Copyright Rogers Publishing Limited Aug 1999It's summer. You might go fishing - which is fun. But you might also have to clean a fish - which isn't. I've been fishing since I was a little girl and have picked up a few tips you might find useful the next time the task falls to you.
If you're cutting a huge salmon into steaks or wrestling with a prize muskie, this technique won't work. But for medium-size catches of, say, 12 to 20 centimetres that you want to cook over a campfire, this method is quick and easy and involves the least compromise. You won't be sacrificing too much meat or leaving in bones.
First, you need a fish billy, a scaler and two sharp fillet knives, 10 and 15 centimetres long. Nylon gloves with stainless-steel mesh are also worth having as is a garbage bag to get rid of the guts.
Put on the gloves. The scales and gills - not to mention the knife - can be quite sharp. If the fish is alive, hold it down on a hard surface and whack it on the head with the fish billy.
Scrape the sides of the fish with the scaler until the skin is smooth.
To remove fillets from the fish, lay it down on its side. Make a cut with the 10-centimetre fillet knife just behind the gills as if you were cutting the head off.
Slice halfway through, but do it gently and make sure not to cut through the backbone. Then run the knife blade, one-centimetre deep, through the fish toward its tail, parallel to the backbone.
Then lift back the loosened flesh from the backbone and cut the fillet from the rib cage, peeling the meat off the bones. Turn the fish over and do the same thing on the other side.
To remove the skin, lay the fillet skin-side down and holding the tail end, slide the knife between the skin and the meat. It should come off easily.
If you're panfrying a whole smaller fish, such as a sunfish or a crappie, you don't have to remove the bones. Scale the fish and make an incision below the fin by the stomach. Cut across as if you are cutting off the head, but don't cut through the bone.
Do the same thing on the other side.
Next, pull the head away from the body, pulling the entrails out of the stomach. Then clean any remaining entrails out of the body cavity.
Now the fish is ready to fry. If you make a few cuts in the fish before you throw it into the pan, it will come out a lot crispier.
Remember, the bones are still in the fish. Some larger frying fish, such as pike or whitefish, are slightly more difficult to clean because they have something called a Y bone in addition to the backbone.
Fillet these fish the same way as described above, but to remove the Y bone, lay the fillet down, find the row of bones by running your fingers down the meat, then carefully cut out the bones.
You'll never enjoy cleaning fish, but like many things in life, the more you do it, the less it will bother you. I promise.
fishing for wusses
Some experts swear that women outfish men. Not only are women more patient, but apparently a male scent on bait repels fish, while a woman's doesn't. That may explain why the number of women taking up the sport has been on the rise in the past 20 years. If you're new behind the reel, you might benefit from the following:
1. Two words: Canadian Tire. Ask an attendant for help and expect to part with about $40 to get enough gear to start.
2. If you use real worms and don't want to put them on the hook, wear garden gloves.
3. Artificial lures are easier to work with and are very effective.
4. You'll get more respect if you hold the fishing rod correctly: reel facing downward.
5. Know your territory. Find out what fish are in season and if you need a licence. You probably do.
6. If you want to throw the fish back like they do on TV, file down your hook or pinch it with pliers so that the barb won't stick into the fish. This makes it easier to remove. You can use either a hook disgorger or pliers to get the hook out. If it's stuck, throw the fish back - hook and all. Experts say it will eventually rust away.
7. Don't fish too closely to someone else. Don't go zipping by someone else too quickly in a boat and don't throw in your line near a cottage.
8. Always wear a hat and sunglasses to protect yourself from a runaway hook.
9. Some fish swim closer to the surface on overcast days.
10. Get to know the jerk. No, not the guy standing next to you offering advice. It's the move you make once you feel the fish bite. You can have the best lures and fishing rod, but if you can't flick your wrist at that crucial moment, you'll never catch a fish.
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