Cleaning Sheephead
written by Frosty

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I chuckle a bit when I read the different methods of cleaning sheephead. Some folks call them sheepshead, but I have always called them sheephead so I will use that term here. It is probably not correct, but humor me here.

Contrary to popular belief, you do not need power tools or a steam engine to clean sheephead. They are not hard to clean at all. They are a little bit more work, but it is easy once you know how. Above all, be careful. Fillet the fish, not fingers or other body parts.

I caught some fish yesterday and lo and behold, one of them was a sheephead. She reluctantly agreed to be the model for this demonstration.

As I have always stated, cleaning a fish actually begins as soon as you catch it. I see folks toss fish in their cooler on top of the ice, then another fish on top of that. Those fish do not get chilled quickly...and you need to chill them down quickly in order to firm the meat up so it is easier to clean. I like to use just enough water in the ice chest so the fish goes in, it goes to the bottom and is completly covered up.

It also goes without saying to use a sharp knife. All of my knives are kept sharp...whisker sharp...as a dull knife causes nothing but problems.

When ready, wash your fish thoroughly to get all of the sand off of it. The fish should be well chilled (at least 3 hours) and stiffened-up. The meat has firmed-up and will clean easier.

Starting from the anal vent, cut up to the collar of the fish. Do not cut around the pelvic fins, go straight up to the chin of the fish.

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