The ONLY CATFISH FILLET Tutorial You'll Ever Need! 

I’ve catfished all my life and I’m 55 years old. I learned only about two years ago that if you will cut the tail off while the fish is alive and hang it up, that blood line will allow all the blood to drain out of the fish completely and then you can clean it. That’s the only way I do them anymore. Try it! The meat will be Snow White.

Most informative part of the video for me was the squeegee. Fricking genius! 👏👏

Finally a well articulated & video the shows you how too properly fillet Catfish. Well done Sir..

That was the PEFECT Catfish (Fresh or Salt) way to fillet one. Well Done!

Great video as always bud! Looking forward to more in the future

I never knew that you could fillet catfish and get boneless fillets, until, I stayed at and fished at Hendricks Creek Resort, In Kentucky on Dale Hollow lake, where I happened onto the resort owner himself at the fish cleaning station on the dock, and he was happy to demonstrate to me how it was done, which I thank him for! Now if I get some nice blues or channel cats while fishing for bass, or, if I happen onto some good sized catfish, I can make a meal out of them instead of considering them a nuisance fish.

Thanks for sharing this with me. We have been cat fishing for years and now I’m going to be able to enjoy eating it more. I never knew that and couldn’t understand why my fish tasted so much different than when I ordered it from someone else. So yes now I know.

Great video and valuable info… Thank you

Excellent job , very well done !

You have a new sub. A lot of answers, especially about bleeding your fish and different ways to filet . Thanks.

Thanks for the tutorial!

Appreciate the videos Caleb. Keep up the great work. Have learned a great deal from you on seasonal fishing. Love seeing the kids also fishing with dad.

This is the BEST catfish cleaning video I have seen!!! Just subscribed!

I ordered two of these based on the reviews. ru-vid.comUgkxqmKabisEv81ul5v7OhvVxxOpt2CJruI- Received them on time and they look good. I really like the handle on these knives as they feel good in my hand. I'm giving them 4 stars on look and feel, but have not had the chance to put them to the test yet. I mostly fish for catfish and can hopefully try them out in the next few days. If they hold an edge throughout a limit of catfish, they'll be worth another star.Update...I used the 9" strong and the 9" fillet on a mess of catfish. I did put a sharpening on these before I started. I want a razor edge to fillet fish but they weren't quite that sharp. The people who gave these knives crappy reviews and said they were sending them back was because they weren't razor sharp. So what, do they not have a knife sharpener?? Good grief! I mean you have to sharpen any knife from time to time.I personally like them and am pleased with them. If you're too lazy to sharpen a knife then hire someone to clean your fish lol.I've never bought a knife in my life that would shave hair right out of the box. Don't be afraid to purchase the knives. They're pretty nice in my opinion.

Outstanding! I love cat fish and just learned a new way how to filet them. Thank you!

Thank you so much for this video! Very inspiring and I am now confident to fillet my first catfish! Thank you so much.

Excellent job, sir. Thank you

Pretty nice, really perfect. Thank you, Volker. 👍😁

Thank you. I was taught to do it the old way, body and tail and use fork after cooking to debone. Wife asked me if I could stop feeding them like baby birds, so I'm now leaning to harvest in a new way.

Really appreciate it. Recently started keeping cats from the river. Never knew how to clean them. (properly) I mainly just use the electric and follow the rib cage and clean up the mud line. Really appreciate the knife style though. Always like learning new ways to do something.

Best video I found after watching tons, ty!

Great filet tutorial…excellent

Thanks for posting.

Helped me a lot bro, thank

Thanks for the knowledge drop.

Your tutorial made a 1x fileting a less daunting task. Thank you for posting.

Nice! I’ve been wanting to pick up fishing!

I do it this way also. Unless I have a bunch of fish to clean. Then I use an electric knife. Good video. Thanks for sharing

Thanks for the video man. Going to go fishing for cats (for the first time) soon, and I'm hoping I'll get a chance to use this technique on at least a few of them.

Thanks for the great video! Used your method on my 4 catfishes that were caught today!

Thanks. Great work

Your title was right I think I will definitely try this next time when I go fishing

Thanks for the info my wife loves catfish and now I will keep more next time..

First video I’ve watched of yours, automatic subscription!

Thanks! Very well done.

thank you very much for your time and info. Have a blessed day and don't forget to Enjoy Life. From Bridgeport Connecticut.

Excellent! Thanks!

Thx. Nice job

Awesome video. Thanks for sharing it. Do you have one on cooking them?

Ty will try next time

I fillet trout the same exact way. It does help immensely to clip off the barbs.

I wish I had seen this video last week, as I just cleaned a few the old-fashioned way using skinning pliers. I wasn't aware until seeing this that cats have that nasty red meat under their skin. Makes perfect sense. I use this method on white bass which makes a huge difference in flavor. Now I can't wait to try it on cats too! And I absolutely love those BUBBA knives. I too have that same 7" and the cordless electric model. Quality stuff. Thanks very much for this share. It proves you CAN teach an old dog new tricks, lol. Take care!

This is an excellent technique. I wish I had seen this years ago!

Very clean and informative thank you

Bubba blades are sweet! I love them

Very good method. There is a also a good forward section of belly meat, if you cut away the silver gray belly lining and any fat. Also, if it's big enough, just behind the eyes there's a medallion of meat on the head that's probably the best tasting part of the fish. Give it a try.

I grew up in the back woods of East Texas, catching cats was my job many summers. I have fileted many catfish and I've never seen it done like this before. I always skinned mine before cutting on it. I had several fish markets that I supplied every summer, most of the year actually. Growing up on Lake Sam Rayburn we did a lot of fishing and a lot of fish fry's for summer family gatherings.

Excellent video, thank you.

EXCELLENT Video!

Thank you brother I do learn something new.on this video

I do this method. Start at the gill, straight cut down and then down to start of tail. Flip and follow skin and take off . By keeping it attached to the fish on last pass gives you something to hold and not sliding around.

Best video I've ever seen this man knows his catfish

Thank you !

great tips.!

Thanks. We were flash boiling the skin off. Using an electric kettle... Just heat it, then pour it over the skins. The skins fall off. But we didn't know we were leaving the stank underneath it :D I guess if we were starving, our method gives us a good bang for the buck. But for flavor, yours seems to be spot on. Thanks again!

Thanks for sharing! Can’t wait to eat some

This is the same method my husband taught me years ago and it's still the way I do them!! #FishingIsASport!! #MyFavoriteSport!! #EatSleepFish&Repeat!! #WhenSleepingDon'tCountSheep,CountFish! #ICatchWhatEverWillBite!! :)

Thank you ☺️

Back in the day when I was a kid, I used to nail the catfish head to a tree then skin it. At that time I knew nothing about filleting a fish and didn't learn until I was in my 20's. Thanks for the video! I avoided fishing for catfish being uncertain on how to filet it until now! I'm 73 and willing to fish for them now! Thanks again!

My guy had the beats at the end too. great video. I caught a cat used this to clean right on the bank

Very Good!

Just processed catfish for the first time today and I used this method and loved it!. Will be the only way i use. Thank you for this info!

Great job

I love catfish! No matter where you are you can find a place to catch them the thing is, how they taste is very dependent upon where you catch them for some reason where you catch them and how they taste is more reliant on where you catch them than any other fish I know , I’m guessing because they are bottom feeders

Great video, like the old squaw too! 🌴🌴

Awesome video!!

Nice job

Great!

I've never seen someone cut the spines off. I find it's easy to hold onto with them on. I guess if it work for you, git r dun. Thanks for the video 👍

If i loved to fish as much as you i would sell everthing i own and move to florida where you can catch everything anytime

Thanks for the tutorial. How do you dispatch the catfish?

Good stuff 👍

Great video! What do you use to cut off the spines? I assume electrical side cutters...? What a great idea... and to think of how many times I have been impaled over the years 😱

You have the best fillet videos on RU-vid! I am curious tho on how you are sharpening your fillet knife?

I love your videos especially Five Piece Northern filet but not everyone is a surgeon with that knife like you ... These aren't easy cuts for some of us regular folks. I hope you take this as a compliment.

Great video

On bullheads, assuming they are somewhat similar, we clean them on a 2X4 by pounding a nail through the head. The nail holds the fish and the rest is similar to what you do.

Thank you

we catch cats weekly, I appreciate the tips alot!

Great video! What are your thoughts on the yellowish meat up toward the dorsal fin upper back area?

[thank, you for you're video]👍

The blood line your referring to is called the lateral line. It serves two purposes. It detects movement’s of their surroundings such as forage. The second purpose is that the fatty tissue collects toxins it absorbs from its environment.

great video..A litle secret:The cat fish have a slime on it.If you spray the fish with 5 min before fileting with hidrogen peroxide the slime will wash off

The squeegee thing is a great idea.

Thanks!

Great job. I prefer not eating mud. I clean mine the same way. Except on a channel I also take out the yellow. This is why I prefer the blues. They don't have the yellow meat. Most channels I will throw back unless I'm catching for a big fish fry.

great vid

I tried this since my grampa passed away i felt the need to go fish. I caught a few fish not expecting to. I got decent fillets. I will go fishing tomorrow and work on my fillet skills. My aunt and grandma showed me up because their fillets were one piece while mine looked like chopped up sushi 🤣

Been filleting fish for over 40 years growing up on the lake. NEVER thought of using a squeegee. Nice.

What about pulling that white nerve membrane out at the head end of the fillet? Thanks for sharing.

Really good video, informative for anyone who has not ever fillalet before. Only thing you forgot is; and (depending on the size of your fish) is the small fillets on the cheeks . Really good meat here. Keep it up, great job 👍

Catfish have tough skin. When separating the skin from filet, I recommend using a very lightly serrated knife and angling the blade down towards the skin and using the length of the blade (pushing and pulling) to go down the backside of the filet.

My son bought me this knife and I am enjoying it! Now I clean my catfish just like this, even with a weak wrist I now can skin my biggest catfish like a Boss! 😅 thank you sir!!!

You can pull the red meat from the fillet instead of cutting it out. Make a 1" cut from the tail end, right along the red meat then pull the red meat off the top and bottom pieces separately. It's called the zipper method and it is a time saver!

No I had to clean a catfish the proper way thank you very much dude

Very thorough and good video, ill prolly still just use electric and do it fast, i dont cut the center out, fillet and cut out rib cage, coat with some andys and drop in oil, works for me, but still a good video for best tasting :)

[so, now by watching you're video I'll know how to do it the right way now]

Gonna have to try this next time I get the bug to go fishing. I usually go for cats ‘cause I love fish fingers made with ‘em and they’re super easy to catch - I can just cast and drink beer all day and go home with enough to fry up a big batch for the whole family. Only thing that’s kept me from it is how much of a royal pain these fish are to clean for how little meat they have.

I just moved here to Florida and caught alot of catfish in charlotte harbor the catfish here are very different from norrh Indiana are the catfish in salt water good to eat

GREAT TUT