Do U fillet or scale/gut bluegills?

[Yak]

For bluegill fishermen---

Do you fillet or scale and gut gills?

I fillet them but considering the relatively small piece of meat I get(and I think I'm pretty good at filleting) from a fillet I'm wondering if more of you scale and clean.

Any tips for either technique that makes this experience "better"/easier?

Can't get out fishing so I'm thinkin fishin.

Yak

[Ristorapper]

I scale most of the panfish we keep(and that ain't many).

[hooky]

I scale them and leave the skin on. Great tasting fish! I only keep the bigger ones for a meal.

[no1son]

Long standing clan rule:

If it's not big enough to fillet, it's not big enough to keep. Most of us do not like fish skin, in the first place. We always fillet any fish that is going to the table. Skinless, washed fillets stay sweet longer in the refrigerator than any skin-on fish, too, and freeze with fewer off flavors, especially when vacuum sealed.

[Hawgeye Unlogged]

I'm with NO1Son, fillet or back in the lake.

[undguy]

With all due respect to those who say "if it isn't big enough to filet, throw it back" I will say that we often gut and scale even the largest bluegills. We leave the skin on, roll them in flour and seasoning, and fry them in butter. When they are done, you grab the backbone and it pulls right out leaving all the meat. We don't eat the skin, but the crispy tails are tasty.

[sandg]

S&G is the way to go. Meat falls right off bone and you dont waste any.

[karpbuster]

I filet them...that is where popcorn fish came from. :)

I use to scale and gut for many years, we had gizmo that you roll the skin and scales off after you gutted and cut the head off. Then we went to filet them suckers, all sizes, we don't keep any wimps, but if it will work, it goes in the bucket.

I think we decided that you don't really lose that much meat. Sure looks more impressive in the pan.

karpbuster

[rspahr]

I put them on a hook and fish for something that is big enough to clean.

[GU]

I fillet & skin. I'd scale them except skinning is quicker for me and I find less stray scales throughout the kitchen at later dates. Townsend Fish Skinner works OK but skinning with a knife wastes a little less & is faster.

Grandma insisted on gut & gilling all fish unless they were big enough to steak (big catfish). Everything was deep fried. If you had a thicker fish, she would split it leaving the backbone in one 1/2. Fins were left on panfish because they tasted good.

Grandma grew up living off the land & felt you wasted too much meat by filleting and that a lot of the taste was in the skin and bones. I like the taste of a fried gill or crappie tail fin, but it's not like I'm going to make a special effort to have them.

Your definitely losing meat if you fillet and it may be more practical to gut & gill with smaller fish. If your dealing with pollutant contamination, it is best to remove the skin etc for some pollutants such as PCB's but I'd think it's probably a non-issue with mercury which accumulates in muscle.

Good Luck

[WALLEYE DREW]

>For bluegill fishermen---
>
>Do you fillet or scale and gut gills?
>
>I fillet them but considering the relatively small piece of
>meat I get(and I think I'm pretty good at filleting) from a
>fillet I'm wondering if more of you scale and clean.
>
>Any tips for either technique that makes this experience
>"better"/easier?
>
>Can't get out fishing so I'm thinkin fishin.
>
>Yak
I usually take a picture of the really big one's then throw them back like I do with the little ones. I figure ,why take food away from the walleye ,musky, bass ect ,ect,. The more food they get the bigger they can get. After all they do not have a store to go get prime cuts of meat, pork bird.and other things from around the world.:raisin:

[thump55]

I can understand exactly what Yak is asking. I don't keep any gills under 7.5", and I fillet mine, but there are days I will catch a ton of 7 to 7-1/4" gils and not enough keepers to mess with. Most guys I see on the ice will keep a 7" gil everytime, and I'm sure by scaling them, they are getting the same amount of meat I get from filleting a slightly bigger fish.

Dave S

[defishs]

Deep fried fish skins. YUKKK!!!!

[Sportdog]

If I am eating the bluegills I like them scaled and gutted (the way that my grandmother liked them) but if guests are going to be eating them I fillet them because most folks don't want to deal with the bones. They taste great either way.:9 I started fishing for bluegills quite a bit this past summer and now when I'm after bluegills even my wife goes fishing with me once in awhile. (She is extremely fond of bluegills)

[Stacker1]

I like to scale and fillet as a butterfly. If you pan fry them it is the best.

As for the guys who state that if you cannot fillet, put it back. I can fillet anything. Don't be so darn narrow minded. people can keep what they want. None of your business.

S&G brings back easier times, memories, what I would do to be 8 years old again at grandmas cabin, smelling the bread baking and the fish sizzling. The campfire and the frogs, the whipporwills, the fireflys, just had my first grand kid, I dont think I will ever be the same again.