How to "Butterfly" a Bluegill (You Have GOT to Try This!)

[@timhughes5939]

Luv the scaling idea!

[@calebwistad]

It works great!

[@frankcaballero291]

Great video. You explained and showed how to do the fileting well.

[@calebwistad]

Thanks!

[@tomkeltescheverythingoutdo2379]

Just found your channel the other day and now I'm binge watching. Lol. Very good tutorials. You're very thorough when you're explaining the process. I'm not a real avid fisherman, but I'm starting to get more involved with it. By the way, I'm from Manitowoc County. It's nice seeing another Wisconsin you-tuber

[@calebwistad]

Thanks! Glad to hear you are getting back into it.

[@AmericanAkosm]

I am impressed by your knife skill. I have seen too many videos of anglers who filet without consideration of knife safety. You know what you are doing with that blade.

[@calebwistad]

Thanks! I’ve been filleting fish since I was about 6 years old. 52 weeks a year. 😆

[@michaeldrake8300]

Great video!!! I like to consider myself a well-experianced outdoorsman (fishing, camping, small game hunting, canoeing/kayaking, rock climbing, wilderness survivalist, etc.). Never seen that technique before. Thank you for sharing.

[@calebwistad]

Awesome! Glad you found it helpful.

[@RobbsHomemadeLife]

I enjoyed this a lot. What I like the most wasn't the fillet work, which was excellent, but how well you made the video. I make videos now and then and can tell when a person is doing extra work to make the video more enjoyable for the viewer. I subscribed. Thumbs up.

[@calebwistad]

Thanks so much!

[@JohnBoyJoy]

as a guy that's soon to start fishing all i can say is i love this channel! can you recommend any great ways of storing fish in the freezer for longer periods?

[@calebwistad]

Thanks! I actually have just the video for you: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gGeUaYSneLyrZ5Y

[@JohnBoyJoy]

@@calebwistad wow great! ty so much, great videos and love the channel 👍

[@ShawnDarlinghalibutfisherman]

​@@calebwistadgreat video can you please do a video on baking those blue gills

[@Will7981]

Those looked like they would fry up really nice.👍🏻

[@calebwistad]

They do!

[@Will7981]

@@calebwistad 👍🏻

[@mcmdrpiffle447]

Also just found this. Liked, subscribed and bell was hammered ! I'm in Santa Cruz, Ocean town in California. Grew up in Marquette Michigan. I fish for tuna, Ono, Halibut, etc. My favorite fish? Northern Michigan Bluegill and Yellow Perch. Both fresh waters, but most delicious. This video brings me back !

[@calebwistad]

Awesome. Thanks so much!

[@dtrain1476]

Awesome information! Thanks for sharing.

[@calebwistad]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@_Steve_W]

Wow. What a great technique. Thanks for sharing!

[@calebwistad]

You bet!

[@danepedersen3029]

Really like the technique for everything. After eating Captain Crunch with Grandma's kitchen spoons with scales still stuck on bluegills have been my nemesis.

[@calebwistad]

Haha. That’s hilarious.

[@hulkhuggett]

Excellent knife skills. Ive never seen that big of a fillet on a bluegill. 👍

[@calebwistad]

Thanks so much!

[@D-B-Cooper]

I do it a little differently, I put a finger through the cut by the tail and cut forward through the ribs and later trim off the ribs. I find it quicker.

[@calebwistad]

That certainly works too!

[@GPgundude]

I really appreciated this video!! Thanks for Sharing!!

[@calebwistad]

Thanks for watching!

[@n8ter292]

Awesome tips!!! Thank you

[@calebwistad]

You bet!

[@robertd9743]

Great Video. I learned something new today! Thank you so much!

[@calebwistad]

Thanks!

[@PastorPeewee20]

Great video thanks 😊 👍 I use a spoon or the back of my knife to scale

[@calebwistad]

You bet! Yes, those both work well too.

[@dannmiller9187]

Even at 79, WE learn new ways. Great job.

[@calebwistad]

Awesome!

[@SteveBurgess-n2o]

Love the video where can I find the crab stuffing haven't seen any for awhile

[@calebwistad]

You can buy it pre-made some places but there are a lot of recipes out there for it too.

[@christownsend7316]

Do you put the fish on ice first before scaling and fileting, or just give them a good stunning blow? I have been fishing all my life but never did the fileting, so i have mangled my last few gills and crappies. 😢

[@calebwistad]

I always slice the gills while the fish are in cold water (live or dead) and then dump ice on them. I typically leave them overnight on ice. The fillets come out snow white this way.

[@bobadams1696]

Thanks for the video. It is helpful.

[@calebwistad]

You bet! Thanks for watching.

[@catboyzee]

Great idea, thanks for sharing.

[@calebwistad]

You bet!

[@craigwavra3495]

Pretty cool method!!

[@calebwistad]

Thanks!

[@dpete8995]

I like it.. will give’r a try next time we catch a mess of bluegill.

[@calebwistad]

Good luck!

[@camaro6810]

How do you sharpen your fillet knife? Any method you use? Maybe make a video on that?

[@calebwistad]

I’m working on an idea right now. Just started using a whetstone and really like it but I’m just trying to get the technique down before I make a video on it. 90% of the time all I’m doing is touching up my knife with a steel hone.

[@caddyman7725]

Is the skin actually good to eat? I've only ever filleted them and took the skin off, too.

[@calebwistad]

It’s very good and fries up nice and crispy. You must scale them first of course.

[@KEMISTUNTAMED]

Awesome explanation and how to video on how to fillet them this way. I never knew but definitely gonna try this on all my fish now lol. #NewSub

[@calebwistad]

Great to hear you found the video helpful. And thanks for the sub! Tight lines.

[@NathanMahuron-yo1bq]

That was a really good video

[@calebwistad]

Thanks!

[@Santanner2011]

I'm guessing you are from Wisconsin? If so i imagine you'll know the answer to this question. I just started getting in to cat fishing, and occasionally i will keep and eat pan fish, and i want to keep the remains to use as cut bait so it isn't wasted, but the dnr site says you can't freeze your fish to use as cut bait, does that only apply if you catch the pan fish with no intention of eating them and just using them as bait? I can't imagine it would be illegal to freeze the remains and use them as bait so they don't go to waste but I'm not sure

[@calebwistad]

I believe it is illegal. The reason is that it’s illegal to use any part of a fish for bait in different water than you caught it because of VHS disease. Same reason we can’t legally go catch live bait and bring it home and use it later. The only way to do it legally would be to buy cut bait from a licensed dealer or catch the bait while you are on the water you plan to fish. I know, it sucks, but that’s the rule.

[@Santanner2011]

What about if you fish in the same spot that you caught the panfish from a few days before? That's why I was confused because I always fish the same waters. Thanks for the response!

[@hodagtrapper4167]

Good job!

[@calebwistad]

Thanks!

[@dalevonthun5257]

Very nice indeed.

[@calebwistad]

Thank you!

[@woodchuck9]

Outstanding 😊

[@calebwistad]

Thanks!

[@Gokywildcats11]

Whats the name of the blade you are using

[@calebwistad]

Bubba 7” tapered flex. The link is in the video description as well.

[@TedFegal]

Are the remaining scales okay to eat?

[@calebwistad]

There should be no scales remaining when you are done cleaning them this way.

[@TedFegal]

@calebwistad gotcha thanks for the reply

[@davidmeyer7511]

isn't there still some bone from the backbone when you cut it at the tail

[@calebwistad]

Not if you do it correctly.

[@adventuresinmichiganwlisa9852]

Very nice

[@calebwistad]

Thanks!

[@bankfishingislife5484]

nice, i just wish there was more meat on bluegills it takes forever to bait trotlines with them. lol. but ya ill have to try this if i feel like eating one sometime.

[@calebwistad]

Ever tried a sabiki rig for them?

[@bankfishingislife5484]

@@calebwistad for bluegills no but my fav is the tiny beetle spins. Though my biggest red ears are always on a big nightcrawler.

[@jacobluttrell1178]

Thanks very unique

[@calebwistad]

Thanks!

[@1hunterdale]

We just scale and gut them then freeze them then grind up hole make fish patties that way

[@calebwistad]

So you only eat fish Pattie’s?

[@susanp.collins7834]

If I might ask - is that what a 'proper' filleting knife looks like - the red one in the thumbnail.

[@calebwistad]

Yes. That is a fillet knife, specifically designed for filleting fish.

[@addamoliver]

amazing

[@calebwistad]

Thanks!

[@williammaddox7374]

Blue gill has little short bone just below the upper back

[@calebwistad]

Not sure I’m familiar with that one.

[@williammaddox7374]

@@calebwistad next time I cook sum(soon) I’ll send you a photo.

[@terrencewatt8020]

Thanks

[@calebwistad]

You bet!👍

[@tmccull98]

It's the debate of the century, to filet or not to filet a bluegill/bream/perch/sunfish! Most folks just want you to scale it, gut it, and cut the head off! I did that for a friend and told her to fry them hard and eat the fins, she loved it!

[@calebwistad]

Yep. This is kind of a hybrid method.

[@rickymaloy1103]

It's the I was taught but I do want to try my luck waste more than I eat LoL

[@HankAaronJoseph19]

On Wisconsin

[@calebwistad]

Right on!

[@AdamHammel]

I saw a guy do the first technique, but skinned it instead of filleting

[@calebwistad]

Nice! That would be interesting to see.

[@foubert45]

You should fillet a whitefish next!

[@calebwistad]

That’s in the plan!

[@eg6713]

Good

[@calebwistad]

👍

[@tommyjohnson3566]

Cool

[@calebwistad]

Thanks!

[@strangleholdoutdoors]

👊stranglehold Outdoors 👊

[@calebwistad]

🙏

[@rustyme1122]

Interesting method. But completely boneless they are not. The little strip of horizontal rib bones are still in both sides.

[@calebwistad]

True, the pin bones are still there but on a bluegill this size they will cook out. You could remove them on a larger fish if you wanted.

[@daleblosser2418]

I cut the stomach head and rib cage out looks like somebody took a big bite out of the stomach of the fish. But if you make a cut right above the pen bones. You can fill them with your fingers then pretty much you truly have a no bone fillet.

[@truk9709]

Running scales down the sink will clog it up.

[@calebwistad]

As a master plumber who has been working with residential plumbing for my entire adult career, I’m going to have to correct you on that one. The only reason something as small as fish scales would be clogging up a drain would be due to very poor drain quality. Either you have a drain that is full of coagulated grease, one that has some sort of restriction, or a very corroded metal drain that is partially plugged with rust. Maybe you should get that baby cleaned out or replaced!

[@truk9709]

Hmm, replace my drain line, or just don't run scales down it, what should I do?

[@JR2387]

​@@truk9709his point is, if scales clog it, so can other tiny debris from basic plate rinsing. Drains eventually need maintenance 👍

[@icefisher1171]

​@@truk9709 Not be an ass, would be a great start. He isnt wrong. You're simply being an ass for the sake of being one. Way past time to grow up, kid.

[@necummins8696]

Open in Minnesota that's just a guppy. If it doesn't weigh 5 lb. But good to know that there's other ways to fillet a fish I would like to see how you fillet a walleye

[@calebwistad]

5 pound bluegills eh? 😂 in my opinion a 8” to 9” bluegill is the perfect size to eat. I let all bluegills I catch over 9.5” go.

[@jimlahey3919]

The old fishermen’s lie. “I swear that bluegill was 5 pounds” when in reality it was 2

[@dezareapuliti5086]

Cut head and guts leave bones and fry

[@calebwistad]

I have a video on that as well!

[@michaelmosley254]

Great job but if im going to eat the skin and tailes i just fry em whole

[@calebwistad]

Hey, I’ve got a video on that method too! It’s definitely a good one.

[@bobd.fletcherjr4912]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍🙋‍♂️🙋‍♂️

[@calebwistad]

🙏

[@michaellazas549]

If you have 30 to clean, you will be cleaning all ay.

[@calebwistad]

Of course this method takes longer. It’s a little more thorough than filleting and not quite as gnarly as cooking whole though. That said, I haven’t cleaned 30 at once in over ten years. A dozen medium panfish feeds our family of 4 with fish left over. No need to take 30 at one time!

[@outdoormaniac9951]

Can't hear the audio.

[@calebwistad]

Must be on your end. I just tested it and the audio is there and coming through solid.

[@outdoormaniac9951]

@@calebwistad thanks!

[@jackieparks4035]

I like to skin mine like a catfish and then butterfly them..

[@calebwistad]

So you peel the skin off?

[@cascadered8366]

technically, it's not boneless..those little spike bones remain...i've eaten thousands of them...enjoy!

[@calebwistad]

Yes, the pin bones are still there but on a small fish like this they cook right out. On a larger fish you could certainly remove them.

[@roncochran7650]

I’m curious as to why you didn’t cut the meat just behind the front fins. It looks like you left an inch sized piece of meat. We have always cut along the line of just behind the front fin, to the front of the top fin. No criticism or judgement from me, I just want to know why you left it on.

[@calebwistad]

There is a tiny thin piece of meat there but on smaller fish I usually ignore it. On a larger fish like a walleye it’s worth messing with. It’s part of what are called “walleye wings”.

[@tomgray5481]

Thanks for the info I had grandparents grow up in the depression here in Michigan and pass on their fish cleaning techniques. particularly perch from the Saginaw bay and I was taught as a youngster you hug that knife right around the head I hear what you’re saying and it makes sense with that little bit of chest flesh but I got scolded a time or two about leaving too much meat on lol Nice job!

[@John-yt5zr]

Scale it, cut the head off, gut it and fry, you’re not wasting as much meat.

[@calebwistad]

I have a video on how to do that as well and yes, that’s the best way to get the most out of a fish. Lots of people prefer to not pick around the bones though despite the fact that you miss a small amount of meat.

[@JustMe-js8vc]

Look at all that waste in filleting

[@calebwistad]

This is actually a pretty good way to fillet a fish to get the most off of it possible. The only better way that I know of would be to cook it whole and a lot of people just won’t eat them that way.

[@Nesquick1121]

lost me at scale the bluegill lol

[@calebwistad]

Maybe this video would suite you better! kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJ22XmOboNZkfdE

[@danhammond9066]

um no, 75 bluegill to clean not going to happen this way.

[@calebwistad]

Oh hell no. Me either! This is a very specific method to have in your arsenal to cook fish and present them in a unique way. It’s not the way to go if you are feeding all the extended family on Friday night!

[@thomascope2119]

Great share thank you

[@calebwistad]

Thanks!

[@patriots4life1]

waisted a lot of fish

[@calebwistad]

You can eat anything I threw away off this fish. It’s yours. 😂

[@pitdawg6418]

And that boys and girls is how you WASTE 30% of a Small fish. Haha!

[@calebwistad]

If I wanted to get the most meat off the fish I would cook it whole. Not everyone likes to eat them that way however. This method still gets you more out of the fish than full on skinning and filleting, which is quite popular in the North where I’m from. In fact, I don’t know anyone up here who cooks panfish whole besides me!