On The Hunt Episode 1: How To Fillet A Hogfish

[KBummer]

Hello everyone!

My roommate and I started a company this year dedicated to bringing epic underwater footage to the world. This week's video is from the spearfishing series On The Hunt where we've done a tutorial on how to fillet a Hogfish. We're going to be making YouTube videos from a wide variety of topics including Scuba Diving, Underwater Photography/Videography, and Travel.

I hope you enjoy the video. As always, critiques are very welcome as we're learning as we go! Bonus video is coming out next week where we'll teach the proper way to fillet a Lionfish. The ironic thing is that when I was filming the episode, I got stung by the Lionfish. After six years of spearing and carefully handling them, it finally happened. I took notes of the symptoms and timeframes so I can include it in the video. Suffice to say, I wouldn't recommend it, but it should give everyone a good idea of what to expect should you be as unfortunate as I. Keep a look out for the video next Monday!

 

[CuzzA]

Here's a tip for any fish. If you leave the fillet intact at the tail you can simply flip the fillet over and the skin and fish carcass will assist you in holding the fillet as you separate the skin from the meat.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Too much meat lost when cutting out the rib bones. It is easier to see if you flip it over so you are looking at the skin side to locate the bones.

Also, you might like an alternate way to skin. Start the process, then just hold the knife completely still and at the proper angle. Apply uniform downward pressure and then grab the skin and wiggle the fillet back and forth and pulling backward to make the blade advance. It is easier to control compared to moving the knife.. on a thick skinned fish like hog.

 

[Sam Miller III]

What ever you do ---DO NOT TERMINATE YOUR DAY JOB!
I agree 110% with previous posters.

I found the tattoos some what distracting. I would suggest long sleeves or some one else to clean the fish

BUT
I suspect there are many many on this board who have never cleaned a fish and your short video is certainly a starting point ...

Please -- Correct it , reshoot and display again on this board.

Good luck with other videos

Welcome to the world of Spear Fishing

SDM

 

[CuzzA]

I will say this @KBummer, keep shooting video and posting. I appreciate watching scuba shooting videos over apnea as I find them far more interesting and entertaining. There's so many apnea videos on the net that they look like a broken record.

Not to mention this forum could use a lot more activity!!!

 

[CuzzA]

Start the process, then just hold the knife completely still and at the proper angle. Apply uniform downward pressure and then grab the skin and wiggle the fillet back and forth and pulling backward to make the blade advance. It is easier to control compared to moving the knife.. on a thick skinned fish like hog.

That's exactly what I do as well and having the fillet still attached and bent over provides a sort of loop to hook your finger under and pull the fillet against the blade of the knife to get the process started without losing any meat until you have a nice piece of skin to really grab hold of.

 

[Bubblesong]

What kind of filleting knife are you using, and would you use a different knife on lionfish?

 

[KBummer]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I'm by no means a professional at filleting, just sharing things I've picked up to help other people starting out. @Francesea it's a Bubba Blade 7". I like it despite it being more expensive than the cheapos. It has a grip that retains it's tactility even when wet which is really nice. For the Lionfish, I use the same blade, however I'll be detailing how to remove the spines prior to using a knife. That alone makes it drastically safer to handle, however since the vemon glands are at the base of the spines, you still need to be careful.