Whether your a backpacker, or simply just headed into the mountains for a camping trip with the family we all need to eat, and what better way to experience the outdoors than to catch, clean, cook, and eat your own hard-earned meal! Plus it’s a good skill to have. Ever heard the saying:
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime!”
Maimonides
Well, that is my goal here. I want to simply show you how to properly clean, and cook a fish when you’re in the back-country. As resources will likely be limited either due to lack of space, or excessive weight. For this reason, you will need to be creative in terms of cooking, or prepping your food.
Now, I’m assuming you likely already know how to fish, and have the proper fishing equipment by this point. Here we are going to skip that initial experience of catching, and claiming your fish. But now you need to Clean it, Prep it, and Cook it so you can then enjoy your catch.
First I want to touch on the topic of cleaning, and prepping the fish. Now, typically dependent upon the fish type you have just caught this process will likely be the same, if not, its simpler, and I’ll be sure to specify differences throughout the process.
Then will hit on Cooking, and the different options you could employ in order to do so. Because as I know from personal experience, you don’t always have access to a nice stovetop, or oven like you otherwise would at home. So the need to get a little experimental with cooking methods will likely come into play here.
Things To Keep In Mind About Catching & Eating Fish
Know your local laws and limits when it comes to keeping fish, as many lakes and reservoirs have a per day or per week limit per person or group. Ideally before you simply just head out fishing near camp be sure you know the laws involved in fishing, and taking fish.
Also, Some fish can be dangerous to eat, as they may be poisonous, or come equipped with sharp fines, or other defense tactics that were used to help the fish survive before you came along. Make sure you know exactly what type of fish you have just caught, along with whether or not it is edible.
Tools You May Need For Cleaning, Preparing, And Cooking Fish
First things First You are going to need some tools to do the following work with your fish. Some you will need, others are more of a preference. But either way, I think its best to list of the tools you are going to need before we get into the content. This way as you go through you will be able to get a good idea as to what tools you are going to need, for your preferred method of Cleaning, Prepping and Cooking your fish.
- Sharp Pocket Knife
- Fillet Knife (Optional)
- Knife Sharpener
- Fish Scaler (Optional)
- Cutting Board / Flat Clean Surface
Below Are Links To Amazon Of The Tools I Use, and I prefer when I am handling fish in the Back-country. Whether I’m Backpacking Or Simply Car Camping These are My Favorites.
- The Pocket Knife I Opt For (Here). Has Been a great knife for me over the years!
- The Fillet Knife I Prefer To Use (Here). I don’t do a lot with filleting fish. However, when I do this one workes great. And It folds up nicely like a pocket knife, so I don’t have to worry about it taking up much space.
- The Knife Sharpening Stone That I Use (Here). Pretty generic, but it works well for me.
- I don’t personally use A Fish Scaler so I can’t really specify which one I use. But there are many out there on the market, Simply do some research to find the best one for you. (Here) Is a link to amazons list of Fish Scalers.
- For A Cutting Board, I Typically will Just use A Large Flat Rock Or A Table / Flat Piece Of Wood… I know, A little RedNeck But I don’t really like to carry a lot with me. However, If You’d like to get one so you don’t have to worry about it, Amazon has them for pretty cheap. (Here) is a link that will take you to their list of Cutting Boards.
1st: Cleaning & Gutting Your Fish
So, You have just caught your self a nice trout that you plan to take back to camp and cook up for dinner. At this point, You are now on the clock. You see, fish meat like most other meats need to be prepped and cooled or cooked as soon as possible, otherwise, you run the risk of the meat spoiling. Which is obviously not something you want to happen, especially if your dinner relies on this fish you have just caught.
Once you have caught the fish you need to do what you can in order to cool that fish. Ideally, if the water you have been fishing in is cold enough you could simply place the fish on a fish catchline, and leave them in the water near the shore. Obviously, keep them out of the sun in order to keep the fish as cold as possible. Nonetheless, during the summer months, the water can get quite warm in some parts. Ideally, in this sort of situation, it is best if you can place your fish in a cooler on ice. But not all will have that luxury when you’re in the backcountry.
Simply use your intuition and best judgment in this scenario. Ideally the sooner you prep, clean, and cook the fish the better.
However, you do need to keep in mind that you have a short period of time to clean and gut the fish, otherwise the guts will begin to rot and spoil the meat from the inside out. It is best if you can gut and clean your fish in under an hour or 2 from the time you had caught the fish. This is assuming you are trying to catch multiple fish in one sitting.
Steps To Clean & Gut Your Fish At Camp
Find yourself a good spot somewhere near the river or late depending on which you were fishing in. Where you can easily access the water oh, so you can clean the fish while you gut it. This will make clean up throughout the entire process much easier as opposed to heading back to camp where you likely won’t have much access to water.
Access to clean water for rinsing your fish it’s going to be required throughout the process of cleaning, gutting, and prepping your fish to be cooked. However, it is most important during the initial phase of cleaning and gutting the fish. As you will be dealing with most of the mess at this point during the process.
1st) Clean Off Any Dirt Or Debris That May Be On The Fish
Typically, once you have caught your fish and reeled it in the second you pull it out of the water it will likely act like a magnet and want to attract almost anything that will stick to it. Dirt, leaves, and many other things will likely end up sticking to your fish including mud or moss, given that your fish will likely be sitting in the water at the shoreline for a bit if you spend some time fishing with intentions of taking back multiple fish to camp.
Before you begin the process of gutting your fish you will want to clean off any dirt and debris that may have stuck to the fish as it was lying there still waiting for you to begin cleaning and prepping it for the cooker.
2nd) Get Your Tools Together & Ready
Have your tools prepped and ready to go before you begin the process of gutting your fish. This way you don’t find yourself struggling and reaching for tools that you need. It is best if you lay them out next to you in a safe place, given the fact that you will be handlings harp objects, be mindful of where you place them.
Also, it is best if you sharpen your knife before you begin the process. As it is much easier to handle a fish with a sharper knife versus a dull knife. Plus let me say that using a dull knife is more dangerous than using a sharp one. Because a dull knife will require you to put a lot more force into what it is you are cutting, and if that knife slips you’ll have a lot more force and momentum going into whatever the knife may come into contact with afterward
3rd) Begin By Cutting The Belly Of The Fish
You will Begin by making a small incision with your knife at the vent hole otherwise known as the anus. The Vent hole is located at the underneath at the back of the fish near the Tail, just before you get to the tail fin (Caudal Fin) you will see a fin located under the fish. This is known as the Anal Fin. The fish vent hole will be located at the front of the Anal fin, just before the Anal fin.
Now, you will begin to make a steady and consistent cut along the belly of the fish. Stop when you reach the neck area (so to say), just before you get to the Head.
4th) Pull Everything Out Starting At The Head
There are a few different ways that you can do this. It all just depends on personal preference. The goal here is to simply pull all of the guts out of the fish. This can be done in one simple pulling motion if prepared right.
First method)
Begin by making two cuts underneath the jaw on both sides, this should be quite easy as the skin is quite thin. This will allow you to grab the tongue and a lower section of the mouth which one hand and the jaw with the other. Then simply pull both hands away from each other. If done correctly the innards of the fish will come out whole and intact.
Second Method)
You were going to cut starting at the top of the fish just behind the head right in line with the gill plate. Cut downward starting from the top of the fish until you pass-through the spine. But don’t go any further. Then you will simply grab the head and pull away from the belly of the fish. At this point, everything should come out.
5th) Remove The Excess Fluid Along The Spin
Now that you have the guts out you will likely notice Fluid inside, near the top of the rib cage, just before the spine. This needs to be removed.
By simply use the thumbnail side of your thumb, and run it forward along the spine inside the fish. Your thumb will basically be acting like a snow plow would when it pushes snow off the road. This will Clean out the inside of the fish along the spine well. And should finish up this portion of the process.
6th) Rinse Your Fish Thoroughly
Now just simply give your fish a good rinse to get all of the left behind innards of the fish off and out of the fish. And you are finished!
Now you have completed the process of cleaning and gutting your fish. At this point, you should have all the meat clean, and ready to be prepped for the skillet, stove, or firepit.
Below we will be going into detail about the cooking options you have for cooking and serving your fish, along with how to do so, and the steps to be followed.
The Above process works well for Trout and many other smaller, Freshwater fish. However, for bottom feeders such as the Catfish, the process may differ slightly.
Watch the video below to see the two different processes listed above completed.
Backcountry Addictions
How To Dispose Of The Fish Guts?
This Depends Greatly on where you decide to clean and gut your fish. As many tent do simply throw the remains on the fish they catch somewhere near where they are. This isn’t the best method as some people don’t want to see the remains of the fish you caught… So be sure to keep others in mind.
Also, the remains of a fish will attract other wildlife such as bears and critters. For this reason it is best that you dispose of the remains away from camp. This means Away from both your camp and others.
Again keep other campers in mind. Don’t be leaving the remains of your fish anywhere near someone else’s campsite, otherwise, the wildlife in the area will likely end close and bothering them… Simply be mindful of how you depose of your fish remains.
It is very important that you know the laws when it comes to disposing of fish remains because some Lakes, rivers, and ponds do not allow you to Simply throw the remains of your fish back into the water.
the best way that you can find out information on disposal of fish remains for your area is by simply calling the local forest ranger station. or simply stop by there on your way and grab a brochure. At this point, it is also a good idea to figure out the laws on taking fish from the lake, pond, or river you will be fishing
Leave At The Lake
Many fishermen will simply throw the remains of their fish back into the water from where the fish came from. While this is probably the simplest and easiest method when it comes to disposing of fish oh, it is not always legal to do this so be sure that you know the laws in your area before you start doing so.
Also, keep in mind that other people will likely be fishing, and hiking through the area. To be sure you do not leave any remains where others will be able to see them. Simply clean up after yourself.
Burn In Your Camp Fire
If you will be having a campfire shortly after you have disposed of your fish. A disposal option that some people like take his simply burning the remains of the fish in your campfire. this works well however be sure that the remains burn completely.
Otherwise, you could end up with bears and other Wildlife around your camp at some point during the night. Because like we talked about above bears and other Wildlife are attracted to the remains of animals. it is basically like leaving your food out for the night. odds are something will come along and decide to eat it.
Throw In The Garbage
Another simple option is to just throw it away in the garbage. However you have to keep in mind that again wildlife will likely be attracted to the smell of the fish remains and for this reason you need to be sure that you do not garbage bag sitting out otherwise he will likely wake up in the morning what’s a large mess, or you may wake up at some point during the night to the sounds of a bear or something outside digging through the trash.
But this is all relative given the fact that food in your garbage can will likely attract bears and other wildlife as well so by simply taking the proper precautions when it comes to keeping your garbage away from wildlife is really all that needs to be done.
However, another problem that could occur is the smell… The remains of fish can get quite smelly especially when sitting in a garbage can for a period of time. So just be aware.
Again before you go disposing of fish remains just anywhere be sure that you know the laws and requirements for the area you are fishing. As it is best to do as the laws say, otherwise you could end up in a lot of
Now that you have your fish gutted and ready to be prepped for cooking. Now is a good time to head back to camp with your catch. Depending on whether or not you have a little bit of water that can be used to rinse the meat at camp. You may or may not want to take a little bit of water from the lake or river that can be used to rinse the meat later.
But from now on you likely shouldn’t need a whole lot of water for rinsing and cleaning, as the messiest part of the process is over with.
For the 2nd Step in the process, continue on to the next page. Over there we will show you how to prep, and cook your fish.