Ask NWKA: How to gut rockfish on the water

I know some people gut their rockfish on the water to improve the quality of the meat. I've also read that the cod worms live in the guts and don't dig into the meat until the fish is dead. (http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=5895.30) I'm dubious but I figured I'd give it a try after most of my rockfish from Depoe Bay required some serious de-worming.

I gave it a try last weekend but it didn't go well. Do you use a spoon or what? I was using my bait knife and I felt like I was just making a mess. Any suggestions?

Been a while since I've bothered to gut a fish.  But what I did with trout and such that were too small to be worth filleting is I'd cut the from the anal vent to the chin.  Just make sure you cut all the way through the skin and the thin layer of meat.  Then you have to sever the esophagus and most of it pretty much falls out.  Might need to use a little force to pull the guts out, or use the knife if there's tough connective tissue in the way. 

Been a while since I've bothered to gut a fish.  But what I did with trout and such that were too small to be worth filleting is I'd cut the from the anal vent to the chin.  Just make sure you cut all the way through the skin and the thin layer of meat.  Then you have to sever the esophagus and most of it pretty much falls out.  Might need to use a little force to pull the guts out, or use the knife if there's tough connective tissue in the way.

I get that for trout and similarly shaped fish. But rockfish have that rib/chest area with decent sized bones protecting their vitals. I cut from the anal vent up as far as I could, but I couldn't "get up in there" very easily to tear everything out.

Shears!

We don't have rockfish out here in Montana, but I routinely gut big lake trout and pike when I'm out in my kayak.  As soon as I bonk them, I put them on a stringer and hang them in the water.  Then I slit the fish's stomach, pull out the guts, cut them off at both ends, and cast them upon the waters.  After letting the fish bleed out for ten minutes or so, I put them on crushed ice in the cooler I have strapped on the back of my kayak.  The gutting, bleeding, and icing protect the quality of the meat, even if I'm out on the lake all day, and it's quite tidy.  If I splash some blood on the side of my kayak, I wipe it off right away.

Shears!

Do you just chomp right through the ribcage area?

That bit about the worms not being in the meat seems like complete hogwash.

Edit:  I don't disagree that there are more  worms if you don't gut,  but there are worms in the meat.   The older the fish,  the more worms.

Shears!

Do you just chomp right through the ribcage area?

Yup. Right up the middle of the belly like you would a trout. You can also cut through the whole fish at an angle once you get to the pectoral fins and just cut that part up toward the gills off. Very fast and easy. I don't bother doing this on the water mind you... but I have done this before when cleaning a fish to cook whole.

Shears!

Do you just chomp right through the ribcage area?

Yup. Right up the middle of the belly like you would a trout. You can also cut through the whole fish at an angle once you get to the pectoral fins and just cut that part up toward the gills off. Very fast and easy. I don't bother doing this on the water mind you... but I have done this before when cleaning a fish to cook whole.

I think he uses the little razor sharp Fiskar shears FYI

Seems like a waste of time to me. Keep fishing. I'd also be concerned about stabbing my drysuit while trying to do that in the swells.

Seems like a waste of time to me. Keep fishing. I'd also be concerned about stabbing my drysuit while trying to do that in the swells.

He doesnt catch fish...Christine does  The Hobie fish factory...she catches...he cleans 

Seems like a waste of time to me. Keep fishing. I'd also be concerned about stabbing my drysuit while trying to do that in the swells.

He doesnt catch fish...Christine does  The Hobie fish factory...she catches...he cleans 

OH NO! THEY'RE ON TO ME! 

<sigh> there is more truth in jest... but if I'm going to manage all her fish by golly I'm going to do my best!! 

Seems like a waste of time to me. Keep fishing. I'd also be concerned about stabbing my drysuit while trying to do that in the swells.

Yeah that was concerning to me as well.

I don't ever recall gutting rockfish on the water unless we are grilling the rockfish whole.  We usually take the fillets off without gutting.  BUT having said that, we are always amazed when we throw the carcass on a grill and cook to just have a snack, how much meat is actually left after a typical fillet operation.  Mainly around the collar area.

I'm Japanese and I know my parents especially like smaller rockfish (10 to 14 inches or so) they can gut and grill whole (head on guts out) after scoring the skin after sprinkling sea salt on it.  They prefer that over a nice big fillet anyday. 

Seems like a waste of time to me. Keep fishing. I'd also be concerned about stabbing my drysuit while trying to do that in the swells.

He doesnt catch fish...Christine does  The Hobie fish factory...she catches...he cleans 

Good point! In that case you should just install a mini fish cleaning station so Christine can keep fishing