Northwest Fishing Reports

I am new to trout fishing, the only way I know to dress a trout is slit it up the stomach and chest get all of the guts out and cut the head off. Is there a way to fillet them or anything?

Jason

About 95% of the trout I catch I gut them. I do fillet them as well though. You would just fillet how you would any other fish. The only time I fillet trout is if they are of better size. By better size I mean in the 2 lb range and larger. I never fillet trout smaller than 2 lbs, its just too difficult. If you need a good recipe there are some really good recipes in the recipe section.

You can fillet them if you want to. I prefer to fillet them just because it's that much easier when you are eating them and you don't have to pick the meat off the bones...Not to mention it's much faster, and saves your knives from having to bear down the bone when cutting the head off...

I don't bother filleting them. Nothing left by the time I'm done. Like gpc, only on big trout. But I eat mostly small trout because they taste better, so gutting is the best method most of the time. I just use my pocketknife when I gut fish because the rough saw part does great on the fish head. Theoretically, you can cook them perfectly so that the meat just falls off the bones, but I have only done this twice out of the many trout meals I've had.

Thanks for the info guys just making sure I didnt want to waste a perfectly good trout trying to do something you cant even do.

Jason

i eat alot of the trout i catch and i catch alot if there bigger i fillet them after they have been cleaned and bbq the fillets with lemon pepper and fresh lemon juice if there smaller i clean them really good descale take off the head and fins use lemonpepper and freshlemon juice dip lightly dip in seasoned flour and fried in a pan.. mmmmMMMM

ipodrodder try the way i was just talkin about it falls right off the bone that way everytime just grab the spine and the whole thing just come right out

Yes, that is what I do. I guess I wasn't clear that usually we botch the spine job and some bones break off the spine and stay in the meat.

i have found a great way to gut trout that takes almost 30 secounds maximum cut the trout from vent to the throut and then cut a small slit right between the jaw bones so that you can stick your finger in then just rip down and all the guts, gills, front fins, and gill plates come out in one peace then chop/saw the head of, as for cooking make a tin-foil "pouch" and place the trout inside and then add some slices of onions, and then put some melted butter, fresh or bottled lemon jiuce, salt and pepper to taste. close the pouch and put on the bbq until the trout becomes flakey and starts to fall off the skin/bone and then enjoy!

Fisherman_max wrote:i have found a great way to gut trout that takes almost 30 secounds maximum cut the trout from vent to the throut and then cut a small slit right between the jaw bones so that you can stick your finger in then just rip down and all the guts, gills, front fins, and gill plates come out in one peace then chop/saw the head of, as for cooking make a tin-foil "pouch" and place the trout inside and then add some slices of onions, and then put some melted butter, fresh or bottled lemon jiuce, salt and pepper to taste. close the pouch and put on the bbq until the trout becomes flakey and starts to fall off the skin/bone and then enjoy!

That's exactly how I learned how to clean a trout when I was in scouts. Seems that it worked better in my memory than it did the first time I tried it earlier this spring (first time I gutted a fish since I was around 15). Although, I did get it to work exactly the way it should after a couple of fish.

BTW, have any of you tried Cilantro and Lime on a fish cooked in a tinfoil pouch on the bbq? We tried that with one of the pinks I caught and it was pretty good.

not yet, but i love trying new stuff while cooking fish, barbeque sauce is pretty good on trout, but it just kinda overp powers the fish so its like eating plain barbeque sauce hahahha

well ive caught many different species thruout the Nation.
trout is my wifes favorite fish, therefore i have to get her alot of it
i dont bother fileting them unless there pushing 5+#s.... they have so many bones, but cooking them whole is the easiest and meat falls right off...yummmmy