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Cleaning Fish- Freshwater Fishing

By Ronnie Garrison, About.com

3 of 5

Cut Along the Backbone from Head to Tail

Second Filet Step - Cut along backbone

Cut along the backbone from head to tail

Ronnie Garrison
5. Lay the fish flat and cut across the body just behind the head. Cut down to the backbone but be careful not to cut thru it. When your blade hits the bone, turn it sideways and cut toward the tail, following the slit in the belly and cutting as close to the backbone as possible. Your knife needs to be extremely sharp to cut thru the rib bones during this step.

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