Hers is a list of the some of the hardest freshwater fish that I had to learn to fillet. Whether it was due to the complexity or to the amount of time it takes for each fish, I ranked them based upon my own personal experiences.

*   Pike – Removal of the Y-Bone was one of the hardest techniques I had to learn and to be honest I’m still not that proficient at it.

*   Bowfin – The first several times I tried to fillet one of these fish I ruined the fillets.  The hardest part was the gelatin like meat that surrounds the outer layer of the fish. After watching a ton of videos and several more tries I finally got a good fillet from a bowfin. I found that using an electric fillet knife was better than a conventional fillet knife and that it’s best to go really slow to prevent your knife from going to deep and puncturing an organ.

*   Carp – This is one of the boniest fish that I have encountered and it had a mud vein that if you nick with your knife completely ruins the meat.

*   Trout – Another bony fish that takes time and patience to do.

*   Freshwater Drum – I put this on the list due to the fact that it takes several steps to fillet the fish and knowing how to handle the fish from the time you catch it till the time you fillet it actually affects the taste and quality of the fillet.