Would You Fillet A Fish While It Is Alive?

Fishman Fishman

Well-Known Member
#1
Fishing at Cabrillo pier I watched another fisherman's routine and decided to post what I saw.

The fisherman targeted Mackerel. Once he caught a fish, he immediately filleted the fish while it was alive. No knock out or hits to the fish to stun or kill it.

He placed the two fillets onto the middle rail of the pier and he placed the remaining fish body onto the bottom rail.

He continued this practice for each Mackerel he caught.

After awhile I politely approached him and asked about his procedure. He stated that the fillets would eventually be cut into strips and bagged as bait for future trips. The fish bodies would be thrown into the ocean. He kept the fish bodies only as his fish tally.

He did have two buckets and rope available.

What are your thoughts? Just curious. 🤔
 

MisterT

Well-Known Member
#3
Nowadays I will insert a screwdriver through the head of the fish, pull out the gills / guts, and wash over the sink before putting it in ice.

If I were to fillet I'd most likely cut off the head really quick before filleting. (I'm terrible at filleting so I unless I need bait I will opt for my first option.)
 

Ken Jones

Administrator
Staff member
#6
If I am saving mackerel for bait I typically will cut off the head. It's a quick ending for the fish and I have more room in my bait cooler.

I don't understand the anglers comments about filleting the macs, putting the fillets on the pier, and saving the carcasses for a fish tally. If you're going to cut up any fish for bait, keep it in your bait cooler and you will have better bait. Laying the carcass on the pier? Seems like all that would do is invite flies and birds.
 

TheFrood

Well-Known Member
#7
I misread that! I interpreted it as he was putting them in a bag/chest or something. Makes no sense to me why he would bother filleting them at all if they were just going to be bait when I actually put any thought into the matter...

The whole fillet thing distracted me since if you are going to eat mac's then bleeding them out is pretty important to improve the quality in both texture and flavor... But everything he was doing sounds kind of pointless if they will be bait... even kind of dangerous like Makairaa mentioned...
 

moonshine

Well-Known Member
#8
I'm trying to walk a fine line here but my father encouraged me long ago to not let any animal suffer, unnecessarily. He and I loved eating fish but he taught me how to end their life humanely.
I know this may be opening up a can of worms, but I just can't see the benefit of filleting a live fish.
 

Ken Jones

Administrator
Staff member
#9
Humans can do terrible things. Unbelievable are the scenes seen in some "gourmet" restaurants where live fish are sliced up and diners begin eating the still alive fish.
 

Ken Jones

Administrator
Staff member
#10
An oldie —

Date: January 30, 2001
To: PFIC Message Board
From: Scooterfish
Subject: Fort Point + Muni Pier — (& Killing A Fish)


Fished from 3:45pm until 6:45pm... Started at the old Coast Guard beach spot just east of Fort Point Pier, caught one nice rubberlip (.9 pounds) on pileworms. Tried casting motor oil grubs for a while, no takers.

Moved over to Muni Pier at 4:50pm. Friend Rich hooked into a nice legal cabezone on his second cast, just BARELY over 15", 1.8 pounds. We had a couple of fish that did not manage to stay on the hook during the fight, probably perch. No other fish except for a few baby cabezon and one buffalo sculpin that was pretty small.

The keeper Cabezon was extremely tasty... a little Zatarain's Fish-Fry, some lime... Yum...!! Wierd thing though, for some reason, this fish would not die... I clubbed him on the head several times with a construction hammer, but throughout the cleaning process, he appeared to be very much alive. Even after cleaning and filleting, his gills and mouth were still going, like a live head with a meatless and gutless carcass attached.. kind of unnerving, especially for my fiancé... All I could tell her was that fish just doesn't get much fresher than that... (she gladly ate it anyways, btw!) Scooterfish

Posted by aafrench

Nerves...The fish was probably dead, and it was just his nerves. I have noticed this a lot with Large Mouth Bass. The equivalent of a chicken running around with his head cut off. Andrew

Posted by baitfish

I had something like that happen to me when I was cleaning a shovelnose one time. I chopped off the tail and the whole time I was cleaning it, even after I skinned it the muscles kept on spasming. It was really weird having a chunk of fish in your hand and it is moving. Baitfish

Posted by Scooterfish

I dunno ‘bout Nerves...I've seen the nerve twitch thing before, but I think this was different. During the cleaning process, this guy was literally flapping around everywhere and actually tossed some of his guts across the room with his tail... I'm hoping the hammer blows were effective enough to at least reduce his suffering... I did hit him damned hard, and quite a few blows...Scooterfish

Posted by aafrench

Maybe he just didn’t want to die! But I have given Large Mouth Bass blows that I know would knock me out and the big suckers still flop around... as long as the fillets are not flopping around in the pan I’m ok.

Posted by stinkyfingers

Ouch! I'm saying a prayer for all those Big-mouths! I've only killed one in my life (because I usually kill my first catch and eat some to get the "wild" into me - it's like a bond), and I don't expect to kill many more. Maybe if I'm camping and NEED to cook dinner and have no fish at all... The one that I did kill and go to cook still flapped around even after I had wrapped in foil and on the grill. You could actually see the foil moving around - CREEPY! Scooter: That fish you had is a trip. To actually see the guy still trying to breathe and stuff - YIKES! Were the organs still moving, like the stomach and/or heart? I don't know if you guys have seen "Me, myself, and Irene" but it reminds me of the part when Jim shoots a cow, trying to put it out of it's misery - only to have to shoot 7-8 times because the cow won't die. He ends up choking it. What a riot!

Posted by Salty Nick

I usually try to stab the brain to kill a fish, though sometimes you still get jerking reflexes from nerves. A couple of times after killing and cleaning a fish, I pulled the guts out and the little red heart was pumping, Kinda weird looking at a beating heart from a dead fish. Oh, that reminds me, Valentine's Day is coming up. . .Salty.

Posted by stinkyfingers

Thanks for the reminder, Salty! Way to keep us all out of trouble (or at least those of us that "forgot" about it until just now)! Like my girl said, you're a great guy. I wish you and your wife a fun-filled Valentines Day!

Posted by Salty Nick

Thanks Stinky, same to you & your girl! (Maybe you could give her the Anti-backlash reel for Val. Day) That might not fly though, might have to get her that ring, Stinky. . .

Salty.

Posted by harukan



The fish that would not die--how to kill it...The only quick and clean way to kill a fish is to chop its head off. That severs the connection between brain and heart, as well as between the gills and the rest of the fish. If for some reason you want to leave the head on (as when cooking a whole fish Chinese-style), then cut through the spinal cord right where the head joins the body.

Posted by mike

Whenever I gut a salmon the heart is still pumping even after it is no longer attached to the body. Tight lines

Posted by harukan

Yeah, the Aztecs had the same problem...Just about any creature's heart will continue to beat for a little while even after being severed from the nervous system--even humans. The Aztecs would slash open the chests of their human sacrifices and hold the still-beating heart up as an offering to the gods.
 

Fishman Fishman

Well-Known Member
#11
Humans can do terrible things. Unbelievable are the scenes seen in some "gourmet" restaurants where live fish are sliced up and diners begin eating the still alive fish.
Interesting comments. Thank you for your feedback! I personally treat all fish as humanely as possible. Those I keep and those I release. Good luck fishing this Labor Day weekend! 👍
 

moonshine

Well-Known Member
#14
One last thought, in Hemmingway's Big Two Hearted River, he describes the protagonist, Nick Adams cleaning the trout he caught:

"He took out his knife, opened it and stuck it in the log. Then he pulled up the sack, reached into it and brought out one of the trout. Holding him near the tail, hard to hold, alive, in his hand, he whacked him against the log. The trout quivered, rigid. Nick laid him on the log in the shade and broke the neck of the other fish the same way. He laid them side by side on the log. They were fine trout."

As part of the whole, it's a small thing, but I read it as a kid, and it's stuck with me since. It's from the short story collection, In Our Time, his first short story collection. His life ended sadly, and he's buried up here in Ketchum.
 
#15
Nowadays I will insert a screwdriver through the head of the fish, pull out the gills / guts, and wash over the sink before putting it in ice.

If I were to fillet I'd most likely cut off the head really quick before filleting. (I'm terrible at filleting so I unless I need bait I will opt for my first option.)
If you're cutting its head off there's a good reason why you're not finding yourself very good at filleting. keeping the head attached will assist in cutting uniformed fillets.
Kill the fish in a humane way such as with a brain spike, bleed it and put it on ice as soon as possible. You'll find filleting is better with a chilled fish as opposed to one at room temperature as the meats a lot firmer during processing.
 

MisterT

Well-Known Member
#16
If you're cutting its head off there's a good reason why you're not finding yourself very good at filleting. keeping the head attached will assist in cutting uniformed fillets.
Kill the fish in a humane way such as with a brain spike, bleed it and put it on ice as soon as possible. You'll find filleting is better with a chilled fish as opposed to one at room temperature as the meats a lot firmer during processing.
Fair point and thanks for the tip. I don't use bait often as I fish artificials. If it's bait then I use shrimp.