.
Wayne I'll be fishing from Bullfrog to GHB you think we will find some boils?
Click to expand...

There was good activity from knowles north caught a few hundred jigging and speed reeling kast masters and krocodiles. The north face of knowles entrance in the channel theres a 60 foot shelf that produced all day. Once they start belching shad as you reel them up the school keeps growing and the catching just gets better.
 
Sounds good that is exactly where we are headed. Well be there Sunday to Wednesday loadin up.
Thanks for the tip, think I need to bring a back up fillet knife?
 
I could'nt agree more with Gem Morris, and Wayne. So many people think, if you bleed them, they wont have red meat, that is so misleading. And I do just what Wayne say's, put them on ice, and there good, cut the red meat out. I think your wasting catching the next fish, while your bleeding one.
And I challenge any of you, to tell me which is which, the one bled, or the one I cut the red meat out of, that wasnt bled.
Have a good one all, bleeder's or not.
KyKevin
 
KyKevin,
My purpose for bleeding them is not to try to get rid of the red strip on each filet....it's part of fish. It's to keep the blood off the cutting board and the bloody mess during the filet operation. Much cleaner filets, and as I said above, I remove the red strip just before cooking. Try it you'll like it and it only takes 10 seconds. I learned this technique with King Salmon in AK....worked great there too. Chuck
 
Chuck, I have bled them with people I've fished with, and like I say, the benefit to me, I would just rather get back fishing. But I'm not knocking anyone for doing it. But I know people who say, they can tell the difference in the taste of them. And if that were the case, I would bleed them all. But I still stand with what I say, about frying them up, and if some one can tell the difference, I will clean all fish caught, and fry them for who ever take's me up on it. And come to think of it, I hope some one doe's, it will give me an excuse to go to the greatest lake I know.
Have a good one Chuck, and maybe we can go some time, our houseboat dont get used enough.
KyKevin
 
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