How do you fillet/cook the catch? - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

MuddyMike · 07-03-2011, 08:33 PM

I was out there in a skiff all night friday to saturday morning. I was paranoid about hitting kayaks after being night blinded by those squid boat lights as they roll up and down the swells.

Saw a couple unlit yaks. Not sure I'd be out there w/o some kind of light. I was probably being especially careful because I kayak the area myself. Has there ever been any PB vs yak incidents there at night?

We were fishing live squid too with the same results. Lots of calicos, sandies, a few rock fish, but none of the 'right kind' of bites we were hoping for. Well, there was one big bite around 1am, but I lost it to a bad knot.

Back to filleting, there is a better way, but I don't have video. I do 2 cuts on each side. One from the back of the head to the belly passing just behind the side fin and then all the way back to the tail. Next cut is putting the knife back in the first angle of the first cut and slide the knife along the back bone towards the tail, removing the fillet from the fish. Slide the knife up and down so it slices easier, don't just force it straight back. Flip over and repeat.

If you're out in the water, be sure to leave the skin on in case DFG needs to ID the fish. I think there's a certain size the fillets have to be but I honestly don't know. Anyone?

Skin should be easy to remove with a knife when you're ready. No need to scale and gut. I learned this method not too long ago myself. I'm sure a video would be worth 100xs more than me trying to explain it.

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07-03-2011, 08:33 PM	#2
MuddyMike Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Temecula, CA Posts: 111	I was out there in a skiff all night friday to saturday morning. I was paranoid about hitting kayaks after being night blinded by those squid boat lights as they roll up and down the swells. Saw a couple unlit yaks. Not sure I'd be out there w/o some kind of light. I was probably being especially careful because I kayak the area myself. Has there ever been any PB vs yak incidents there at night? We were fishing live squid too with the same results. Lots of calicos, sandies, a few rock fish, but none of the 'right kind' of bites we were hoping for. Well, there was one big bite around 1am, but I lost it to a bad knot. Back to filleting, there is a better way, but I don't have video. I do 2 cuts on each side. One from the back of the head to the belly passing just behind the side fin and then all the way back to the tail. Next cut is putting the knife back in the first angle of the first cut and slide the knife along the back bone towards the tail, removing the fillet from the fish. Slide the knife up and down so it slices easier, don't just force it straight back. Flip over and repeat. If you're out in the water, be sure to leave the skin on in case DFG needs to ID the fish. I think there's a certain size the fillets have to be but I honestly don't know. Anyone? Skin should be easy to remove with a knife when you're ready. No need to scale and gut. I learned this method not too long ago myself. I'm sure a video would be worth 100xs more than me trying to explain it.