Bluegill - Big Bluegill

Do you love big bluegill?

i like my little fillet knife but this might be the way to go if you have a lot of panfish to fillet...

Views: 397

Replies to This Discussion

slip stinker;; just get with Lord of the Fly Rods;; for a little  filleting ;; 101 with a lectric knife !!  lofr;; can fillet out 3 or 4 ;; to my one with a regular knife !!

i heard he was fast... me ... i thought it was interesting and others might be... but i only fillet a couple dozen a year or so on avg. this year may have been a peak for me because of ice fishing and the many small perch i caught.

This guy is good but he is too slow and leaves to much meat on the ribs, the way I do it I make my first cut behind the gill plate and go to the backbone , then rotate the blade to slide it down the backbone to the tail ,flip the meat and leave the skin attached , slide knife between skin and flesh.  Toss filet  " with ribs " into ice water, flip fish over and repeat.   Now take fillet from  your bowl of fillets and ice water and  with a sharp fillet knife bend the tip will you are slicing out the rib bone. now you fillet is totally boneless , chilled , and ready for washing and the skillet. I have been timed at 2-3 Bluegill  per minute. I know I make it look too easy  but after you get in a  zone of cleaning 100- 150 fish at a time it's  just repetition !   LOFR

yeah ... i was dying... 10 fish took me a half hour ... lol

I agree LOFR  the ribcage cut should be a smaller cut I think.

 Slip , Carl and I hope to make a video of the electric knife technique at the next Rendezvous, come be in it with us. LOFR

are you kidding me!! i would love to be there fishing with the group... stories and pictures sounded and looked great... great times. its traveling thats the stopper for me.

and thank you.... looking for more medical opinions this off season etc before spring. hopefully there is a chance i can improve the traveling.

its just i had no idea you could do this small work with a knife like that... until you see it actually being done.

slip stinker; my usual time is about 2 or 3 minutes  per fish ; with a regular knife;; LOFR beat me by a mile using his electric knife !!  nothing is wasted either !   and yes sir;; this coming rendevou; we;re going to make a video on how to do it;; you really need to join us ;; more fun than should be legally allowed;; not to mention;; some of the best eating any where !  even tooty loved the ohkra !  LOLOLOL

yep same here Carl 2.5 to 3.0 mins per fish

I'm going to throw out a different perspective. I fully understand the desire to speed things up, and get done asap. My own mother uses an electric knife in the exact fashion LOFR describes. But I can't see myself ever trading in my fixed blades for an electric. When I was a boy I used to hunt and run traplines. Muskrat, Raccoon, Mink, Possum, all skinned out for fur. And for me, it soon became obvious that it wasn't about speed, it was about appreciation for the animal. Sure, I got pretty good at it and things went quickly, but I still felt the need to stop and spend a moment or two just admiring that animal, and appreciating it for what it was. I feel the same way about bluegills, and I don't ever want to lose that feeling. To me they're more than a food source, and I actually enjoy taking 30 minutes to hand filet  a dozen or so fish. It's a part of the whole process, and an important part at that.

I'm just afraid that if it became a race to the finish, it would indicate that something is wrong.....maybe I've began harvesting too many fish at once, or worse, I've lost that necessary appreciation for the animal itself. I don't want to ever get to that point. For me, and just me, I need that sense of "these animals died by my hand", to keep things in focus. I don't want it to ever become easy, or quick, or meaningless.

RSS

Latest Activity

Jeffrey D. Abney posted a photo

Great Fish That Has Begun Working Shallow….5/19/2025

If you look closely above the tail fin you can see the scuffs and missing scales of a nest…
20 hours ago
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a photo

The Masked Monarch Coppernose…..5/19/2025

Give me a couple of these fish and I celebrate any fishing trip……a beautiful 10 inch class male..
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a photo

Very Fortunate to be Able to Fish Quality Like This…5/19/2025

I never saw another vessel on the water for the four hours I was out…
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a status
"Had a beautiful May morning, light westerly winds…62 degree air temperature, 74 degree water at normal levels…slightly stained..let’s go!!!"
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a status
"Well it’s official, after 42 years I’m retired….time to go fishing!"
yesterday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a photo

This One Got the Kinks Out….5/18/2025

Beautiful flexed out Shellcracker…..
Sunday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Sunday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Sunday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
Sunday
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a status
"Had a decent morning on the water despite the turbulent weather this week….many areas stained but found a productive creek….39 fish mixed"
Sunday
John Sheehan posted a photo
Friday
John Sheehan commented on John Sheehan's photo
Thumbnail

An Athletic leaper

"Vacuumed sealed for now ,Jeff. Those Colorado spinners are very effective for Trout and Pan Fish…"
May 14
Jeffrey D. Abney commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Nice Male Coppernose……5/13/2025

"Thanks wag…..growing up in southeast Louisiana I can remember the spring rains and our…"
May 14
wag commented on Jeffrey D. Abney's photo
Thumbnail

Nice Male Coppernose……5/13/2025

"Yeap it's beginning in Louisiana but with high muddy water everywhere with all the heavy rain.…"
May 14
Jeffrey D. Abney posted photos
May 13
Jeffrey D. Abney posted a status
"Between wind and the big slow moving storm, no fishing this week…full moon was Monday so things should take off soon.."
May 13

© 2025   Created by Bluegill.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service