Fish filleting classes?

Now that I have entered the madness of owning a kayak and learning from NCKA my first goal of catching more fish has been achieved. But that has shown me my next weakness to be fixed. I tried filleting some trout recently and ended up wasting a lot of the meat. I have watched several videos on how to fillet fish. And of course practice will bring improvement. I have heard about classes that teach you how to butcher a pig or cow. But I'm wondering if there are any classes or clinics for filleting fish? I'm near Sacramento but would travel to the Bay area for a one day class.

Just meet up with someone who knows how. It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it. A good knife is a must.

Unless that trout was really large, I would not have wasted the time on it.  I used to wrap them in foil with butter salt and pepper, lay them on the coals and come back in 10.  Perfect every time.

Google it. Lots of tutorials on filleting fish, including trout.

Practice, practice, practice, and a good sharp knife.  If you end up botching the fillet, remove the guts, rinse, season, wrap in foil and cook it up whole, then just pick the carcass clean, it's still good eats!

YouTube

as my brother told the doc before his appendectomy : "use a sharp knife"

If I have a limit of rockies to fillet I touch up the blade after every 2-3 fish. rockfish scales are tought to cut through.

Small trout don't need to be fillet imo
Just enlarge the belly button w a knife and unattache the instestine from it.
Then get a good grab of the gills and yank the gills n instestine off the fish in one shot..

Hello Magellan, show up at one of the hook up and I bet someone will gladly show you how to do it. I still need practice, so can't help you there

Thanks for all the quick replies. Like I mentioned, I watched the vids. They always make it look so easy. The one I cooked for dinner I did leave whole. I was filleting this one to smoke it. It was about 16" when it was whole. That is pretty good size to me since I've only ever caught planters before. Maybe I should only try this on much larger fish. I used what I consider a sharp knife but it wasn't a boning or fillet knife. Since then I bought a boning knife so hopefully that will make a difference.

A hookup will probably be the closest I can get to an actual class. I am so new to fishing that everyone else here has a lot more experience than I do. I'll watch that section for opportunities around my area.

Thanks again.

For smoking I gut then take the head off (doesn't fit in the smoker). I turn once while smoking. When there done I flake up each fish to remove 100% of the bones and package in small quantities. Makes it easy to add a little trout to salad, crackers, whatever really. But yea attend some hook ups, that's the best way to get some pointers.

Filet those trout with a sharp knife. Remove bones if you like. Leave the skin on. Brine in sea salt for 2 hours. Rinse and make-up a solution of brown sugar/lemon and soak trout overnight. I like applewood for smoke. Good Stuff.

For smoking I gut then take the head off (doesn't fit in the smoker). I turn once while smoking. When there done I flake up each fish to remove 100% of the bones and package in small quantities.

This.  Or, for larger fish, steaking works well.  Zero waste.

For smoking I gut then take the head off (doesn't fit in the smoker). I turn once while smoking. When there done I flake up each fish to remove 100% of the bones and package in small quantities.

This.  Or, for larger fish, steaking works well.  Zero waste.

+2

+1 on the sharp knife... I fillet all my Kokanee and as much as I hate to say most are smaller than the trout you were working with.