Skinning and Steaking Fish
Catfish and other smooth-skinned fish have to be skinned before you cook them. You can buy special pliers that pinch the skin and give you a good grip on it. Cut through the skin all the way around the head of the fish just behind the gills and pull the skin toward the tail. If it tears just grab it again at the tear and start pulling.
When cleaning catfish, be extremely careful of their spines, which can make deep puncture wounds that get infected easily. It's a good idea to clip the top fin and the sharp ends of the side fins before starting to skin catfish.
Hold the fish by the mouth with a glove or by placing your fingers under the side fins of a small catfish. An even better method, especially on a big catfish, is to nail its head to a tree or skinning board to hold it while you pull off the skin. Nailing the head to a stable surface allows you to grip the skinning pliers with both hands while you skin a big, tough fish.
Steaking is a good way to clean big fish like salmon or halibut. Scale or skin the fish first and then cut steaks across the body, or pull the skin off each piece after steaking the fish. Start just behind the gills and cut all the way through the meat and backbone. Continue down the fish cutting the steaks into the thickness desired and stop before the pieces get too small. You can then fillet out the tail or cook it whole.
After you clean the fish, you've got the waste parts to dispose of. Many people who clean their fish on site throw the guts back into the water, but make sure this is legal.
