Finally feeling more confident in filleting skills thanks to OCL

I'm never one to brag about filleting skills, because I don't have them    But hey, I can get the job done, but see all these pics of people that are actually proud of their fillet skills and I finally see why.  Thanks to a video by Outdoor Chef Life where he was teaching a group of people how to fillet pacific halibut his instructions made too much sense to me.  I had a bit of fish to practice on recently  But this time it really came together for me and I just didn't make as many mistakes.  In the video he shows his technique of breaking down each cut by a specific purpose, and what I didn't realize until today which direction mattered a lot.  It was finally a time when I slide the edge of my inexpensive chefs knife and done correctly, felt like no resistance at all, yet smoothly cutting along the bones and having very little waste.  Been doing this now for quite a few years, but really this was the first time it didn't feel like a chore and felt so nice and clean and came out great. 

By the way, I also learned that you can still be stung by a wasp after it's died in your cooler and you pull a fish out of it.

Taku definitely has crazy knife skills...as good as they come. He was a sushi chef before becoming OCL youtube sensation.

Yes, I love this attempt at filleting mastery.  I finally sharpened my knives and they are super ready for this.  I’m going to attempt to fillet the salmon by his Japanese style for salmon.  Thanks for posting the translucent skeletal trophy of a joerb well done…

Outstanding fillet! That fillet is as good as any I have seen Taku do on his YT channel.

It's the very small pile of scrap I'm surprisingly most proud of.  But thank you!  Would you like some Halibut? 

Yes, I love this attempt at filleting mastery.  I finally sharpened my knives and they are super ready for this.  I’m going to attempt to fillet the salmon by his Japanese style for salmon.  Thanks for posting the translucent skeletal trophy of a joerb well done…

I just bought a wetstone and am going to try and resurrect my Wusthof chefs knife tonight    Look forward to seeing your salmon if you share it!  Especially after you ikijimi'd it!

I like my knives to be sharp when I'm processing fish and game.  Here are pictures of a kitchen knife sharpening jig I made for use with Lansky diamond hones.  The advantage of this jig over the Lansky knife holder/sharpening guide is that my jig allows me to keep the hones at right angles to the edge of the knife blade for the entire length of the edge.  The problem with the Lansky knife holder/sharpening guide is that it produces a much lower bevel angle at the base and tip of the edge than it does at the point where the guide is clamped to the knife, as shown in the last picture below.

Yes, I love this attempt at filleting mastery.  I finally sharpened my knives and they are super ready for this.  I’m going to attempt to fillet the salmon by his Japanese style for salmon.  Thanks for posting the translucent skeletal trophy of a joerb well done…

I just bought a wetstone and am going to try and resurrect my Wusthof chefs knife tonight    Look forward to seeing your salmon if you share it!  Especially after you ikijimi'd it!

Brah!  I massacred it..way out of practice...knife was good sharp though.  I love my 1000 grit whetstone.  After all my research that's the only one I need...

Hah, well I'm sure it was a tasty massacre either way    I got a combo 600/1000 but lots of videos seem to use a much higher like 3000 or 6000?  Going to try sharpening tonight, ended up having to deliver a bunch of halibut to a friend last night 

Et me know if you want more practice with the fillet skill 

Hah, well I'm sure it was a tasty massacre either way    I got a combo 600/1000 but lots of videos seem to use a much higher like 3000 or 6000?  Going to try sharpening tonight, ended up having to deliver a bunch of halibut to a friend last night 

The 600 side might be rare for sharpening unless the knife has been neglected like mine but I just spent more time on the 1000.  Not sure the 3 or 6000 is needed for what I do, I do “strop” the finish on the same stone, might build a leather block though…

Yeah, this knife was neglected for several years, but it was a gift and it's good steel so hoping to restore it.  If not, i'm in the market to buy a nice chefs knife, although the cheap one I got is doing a good job so far.

nice filet work!

yah, I love to listen to the tick tick tick as Taku filets a fish....and am always happy when I (occasionally) hear that sound when I'm fileting.

Now that’s nice work Al!  👏🏻.  I too like keeping my knives sharp and always making sure the knife onboard is going to slit the gills quickly when bleeding out my fish 🤙.

I used to just rip the gills with my fingers, at least for halibut (not lingcod) but since this post: http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=98042.0 I've been carrying some Fiskars sheers with me on each outing.  One snip and all the gills on one side are gushing blood with no effort and no chance of slicing my self in the process.  Totally recommend some otw scissors!