Any fish that you plan to eat must be kept fresh. However, if it's a fish you plan on eating, keep it on ice. Put the fish in a container that you can easily drain the water from such as a cooler. Make sure to never let the water get into the fish. Just let the water drip to the bottom.

When it's time to clean and bone the fish, run the fish under cold running water. Then you will need to lay the fish flat on its side. Be sure to use a sharp knife as the knife can ruin the fish if dull. The knives only get about two good cuts before they begin to dull so keep up on sharpening. DO NOT use electric cutting knives as they may tear the fish up too much. Then cut straight down the fish's belly until the knife hits the backbone. Be careful to not cut too deep as you don't want to puncture organs inside such as the stomach and intestines. Then gently cut back and forth along the backbone to the tail, under the fillet. You will now be able to remove the backbone.

Now you will have to remove the remaining bones. Pull open the fish gently to remove the bones and other parts. Some of the smaller bones may need to be removed with some kind of tweezing instruments. If the bones are not visible, feel around for them and pull them out. Some fish may have other parts nearby you can scrape out with a spoon. Then cut off the head and rinse the fish in cold water. Make sure all cavaties are cleaned out.

Another way to clean the fish is to steak it. Bigger and longer fish are better for steaking. First you need to clean out the stomach area. Then slice the fish vertically behind the grill plates. Leave about 3 to 4 vertebrae and about 4 inches thick for optimum cooking. If cooked too fast, the fish will dry out. Also, it is ok to leave the tail as you may use it to grip the fish when cutting. Smoking or broiling the fish is the best way to prepare it.

If you plan to cook your fish whole, you will need to cut around any fins and carefully remove them with pliers.

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