Scaling Fish

[CeePac]

Newbie question:

We are going on a ice fishing trip this weekend and rented a house on Airbnb that is way too nice for my group of hooligans...

Where would you scale a fish if you didn't own the house?  Do you do this outside?

I hear the scales go everywhere and I don't want to ruin this persons house, garbage disposal, etc. 

[river_scum]

outside if you have to scale them.                                                                                                                                       

[shiveringjoe]

What type of fish? And could you just fillet them and skin them? That is much cleaner process. I only scale fish if I'm going to roast them whole, and I would only scale fish outside, preferably in the yard.

Newbie question:

We are going on a ice fishing trip this weekend and rented a house on Airbnb that is way too nice for my group of hooligans...

Where would you scale a fish if you didn't own the house?  Do you do this outside?

I hear the scales go everywhere and I don't want to ruin this persons house, garbage disposal, etc.

[429421Cowboy]

I don't scale many fish, but you can fill up the sink and scale them underwater to keep things contained. You will have to change the water occasionally though. If it were me, I'd plan on bringing a plastic folding table and a bucket to take care of it outside though.

[Osage]

Outside ,but filleting is an option

[PoleJerker]

Outside ,but filleting is an option

x2

[CeePac]

Outside ,but filleting is an option

Do you just leave the scales on the ground?  Maybe I'll just filet seems less messy.

The fish I would be targeting would be Bluegill in case that matters.  I've watched a few different videos on cooking them and taking the scales off just seemed interesting.

[Luckydog]

Filleting would be the way to go.  There are a lot of videos showing different techniques.

[Spider1]

fillet and skin. I wouldn't like it if someone dumped a bunch of scales down my septic system and I would really be angry if there was a bunch of scales left all over my yard. What kind of fish?

[Iceassin]

Inside...in water. Just put enough in the sink to hold them under the surface. I used a spoon. Works for pannies anyway.

[FrankM]

I haven't scaled a fish in over 50 years.  Fillet & skin is the way to go. Much easier and far less mess.

[SHaRPS]

You can also do it inside a shopping bag. you can loop the handles around one wrist, hold the fish by its head inside the bag with same hand. poke a small hole to get the scaler into the bag from the belly/backside and go to work.

[Iceassin]

I haven't scaled a fish in over 50 years.  Fillet & skin is the way to go. Much easier and far less mess.

Actually, that's what I do. With a little bit of help from this gadget 😉

[hardwater diehard]

Fillet a good option ..scale outside  otherwise

I have used both of these with success

https://www.amazon.com/Norm-Feets-88111-Magic-Fish-Scaler/dp/B0009RMB2E/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=magic+scaler&qid=1579628801&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/South-Bend-SBDLXHS-Softgrip-Scaler/dp/B00GI9W4QA/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

[CeePac]

fillet and skin. I wouldn't like it if someone dumped a bunch of scales down my septic system and I would really be angry if there was a bunch of scales left all over my yard. What kind of fish?

Going after bluegill mainly

[MichiganMan]

Bluegill scales come off easy. water in a 5 gal pail. scale underwater with the edge of a spoon. no mess. use scales for chum your next trip if legal.

[Bucket Rump]

I use a Tumble Drum scaler - does 30 to 40 at a time in roughly 25 minutes. Toss the fish in whole then fillet them after they come out.  Left on skin will add some flavor and a bit of crunch when fried up.

[CeePac]

Bluegill scales come off easy. water in a 5 gal pail. scale underwater with the edge of a spoon. no mess. use scales for chum your next trip if legal.

Perfect, thanks!

[GBguy]

If you do it in a pail, you still need to dispose of the scales. Why not just fillet, skin and fry them up? No mess, no fuss. Like others have said, dont just dump the scales outside.

[Unclegillhunter]

Actually, that's what I do. With a little bit of help from this gadget 😉

Kool works great doesn’t it? Way cheaper than the electric one! I saw a video of a guy that had put like a handle like a wringer that are at the car washes.
Keep it safe! JDL

[MichiganMan]

If you do it in a pail, you still need to dispose of the scales. Why not just fillet, skin and fry them up? No mess, no fuss. Like others have said, dont just dump the scales outside.

GBguy,,,go pack go!!!  Well because it was asked as a question, I'll respond. Some people (actually many) like the taste of gills and perch better with the skin on. I do it both ways and like the variety. Crappies always get scaled. As far as still disposing of the scales, you have to dispose of the heads and guts regardless also. Scales don't add much to the gut bag.

[GBguy]

Still seems like a lot of extra hassle, especially if you do it with water in the bucket. Could have them skinned out in the time it takes to fill the bucket with water. I guess a guy could scale them in a bucket or bag and scale them that way, but it sounded like CeePac was looking for an easy way to do it without making a mess. I haven't scaled a fish in probably 10-15 years, simply because of how messy it is.

I get there's a difference in taste/texture though. To each their own. Have fun on your trip CeePac, hopefully you catch a bunch!

[Unclegillhunter]

Still seems like a lot of extra hassle, especially if you do it with water in the bucket. Could have them skinned out in the time it takes to fill the bucket with water. I guess a guy could scale them in a bucket or bag and scale them that way, but it sounded like CeePac was looking for an easy way to do it without making a mess. I haven't scaled a fish in probably 10-15 years, simply because of how messy it is.

I get there's a difference in taste/texture though. To each their own. Have fun on your trip CeePac, hopefully you catch a bunch!

Have like some of the folks who responded not scaled gills for years longer really but gramma C liked them that way so that is what I did! Since she passed nope.
Keep it safe! JDL

[perch chacer]

A lot of scales will plug up the drain pipe, so do not scale under water in a sink.

[RoeBoat]

Skin them, scales make a mess of your own place let alone someone else's.  Heck I find scales around my place for days after just filleting some, no scaling involved.

[Iceassin]

I have never had scales plug up my drain or garbage disposal...or fly everywhere. Before I started using the skinner I showed above, I would fill the sink with enough water to submerge the fish, scale them UNDER the water, rinse a bit and toss them in the other side of the sink or a bowl/pan. When I was done, I would let the water out leaving the sink basket in to catch about 90% of the scales. Empty the basket into the small pail I have lined with 2 plastic grocery bags where the rest of the waste will go. As for the garbage disposal, I will run it when letting the water out, with the few stray scales that are left behind. Then I will use one of those disposal cleaner/sanitizer packets to finish the job. They're like $5 for a pack of 3. Done. And no soggy newspapers, no scales from floor to ceiling, etc. However, when skinning fish...perch, walleye, pike, etc. I will spread out either Parchment or freezer paper to do my business...much better than newspaper as well.

[Iceassin]

Like I said, scaling fish is like everything else, a personal preference.

Exactly. Just giving my personal experience with the garbage disposal theory and letting the OP know there are ways to clean fish inside without a big mess.

[FrankM]

Actually, that's what I do. With a little bit of help from this gadget 😉

A classic Townsend Fish Skinner, excellent.

[Seamonkey84]

I love that costa perch cleaning video, best in between fillet and cooking whole.
 I don’t personally eat much fish, but my family members usually scale the fish and cook it whole, including the head. It also makes the left overs less smelly, the only raw waste is the guts and scales. When filleting, you end up with a pile that is basically the whole carcass and skin. Not everyone can just compost it or have a convenient way to properly dispose of that much raw fish matter. With bigger fish like trout or salmon, I gut them as soon as I can when still on the water.

Even easier with plate sized trout, don’t even need to scale or skin them. Don’t forget the cheek piece so don’t cut heads off if you can avoid it

[shiveringjoe]

There would be one benefit to scaling fish in my kitchen... I would end up with a lot more time to go fishing after getting divorced!