3 Ways to Fillet a Crappie That Every Panfish Angler Should Know!
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- Опубликовано: 29 май 2023
- *Scroll for Product Links👇 *Crappie are one of America's favorite fish to both catch and eat. These tasty fish can be cooked a multitude of ways and can be cleaned, or filleted, almost as many ways. In this video we will go over the top 3 methods that I've found work best to fillet a crappie using both a conventional, and electric fillet knife.
Bubba 7" Tapered Flex Fillet Knife: amzn.to/3xe2cgN
Bubba Cordless Lithium Ion Electric Fillet Knife: amzn.to/4cyPhpD
Fillet Claw: www.filetclaw.com 
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Nice video! I bought this electric flaying knife for my papaw at Christmas and he says he loves it! He hasn’t used it yet but what’s funny is he brags about it every chance he gets lol. Once we go fishing we will use it a ton! God Bless!
Yes. They are awesome for getting through a bunch of fish quickly. Tight lines!
Definitely going to try that last one. Thanks. I never would've thought of doing it that way.
Nice! You’ll like it.
Seen many fillet videos before.
Yours has to be the Best one.
Good video , sound , demonstration , explanation.
Thanks so much!
Actually this video deserves a double 👍👍, and a 👋.
Thanks!
Nicely done Sir! Thanks for sharing that.
You bet!
Nice presentation!
It’s always beneficial to see someone else demonstrate their filleting skills.
Always something to remember or learn no matter how many times you’ve done it !
Beginners should find your methods very easy to follow 👍
Thanks so much!
I never remove the small bones. When frying in oil, they will cook soft. And you won't be able to taste any difference. But very good video.
Excellent filleting demo! Thanks! You touched on several of the most overlooked technique spots. Subbed.
You bet! Glad you found it helpful.
Good video. Explained the process very well.
Thanks!
I’m new to your channel. Excellent video. Can’t wait to watch the rest of your videos.
Thanks so much!
motivated me to go fish for crappie tomorrow!
Nice. Good luck!
I have filleted thousands of panfish, rock cod, salmon, lings, trout, Kokanee, etc. I just filleted a bunch of slab crappie yesterday. Average size was 15 inches. This video was still fun to watch.
Nice! I’ve filleted thousands myself. Everything from amberjack to brown trout to bullheads to barracuda and northern pike! You name it!
Great exhibit!
Thank you!
Thank you for sharing this with us, i never have fileted a blue gill or crappie before, but always wanted to learn, when i catch some again i will definitely try you're techniques, growing up we always scaled them and cooked them cooked them whole. But i enjoy filet fish much better, heck i like any fish i get to eat 😂
The fam loves fish fillets!
Very well done
Now I want a basket full of crappie
And it's 5:30 in the morning 😄
Haha. Better go find some!
I grew up eating panfish in Illinois Wisconsin and all around that area and we always ate the the tail and if they've got a GT eggs heat them up yum yum
Tasty!
1st time here- Great Job!! New sub and rang the bell 😊👍👍. Thank you!
Thanks!
NEW KNIFE ON THE WAY❤ CANT WAIT!
Awesome! You’ll enjoy it.
Waste of meat up by the head, and there is no need to take the pin bones out! They just melt when cooked. Also, the best way to make sure you don't waste any meat is to make sure the fish are really iced down before cleaning!
Over sixty years ago, when we would clean a couple of thousand or more of perch, fishing Lake Erie every year for a week on our family vacation, my dad used a large steel tap in a drill to scale the fish, one sister washed them, and the rest of use filet them! Back then, they weren't skinning them yet! I could filet three perch a minute! We had fish all year then, as we froze them first in milk cartons. Then, plastic bags, then eventually the air seal bags!
I agree. The best way to not waste any meat is to scale then and cook them whole. I happen to have a video on that too! ruclips.net/video/O7YjdUHwgBo/видео.html
Nice job man.
Thanks!
FISH LOOKS GOOD
Thanks!
I got a Bubba last year it's awesome
They make great stuff!
😮
works great and fast
👍
I always filet skin and debone all my fish and use a Bubba Filet knife these over my time fishing decades upon decades is the best I have ever used.
if you know how how to use a knife a 5$ pocket would work well !!! we are all not all millionaires!!!!
Yep!
“Work well” is a stretch and 59.99 for a good, comfortable knife that will last for many years is hardly “millionaire” territory. 😆
Great video! I do my smaller crappie like the last one you did. I call them crappie hor dourvers😂
Thanks. 🤤 love em!
The old Canadian guides knew all about eating fresh fish and serving up a great shore lunch!
One thing I learned from them was to fry fish in oil with a 50% mix of lard. The lard will turn the bones into edible bones you wont notice. No batter, no coatings just fresh fish fried in bacon grease and lard. Best fried fish with no pin bones to fight with.Best ever!
I’ve had some great shore lunches over the years. You are right about bacon grease and an open fire. Doesn’t get any better!
Really nice filleting tutorial. I especially like the butterflying one with the tail still attached. The best scaling technique I wish I’d known or heard of was scaling the fish under water. Growing up and fishing in Wisconsin, scaling tons of panfish as kids, scaling was my least favorite part. I’m sure you know how far and randomly scales fly and we just accepted that some would wind up in our hair, stuck to our face and arms, walls, ceilings, and wherever. A well-aimed scale would invariably wind up in your eye.
To think that all we had to do was scale the fish in a tub of water, seems like a cruel joke that was played on us. Oh well.
In Washington now and have been catching lots of small-mouth bass and trout this spring and early summer on the lakes. Trout are never scaled here and “Smallies” are usually skinned, so I haven’t had the pleasure of scaling a panfish since I was a kid in Wisconsin but the next time I do, I’ll definitely be doing it in a tub of water.
Thanks for another cool video that reminds me of Wisconsin. Just wondering, are Hodags still a problem up north? I remember them being a nuisance back in the 60’s and 70’s.
Haha. Yep. The water trick is pretty slick. And yes, East of us they still have a Hodag problem. 😂
@@calebwistad, Hey man, I can hardly believe I remembered the Hodags. I’ve written and published lots of short stories while in Hawaii and most were about things in recent memory so my mind didn’t have to dig very far. But some that I’ve written from childhood days in Chicago and Wisconsin, I revert back to the place and time, and my memory comes up with things I normally wouldn’t remember. Filed away in some deep crevice of my brain, was the Hodag. I thought for a few minutes, “What the hell did the Wisconsinites call that thing?…A Hodag? That sounds right…” Then I remembered the bar where our parents took us called the “Hodag Hole”. Lots of captured and mounted Hodags decorated the walls of the bar. I must have been 10 years old and I knew this taxidermy mix of animals was a fake but my younger sister was really scared of them. I tried to show her that this thing can’t exist, but she wasn’t buying it. I don’t remember exactly what it looked like but it could obviously run, swim, and fly, had huge fangs, so not something to tangle with in the north woods for sure.
Just one of those old memories from childhood that popped up and I wondered if the Wisconsinites still do that sort of thing.
(I wouldn’t put it passed them), Wisconsinites are funny as hell. Thanks again for helping me dredge up memories I’d long forgotten and strangely cherish.
Love my lithium ion Bubba filet knife!
Me too!
Great video are usually get stuck cleaning all the crappie🎣💪👍😎
Thanks!
you earned a sub
Thanks much!
I really liked the two fillets connected to the tail fin . Ok by me.
It’s a good option!
Excellent video! That scaling under water technique is “simply” genius. What is the little scissor-knife that you used to cut the tail? (can you add a link) Thanks!
Thanks! The scissors are Klauss shears. Here’s a link: www.zoro.com/clauss-multipurpose-shears-straight-7-34-in-l-11113/i/G5306226/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-7i94NXS_wIVwmxvBB1MZAynEAQYASABEgJCYPD_BwE
I've enjoyed all your videos. You have a knack for instructing.
I used to clean my panfish exactly the way you do with both type knives, but I have since found a way that gives me more even fillets. My second fillet would always be thinner because I didn't have any meat on the other side of the fish to hold it up like i did with the first fillet cuts. Now, especially when I use a plain knife, I cut across the neck and along the spine, push through at the anus area and cut down to the tail. I stop at that point and flip the fish over and do the same on the other side. Now I still have the meat on the under side to hold the second side up. This time I cut off the tail flap and cut over the ribs as usual, flip the fish and finish the first side. I get more meat on the second fillet and it only adds an additional flip to the process.
I also like to say that I usually leave the pin bones on crappy and bluegills and other sunfish. They just seem to chew up without notice to me. I'm not feeding kids though, so that could make a difference, I suppose.
Thanks so much! I’ll have to give that a try and see how it pans out.
outstanding
Thank you.
The last method is genius
🙏
I like doing method number 2. I use Mister Twister replacement blades in my Bubba, they have less aggressive teeth and cut crappie and bluegills smoother.
So the mister twister blades fit the bubba attachment?
@@calebwistad Yes they do! I do the same thing with mine.
cool video
Thanks!
I enjoy your videos and have learned from them. I do wonder, however, why you cut cross- handed, towards yourself???
It might look like I am cutting toward myself but I’m really not. I’ve filleted thousands of fish and never gotten more than a scratch. (Usually from the dang spines on panfish, not the knife. 😆)
Everyone should know how to filet a fish. That’s some valuable information for if you’re in a pickle! 😂😂😂
That’s very true!
I'm new to filleting my own fish, and the first time I tried it was on a trout. are walleye and crappie the same as trout in the sense that you need to cut them immediately? or can they stay on ice and be fine? idk
I much prefer to bleed them and ice them. That’s not to say you have to, but I get a much cleaner finished product that way.
you can toss crappie straight on ice or ill just keep them in a fishbasket if i want them really fresh.
Scaling the fish in a pan of water works good and keeps the scales from flying all over the place.!
Sure does!
I noticed you don't cut off the yellow strip. I do because it's the way I was taught. I've never done a taste test, but friends tell me it has a muddy taste. Also, I always bleed mine. I just cut the tail off about 1/2 hr before I fillet them. Again, great job with the video. I really enjoy your no nonsense presentations. Where did you get the filet gripper that you used?
I have never noticed a difference in the flavor personally. And thanks! The link to the fillet claw should be in the description.
Never ran into issues with the pin bone yet. Seems to soften enough to make it unnoticeable after its fried 🤷♂️
It depends on the size of the fish and the cooking method. If they are smaller panfish, say 8” bluegills and you are frying them, you likely won’t notice the pin bones. If you are baking some larger perch or crappies, you will know they are there.
what size crappie was this? I did a 10Inch, and kinda hacked it up. you make it look easy. I guess i need more practice. nice videos!!
These were roughly 12” crappies. Keep practicing and you’ll get it!
@@calebwistad gotcha, will do. thanks a lot!!
When I hack a fish I blame it on a bad/dull knife
@@asphaltspecialties nah, i just dont fillet many fish. but ill keep that 1 in mind. lol
Practice makes perfect
Nice, I don't have to worry the crappies I catch are the size of smelts,
Lol. Maybe you will find some big ones some time!
Where can I purchase a Fillet Claw? I looked on Amazon but no luck. Please let me know where I can purchase thanks
I believe I left a link for their website in the video description.
You can put them in a 5-gallon bucket of water and some vinegar and let them sit for 10 minutes and then pressure wash them off with a hose pipe and they do not have a vinegar
Yes I actually have a whole video on de-sliming fish!
Lots of belly meat wasted. Your first cut misses the belly meat, plus you need to get closer on the ribs. That belly meat on crappies is so good, take your time and do it right.
I agree that I could have gotten a bit more off the belly. I know some people really like the thin belly meat but personally, I’m not a huge fan. When you fry it it gets a bit over cooked because it’s so thin. Some people love it, some don’t! Either way, you are correct, I could have been a bit more careful around the ribs and belly.
$220 for the Bubba electric fillet knife is a bit steep for me.
It’s not the cheapest of electric knives but it’s been excellent for me so far.
I use method #2 but with a conventional knife.
Yes. Nice. Pretty much interchangeable!
How do you Bleed them properly?
Here is a video that details exactly how I do it.
ruclips.net/video/J618QqCWx14/видео.htmlsi=Ck3tYDneaY97EWit
Try fillets with the skin left on taste twice as good,do scale them first
I do have a video on how to do that method with bluegills. Never tried it with crappies though. I bet it’s just as good!
You can cut out a few steps if you peel the skin with a catfish peeler !
I’ll have to look into that.
Great video, I have to disagree with the bleeding of fish. unless you're going for less mess while cleaning.
That’s definitely one of the big ideas behind it. Do you prefer the taste of un-bled fillets? Just curious why you disagree in general.
I do prefer the taste, I do however let my fillets sit in water overnight
I'd just rather wait and soak out my fillets overnight
I used a water hose attachment to scale fifty nine crappie in about ten minutes, just start from the tail to the head 😊😊😊😊f j b 😊😊
What attachment do you use?
Whats the name of the scaler u are using
It’s the Filet Claw. Link is in the description.
Scale them in a tumbler you can do up to 25 at a time takes about 20 minutes to scale then just filer and cut out the ribs
Wow! How does the tumbler work?
@@calebwistad google tumbler drum fish scaler. I scale 25 at a time takes 20 minutes. Then when scaling the next 25 I filet the 1st 25. Cleaned and scaled 50 last night to about 45 minutes total.
Scale those fish before filleting them, that gives you an extra layer of flavor!
Definitely a good option at times!
Great, now how do you catch them?
Check out some of the other videos on my channel!
How do you cook with the skin on?
Just pan fry or deep fry it!
@@calebwistad can you still bread it with the skin on? Forgive my ignorance!
Super, super
Thanks.
11:37 thanks,
👍 you bet!
use a spray washer to scall fish
I’ve heard that works. Never tried it.
Cut tworads the tail the whole time then heds not in way when you're finishing. But not when skinning of course not a big deal but I have no wife and kids and fish alot I found that best. But I might adopt holding it by the gills like you do. Trade if you will. Nice crappies
Good tip!
Do you still eat the tails?
If I leave the skin on then yes.
The easiest way to scale any panfish is place it on the ground, using a garden hose with a nozzle end and start at the tail and spray with pressured water towards the head, flop it over and do the other side. Don't even have to bend over or your hands dirty.
Man, I’ll have to try that!
Give it a try, would like to see you do a video if you like it
nope easiest way is drag them behind the boat in a laundry bag on way to the landing .
will not be one scale left
@@Suckmyjagon lol no way
@@kratomsafetyofficer yerp did it on accident once i do it every time now . when you get to landing they just need gutting all scales gone one them laundry bags like a net works great .
its just like a pressure washer
How did you bleed them out? 👍🇺🇸🤠
I detail it in this video: ruclips.net/video/J618QqCWx14/видео.html
WHILE THERE MAY BE 3 WAYS THERE'S USUALLY ONE BEST WAY!!
True. Might be different for different people though.
Everyone makes this look so easy and I destroy the poor things
Practice practice practice! I’ve filleted thousands of fish and I do it every single week.
I can buy a lot of razor sharp knives for the price of that bubba electric at 250$
I’m sure you can! I can buy a lot of really nice, sharp hand saws for the price of a power saw too. 😂 I’m not saying electric fillet knives are for everyone. What I am saying is that, if you want one, this one has knocked it out of the park for me so far. BTW, I am not sponsored by Bubba, I just happen to really like their products.
Even better way to get them pin bone's without losing the meat ((FISH BONE REMOVER + PINCER TONGS Puller Tweezers Tong De-Bone Stainless Steel SS))
I have some that I use on trout. Never tried them on panfish though!
You know what I've been fileting fish and eating them for 50yrs. And have never seen or cut the bones out you say are above the ribs.
Feel along that middle part with your finger on a bigger panfish and you will feel them!
I will never understand why people don’t keep the eggs.. just as delicious as the meat
How do you prepare them?
any others who lived off what they caught pissed off more than me?
I want to throw up.
Apparently not. Out of 300k odd views nobody else seems to have such a raw and nauseous reaction to this video for some reason.
I guess I’m in the lower percentage of people. To me the name is pan fish because you can cook it whole thing. Any of that white meat wasted is a shame
Everyone has their favorite. I also did a video on cooking panfish whole as you describe.
Usually...lol
Usually. Always need a disclaimer. 😆
How hard can it be?
Sorry, this video does not contain any information on the difficulty level of filleting crappies. If you want the answer to your question you may have to look elsewhere… My guess is that you won’t have to look far to find some videos that make it look very, very hard.
You have to fry the caviar, don't waste the caviar
Never tried it. How do you cook it?
The tail?!
The tail.
I don’t mean any disrespect to you but, I was born and raised in the Deep South and have fished for crappie and bluegills (all types of what we call bream) and I think it is a huge waste of fish to filet a panfish. I’m 70 years old and if my mama was still alive, she would whip my but for fileting a panfish. I live on a big lake in south Florida now and the snowbirds come down every year and catch thousands of crappie and filet them leaving about 1/3 of the fish meat behind. If you did that with a deer, you would be arrested. I don’t know why they allow it with fish. My kids learned how to eat a fish with bones when they were 4 and 5 years old.
Well, to each his own. Neither is right or wrong in my opinion. I know that in 99% of restaurants they will serve you boneless fillets. Almost NOBODY cooks panfish whole here in the Midwest. I have done it myself though, and I actually have another video about how to cook panfish whole that would probably be more your style.
Oh, and by the way, there are no regulations about how efficient you have to be when butchering a deer either so I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t get “arrested” for missing some useable meat on a carcass either. 😆 Not that I recommend or or even excuse wasting meat, but just pointing out that that’s a bit of an exaggeration to assert that it’s illegal.
You're going to be eating scales 😂😂😂😂
I didn’t find any when I ate them. Maybe I missed a couple in the video and cleaned them up later. That’s possible.
What is this bleeding the fish, I am 78 years old I have never bleed a fresh water fish in my life, I think you men feel like you are toughter if you can cut on something !!!!!
Welllllll…… I’ve been doing this a while myself. I’ve done it both ways and seen the difference, plus it’s how they do it in commercial fishing. I guess if you’ve never bled a fish a single time in 78 years though, why start now?
This is not rocket science
Thank goodness. I’m not that smart!
Didn't mean it like that I do apologize for being arrogant sounding it's just not a hard thing to do
Please use a spoon to scale with one smooth stroke! No mess. All the scales are on the spoon! Your scaling method really triggered me!
😂 I’ll have to try that.
Can you do a video on how to sharpen the bubba 7 inch flex knife?
Definitely in the works so stay tuned!
At 62 years of age, I can say that I have never filleted a panfish ever and won't start now. Scale, gut, and remove the head. Leave whole or cut up into 2-inch steaks dredge in a mixture of cornmeal and flour and fry. Gave ya a thumbs up on your video though.
I happen to have a video on that method as well. To each his own right? ruclips.net/video/O7YjdUHwgBo/видео.html
You Can't eat the Crappie with.the skin? Intact?😮
You can! I show how to fillet them with the skin on in method #3 in this video. You can also gut them and scale them and cook them whole like I do in this video: ruclips.net/video/O7YjdUHwgBo/видео.html
*I upload video of real fish being caught.*
_When you can catch a huge Marlin or Mahi Mahi why would anyone putt around fishing crappie? ZZZ._
*Its looks crappy, not happy, fishing for crappie lol*
Well, primarily because I’m about 1500 miles from the nearest marlin. 😂
@@calebwistad So? I hunt and if I'm hundreds of miles away from the nearest Elk I dont all of a sudden go around shooting mice lol🙄
😆 I am a multi species angler and have a blast catching all kinds of different fish from 8” brook trout to 8’ bull sharks. They are all fun to me in their own way. But hey, if you only enjoy catching fish based off their size, I’d stick to marlin and mahi if I were you.
@@calebwistad Good answer to a guy being an azzhole. I am your newest subscriber. I live in Canada and only fish the premium fish when i spend winter in Los cabos 3 months every winter. But in the meantime I fish freshwater for perch walleye and pike. I get it. Sorry for being a bit of a dick. Fishing is fishing no matter the species. Peace.