Cleaning a fish is easy. You can follow these instructions in order to safely clean and store your catch.
For the best possible meal, start by treating the fish right from the moment you land it. If you're going to eat your catch, you have to keep it fresh, even before you begin cleaning your fish. Keep caught fish in a live well, a cooler or on a stringer in the water. And always fill your cooler or live well with the same water you're fishing in.
If you're not going to eat your catch, unhook it carefully—while it's still in the water—and release it using proper catch and release practices.
If you are planning on cooking your fish whole or if you are going to steak it, rather than filleting it, you must learn how to gut a fish.
Research the area you're fishing to determine if the fish are safe to eat, some bodies of water are polluted with mercury and other heavy metals that fish absorb. Always check your state regulations before your head out fishing.
Now that you have a clean fish, or prepared your steaks or fillets, you can store your fish or cook your fish! Check out our favorite cooking methods and recipes as well.
Learn how fillet a fish step by step, how to store fish and more in our next section.
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How to Tie a Duncan Knot
Learn to tie a Duncan knot by following these five simple steps. Watch our new video.
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Welcome to Angler Academy!
No one said you can’t bring fishing inside! There’s lots of fun activities we can do right from home
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