How To Fillet A Largemouth Bass – Oh So Easy!
Here I will step you through filleting a bass and removing the skin and all bones, including that small strip that was right above the top ridge of the rib-cage. This method is fast, easy to learn, and will save you time.
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Step 1
Have a sharp knife, this will make things much easier and faster. You can fillet with a dull knife, but if you’re just learning how to fillet ,it can be frustrating. With a good knife you can fillet a bass in a under a minute.
Step 2
Place your knife under the Pectoral Fin and make a cut down to the center bone. Make the cut diagonally from the gills, under the Pectoral fin, to the top of the head. The video will show this perfectly.
Step 3
Now take your knife and start at the top of the head, where the cut is and cut down the back along the Dorsal fin, to the tail. The cut should be 1” to 2″ deep, running right on top of the fish-bone, going right past the Dorsal Fin to the tail.
Step 4
Now starting near the bottom of the Dorsal Fin, make a full length cut along the fishbone toward the rib-cage. Work deep into the fillet along the fishbone and cut over the rib-cage. Next take your knife and continue to work over the top of the rib-cage, starting closest to the head and working down toward the tail. Once you have filleted over the rib-cage make your final cut all the way down the fishbone to the tail. DO NOT cut the fillet off the fish, leave it attached to the tail, otherwise it is much harder to remove the skin from the fillet.
*Note, when making your cuts over the rib-cage and down the center bone (fishbone) you will hear and feel the bones. If you cut through part of the rib bones, just remove them after you have removed the skin from your Bass Fillet.
Step 5
Now flip the fillet over the tail and place your fillet knife as close as you can to the tail, at a 45 degree angle, and make a slice through the meat to the skin. Now just skin the fillet off by making a horizontal cut back and forth until you have the fillet (meat) removed.
Step 6
Now for those bones that are just above the top crest of the rib-cage. Take your finger and feel the bones right where the thickest part of the meat transitions to the thinnest part or belly meat. Make a thin cut on both sides of these bones, as they are straight up and down, and remove this strip and toss. You now have a fillet with no bones or skin.
*Oh So Good!
CATCH IT ALL ON VIDEO NOW.