Where to clean fish.

[-JR-]

I understand you can clean a fish if you are going to make a shore lunch .
So my question is ....can you filet a fish on your boat on open water where there is no flies ,then bring him in and fry it a few hours later !
2nd ...Can you also throw the fins ,tails etc in the lake with out getting finned.

[hardcorefisher]

If you are talking about walleye or pike where there is size limit you must be able to measure the fish if you are stopped by fish and wildlife on the water, so you can gut them but not fillet them. I dont think the officers care about flies haha. As for the guts i think you can throw them in the lake because at jackson lake there is a sign that says that campers MUST throw the guts in the lake to keep bears away

[BigIrv]

Originally Posted by -JR-

I understand you can clean a fish if you are going to make a shore lunch .
So my question is ....can you filet a fish on your boat on open water where there is no flies ,then bring him in and fry it a few hours later !
2nd ...Can you also throw the fins ,tails etc in the lake with out getting finned.

I asked these exact questions of a F&W officer two years ago.
-you can only fillet a fish where it is to be eaten. If transporting you must be able to measure it if the species is subject to size restrictions. So, yes you could fillet your fish on the boat so long as you boat is right at the shore spot you intend to eat it. If you want to wait after you catch the fish either keep it whole or just gut it.
If the fish is not subject to size restrictions (perch, whitefish, burbot) then you could fillet it, but you must keep a patch of skin on approx 2"x2" so the officers would be able to identify it.
-Yes you can throw the remains of the fish in the water. The F&W officer I talked to said this is ideal if you are eating the fish for a shore lunch.

Hope this helps.