# Three man limit



## ChappyC (Nov 17, 2004)

Took 1 hour to get a three man limit east of south bass.Large pack on the east and moved north of that. 
Lots of great marks. Frozen shiners. Lots of doubles. One bonus walleye.


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## Jim Stedke (Dec 5, 2005)

What did they weigh?


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## Bohanan66 (Apr 19, 2012)

What took you so long?


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## HookSet Harvey (Aug 12, 2010)

86lbs


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## pearleyes (Nov 28, 2010)

86lbs. ? WOW!


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## Popspastime (Apr 1, 2014)

HookSet Harvey said:


> 86lbs


And that was after they were cleaned too!


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## Scum_Frog (Apr 3, 2009)

Id say 21lbs not including walleye.....??


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## Jim Stedke (Dec 5, 2005)

Did you have a lot of throw backs or not.


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## capt Hamilton (Sep 3, 2013)

What boat do you have I was out there too


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## ChappyC (Nov 17, 2004)

Ra


capt Hamilton said:


> What boat do you have I was out there too


Red Ranger with a red 300 evinrude


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## ChappyC (Nov 17, 2004)

Jim Stedke said:


> Did you have a lot of throw backs or not.


Not to many at all. Nice 9" average


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## FISHIN 2 (Jun 22, 2005)

Sounds like Juls boat..


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## Jim Stedke (Dec 5, 2005)

Thanks, just trying to get a feel for the average size in that area. 9s are the perfect eater size. The jumbos are great to catch but I don't like having to strip out pin bones.


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## MrEdd (Jul 20, 2008)

Jim Stedke said:


> Thanks, just trying to get a feel for the average size in that area. 9s are the perfect eater size. The jumbos are great to catch but I don't like having to strip out pin bones.


Every year I hear where are the jumbo's? , 
Yep, 9's are the best, I will take 9's all day over jumbo's.


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## Brahmabull71 (Jul 30, 2014)

MrEdd said:


> Every year I hear where are the jumbo's? ,
> Yep, 9's are the best, I will take 9's all day over jumbo's.


Good send me the jumbos!

They're delicious!


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## Jim Stedke (Dec 5, 2005)

Brahma, I'll be glad to go along and catch those jumbos, and I'll be just as glad to leave them with you.


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## ErieGoldSportfishing (Feb 5, 2009)

Brahmabull71 said:


> Good send me the jumbos!
> 
> They're delicious!


I second that motion.....bring on the jumbos!!! 

No need to zipper pins if fish are scaled and you are properly trained how to remove the fillets leaving the pins attached to the rib cage. I was taught this several years back and now it is 2nd nature for me to do that with all perch and bluegills.


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## Jim Stedke (Dec 5, 2005)

Eric, just curious, do you get more meat below the pins or just loose the belly meat.


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## Brahmabull71 (Jul 30, 2014)

Jim Stedke said:


> Brahma, I'll be glad to go along and catch those jumbos, and I'll be just as glad to leave them with you.


You're welcome anytime I have a spot!


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## beaver (Sep 28, 2010)

I'm curious , I notice that the majority of you up around erie leave the skin on and scale the fish. Why is that? Is it just because you're doing a lot at a time and it makes the job quicker? 

I always skin my fish because I think the skin is where a lot of the "fishy" taste is that people don't like.


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## Jim Stedke (Dec 5, 2005)

When you take your perch to a cleaner, they run them through a scaler, and then fillet them, so we're used to the skin being on. And in reality the scaler makes the skin thinner.

Or at least it seems to.


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## jonlpeck922 (Jun 3, 2012)

For fish like perch and crappies ,i love the skin on. In my opionion makes them nice a crunchy. Just my thoughts. It is a pain to do at home and its a mess scaling. Glad I have an 8 year old boy , give him a spoon and he goes to town lol.


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## Popspastime (Apr 1, 2014)

Larger 10 to 12 inch fish I fillet, don't really care for the skin.. NO bones.


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## FISHIN 2 (Jun 22, 2005)

MageeEast said:


> I second that motion.....bring on the jumbos!!!
> 
> No need to zipper pins if fish are scaled and you are properly trained how to remove the fillets leaving the pins attached to the rib cage. I was taught this several years back and now it is 2nd nature for me to do that with all perch and bluegills.


How do you remove the pin bones with the ribcage, any videos, would love to learn that.


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## Super G (Oct 3, 2012)

LOL! Reminds me of the time I went fishing on Lake Mille Lacs in Minnesota on a " Walleye launch." Walleye were not biting, but perch and rock bass were. A woman fishing next to me got upset because I threw back the rock bass I caught. She was throwing back perch (Minnesotans don't seem to like perch - probably because they get wormy in smaller lakes). She argued perch were junk fish. I tried to explain they were related to walleye but she wouldn't buy it, insisting that walleye were pickerel and perch were, well, just perch. So I gladly agreed to trade her every rock bass I caught for the perch she caught! Not a bad deal! ;-)


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## island troller (Nov 14, 2007)

FISHIN 2 said:


> How do you remove the pin bones with the ribcage, any videos, would love to learn that.[/QUOTE


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## island troller (Nov 14, 2007)

The pin bones are located just above the belly meat where the thick body meat starts. I always just slice a very narrow long v through there and removed that section off the fillet. Only takes a couple seconds and you are removing a very very thin section of meat about an inch long. You still have the belly attached toward the back of the fillet.

I always clean my own perch so I skin them because it is simple and quick compared to scaling the perch in my opinion. Also if my wife taste one scale or bone she is then done eating fish for the day. Got to keep the wife happy so I can keep fishing as much as I do.


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## Kenlow1 (Jul 14, 2012)

You tell em Al. We will be ice fishin before you know it.


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## cheddarthief (Jun 18, 2013)

I honestly only keep the jumbos. 10's and above is my boat rule. Not worth the hastle to have them cleaned and pay for more skin than meat. Now, if it's a shorty but really fat, I'll make an exception. But that's rarely the case.

As for fillet vs. scaling/butterflying, I take mine home and fillet them. I have a great set of knives. One has a thicker spine and one is super flexible. Cut to the spine behind the gills, turn the blad parallel to the cutting board and straight through the bones back to the tail. Make sure to leave the skin attached at the end of the tail. Flip the fillet over still attacked to the fish and strip from the skin with the knife. You still have the ribs attached to a beautiful fillet. I simply take my skinny, flexible knife and remove the entire rib cage area. Yes, I know a little meat is left behind the ribs but it's very small in comparison to the rest of the fillet. Plus, no pin bones to remove.

Throw them in some panko bread crumbs with seasoning and fry 'em up. Good eating!


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

Hey Cheddar, that is the way my Dad and I have always cleaned the perch. I prefer them that way and yes taking the meat off the skin is faster than scaling for me. Now I fish a few times a year with a Physicians Assistant, who asked me not to cut through the rib cage like that, because it opens the stomach area and opens to contaminants. I can't really argue with that so I clean them his way at those times. Its probably not that I can clean almost twice as fast going through the ribcage though is it?
Have a safe weekend everyone. Hope we all get plenty of perch.

Rickerd


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## FISHIN 2 (Jun 22, 2005)

Yes, that's the way I always filet my perch too but magee said he can remove the pin bones along with the rib bones. If its a small perch no worries, a larger perch and I always get the pin bones out, just thought there was a great way to do it in one step, thanks all, Mike


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## HappySnag (Dec 20, 2007)

rickerd said:


> Hey Cheddar, that is the way my Dad and I have always cleaned the perch. I prefer them that way and yes taking the meat off the skin is faster than scaling for me. Now I fish a few times a year with a Physicians Assistant, who asked me not to cut through the rib cage like that, because it opens the stomach area and opens to contaminants. I can't really argue with that so I clean them his way at those times. Its probably not that I can clean almost twice as fast going through the ribcage though is it?
> Have a safe weekend everyone. Hope we all get plenty of perch.
> 
> Rickerd


I am used to cleaning perch,not to cut thrue rib cage,then I put filay on bord,inside on top,i can see the line,pin bones,cut 1/8" on each side.


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## K gonefishin (May 4, 2004)

In can't believe you throw back 9 inch perch that's crazy


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## cheddarthief (Jun 18, 2013)

K gonefishin said:


> In can't believe you throw back 9 inch perch that's crazy


Because I fillet them, I set the min to 10". Lol.


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## ErieEye (Jul 16, 2007)

K gonefishin said:


> In can't believe you throw back 9 inch perch that's crazy


This way he only has to clean 10 to 15 perch per year.


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## Jeff65 (Feb 3, 2009)

It must be a family tradition thing. I grew up fishing the west end and we as a family always skin them then pull the fillets of the fish. We must have 8 of the Thompson fish skinners.....the best thing sliced bread. We do walleye the same way. I'm the fourth generation and trying to teach my daughter, the fifth generation, but haven't got her to touch a fish yet.


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## ErieGoldSportfishing (Feb 5, 2009)

Jim no the belly meat is intact and they can be butterflied. When the fillet comes off there is a narrow groove on the fillet where the pins were. I used to have a video but I don't think I have it anymore. Basically I cut from the back down until I feel the pins on the knife. Then grab the fillet with your thumb and index finger and pull the shoulder out while pressing your middle and ring fingers in against the skin until you pull the skin loose from the tips of the pins. Then "pry" under the pins and cut perpendicular to the ribs under the pins until your knife hits the ribs. Turn the knife angle down towards the belly and continue just like you'd normally finish any fillet. Pins remain on the carcass.

I leave skin on for a couple reasons. First it helps bulk up the fillets, is edible, and really doesn't add any off or strong flavor.


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## Fishtracker1 (Mar 29, 2009)

This is my method of choice also, very little loss of meat that still tastes 5 star.


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## Jim Stedke (Dec 5, 2005)

Thanks Eric, I do that inadvertently (by mistake) once in a while on walleyes may have to try to commit that to muscle memory or the perch. 

I know way too many guys waist the belly meat on the eyes.


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## cheddarthief (Jun 18, 2013)

MageeEast said:


> Jim no the belly meat is intact and they can be butterflied. When the fillet comes off there is a narrow groove on the fillet where the pins were. I used to have a video but I don't think I have it anymore. Basically I cut from the back down until I feel the pins on the knife. Then grab the fillet with your thumb and index finger and pull the shoulder out while pressing your middle and ring fingers in against the skin until you pull the skin loose from the tips of the pins. Then "pry" under the pins and cut perpendicular to the ribs under the pins until your knife hits the ribs. Turn the knife angle down towards the belly and continue just like you'd normally finish any fillet. Pins remain on the carcass.
> 
> I leave skin on for a couple reasons. First it helps bulk up the fillets, is edible, and really doesn't add any off or strong flavor.


Would love to see a video showing how you do that.


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

Jeff65,
don't bother to coax them to clean a fish. I have 3 daughters and they love to eat them. They will watch me clean them sometimes, but if they cleaned them, I think they would stop eating them. Now my nephews, hack away at any fish, so I invite one or two of them each time out.
Rickerd


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## joekacz (Sep 11, 2013)

cheddarthief said:


> Would love to see a video showing how you do that.


What is a Thompson Fish Skinner??? Purchase where?? Thanks.


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## Jeff65 (Feb 3, 2009)

Well, it would help if I spelled it correctly. It is a TOWNSEND fish skinner. Check out eBay for used ones. I don't think they sell them anymore, but could be wrong about that. They really do a nice job on perch and walleye up to the width of the skinner itself.


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## joekacz (Sep 11, 2013)

Jeff65 said:


> Well, it would help if I spelled it correctly. It is a TOWNSEND fish skinner. Check out eBay for used ones. I don't think they sell them anymore, but could be wrong about that. They really do a nice job on perch and walleye up to the width of the skinner itself.


Thanks


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## Brahmabull71 (Jul 30, 2014)

Jeff65 said:


> Well, it would help if I spelled it correctly. It is a TOWNSEND fish skinner. Check out eBay for used ones. I don't think they sell them anymore, but could be wrong about that. They really do a nice job on perch and walleye up to the width of the skinner itself.


The original manual power Skinzit!


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## MIKIE (Sep 14, 2004)

Jeff65 said:


> Well, it would help if I spelled it correctly. It is a TOWNSEND fish skinner. Check out eBay for used ones. I don't think they sell them anymore, but could be wrong about that. They really do a nice job on perch and walleye up to the width of the skinner itself.


They are electric now, I think they are called Skinzit


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