Me vs Dead Trout

[Nic]

I prefer fish fillets with the skin on, so I scale most of the reefies we catch -- even parrotfish, which leave me feeling like I've just bathed in a bucket of slugs. Bring it on, I say. I can handle it.

Then I got a coronation trout to scale. Easy, I thought, and I scraped away feeling smug. But when I ran my hand along its flanks afterwards, I felt a row of hard, obstinate scales along the lateral line.

I COULD NOT get those evil scales off. I hacked and hewed and scraped and swore, and then I hacked some more. Oh the shame, to be beaten by a dead trout! I had to find a way.

Finally, I tried pulling the scales off with tweezers, and it worked. Then with shaking hands I got myself a drink and had a nice lie down. Then I threw the tweezers out.

So what I want to know is, are there any other fish out there that I shouldn't attempt to scale? I don’t want to go through that again!

[land-lubber]

Morwong (blackall), trevallies

[el_carpo]

Sssso you individually picked each scale off of a fish with a pair of tweezers Nic? I make no implications, you understand, but........

"Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is manifested in a variety of forms, but it is most commonly characterized by a subject's obsessive, distressing, intrusive thoughts and related compulsions (tasks or rituals) which attempt to neutralize the obsessions."

As to which fish I recommend not trying to scale? One of the scaleless catfish varieties would probably top my list. Tweezers or not, you'll REALLY have to work to get a scale off of one of them

Sorry about your tough time vs. the trout. Hopefully your hand stops shaking soon. Then, you can go fishing again and catch something with much larger scales and your tweezers can be replaced with a nice, ergonomical pair of needle-nose pliers.

You individually picked the scales off of a fish with tweezers!?!?!


On the plus side......if you want to, you could probably get your name in the "Guiness Book of World Records" ..... and hold that record forever.

Anyway, thanks for the funny post. I'm just sorry it came at the expense of your hand's health!

[David_P]

skin 'em and be done with it i reckon

[Nic]

Thank you for your advice Land-Lubber, I'll be sure to not scale any trevallies. I've tasted blackall only once and thought it was a bit ordinary, so I haven't been keeping any. You must have a cooking method I don't know about!

Alchemy, funny comment coming from a guy who bought me the scaler in the first place!

And El Carpo, I don't know what you mean about me being obsessive-compulsive. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to disinfect my hooks, polish my sinkers and count all of my lures 17 times.

[el_carpo]

Funny! [smiley=grin.gif] [smiley=thumbup.gif]