perch fillets or ???

[coldsteel]

Hey guys i am going to try perch for the first time and i am not sure what is the best way to go about cleaning them. is it worth it to fillet them boneless or is it even possible or do you all just gut them and take the heads off like you would do with trout? i am fishing a place with walleye and perch and i wanted to try them both to see the similarities in the two. thanks guys ps i suck at filleting so ill probably have to look at youtube haha

[GrizlyGarou]

There's a quick and easy way to clean perch, you don't even need a fillet knife. I think you can find a video on youtube if you search for "10 second perch". It's pretty slick, but it leaves the ribcage in. All the little bones from the fins come off though, so it's not too boney.

[NYSporty]

keep the larger perch 8"+ and fillet them. I think every one that fillets fish sucked at it when they started.
I learned with a regular fillet knife and really didn't do well most of the time when I started using a electric knife it changed everything.

[coldsteel]

thanks guys ill keep a couple and try it both ways and see how they come out

[GrizlyGarou]

There's three tricks to filleting. The first is you need to do it a bunch to be able to do it well. The second is you need a sharp knife. The third is if you think you're not very good at it, you need more practice. There's a lot of videos on youtube of how to fillet, just don't push the knife towards yourself and there's really nothing you can screw up.

[coldsteel]

yeah i guess i just need to sack up and try it a lil more, most of the time i dont keep fish because i know i wont want to clean them once home after a long day on the ice haha. time to man up

[Yooper77]

I've tried the 10 second cleaning technique and butchered the poor fish. Good thing she was already dead. Like filleting it also takes practice.

[PondPerchPounder]

I only keep perch that are 9+ and I fillet them just like I fillet the Walleyes. I use an electric knife, but you have to be careful not to cut right through them. I hardly ever cut through the backbone but my brother seems to do it on at least one every time that we clean!

[NYSporty]

I only keep perch that are 9+ and I fillet them just like I fillet the Walleyes. I use an electric knife, but you have to be careful not to cut right through them. I hardly ever cut through the backbone but my brother seems to do it on at least one every time that we clean!

2X I kind of ignore the position of the knife in the belly but pay close attention to have it tight on the dorsal fin.
I do my first fillet with the fin away from me because with the fist fillet off its easier to follow the back bone when its towards me.

[coldsteel]

you want to have good flex in the knife while filleting if i am not mistaken, correct?

[coldsteel]

wish i would have kept this one to fillet, would have gotten a couple nice chunks out of it just shy of 15" caught last yr

[Idahogator]

All that for sure.

The ZEN of filleting was achieved, for me , when I became ONE with the tip of the knife.   

That came after the "Safe-cracker" feel, transmitted through the knife tip.

Those two events were separated by several hundred mangled perch pieces, all edible.   

What a pig, Coldsteel !            That's almost a "baker", sort it out on the dinner plate.     

[Swift]

Sharp knife, years of practice and filleting becomes second nature.

[spud bar]

I used an electric knife for the first time on 20 or so perch this last weekend. Only thing I can say is why didn't I do that sooner? Super easy and quick!

[coldsteel]

i guess i dont understand what makes the electric knife that more effiecient?

[NYSporty]

i guess i dont understand what makes the electric knife that more effiecient?

With a regular knife you have to keep it moving north, south and through the fish.
With the electric knife you pull the trigger and just push down the back bone.
Going through the rib bones on a large perch or bass is a pain with a regular knife.

[coldsteel]

ahhh i see ill give filleting another try and maybe invest in an electric once i decide if i like the taste of yellow's i do love some crappie so it could come in handy either way and hopefully will get a few eyes this season. thanks for all the advice and tips guys

[Jigmup]

I actually use an electric fillet knife if I have a mess of them. Don't seem to do any worse with it either. If the fish are 7 to 9 inches, I recommend the small hand knifes.

[sponge]

Which electric knife do you recommend?

[panfishman13]

i guarantee that if you like to eat fish like crappie, bluegill, and walleye, you will love perch. they are absolutely incredible table fare.

as for cleaning them, i tried the 10 second technique, and it worked but i really didn't like the bones in it. since then i've stuck to filleting them out. i may invest in an electric knife later on, but for now i'll stick with a good sharp fillet knife.

[Jigmup]

Which electric knife do you recommend?

Mister Twister

[puddy]

Going through the rib bones on a large perch or bass is a pain with a regular knife.

Why do you need to cut through the rib bones?

[brown-time]

yeah i guess i just need to sack up and try it a lil more, most of the time i dont keep fish because i know i wont want to clean them once home after a long day on the ice haha. time to man up

Just get a good lithium ion battery fillet knife n bring a couple zip locks and a fillet board that snaps to your bucket. Rapala makes both. Fillet the fish on the ice during the slow time that is common to every perch lake. 2:00 at ours'. Real nice not to face that pile after the drive home

[Tunapursuit]

This past open water is the first time I used an electric knife,  several people have told me once I used it for pan fish I would not go back. So true, love it but yes one needs to mess up a few fish to learn the In's and outs of using one. Still trying to get better with the walleye using an electric knife but practice , practice. Titghtlines

[Townie]

Canadian fillet method

[NYSporty]

Why do you need to cut through the rib bones?

That's just how I was taught to do panfish. When I take the ribs out I only get the ribs and save the belly meat in tact with the fillet.

[Velcro]

Fillet 'em and soak the fillets in a mixture or milk, eggs and mustard then dredge them in some flour/breading. Good stuff.

Sometimes if they're small I'll do the 10-second perch method, but really only keep the smaller ones if they get foul hooked, and then they could make good bait.

I got an electric fillet knife a few Christmases ago, think it's rapala brand, and haven't liked it much. I probably need more practice because I really destroyed a couple perch and gills with it, they were more like fish nuggets with skin and bones. Also the cord is a pain, too short and tightly coiled. I'm sure there are much better electric knives out there (Hear good things about Mister Twister) but I can't afford one right now. Just keep the filleting knives sharp.

Even when the fishing is slow I can't bring myself to fillet my catch on the ice, cold fingers, etc. Though I do carry a folding fillet knife in my gear in case I ever feel motivated enough. Usually by the time I get home out of the cold air I'm starving for some fried fish and start filleting as soon as I get my sled put away.

[Whopper Stopper]

Hard to beat a Mr Twister knife if you want to give an electric a try. Not only do they work excellent, the are very affordable.

            WS