How To Clean A Bluegill

In the world of fishing, you often come across aquatic species that are quite interesting. Sometimes you may find something so profound it may knock your socks off. And sometimes, it may just be another fish in the sea. Did you see what we did there?

Among those enticing fishes, sometimes you get to meet with the best. And one of those best fishes is bluegill. Bluegill isn’t just a common fish from the great state of Texas in the United States of America but is loved and adored by many.

People describe fishing for bluegills as one of the best moments of their lives. They love going fishing and the fun they share with their family while getting ready to do so. And who could beat the chilly beers they share after ending a great fishing experience?

But the hard part comes after you catch these beautiful fishes. Because as much as we wish to eat these beauties without the tiring yet exciting cleaning task. It is also important to remember that after you clean a bluegill, you increase its taste by a huge margin.

Are you worried about not knowing the basics of cleaning bluegill?

Do not worry. Carry reading this article, and we will give you every detail on how to clean a bluegill. No ins and outs will be missed if you know what we mean.

How To Clean A Bluegill: Know Your Bluegills

Before we dive into understanding how to clean a bluegill, let us know what a bluegill is first because general knowledge doesn’t hurt anybody. Does it?

Anglers worldwide consider bluegill to be a fantastic gamefish. Did you know that they belong to the Sunfish family? Pretty cool, right? Also, the bluegill is found mostly in the Southern and Central United States of America and loves its freshwater habitat.

Bluegill isn’t the only name for this gorgeous fish. It has several other names too. People call it copper bellies, bluegill sunfish, blue sunfish, bluegill bream, and copperheads. We can assume it is very well-loved by the long list of this fish’s names.

Although we stated that bluefish is a popular gamefish among fishermen, their size can be quite small. Sometimes it is hard to believe that they are considered to be gamefish at all. Their total body length can range from 15 to 23 cm or around 6 to 9 inches. Their weight is also very less, only around 0.25 kilograms or around 0.5 pounds.

Talking about this stunning fish’s characteristics, it has a dark flap at the rear of the gill cover. Also, bluegill is famous for its dark spot at the rear end of its dorsal fin. One can also easily know that a fish is bluegill by looking at its body color. Even though other colors exist, it mostly has a greenish to blueish color.

A born fighter, bluegill can give you a short, tough time while you fish it. When bluegill gets captured at the end of your fishing line, it might struggle and try to fight against it. It is almost as if it can sense its death lurking on the fishing line.

Further, a fish with many features, the bluegill is also number one among the fishes captured by the hook-and-line style. Apart from naturally fishing in freshwater sources like rivers, ponds, lakes, and streams, bluegill can also be farmed. It would be best to have a small pond holding a huge stock of bluegills if you wish to farm them in your backyard.

How To Clean A Bluegill: The Exciting Capture

Bluegills are an easy capture. But an extra dose of knowledge about capturing bluegill is still okay. Also, it would help if you successfully captured it to learn how to clean a bluegill. So, let us begin. Shall we?

Bluegills have made the lives of anglers worldwide so much easier by being available to fish all year round. But if you want to catch bluegill, waiting for the perfect season might help. So, out of all the best times to catch them, spring and summer seasons spawn is at the top of our chart.

Why spring and summer, you might ask? It is because bluegills will be only two to six feet underwater during these seasons. But undercover, of course. Also, since these seasons are also the bluegill spawning season, there will be at least fifty of them in one spawning bed. With so many bluegills in one small setting, the probability of you catching them will be automatically higher.

However, after spring and summer, the spawning period of bluegills stopped. Then, they will go to much deeper ends of the water where they will travel only in a big school, making it harder to fish them.

Choosing The Best Bluegill Bait

For capturing any fish in this world, you need bait. Okay, if not bait, you need a lure. But keep it small. Bluegills are relatively small, so keeping your bait’s size small helps.

Also, you need to choose a small hook for a smaller bait or lure. Would it look ghastly, a small bait hanging from a large hook? It would. So, choose hooks with a hook number from 6 to 10, then you will be good.

Further, look for hooks with long shanks. The long shank will allow a smooth removal of bait from a small bluegill’s smaller mouth. Smaller baits holding from a larger stringed hook could be a better sight. So, look for hooks that are made out of tiny wires.

Okay, look for smaller hooks, but what about the bait? The bait of bluegill should be live. Worms and nightcrawlers make excellent live bluegill bait. Also, worms and nightcrawlers are available anywhere in this world.

Do you know what bluegill likes more than water? A worm and a night crawler. So use it.

As much as we appreciate your love for overfeeding your bluegill, try using only one worm or night crawler as bait. Only one will be enough for covering up a hook and for bluegill’s appetite.

Can’t you get your hands on worms and nightcrawlers? Do not worry because crickets, grasshoppers, red wiggler, and mealworms work great too.

Also, artificial baits can be great for bluegill. You can use a black jig of around 0.885 grams or a tiny spinner. In addition, poppers and small flies are also considered quite effective.

Some Tips To Fish

Before we jump into how to clean a fish, let us give you a short overview of tips to capture a beautiful one. Not only are they a great sport, but they are available everywhere and taste delicious. So, some of the tips that will make your fishing journey better are.

First, always use a clear line for fishing. Because if you use a flashy one, your fish can see it and suspect you. So, use a clear one invisible to the eyes of your bluegill.

Second, always make sure to retrieve your cast line slowly. Go slow and steady as much as possible to create low tension between you and your fish.

Third, while it may be tempting to go fishing bluegills in places, people usually try different places. Often in crowded places, bluegills are frightened and overfished. So, try new freshwater sources like rivers and streams near your neighborhood. You may be surprised. Who knows?

How To Clean A Bluegill: Cleaning Step By Step

Cleaning bluegill may seem like a dreadful process, and you might wonder how to clean a bluegill. But don’t worry because we have just the right technique for you. You just have to follow it step by step, and then you will have a nice and clean bluegill to eat.

Prep and Prepare

The first thing while cleaning anything in this world is preparing for it. Cleaning and getting the right gear to do your job should be your top priority. Also, clean your surfaces before you start your cleaning journey. Make sure that all your surfaces and knives are spick and span.

Keep a dustbin at arm’s length to throw away all your waste onto it as soon as you extract it from the fish. Also, ensure your fish is as dry as possible before you start the cleaning process. Because when it is wet, the fish can be extremely slippery and hard to clean.

Also, if you have a condition called arthritis, then use an electric knife; it will make your job easier. In addition, if you have caught many fish, using an electric knife will benefit all.

Start By Removing The Scales

Our first step in how to clean a bluegill is to remove its scales. Scales are present in almost every fish and are often considered tedious. But with our method, you can scale your fish in no time. It would be best to remember to put your fish on top of a paper towel before you skin it, and then you are good to go.

First, line your place of scaling, then wash your bluegill. Always wash it with cool water so it is easier to remove the scales. However, you might wonder, previously, we mentioned how you shouldn’t work with wet bluegill, but that is for the cutting part, not the scaling part. For scaling, you want your bluegill to be moist and wet.

Then you want to place your freshly washed fish on the paper towels. After which, you can start cutting the fins of the fish. For cutting the fins, use scissors because you will be safe and make your job ten times easier.

Start by holding your fish firmly on its head or tail. If your hand gets slippery because of the moist surface of the fish’s body, you can use a towel to ensure a good grip.

Always start scaling from the tail to the head of the fish. In this way, your scaling process will be fast. Use a dull knife or even a spoon while scaling.

Your scaling should focus on the frontal and back faces and the side. Your fish must look smooth after you have done scaling it. Any scales collected can be wrapped up in a paper towel and duly thrown away.

Then Start Gutting The Fish

Our second step in how to clean a bluegill is to gut it. Gutting is a process of removing unwanted parts of the fish. You do not want to eat a fish’s entrails now, do you?

For the gutting step, you will require a fillet knife. But make sure that the knife is very sharp. Then insert the knife into the belly through the anal gland. Move the knife through the abdomen to the head.

However, when inserting the knife, the process should be as light-handed as possible because you cannot destroy the intestines. Then open the bluegill like a book or spread it like a butterfly spreads its wing.

After spreading it, you can see the insides clearly; now is the time to remove the anus. Make a tiny v-shaped incision with the help of a knife and smugly remove the anus. To remove the kidney, use a spoon. Kidneys are located behind the backbone; scoop it to remove it.

Move On To Deboning The Fish

Some prefer bones, while some do not. If you fall into the latter criteria, then put your boning hat on while you start deboning your fish. For this, like the steps mentioned above, place your fish on a papertowel.

Then start by cutting down to the backbone of the bluegill. But make sure to place your knife behind the gill. Then start rotating your knife, and keep the knife pointing towards the fish’s tail flat to the backbone.

The backbone must be parallel to your cutting board.

Cut along the bluegill’s backbone toward the tail in a saw-like motion. Remember to run the blade below the fish’s meat. Additionally, repeat the whole process on the other end of the fish and remove the backbone.

Also, putting your knife between the rib cage’s bone and the filet helps to remove the ribs. Then you can proceed to slice the meat away from the bone. You can use needle-nose pliers, tweezers, or fingers to remove the tiny pin-sized bones.

Filleting A Bluegill Fish

If you need more than deboning a fish, then try filleting the fish. It will remove the bones and get fish fillets to achieve a more ready-to-eat cut piece. Also, you can easily fry or grill a fish once you have the fillet.

First, start by placing the fish on a nonslippery rigid surface like a cutting board. Make sure that you are facing the backbone of the fish. Start cutting the fish behind the gill but under the skin. Then slowly run your fish from the backbone to the fish’s stomach.

Now you are going to the incision part of the fish, and you will start by placing the tip of your sharp knife on the backbone. But remember only to insert an inch in. At the point where you first made a v-shaped incision, shove the anal vent with the backbone at an angle. Start applying pressure with the knife to the backbone and the spine.

Then move the knife to the tail by passing it through the bones. Slowly lift your bluegill’s flesh and insert the knife’s point in the head. Start extracting your fillet away from the fish’s bones. Cut the meat but carefully to loosen as much meat as you can.

After completely detaching the fillet, cut it off completely from the body. Repeat the same process on the other side of the fish. Then after you extract the fillet, you can start deboning your fish.

Then start cutting layers of the fillet by keeping your knife flat. After that, you can start removing the small bones of the fish.

There you go, folks, the list of how to clean a bluegill, which you have all been waiting for.