So it all came together: the tide, the fly, the winds, the shallows, the shot. Or you snuck one off your buddy’s stringer, no judgment here. Now what? Your catch is on ice and you’ve got a fresh box of House Autry eagerly waiting in the pantry. Maybe you’re on the river just looking to get down enough protein to power you through the next day of wading.

Either way, here are some quick steps to get filets out of panfish, trout, and most of the in-between.

STEP ONE: SCALING

Throw down the tailgate or nudge your way to the fish cleaning station. Once you’ve got your filet knife and working space cleared it’s time to get those pesky scales off. There are all kinds of hand-held gizmos to fling the scales away, most of which are likely near the checkout of the local bait shop. They’re all well and good but I find the back o a filet knife works just fine.

STEP TWO: KNIFE WORK

Start by making one slit near the end of the tail and another right behind the gills. Starting at the tail end, run your filet knife along the back until you reach the gill slit. Press the knife down against the gills and glide it through as fluidly as possible. Once you get it started, gently peel back the meat to help keep each slice nice and clean. Try to make long strokes to avoid slicing divots into good bits of the fillet.

STEP THREE: TRIMMING & CLEANING

The hard part is over. Depending on how big the filets are, sometimes I like to separate the lower belly parts that are typically a little fattier. They make for the best bites once they’re all fried up. Trim the excess scales and run a finger over the meat side of the filets to make sure no bones came along. Once you’ve gotten off all your bits of scale or gut, just dunk them in some ice water. They ought to be good until the next day in the fridge. If you’re not having them immediately, it helps to leave a wet paper towel on top so they don’t dry out. Get the oil going, and enjoy.