EASY PINBONE REMOVAL FOR BLUEGILL FILLETS

[Jim Gronaw]

Just a quick blog for those who want to remove the pinbones from their bluegill fillets. In the pic below, the fillet has been started and the top of the ribcage is exposed...

At this point simply lift the fillet by peeling it back with your thumb. With cold fillets ( fish that have been on ice) the pinbones will remain intact to the ribs as you peel. You can lay the knife on the fish as shown to 'hold' it in place as you peel...

Lift and slice the fillet, scoring tightly to the longer ribcage bones on the belly section of the fillet...

The above photo shows the row of pin bones parallel with the back edge of the knife. If done correctly, it should look something like the the above photo.

Flip the fish over and repeat the lift/pull/scoring process as you did with the other side of the bluegill. Takes a few times to get it down, but once you get the hang of it it is actually quite easy to master. The picture above shows a 6.5 inch bluegill that, though small, made for some decent fillets.

You may not find it neccessary to worry about the pin bones. But if so, this is the quickest, and easiest, method I have found for keeping them out of the fillets. Works best on cold fish as the flesh is easier for me to handle and the separation of the flesh from bone seems to be better than with live, or warmer, fillets.

Hope this helps!

[Bob Garner]

Great blog Jim

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

A real informative post.......good information Jim.....