Gutting a froze Bluegill....

[Maison]

Questions for all Bluegill hunters! Can you Gut a frozen blue gill? Do you need to unthaw him, Gut him when he is still frozen, or just throw him away? I have never frozen a fish and not have gutted him before. Would love it if someone helped me out!

[Tommy Winton]

One time i didnt have time to clean some gills so i put them in the freezer. When i did have time to clean them i thawed them in cold water and filleted them. They turned out good. Now if you gut them it might be different. Give it a try and le us know.

[Ricardo A Mejia]

I totally agree to this. I've done on other fish and it never fails to get the job done easily and quickly.

[Dave Bausano]

I agree with you Dick. Sometimes I'll leave them on ice in a cooler overnight and clean them the next day. They don't freeze, but they are much easier to clean.

I would think it would be difficult to clean a fish (no matter which way you prefer to do it) if it is actually frozen. My advice would be to follow Tommy's advice.

[Maison]

Thanks guys.. I try and putting the 'Gills in some warm water for a few minutes and try and thaw them out then gut em, ill post it up on here when I'm done. Happy hunting

[Bill "Musky" Modica]

Like 2lbgill said.. "just leave them on the counter for awhile"
...once cleaned, they should be fine for immediate consumption however, DO NOT re-freeze the cleaned fish. Fish flesh goes thru a molecular structure change when frozen....re-freezing them will turn them into un-palettable table fare.

[Rudy Reynosa (True Shot)]

I always put my fish in the bottom of my frig for an hour or more " Up to 1 day in the frig." Because all of the blood goes back into the major organs. "Like in humans if we are freezing to death." Thus the blood isn't on my cutting board because I fillet them. If you have a sharp knife you can gut the fish or FILLET it even if its frozen. If anything it's easier to clean them, but the meat my be a little mushy.

[10.5" RES Sharon]

I think this would be a good way to make sure the bluegill are dead before cutting up too. Can't stand cutting them up alive.

[Doug Dodson]

I worked in a restaurant that used a lot of frozen macks, and I was taught to clean them by a very experienced cutter, and the main thing he stressed was NEVER cut a frozen fish, because the knife can come out at any time and filet you instead of the fish!
Point is if you froze the fish before cleaning, let it thaw to the just icy stage before cutting...safer for you!
I personally don't freeze whole fish. I slushy ice em while on the water, and no matter how tired, I take the time to clean before freezing. If you are going to kill a fish, take the time to treat it properly and get the best tasting product.

[Neil]

It's been a long time since I was last here. I don't know how many ice fisherfolk we have here, but in the north country where I am at, frozen fish while after catching them while out ice fishing is a fact of life. I have filleted frozen panfish many times in the past with no ill effects to taste of the fish, or any difficulty as to how the filleting process went.  An electric knife makes the cutting much easier on a frozen fish than using a regular blade.