Cleaning Crappies

Hello all IDO members, one of my favorite fish to chase in the winter is crappies, i’m just wondering how you guys clean yours? I think the easiest and fastest way would be to fillet them (which I have been). I feel as though i’m wasting a lot of the fish and I’m looking for alternative routes such as scaling them. I get the basic concept of scaling them but where does a guy go from there? Tonight I asked my dad and he said they used to scale em, cut off the head, remove insides, cut off fins and call it good. How do fellow IDO members clean their crappies? thanks for any input and tight lines!

I fillet them for ease of storing and cooking.

Your dad is exactly right on how to do it. You can leave the tail fin on if you wish, they fry up to little chips and are very edible. Don’t try to eat the top fins though…

yeah I was to young to remember how he did it, now he’s getting up there in age and says they never filleted a thing in his day I took him out ice fishing for the first time in 15 years last week and he wants to get back out he suggested cutting the top and bottom fins off and leaving the tail. I figure we can do this a couple different times a year for ol times sake

What type of knife are you using? I waist just about “0” meat using an electric from American Angler.

The method you describe from your Dad is correct for scaling. My Grandfather love to scale his big bluegills. Its not a fun job when its 90 degrees out and the bugs are after you and the scales are flying! The scales do seam to go all over..

I fillet only. Have not scaled since I was a kid back in the 70’s.

I filet my crappies and all my panfish. I’ve never actually learned how to properly scale fish, and I don’t plan on it. Seems like too much of a hassle dealing with those scales. I’d rather just filet them and be done!

Filet them all…. with some practice very little meat is lost. Something about scales all over my garage just sounds like a pain in the rear, but I know a lot of guys do it.

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I filet my crappies and all my panfish. I’ve never actually learned how to properly scale fish, and I don’t plan on it. Seems like too much of a hassle dealing with those scales. I’d rather just filet them and be done!

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All you need is a large spoon and a pan of water…..
Scale them under water and the scales don’t fly all over. If I am not in a hurry I will scale my panfish then fillet them. You would be surprised the difference in the flavor with the skin on.

No doubt skin on adds to the eating experience. I keep meaning to do that but bail at the last minute every time.

My Dad never learned how to filet so for my first 15 years all I knew was scale and gut. I learned about fileting fish from a friend in High School and never looked back.

Been a long time since Ive scaled to. That skin does add flavor. Used to do this more to sunnies. We would also chop off the tails, slit and pull the top and bottom fins to. Then my gramdma said leave the tails and fines on. They add more flavor and are like chips when fried. Yep, she ate the fins and all. Then again she grew up in a large family and not much went to waste.

Was just watching a show over the weekend with a guy living in the woods in Alaska. He caught a pike, scaled it, ate the heart, liver, eggs and so on. Didnt look bad but have to imagine some of those parts must of been pretty fishy tasting.

Agree on filleting, scaling is a mess. I’ll have to try that scaling under the water trick…I remember when I used to scale and you would find these random scales glued to your skin the next day haha…

Any of you guys ever try the scaling bucket? Not sure if they are still around. Fish go in a 5 gallon bucket with some water. Then there was a drill attachment like a paint or cement mixer that you would stick in the bucket and it would scale the fish. Seem to remember talking to someone years ago that had one and said it worked well.

Guess we’re opposite over here. Father in law like fillets I like Scaled for Blue gills and crappies. Does add flavor.