My back kills every time I clean fish. I’ve heard tell that if you have a bench set to the proper height you can rid yourself of this problem. Anyone know a conversion chart for the proper height bench to human height ratio to avoid back pain? My guess is I’m using a bench that’s too low and I’m hunchin over
I never have that problem.
I have a different problem, I don’t ever catch any fish…
Might I offer a solution? get a fishing buddy.
You can figure our the rest from there.
I’m sorry, I am not much help today.
Quit keeping those dinky fish that take so long to clean. 
Anyway, you are exactly right that it’s the height of the bench. While I don’t have a ratio, somewhere between 44-48 inches would be optimum.
Think of the height of your kitchen counter top. That’s a good starting point because working on it doesnt kill your back like hunching over does. I have the same problem butchering deer on my “deer table” I put blocks under it to help but then its unstable. I now clean fish mostly on the counter top or picnic table. That doesnt count the occasional sitting indian style on the garage floor and barely being able to stand up afterwards!
I put a cutting board on top of a wm recycling can with the lid up, measure that. I can later.
That doesnt count the occasional sitting indian style on the garage floor and barely being able to stand up afterwards!
Too many beers? 
Routine of pushups(intense planks), sit-ups and back extensions 2-3x a week. Say goodbye to pain on whatever you’re doing with a strong core.
Don’t bandaid, fix the problem.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>suzuki wrote:</div>
That doesnt count the occasional sitting indian style on the garage floor and barely being able to stand up afterwards!Too many beers?
Too many, not enough, same problem..
I think the ratio would differ depending on the core strength and flexibility of the individual. I’m short so I’m lucky to not have much experience in the way of hunching. If you’re using something that’s low, why not pull up a chair and sit while you filet away?
I lay a piece of flat scrap plastic on my washing machine that slopes slightly into my utility sink. It seems to be just the right height for me (I’m 5′ 11″). I used to fillet them on either my tailgate or my recycling bin, but the tailgate was too low and the bin was too high…I feel like Goldilocks saying that…I can measure the washing machine height tonight.
Kitchen folk will tell you a comfortable table height is about the height your wrists are when standing. Putting something underneath you cutting board with a wet rag to avoid slipping is a easier and quicker fix than building a new table
Have some type of 4 to 6 inch block of wood or stool that height and put one foot up on it and then every 15 min or so switch which foot/leg is up on the block. Recommendation from a physical therapist that really helps.
clean them while sitting on a boat bench 
5′-5″
I tell my daughter to clean them now….haven’t had a back ache from cleaning fish since 
“I tell my daughter to clean them now….haven’t had a back ache from cleaning fish since”
Works for me!
Years ago we made a fish cleaning shelf along the back of the deer shack. The ground sloped, so you could move to the right or left to find the optimum height above ground. Beat the heck out of using the picnic table.
SR
Let them go and have a steak instead
Work bench in the garage is about 48″ tall do not get any back pain. Use the same bench for deer, I setup just for this reason to clean fish and deer.
Our cabin we used to have had a fish cleaning house and that counter was same or a tad higher worked great plus no bugs could get you.
thanks all. sounds like I just need to play with it more until I find the right height
Lol this thread is funny.
Ergonomics
Whether you prefer to do the job sitting or standing….
Elbows tucked in and not elevated.
Work space doesn’t require you to reach or bend…I.e. Keep the work close to your gut.. And at about the height where your forearms are flat to the work space.
If your pear shaped…I cannot help you as your gut extends too far into your work space and causes you to lean.
Designing machines and work spaces for the pear shaped people never works out perfectly.
Similarly, no one work bench works for all as we are all different shapes and sizes.
Google images for ideal working posture if I’ve lost ya
FB&RM in the previous post gives some good advice on ergonomics, which we’d actually all benefit from in everything we do if we paid more attention.
Me, I’ve got a herniated disc in my lower back that causes me some sort of back pain every…single…day (but, according to doctors, not bad enough that they want to operate).
Bending at all hurts me, so I typically clean fish on my tailgate, where I’ll just throw my cutting board on top of it. I have no idea what height that is but I’m 5′ 8 3/4″ and that seems to work fairly well for me.
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