FISH

Fishing is one of Manitoba’s favourite outdoor
sports. Every year tens of thousands of people take to
the lakes and streams in search of a lunker — or even
something pan-sized. It’s anybody’s guess about how
many pounds of fish are pulled out of Manitoba lakes
each year by anglers. Some people have put it as high
as five million pounds. We can be sure that a good
deal less ended up in the frying pan. The following
hints may make more of your catch good for the table.

The first advice to any angler is keep your fish
alive as long as possible. Lugging a dead fish around
in the bottom of your boat for half a day in the hot
sun won't do the meat one bit of good. Put them
on a stringer and keep them in the water. Once the
fish is dead it is good practice to clean it as soon as
possible. The best commercial fishermen pack their
catch in shaved ice the moment the fish comes out
of the water. Sport fishermen should carry a small
cooler with ice in it where they can put their fish
when they are caught.

Once you've filleted or skinned your fish you should
wash it off and then dry it thoroughly. Pack the
dried, cleaned fish in a cool cooler and keep them
there until you get home and either freeze them or
eat them. Don’t let the clean fillet lie in a pool of
water or its own juice if you can help it.

So much for looking after the meat. What about
cleaning the fish. There are probably dozens of
“best” methods. If you have one that works for you
and is easy — keep it. If you're still looking for a
way to fillet fish quickly and easily here’s our system

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