Panfish Cleaning – Pinbone Removal – Yes or No ?

Just curious how many of you here remove the Pin Bones from Fillets when cleaning sunfish and Crappies. I have always taken a few extra seconds and removed them. Some of my friends say why do I bother waste time doing it ” They normally cook out anyway” The reason why I do it is because my Wife loves fried fish but hates it if she has to pick out bones. After cleaning a rather large batch of fish last night I got to rethinking if it is necessary. Just curious if others also take the time or not.

I take’em out, for the same reason as you!

Panfish has pinbones?

What are pinbones, and if you fillet a fish how do end up with any bones ?

I always make sure to remove them.

YES! I got one lodged in my throat a few years back from a bluegill. Cost about 300$ to have the doctor reach back and pull it out. I always remove as many as I can find.

Are they the bones by the ribs that sometimes are left in the meat even after filleting around the rib cage? If yes, I sometimes do. You can feel the ends of them and grab them by your fingertips to pull them out.

At least that’s how I remember it, it’s been a few years since I filleted up some gills.

I remove them as well. I agree that they will probably cook into nothing, but one bone will immediately make fried fish less appealing to most. Removing them only prolongs the next sip of beer between fillets by a few seconds. Sometimes we have to make sacrifices for the greater good.

bigbeard wrote:

I take’em out, for the same reason as you!

X3….If mama ain’t happy, no one is happy

Outdraft wrote:

What are pinbones, and if you fillet a fish how do end up with any bones ?

nhamm wrote:

Panfish has pinbones?

mplspug wrote:

Are they the bones by the ribs that sometimes are left in the meat even after filleting around the rib cage?

To answer everyone’s questions… Pin bones are the lateral line bones. They are very small bones. Most people just eat them and think others are crazy if they complain about it.

Personally I remove them anytime I fry fish. My kids and wife love fish and I want to keep it that way.

mplspug wrote:

Are they the bones by the ribs that sometimes are left in the meat even after filleting around the rib cage? If yes, I sometimes do. You can feel the ends of them and grab them by your fingertips to pull them out.

At least that’s how I remember it, it’s been a few years since I filleted up some gills.

Yes… not pin bones.

I remove them depending on the size of fish and who’s eating them.

Joe Scegura wrote:

Personally I remove them anytime I fry fish. My kids and wife love fish and I want to keep it that way.

X2 for all fish I clean. I’d rather leave out a bit of meat to make sure my family still enjoys what we catch and cook together.

appears i be odd man out. i dont. heck i have no problem picking y-bones outta fried pike. was just brought up that way!!! but……….now unless i am picklin them pike or smoking them i do take the y-bone outta pike……….and that gets pickled!!!

and yea its to keep momma happy!!!!!!!

I consider myself very bluegill proficient and I have no idea what bones you are talking about? Apparently I fillet them out because I rarely have bones in my fillets.

For sunnies, I’m back to the way I cleaned them as a kid. Scale em, gut em and cut the head off. Fry them up whole. Then pick the meat off the bones when eating them. Best part is the crunchy tails!

-J.

suzuki wrote:

I consider myself very bluegill proficient and I have no idea what bones you are talking about? Apparently I fillet them out because I rarely have bones in my fillets.

The bones in panfish run right down the backbone. They’re only really noticable in larger panfish IMO. Fried they will mostly cook out but baked or grilled and I notice them more.

Pin bones found in walleye, bass, trout, etc run down the thickest part of the fillet.

Pin bones in blue, panfish bones in red.

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Jon Jordan wrote:

For sunnies, I’m back to the way I cleaned them as a kid. Scale em, gut em and cut the head off. Fry them up whole. Then pick the meat off the bones when eating them. Best part is the crunchy tails!

-J.

In my opinion this is the VERY best way to eat them hands down. Unfortunately my wife hates them this way(too much work for her) and says scaling them is too messy

I still make them for myself this way sometimes…

tswoboda wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>suzuki wrote:</div>
I consider myself very <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>bluegill proficient and I have no idea what bones you are talking about? Apparently I fillet them out because I rarely have bones in my fillets.

The bones in panfish run right down the backbone. They’re only really noticable in larger <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>panfish IMO. Fried they will mostly cook out but baked or grilled and I notice them more.

Pin bones found in walleye, bass, trout, etc run down the thickest part of the fillet.

Pin bones in blue, <em class=”ido-tag-em”>panfish bones in red.

I was not sure if Pin Bones were the correct name. Was not sure what other name to refer to them as, But those are the ones I’m talking about

tswoboda wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>suzuki wrote:</div>
I consider myself very <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>bluegill proficient and I have no idea what bones you are talking about? Apparently I fillet them out because I rarely have bones in my fillets.

The bones in panfish run right down the backbone. They’re only really noticable in larger <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>panfish IMO. Fried they will mostly cook out but baked or grilled and I notice them more.

Pin bones found in walleye, bass, trout, etc run down the thickest part of the fillet.

Pin bones in blue, <em class=”ido-tag-em”>panfish bones in red.

ahhhhh. Now I know what you are talking about. And yes those are the ones that are sometime noticeable but I dont target them when cleaning. Learn something new every day!

tswoboda:

I respectfully disagree with your pic… Your red line should be the top of the rib cage, and is where the lateral/pin attach to the rib bones to stabilize the muscle tissue from the rib to the skin. The blue line may contain bones, but I have no idea what they may be called… In salmon in the restaurant, we actually use needle-nosed pliers to pull them before cooking the fillet of salmon.

Mark

Well I guess I must take them out, if I feel any bone I remove it

I guess I must take them out, I remove any bones I feel

sticker wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Jon Jordan wrote:</div>
For sunnies, I’m back to the way I cleaned them as a kid. Scale em, gut em and cut the head off. Fry them up whole. Then pick the meat off the bones when eating them. Best part is the crunchy tails!

-J.

In my opinion this is the VERY best way to eat them hands down. Unfortunately my wife hates them this way(too much work for her) and says scaling them is too messy

I still make them for myself this way sometimes…

i agree. i love whole cleaned skin on sunfish!!!!!! as for scaling i have the cyclone scaling pail. works great and worth the cost!!!

Perch and walleyes I always do, sunfish and crappies, sometimes but usually leave them in. I also agree a scaled sunfish fried whole is probably my favorite, I actually keep the smaller ones when I’m out just for that reason. They fry up nice and crispy, 4 or 5 of those and some bread and butter is good eating!!!

Dad used to make the whole sunfish too.

Aren’t there only like 3 pinbones on both sides? I seem to remember only pulling out 3. And they are short, like maybe 1/2 to 1/4 the length of the rib bones?

to help with the mess of scaling sunfish I use a deeper pie plate and put water in it and scale the fish inside it. the water keeps the scales in the pan and when it gets too many I just dump it out and refill the pan till I get done. pretty easy way to keep things clean..

Clean sunfish and crappies the same way I clean walleyes.

Yes, it takes 2.8 seconds to remove them. One less bone to choke on.

Now if only removing the mud line on channel cats were as fast…

I have never removed the pin bones. The fish are cooked in 375 degree oil and the bones disappear.