How do I gut a fish?

Answer 1

You may find this a strange answer, but it just about completely depends on the fish! You have fresh water fish, salt water fish, bony fish, meaty fish, etc. Try this for a fairly simple, normal fish.

Remove the head by cutting just behind the gills. (Leave the tail on, you can use it as a "handle".) Find the little hole in the back end of the bottom of the fish, just in front of the last fin. Using a fillet knife, start at that hole and work your way forward. Careful of the fingers!

When you have the innards removed, some fish have a small pocket up top near the spine. Open this and clean in there. Still use the tail as a handle to "scale" the bugger.

Finally remove the tail at the point where you waste the least amount of meat, then wash very well in cold water. Cut off the rest of the fins with a pair of poultry shears.

Now if you need to do a catfish, that is a completely different story! And the larger saltwater fish also get slightly different treatment since you can fillet them.

Flatfish like your flounder and fluke also are cleaned in a different manner. As are things that are not fish, like eels. Hope this helps. Been cleaning all kinds of fish for lots of years.

Answer 2

You need a VERY sharp knife and a towel.
Start by getting a good grip on the fish's tail with the towel, and then insert the tip of your knife into the fishes anal opening with the blade pointed AWAY from your body and towards the fish's head. Slice an opening from that point towards the gills, and stop when you've reached the beginning of the head. Next hold the fish by the tail and take your fingers and pull down on all the stuff inside the fish, it should start to fall down with gravity anyways. Rip it all out, trying not to break open any of the guts. Once all of that is out, run the fish under cool clean water until all the blood and debris is out of the fish.

Answer 3

I don't know about gutting them. I guess you just cut off the head, slice open the belly and scrape out the insides.

To fillet a fish,cut around the head, slice open the belly then run the knife parallel to the ribs so that it slices the meat away from the ribs. Then repeat the procedure by sliding the knife between the meat and the skin.

The important thing is to use a very sharp, thin, flexible knife.

Answer 4

If your fishing for food the faster you kill the fish the nicer it will taste. The best way to kill a fish is a spike or knife blade to the brain which stops the heart and ceases all flapping. Brain location varies between species but is usually located center of the head just behind their eyes. Why you would want to gut a fish alive probably stems from being removed from your mothers nipple too early and is most likely a progression from the thrill you got pulling wings off flies as a child. Fish may not have feelings but they feel pain, if you dish it out expect it to come back around..... Limit your catch not catch your limit have to admit i have never fished for catfish

Answer 5

ok, first you need to cut its head off, lay the fish on its side and cut just behind the fins closets to its head. now that you have the head off look underneath the fish for its "peehole" cut underneath
its belly starting from the "peehole" all the way up untill your blade clears the fish. this will open the fish up for you to clean out its "guts". dont forget to scale it. place it back on its side and scrape your knife against its scales(going in the opposite direction of the scales" this makes a mess so do it somewhere
where clean up will be easy. hope this will help you

Answer 6

insert the knife tip into the anus of the fish and cut toward the head. Remove the guts and scrape the blood vein with a spoon.

Answer 7

cut up the belly from where waste comes out to gills. Pull out guts, cut off head and tail. Done

Answer 8

cut the head off and then split it down the belly down to the anal fin

Answer 9

Wear gloves and use a sharp knife.

Answer 10

Break up with it.