How to Fillet a Fish 

Photo Courtesy of Pixabay

Here in Colorado, not only do we have some of the best snow sports in the US, but we also have some of the best fishing. On the Colorado River up in Kremmling, the Arkansas River in Granite, as well as on the Blue River in Breckenridge we offer multi-hour guided fly fishing trips. You would start off by getting all the necessary gear, which we would provide, at the location of your choosing. Then you would head out to the river where the guides would show you how to tie a line, advise you on which flies would be most effective as well as how to cast in some of the best fishing areas on the river.

Catching fish is the fun part but what do you do once you catch then and decide you want to keep them? The process of preparing a fish to be cooked is called filleting. Some believe that filleting a fish is an art, others think it’s just gross. Regardless, it is a necessary process to prepare a fish. There are a few different ways to do it but here are some basic steps for a fish up to 5 lbs.

How to Fillet a Fish

Photo Courtesy of Pixabay

1. Cut off the head just behind the gills.
2. Hold the fish by the tail. With the knife blade pointing away from you and across the body of the fish, begin to cut toward the head (or at least where the head used to be). Use the backbone to guide your knife.
3. To take the skin off, begin by holding the fillet by the tail, skin side down.
4. Hold the knife crosswise across the fillet and insert the knife between the skin and the flesh. Don’t worry if you don’t get this perfect at first.
5. While holding the skin, cut in the direction of where the head used to be.

Season the fish to your taste, either throw it on the grill or in the oven with some fresh veggies and enjoy!

To join us for a guided fly fishing tour, give us a call at 970-423-7036 for availability and information.