# cleaning hybrids



## Crusader (Jan 31, 2014)

Guys, when you clean hybrids/stripers -- do you always cut out red meat? It takes time, I wonder if there is a way (a recipe?) that will let me skip that step...


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## TxSlammin (Apr 11, 2008)

Red meat (blood line as i have always heard it called) is just a little fishy tasting to me others may disagree. We just cut it out in a V shape and when u fry it you have double the fillets hahah.


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

Trim every speck of it off the fillet and it improves the taste by 1000000X times 2!


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## caturnbull (Dec 7, 2015)

i always just fillet it off and for the blood line i v cut it... if you dont feel like doing that you might try out soaking it in butter mild or like a sprite. it takes out the fishy taste tad bit.


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## big D. (Apr 10, 2010)

I fillet as normal, but when removing the skin from the fillet, I keep my knife about an 1/8" off the skin. This keeps the red layer on the skin and off the meat. The red line down the center will be left and can easily be cut out. If the fillet is thick enough, you can cut the beginning of it out, and pull it out! Another cool way to clean and eat them, is on the half shell. Leave the skin and scales on after filleting them. The red line down the center and red layer will stick to the skin as you pick the meat off.

God Bless!


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## cwhitney (Sep 9, 2014)

Another way I like to fillet and cook hybrids and stripers is on the half shell. Just cut the fillet off the backbone and leave the skin/scales on. Then cook it on the grill or bake in the oven. When cooking on the grill, the skin/scales hold the meat together. When you eat it, the red portions stick to the skin more and you can pull off the good part to eat. Then throw away the skin with the red portion still attached.


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## Postman (Oct 11, 2015)

Red meat has got to go.........uck.


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## fishinganimal (Mar 30, 2006)

Its worth every minute it takes to cut it out. Its not like you have 100 whites to clean anyway. This goes with any fish.


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## cva34 (Dec 22, 2008)

fishinganimal said:


> Its worth every minute it takes to cut it out. Its not like you have 100 whites to clean anyway. This goes with any fish.


And it needs to go before you freeze..Otherwise it seems to spread (transfer) that taste while frozen


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## Crusader (Jan 31, 2014)

Thanks, guys! Gonna keep cutting it out...

What do you do with whites? It is a pain to clean 25 of them this way


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## fishinganimal (Mar 30, 2006)

Same way worth the 5 seconds it takes and let them soak in a bucket with fresh water as you are cleaning. They will be white when your done. I don't normally trim the red meat on a 10-11" though just not that much red. Also when you fillet the skin off try not to get too close to the skin it leaves some of the red there.


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## Crusader (Jan 31, 2014)

Got a bunch of big white bass (sows full of eggs) today. Started cleaning and realized that it is time to buy an electric knife. Well, long story short after cleaning big pile of fish I ended up with very small pile of filets -- weight ratio is about 1 to 7. All this fileting and trimming wastes a lot of meat. Maybe it is my skill with the knife (nearly chopped my finger off when it slipped  -- rapala knife ripped through rapala glove in a millisecond only grazing my skin). I also could not get any meat off the ribs -- ended up simply cutting whole rib section off on both filets.

When you clean white bass -- do you get similar ratio? Also, do you trim all red meat? (it takes a while to go through all of them).


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## fishin_envy (Aug 13, 2010)

Fillet wb as you normally would. With me, it is with an electric knife. Use a thin blade regular filet knife to cut out the rib cage and slice a very thin portion off the side with the red meat . You may still have to v-cut the fillet to get the last of the red out, but it is worth the time. If you don't want to go to that much trouble, you can always do catch and release . If you don't think it makes a difference, save a few pieces with red meat and do a taste test.


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## fishin_envy (Aug 13, 2010)

You can also cut their gills while they are still alive and try to get some of the blood out of the fish before it settles into the meat.


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## Bankin' On It (Feb 14, 2013)

Yes. I never find meat on the rib section of the whites. Just do a 1/2 moon cut and discard all of it. 

Electric knife is the ONLY way I clean whites. Much less painful for me and much much faster.

Glad you kept your finger.


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## fishinganimal (Mar 30, 2006)

With practice and a good Electric knife you should be able to fillet 2 per minute. I fillet about 10 then cut the stomachs and trim red meat and put them in a bucket of water to soak and repeat. Ive got to let the knife cool down!! By the time your done they will be white with no blood. After you have cleaned about 10,000 you will have it down pat!


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## lonepinecountryclub (Jul 18, 2010)

I cut the red trash out of every fish, i.e. catfish, hybrids, whites, etc. Nasty!


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## Beaux (Oct 11, 2012)

I'd have never finished cleaning all the whites we caught below the dam this summer if it wasn't for a good electric knife..... If you're in the market for one, spend the money and get a good one. The cheap ones wont last. I've been using an American Angler Ultra for years and it has been a great knife.


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## fishin_envy (Aug 13, 2010)

Beaux said:


> I'd have never finished cleaning all the whites we caught below the dam this summer if it wasn't for a good electric knife..... If you're in the market for one, spend the money and get a good one. The cheap ones wont last. I've been using an American Angler Ultra for years and it has been a great knife.


x1000


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## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

My deck hands and I have cleaned enough white bass and stripers to fill an 18 wheeler or two, just in the last few years. Not kidding.

For years I used wally world turkey knives as a recreational angler, but soon found out they don't hold up to everyday use, neither do the popular Mister Twisters, etc...As a matter of fact very items of what are called quality fishing equipment can. When you use it everyday it is amazing how fast you wear it out as compared to recreational use.

American Angler knives last me a good two years as compared to one Mister Twister a month when fishing is good, especially for stripers.
Fishinganimal has a good approach, as it lets the knife cool down, heat is what wrecks them out.

Trapperjon passed his interview for deck hand on The Mighty Red-Fin by filleting 50 white bass in just over an hour the first day he went on a practice trip with me. He can fly through them now at a much faster rate after *Plenty* of practice, lol!

I wish they made a pull down pneumatic knife that hooked up to an air house on a spool above me, like the local deer feeder manufacturer has in his workshop that would be ideal.

When a trip is over the customers want to get on the road with their cleaned catch quickly, so they can rest, we work em hard, lol!
American Angler knives are more expensive, but more than worth the extra cost.


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## Mr. Stickers (May 28, 2013)

Soaking fillets in ice water after cleaning gets a lot of it out as well......let em soak drain & repeat


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## Crusader (Jan 31, 2014)

shadslinger said:


> American Angler knives last me a good two years as compared to one Mister Twister a month when fishing is good, especially for stripers.
> Fishinganimal has a good approach, as it lets the knife cool down, heat is what wrecks them out.


I got Rapala Heavy duty, it does decent job in my not so skilled (yet) hands. I wonder if it is too large for white bass... Do they come in different sizes? If so -- which one is the best for WBs?


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## Ken.Huynh (May 30, 2014)

Man. Yall waste so much fish. And then cutting the red meet of too. We (asian) scale and keep the whole thing. Even the eyes ball too 

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## Crusader (Jan 31, 2014)

Ken.Huynh said:


> Man. Yall waste so much fish. And then cutting the red meet of too. We (asian) scale and keep the whole thing. Even the eyes ball too


Tried that.  It works for panfish you want to fry. Not so much for bigger fish. Never mind the mess (if you have to clean fish at home). Also, it is very inconvenient for long term storage (freezing).


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## BobBobber (Aug 29, 2015)

Ken.Huynh said:


> Man. Yall waste so much fish. And then cutting the red meet of too. We (asian) scale and keep the whole thing. Even the eyes ball too
> 
> I have fished with a Chinese friend for 30+ years. Yeh, his family eats nearly everything like you say. Claims I throw out all the good stuff. He enjoys the eyeballs too, as you do. I accused him of doing it just to gross me out, but he and his family genuinely enjoy them.
> 
> However, I eat cheese. They don't.


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## Ken.Huynh (May 30, 2014)

If yall never tried fish eggs. Should really try it fry. Just like how you fry the meat. Since most all the fish you get now are full of eggs. Its really good fried. 

I myself don't eat the head really. But my fishing buddy do. He always give me a dirty look when i am too tire and lazy to scale them and do it quick and dirty fillet. 


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## BobBobber (Aug 29, 2015)

Fish eggs are mega dose of cholesterol. I've tried them fried (twice) and didn't think they had much flavor.


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## Crusader (Jan 31, 2014)

Ken.Huynh said:


> If yall never tried fish eggs. Should really try it fry. Just like how you fry the meat. Since most all the fish you get now are full of eggs. Its really good fried.
> 
> I myself don't eat the head really. But my fishing buddy do. He always give me a dirty look when i am too tire and lazy to scale them and do it quick and dirty fillet.


I occasionally cook WB/HB roe this way (don't cheap on onion and garlic -- they greatly improve taste):

```
Makes 4 servings

	1/4 cup milk
	Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
	2 tablespoons cornmeal
	2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
	8 to 10 sets white perch roe
	3 tablespoons canola oil
	1 large onion, halved, then thinly sliced
	1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
	1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

In a shallow baking dish, combine the milk, salt and pepper and mix well. 
In a second shallow baking dish, combine the cornmeal and flour and mix well. 
Dip the roe first into the milk mixture, then into the cornmeal mixture, coating all sides.

In a heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking.
Add the roe and cook on one side until golden-brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
Carefully turn the roe and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more.
Cover the pan and continue to cook until the roe is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a warm plate.

In the same skillet, heat the remaining oil until hot but not smoking. 
Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. 
Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for another minute. 
Add the lemon juice, stir to blend well, and spoon mixture over the roe.

Serve immediately.
```
And yes, I imagine they are not the healthiest food around. But they are pretty good. Don't cook too much roe in one session. Male bass "roe" is pretty good too, reminds me fried pork brains (both consistency and taste).


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## whsalum (Mar 4, 2013)

I filet my whites and then filet the outside that was against the skin again. It removes all the red and makes them as good a eating fish as there is. You may also want to look at building you a version of the game washing bucket as well, they really work. A couple of wraps of electrical tape around the trigger keeps your knife on all the time and speeds up the process .


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## fishinganimal (Mar 30, 2006)

Crusader look for some thin and narrow blades. Less blade is less friction.

http://www.basspro.com/Berkley-8-Re...e-for-Electric-Fillet-Knife/product/10219851/


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## Crusader (Jan 31, 2014)

whsalum said:


> I filet my whites and then filet the outside that was against the skin again. It removes all the red and makes them as good a eating fish as there is. You may also want to look at building you a version of the game washing bucket as well, they really work.


Yep, removing all red makes whites VERY good. Almost good as crappie 

Huh... never heard about game washing bucket. Googled it, looks quite intreresting.



fishinganimal said:


> Crusader look for some thin and narrow blades. Less blade is less friction.
> 
> http://www.basspro.com/Berkley-8-Re...e-for-Electric-Fillet-Knife/product/10219851/


Yep, I would benefit from thinner blades...

Thank you, all. Your advice is appreciated very much.


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## SeaOx 230C (Aug 12, 2005)

The fired fish eggs is not an Asian only thing for sure. I grew up eating them and trust me when I say we had no idea what Asian cuisine was. I have eaten many a fried catfish, perch, white bass egg sack.

As for the heads, well we didn't eat the whole head but on big cats the cheeks were always cut out and considered the best piece.

When we did filet fish the back bones were kept and fried up along with the filets.

I love me some crispy fried fish tails!!!!!!

Disclaimer: Let's just say we had a strong Swamp People type influence in my family. There is not much that walks, crawls, slithers, or swims that we wouldn't eat.


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