I'm not exaggerating or being dramatic when I say that Bluegill cooked whole just might be the most magnificent OVERLOOKED delicacies of all foods. Of course it's not overlooked by folks like Steve and so many people I know. In fact I was shocked to find out when I got older that the whole world didn't know about this incredible fish. I love many types of fish - freshwater, saltwater - but bluegill caught from good water, properly prepared and cooked is as good as anything I've ever eaten. Thank you Steve for reminding us!!!
yeah i didnt know you ate blue gill till tonight.. im just getting back into fishing from a kiddo days.. This guy reminds me alot of my mom, and the joy she gets from her own good cookin.
I'm at the 12 minute mark and decided to check the comments....My first time watching him...and I was immediately impressed with Steve...I'm saddened to hear of his passing....this video and his personality are rare and timeless....RIP...and Thank You....Tight Lines
Damn I miss Steve doing these cooking videos! This was one of his best. His honest joy and enthusiasm for both fishing and cooking were amazing! RIP buddy!
RIP!! You just brought back so many memories of my childhood and fishing with my grandpa, dad and brother and cleaning pounds and pounds of crappie and bluegill. And watching my grandma fry them for us while at Lake Greenwood. Actually brought a tear to my eye missing my grandpa and grandma. Maybe you are up there fishing with them! I hope so!
Same! Reminds me when my dad used to take me fishing in upstate NY. I’ve eaten at $$$$ restaurants and I’ll tell you, that fried bluegill is still some of the best fish that I have ever eaten.
I remember my dad and I would catch a string of crappie take them home and we would clean them out in the back yard. Brought them in the house and my mother would show me how to cook them We would all sit around the dinner table eating fish and my dad would tell his fish stories. Good days!!
Great video! Bluegill fishing is my favorite kind of fishing! Here's a short story for you on how my Mom turned me on to Bluegill/Bream fishing: When I was 8 years old, my Mom introduced me to fishing. We went to the little farm pond along the road. We dug up some worms from under a big tree near the pond, and Mom cut down a couple of cane poles. She showed me how to attach the line and roll it around the cane pole; how to put an old cork on the line use as a float, pinch a little BB sized sinker to the line, and tie on a little hook (the hook, line, and sinker were all bought at the local hardware store as this was before the days of the "big box stores"). Then she showed me how to attach the worm onto the hook, and how to softly and smoothly swing the line out to the water, so as not to scare the fish. Later, being the farm girl that she was, she showed me how to clean the bluegill. That day, she introduced me to a past time that I still enjoy today at the age of 72. She gave me a lifetime of precious memories like that!
Same here. My father taught me how to fish when i was just a little guy. He soon left us and never did anything else for me, but I'm 71 and still fishing and everytime I go fishing I say a thank you for that. I taught my kids to fish and now I'm teaching my grandkids.
To whoever is maintaining and answering the comments you have my condolences. I’ve only been a sub for six or eight months and have really enjoyed his enthusiasm and his love for sharing. It was absolutely wonderful to see his excitement for fried bluegill (one of my favorites). Thank you
I'm happy the comments opened up for us to send our gratitude to Steve and company. Love all of the videos, especially having grown up in small town Iowa. A lot of his stories are so relatable to me and hits straight to the bone. Thank you Steve and everyone who worked to make this channel happen. The world's a bit dimmer without you.
As relatively new fishers this the one video my daughter and I learned how to clean, cook, and eat bluegills. Just love his whole demeanor, passion and side convos. Thank you for this awesome gem. “This, my friends, is pure heaven!” RIP my man.
I just discovered this video and channel tonight after a bluegill fishing trip with my young sons. I’m sorry to learn at the same time he has passed away, his demeanor and explanations kept me reeled in to watching. My condolences to his family, friends, and long time fans I surely looked forward to learning more from him. 🎣
My great uncle had one last fish fry one day i randomly decided to stop by for a visit... you made it exactly like he did. Little did i know that was the last time i would get to spend time with'em. Truly is heaven. God Bless.
First video I ever saw and I already love this guy. So sorry that he passed. God bless his soul. He seems like such a vibrant, kind, and warm person. A great cook too.
It’s feels so good to see things done the old way! I’m from Deep South Louisiana and I enjoy the old fashioned cooking every time o go back home. I moved from Louisiana decades ago and I miss those times. I need to go out and catch some myself to stock up my freezer. Thank you for this video sir!!! And may God bless you, your family and your channel.
Sir, you brought me back to my childhood growing up. I remember catching 10 to 20 bluegills then bringing them home to clean. LOL scales popping everywhere! I did learn something new with the scoring. Never knew that I'll try it next time I clean some fish. I sometimes use a knife but my main go-to for scaling fish is a fork. Also one other tip. If you don't want the scales popping all over the place. Scale the fish while they are underwater. All the scales will stay in the pot then you can just pour it out without having to sweep up scales from all over. I cleaned fish in front of wife for the first time ever (she was grossed out) I told her this is how I grew up. Thanks for the tips and bringing me back down memory lane.
My son caught 5 little fish this morning from our backyard pond and we cleaned them this way and had them for supper. They were really good. Thanks for the tutorial, I always filleted the fish I caught but I like them this way better.
Just started fishing again after 27 years. Been catching bluegill like crazy. I’ve never eaten any fish that I’ve caught. Now I can’t wait. Great video.
This video brought back memories of a fishing trip in So Cal when we kids and we fried close to 100 crappies with tails and fins on. I never knew saw anyone else do that until this video. Thanks for sharing this Dan.
This is the video I always come back to. This was the first video I found on this channel and I was immediately hooked. I found this video a few months after Steve passed and used this method and recipe the first time I cooked Bluegill. It’s absolutely fool proof and absolutely perfect. Just recently tried the gumbo recipe with the oil-less roux, and it was perfect as well. Thank you so much for keeping the channel going!
Me and my my grandpa used to go fishing and he'd always cook them up for us, he lived through the great depression and there would be nothing left but bones, after we ate, like a cartoon!
I absolutely LOVE THIS GUY. Been and remains a huge influence on me. Best meals were inspired by this Man. Thank you so much for helping me a better cook. 💗
I just saw this and it reminded me of my childhood summers eating at Grandma's house. Thank you for carrying on this channel. It's so needed for the next generation don't have a clue where food comes from. It was a good refresher for me.
Hey brother, as an aspiring angler who was never taught how to fish, I thank you for your video. We've got a neighborhood lake that I've caught a bluegill out of and wanted to learn how best to cook them. I'm learning because I want to teach my daughter how to fish and harvest so thank you for showing me how it's done. I started hunting two years ago for the same reason and youtube has been so helpful. Thanks everybody for sharing!
No thank you for watching and saying Steve Hall helped you. Unfortunately He passed away Dec 29th 2018. He always wanted children to learn to take care of themselves. We appreciate you for sharing your future memories 😍
I'm an old school scaler from way back, even walleye, love the flavor the skin adds. Still have my dad's 2 piece fish scaler from the 50s and 60s, one grips the tail end while the other piece has alligator teeth and takes the scales right off. Never heard of using a spoon or a knife to scale. Since then I only use my Bear Paw electric scaler.
Taught my two boys nearly exactly the same way! Gramps taught me, his Dad taught him! My dad was not around much. But boys and me can eat us a seriously big mess of gills! We make em all the ways you did, then always critique how the fish tastes. Fillets are just eat as fast as you can. The whole bone in scaled, scored and breaded takes a bit more time but you are rewarded by the taste! We do use peanut oil but it's all good! Crappie, Catfish, Northern Pike, Blue Gill, small Drum, are what we eat! All Bass go back. Thanks for a blast from the past!!!! Crappie are #1, everything else is tied for #2.....
@@colbyavis3912 in Illinois they are considered a sport fish, yes they do eat well, but catch and release Bass keeps plenty of em for us to catch forever.
As far as throwing the bass back in, I really like small mouth bass and keep those but large mouth bass have a soft texture to them that I don’t care for so back they go. I prefer a firm white meat when it comes to fish and the smallies have that covered and they are a hard fighting fish, so fun to catch! Take your kids or grandkids out and show them how to do it, It’s so much fun!
This is how we did fish in our household growing up. My friends thought it was weird but I loved it. I'm from Ontario Canada but my dad is Originally from Mississippi so we ate a lot of good southern style food and loved it.
Gosh. This brings back so many memories from my childhood. Daddy would take us to his favorite crappie holes and catch the limit. We'ld bring them home, clean em, and mama would fry em on up. Great show Mr Red. Cant wait to get back to my fishin hole and do what you just did. Thanks a lot!
This reminds me of the time my papa taught me how to clean fish. Spent all morning fishing and then half the afternoon cleaning 20 something fish for granny to fry up. 🤤 I'd do anything to live that day again. 🙏😇😇
If you scale'em in a big bowl and hold'em under the water or in a bucket....no mess. Try it out. Super easy just dump out the water out when you're done and you're all good.
The best fish I've ever had in my life was in Indiana we caught about 90 bluegill and my uncle fried them up and battered them I'm telling you I've never had anything like it again in my life
I grew up Crappie & Bluegill fishing with my Dad. Learned to scale and filet by 8. We would catch 50 to 60 fish right after the ice was off Lake Frerman. Mom, my Aunt & gramma would fry the up, no bones and we had a feast. My Dad never wasted any meat. We got all of it off the backbone with skin on, no scales. Hmmmmm good.
Awesome video. Reminds me of my younger days when my dad and popa would take me and my brother fishing. We would have about 50 bluegills on our stringer and then do just what you did. Scale them, and cut the heads off and fry them whole, in Crisco. My popa would actually chew the little bones! I have one tip, we would scale them underwater in a bucket, to prevent those scales from flying all over the place. My popa would say the tip of the tails tasted like potato chips!
Wow! First time here. Found the video by chance when I searched how to cook pan fish. I totally enjoyed watching. You can tell he had a passion for the whole process. Such a natural. Simple straightforward direction. I’m sadden to learn he passed in 2018. He’d be happy to know he lives on in the lives of his viewers and continues to touch lives to this day. Thank you Steve. RIP
I learned so much about cooking and enjoying Life,my favorite thing about you tube is Shotgun Red !!!! The ultimate outdoor guide! Thank You Sheila for keeping the memories coming!!!!
I really enjoyed watching this. Reminded me what it was like as a kid with my Grandaddy. Getting up at 6am and Bass fishing till about 10 am, then move to bream fishing for about 6 hours before going back to Bass fishing in the evenings. The next day he would wake my cousin and I up with a couple of spoons to help him scale and fillet (we hated that part) lol. Much simpler times. I really miss it, and it's nice to read the similar stories you all have posted.
Now were talking! Bluegill heaven here I come.. the scaling instructions are perfect! I have been bass fishing since opening day and the blues are the next prey on my list now! This channel is a true gift for the outdoorsman who wants to take his skill to the next level! Cast iron! It is the best way of cooking everything that isn't grilled over some good briskets! I can't say THANK YOU enough!
He was the greatest at this! I miss his shows. I'm 74 and I didn't start filleting bluegills until a few years back when my wife said she preferred them that way. And I found out she was right, they are better tasting filleted. Bluegills just have a stronger taste when fried with the bones and skin. Filleted skinless, rolled in pancake flour (salt and pepper) and pan fried they're amazing. Almost as good as filleted yellow perch.
just watched Steve and Sheila fishing the Crappies. I did get to know Steve when he was playing with Southbound 76. Do you remember the Clark boys -Dave and Lenny?
I remember my dad had old school pop bottle caps screwed to a piece of wood handle that worked great. My memories of the fish camp down on the wapsi were one of the best memories of my past. I've scaled a ton of crappie and blue gill.
My entire mouth just filled with saliva! I’ve already ate and now I’m hungry after watching that. That would be such a time saver to do that process. I’d love to try this!
My grandfather always talked about when he was young his family would scale and eat them whole but since he was 55 when I was born and hes 81 now Ive always just filleted bluegills with him. Ive never had bone in bluegills before but after watching the best video on youtube I think this year I will cook up some whole bluegills for the old man and me. Thanks for the info and the inspiration!
I just read the other comments. I came too late to thank this man but his joy and wisdom live on through this video. R.I.P and condolences to the family.
My father always told me about scaling bluegill. This is the first time I saw how it's done. I've only had bass, perch, and walleye so far. Looks good.
I love this guy, we miss you buddy. Glad these videos are still up. This is one of my favorites and it inspired me to try the whole fried gills myself. They were fantastic. ❤❤
You ain't kidding! I was JUST coming down here to leave a comment about salivating on my phone, ha ha. Thank goodness (or Samsung) that phones are water/slobber resistant these days, huh!
I was just showing this video to my wife who usually ends up processing the bluegill haul. Excellent tips. Missing you Steve, RIP buddy. Take care Sheila. Thanks for allowing comments.
You’ve brought back so many good memories of my days at camp passupmpsic in Vermont and our chef Big John made those “rock bass” aka blue gills for us ... that was back in’72 thanks for the great video
THANK YOU for talking about PEANUT OIL! I love the flavor of peanut oil, but my son is allergic. Sometimes we forget to ask when its really out of the ordinary like fish fry or waffles. Then it's a fight for life in the emergency room. The extra flavor is not worth the death of a loved one. Sorry to hear he passed.
You make it look so easy. I cought 4 yesterday. Gutted scales on. Cooked on open fire while out fishing. Skin with scales peals away. The first time i got my son to eat fish. My super dad moment.
Basically the same way my grandfather taught me in Wisconsin. We'd go out fishing, come home and clean them up, and my grandmother would fry them to perfection. Good memories!
I'm in Michigan and though I hate to fish, I love to eat 'em. My dad and brothers give me some of their catch and we have a lot of good ones around here. Bluegills (my personal favorite), perch, bass, walleye, crappie...um um! Michigan is a great state for fishing (and eating!)
We never know our impact on the world after we pass. With that said, Steve was a man who brought joy and knowledge to my life, I hope you rest in peace. I started watching your videos in 2017 and was truly saddened to hear of your passing. Since that time I have watched many more of your videos and all I can say is you were a man who had class and a passion for what you loved. In watching your videos one thing is always at the front, you loved your family and had a passion for life. I wish I had the opportunity to interact with you but I am glad that you left me with much to learn from. Finally, Kudos to Sheila for keep the channel alive and providing the world with great cooking tips and recipes.
Steve reminds me of the best generation on country music singers (late 80’s-late 90’s) and I just know I would’ve loved making him laugh if I ever had a chance. Thank you to the ladies who keep him alive through these videos.
Holy cow those looks so delicious. I love bluegill, grew up eating it. Your the only guy that can make bluegill look so delicious on a video that it's worth killing for!! 😍
@@CookingwithShotgunRed I am so very sorry to learn that Steve has left us. I got to find out about him too late but he will continue to live on thru the internet. God Bless him and may he rest in peace.🌹😢
Man, love the energy, love the detail! I was afraid to fish for almost 10 years because pops died shortly after teaching me to fish, so I mustered up the strength to get back to the dock with my two sons…. Thank you!
Red you are bringing back so many memories. My folks had a cabin in the wood that abutted a small country club to which we belonged. It had a big beautiful man made finger lake that was stocked every year with bass, catfish, and bluegill. My folks didn't use it much but my uncle and aunt loved to fish and would take me with them when I was a kid. Jim and I would catch a dozen or so blue gill and we would clean them on a ledge that was nailed to the trunk of a tree especially for that purpose. We fileted them with the skin on and scaled them. I can still remember trying to keep the flying scales out of my face and eyes and how we were both covered in fish scales by the time we were done. We would drop the filets into a bucket of cold water and got the blood and bits of gut if any, washed off. Then my aunt Millie would do her magic with lard, flour, corn meal and salt and pepper in a cast iron pan. Then it was time to eat along with corn on the cob and a salad made of garden fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and green peppers. Yeah, we ate the tails too. Crunchy! That was almost 70 years ago and I can still taste that sweet blue gill meat and finding and spitting out the bones that we missed.
Yes it sure does. I spent a lot of time with my grandmother and learned cooking from her. She had five brothers and three sisters some of whom were still alive and from them I learned to appreciate wild food like morel and hen of the wood mushrooms, wild dew berries, dandelion salad, hickory and black walnuts, wild onions. Some were born in Northern Italy, others here in the States but their cooking was a mixtere of Italian, German, and even some Jewish recipes which I learned from them and have passed on to my chidren. Plus with my time in the Air Force in Texas where we lived and all my kids were born, they have an appreciation for Tex-Mex as well.@@CookingwithShotgunRed
this is such an awesome video, I have always wanted to know how to do fish on my own, main reason I do not go fishing is I didn't know what to do with the darn things if I caught them!!! this looked delicious and not anything too hard to do.
Growing up we always used a regular table fork to scale...sometimes if you were not poor you would use one of those fancy galvanized scaling tools 😉...I’ve still got my Rapala fillet knife I got as a BD gift in the 1960s (leather sheath sill looks good thank you Sno Seal) 🤗
I somehow found this channel and love this guy! I dont even know him but feel like I do..hi Sheila! ...gives me the gumption to cook and be part of his wonderful vids...the bluegill looks great Sir! ..subscribed!
I think you’re the guy. A few years ago my grandpa showed me this video on his laptop and I think some of your others because he owned a pond in his property that we’d go fishing in and it had bluegills. We watched this and then cut and prepared bluegills then cooked it. One of my favorite memories. He unfortunately passed only at 55 in 2021. I just wanted to say watching this and some other videos of yours with him were my favorite memories, and cooking the fish. I always wanted to catch and come bluegills again with him. Now I have to do it myself and am watching this. Thank you.
yes, yes - my Aunt Earline fished for Bluegill on the bridge over Dead Lakes in Wewahitchika Florida (close to Panama City) - just like you are frying em up
I have been catching a mess of gills , walleye , perch and pike this year! I tried this recipe on some gills and some perch and WOW! It turned out great! Never thought I d eat the fin and I did and sure enough it tastes like bacon! Thank you Steve!
Awesome video. My wife and I have gone fishing three times this year and used your recipe and it was perfect! She's been eating fish all her life and never bit the tails off until now. She didn't want to try it, but damn she loves it now!! We even have the same Lodge cast iron pan. Use it to fry fish on Friday evening and bacon on Sunday morning. The bacon seasoned pan adds a little something extra. Its awesome! Thanks!
@@CookingwithShotgunRed I'm very sorry. I've watched a lot of his fishing videos and didn't realize until your comment that he passed away at the end of 2018. My condolances Mrs. Shiela.
I love your personality and your energy, sir!!! I’d like to have you for a friend and fishin/eatin buddy...lol. Love from Minnesota, land of the walleye!
Awww man.... RIP.... My condolences just now found this channel thought it was Awsome.... And then to find that he passed.... Man great channel love his spirit and energy.... Thanks RIP.....
Cooking with Shotgun Red wow, so sad to hear that! Thanks for letting me know! Bet he was a awesome person to be around, but can trust him with deep fried bluegill tails! Not going to turn my back around Steve when there’s fried fish tail in heaven! Respectfully r.matthews
I'm not exaggerating or being dramatic when I say that Bluegill cooked whole just might be the most magnificent OVERLOOKED delicacies of all foods. Of course it's not overlooked by folks like Steve and so many people I know. In fact I was shocked to find out when I got older that the whole world didn't know about this incredible fish. I love many types of fish - freshwater, saltwater - but bluegill caught from good water, properly prepared and cooked is as good as anything I've ever eaten. Thank you Steve for reminding us!!!
yeah i didnt know you ate blue gill till tonight.. im just getting back into fishing from a kiddo days.. This guy reminds me alot of my mom, and the joy she gets from her own good cookin.
My wife would fight ya over a bluegill sandwich!!
Wat bout crappie??
I definitely eat bluegill always have. Rip to this guy wish I could.have met him
blue gills were my grandma's favorite fish to fry up with taters and onions and I enjoyed catching them as much as I did eating them
This is most wholesome man I have ever watched on youtube. Enjoy those "little crispies" up there in heaven man
has he passed?
@@bamafan62 Yup!
@@bamafan62 He died December 2018.
How old was he?
God bless brother
I'm at the 12 minute mark and decided to check the comments....My first time watching him...and I was immediately impressed with Steve...I'm saddened to hear of his passing....this video and his personality are rare and timeless....RIP...and Thank You....Tight Lines
Thanks for a kind comment!🙂
Damn I miss Steve doing these cooking videos! This was one of his best. His honest joy and enthusiasm for both fishing and cooking were amazing! RIP buddy!
@@superdhc REST IN PEACE
You could tell how wholesome this guy was talking about his childhood he was a good man thanks for the recipe Steve !
Thanks for watching
RIP!! You just brought back so many memories of my childhood and fishing with my grandpa, dad and brother and cleaning pounds and pounds of crappie and bluegill. And watching my grandma fry them for us while at Lake Greenwood. Actually brought a tear to my eye missing my grandpa and grandma. Maybe you are up there fishing with them! I hope so!
That's awesome
Awww. I know the feeling 🙏🏽💙
Same! Reminds me when my dad used to take me fishing in upstate NY. I’ve eaten at $$$$ restaurants and I’ll tell you, that fried bluegill is still some of the best fish that I have ever eaten.
I have similar memories with my grandparents
I remember my dad and I would catch a string of crappie take them home and we would clean them out in the back yard. Brought them in the house and my mother would show me how to cook them
We would all sit around the dinner table eating fish and my dad would tell his fish stories. Good days!!
Nothing better! Memories are made over a plate of hot fried fish
Sounds entertaining fosho
@@Notoriousnipple WOW.. I'm pretty sure that I'm glad I don't understand what you're talking about. But then, maybe I do want to know..
Same here man!
that will be the story my kids share one day. as a father, they are great times.
Great video! Bluegill fishing is my favorite kind of fishing! Here's a short story for you on how my Mom turned me on to Bluegill/Bream fishing:
When I was 8 years old, my Mom introduced me to fishing. We went to the little farm pond along the road. We dug up some worms from under a big tree near the pond, and Mom cut down a couple of cane poles. She showed me how to attach the line and roll it around the cane pole; how to put an old cork on the line use as a float, pinch a little BB sized sinker to the line, and tie on a little hook (the hook, line, and sinker were all bought at the local hardware store as this was before the days of the "big box stores"). Then she showed me how to attach the worm onto the hook, and how to softly and smoothly swing the line out to the water, so as not to scare the fish. Later, being the farm girl that she was, she showed me how to clean the bluegill. That day, she introduced me to a past time that I still enjoy today at the age of 72. She gave me a lifetime of precious memories like that!
Thanks for sharing! Food and Fishing can really bring back sweet memories ! 🥰❤️
Same here. My father taught me how to fish when i was just a little guy. He soon left us and never did anything else for me, but I'm 71 and still fishing and everytime I go fishing I say a thank you for that. I taught my kids to fish and now I'm teaching my grandkids.
To whoever is maintaining and answering the comments you have my condolences. I’ve only been a sub for six or eight months and have really enjoyed his enthusiasm and his love for sharing. It was absolutely wonderful to see his excitement for fried bluegill (one of my favorites).
Thank you
Thanks for being a subscriber!!!
I'm happy the comments opened up for us to send our gratitude to Steve and company. Love all of the videos, especially having grown up in small town Iowa. A lot of his stories are so relatable to me and hits straight to the bone. Thank you Steve and everyone who worked to make this channel happen. The world's a bit dimmer without you.
Your so welcome! You can click on shotgunred1000 and watch alot of video's of Steve out fishing! etc...
As relatively new fishers this the one video my daughter and I learned how to clean, cook, and eat bluegills. Just love his whole demeanor, passion and side convos. Thank you for this awesome gem. “This, my friends, is pure heaven!” RIP my man.
That is awesome! Thanks for watching!
I just discovered this video and channel tonight after a bluegill fishing trip with my young sons. I’m sorry to learn at the same time he has passed away, his demeanor and explanations kept me reeled in to watching. My condolences to his family, friends, and long time fans I surely looked forward to learning more from him. 🎣
Fishing makes great memories! Thanks so much for watching!🙂👍
Put wire brush in your cordless drill and scale them
My great uncle had one last fish fry one day i randomly decided to stop by for a visit... you made it exactly like he did. Little did i know that was the last time i would get to spend time with'em. Truly is heaven. God Bless.
That is awesome!
First video I ever saw and I already love this guy. So sorry that he passed. God bless his soul. He seems like such a vibrant, kind, and warm person. A great cook too.
Welcome aboard! He was a kind man that loved to cook!
It’s feels so good to see things done the old way!
I’m from Deep South Louisiana and I enjoy the old fashioned cooking every time o go back home. I moved from Louisiana decades ago and I miss those times. I need to go out and catch some myself to stock up my freezer. Thank you for this video sir!!! And may God bless you, your family and your channel.
That is awesome! You’re so welcome!
Sir, you brought me back to my childhood growing up. I remember catching 10 to 20 bluegills then bringing them home to clean. LOL scales popping everywhere! I did learn something new with the scoring. Never knew that I'll try it next time I clean some fish. I sometimes use a knife but my main go-to for scaling fish is a fork. Also one other tip. If you don't want the scales popping all over the place. Scale the fish while they are underwater. All the scales will stay in the pot then you can just pour it out without having to sweep up scales from all over. I cleaned fish in front of wife for the first time ever (she was grossed out) I told her this is how I grew up. Thanks for the tips and bringing me back down memory lane.
Steve passed away Dec 29th 2018. He loved making this video. When he started scaling those fish you can imagine the look on my face!!
@@CookingwithShotgunRed Im sorry to hear that. He seemed like a nice gentleman and a hell of a cook!
kflo01 The scoring wasn’t new for me also. I see the benefit.
My son caught 5 little fish this morning from our backyard pond and we cleaned them this way and had them for supper. They were really good. Thanks for the tutorial, I always filleted the fish I caught but I like them this way better.
That is awesome!
Just started fishing again after 27 years. Been catching bluegill like crazy. I’ve never eaten any fish that I’ve caught. Now I can’t wait. Great video.
Thanks for watching!
He passed away?! That stinks. I just discovered this... awesome.
I had no idea!
Nathan Carlson Yes he passed away Dec 2018. Very sad.
@@joshhigdon4951 me either............well that sucks...........................very likeable gent.
Same here, RIP Red
Me Too!
First time I watched this channel, love this channel!, then I read the comments and find out he is deceased. Damn.
RIP good sir.
:(
Same. :-(
This video brought back memories of a fishing trip in So Cal when we kids and we fried close to 100 crappies with tails and fins on. I never knew saw anyone else do that until this video. Thanks for sharing this Dan.
Bluegill taste so damn good! Best fried fish samiches!!! Tartar sauce, lettuce, tomato, grilled bread. Salt, pepper.. money!!!
Sounds delicious
Joe Jones What do you do with the bones??
try em in a fish taco...
Leave the salad off. Lol
This is the video I always come back to. This was the first video I found on this channel and I was immediately hooked. I found this video a few months after Steve passed and used this method and recipe the first time I cooked Bluegill. It’s absolutely fool proof and absolutely perfect. Just recently tried the gumbo recipe with the oil-less roux, and it was perfect as well. Thank you so much for keeping the channel going!
Glad you enjoy it!
Thank you Sheila for letting him do this indoors! Excellent tutorial!
You are so welcome Dawn!
This is the best fried fish recipe, I enjoyed it so much. RIP! Steve, I always loved to listen to your soothing voice. Thank you.
Me and my my grandpa used to go fishing and he'd always cook them up for us, he lived through the great depression and there would be nothing left but bones, after we ate, like a cartoon!
Crazy, we all watching fishing and hunting channel during times like these.
Lol.. my uncle was the same way when eating chicken the bone would look like it was polished
Lol that’s too funny
I have never filleted a fish. I don't want to miss anything. Scale um gut um and fry um.
I'm the same way. Too much waste with filleting
Only, Deep Sea Red Rock Cod. And Others.
I believe the flavor comes from the bones.
I just started fil letting them. I’m 36. Been scaling since I was 10. Seems to taste better when filleted to me. Not as fishy tasting.
You’re absolutely right James never understood why people fillet? To each their own I guess.
I absolutely LOVE THIS GUY. Been and remains a huge influence on me. Best meals were inspired by this Man. Thank you so much for helping me a better cook. 💗
Great to hear! Hope you order our new cookbook that is out now! Alot of cool pictures and recipes in it.
I just saw this and it reminded me of my childhood summers eating at Grandma's house. Thank you for carrying on this channel. It's so needed for the next generation don't have a clue where food comes from. It was a good refresher for me.
Just read where Steve has passed. So sorry. Would have loved to had known him. Love , Mike B.
Noooo 😢
shotgunred.com you can also go to shotgunred1000
No. That can’t be right. Damn. I got to his channel to late. 💔
How did he pass?
@@theavrgjoe8656 Heart attack.
This guy has it going on ...love watching him cook . thanks dude !!!! gills are one of my fav fish
I miss you so much, I know you're in a much better place. God Blessed me when I found your channel. Greetings from North Michigan USA.
You can also click on shotgunred1000 and see videos of Steve in everyday life like in his garden or out fishing etc... shotgunred.com
Dude your literally the best cook ever
Still come back and watch him and Sheila! Great watch and a lot of knowledge through experience from this channel!!!
Awesome, thank you!🙂👍
Hey brother, as an aspiring angler who was never taught how to fish, I thank you for your video. We've got a neighborhood lake that I've caught a bluegill out of and wanted to learn how best to cook them. I'm learning because I want to teach my daughter how to fish and harvest so thank you for showing me how it's done. I started hunting two years ago for the same reason and youtube has been so helpful. Thanks everybody for sharing!
No thank you for watching and saying Steve Hall helped you. Unfortunately He passed away Dec 29th 2018. He always wanted children to learn to take care of themselves. We appreciate you for sharing your future memories 😍
I'm an old school scaler from way back, even walleye, love the flavor the skin adds. Still have my dad's 2 piece fish scaler from the 50s and 60s, one grips the tail end while the other piece has alligator teeth and takes the scales right off. Never heard of using a spoon or a knife to scale. Since then I only use my Bear Paw electric scaler.
Taught my two boys nearly exactly the same way! Gramps taught me, his Dad taught him! My dad was not around much. But boys and me can eat us a seriously big mess of gills! We make em all the ways you did, then always critique how the fish tastes. Fillets are just eat as fast as you can. The whole bone in scaled, scored and breaded takes a bit more time but you are rewarded by the taste! We do use peanut oil but it's all good! Crappie, Catfish, Northern Pike, Blue Gill, small Drum, are what we eat! All Bass go back. Thanks for a blast from the past!!!! Crappie are #1, everything else is tied for #2.....
Why on earth do all bass go back? They're delicious.
@@colbyavis3912 in Illinois they are considered a sport fish, yes they do eat well, but catch and release Bass keeps plenty of em for us to catch forever.
@@colbyavis3912 Because they are sporty when they get big. I wish I could get one over 18inches. Eat bluegills and crappies.
As far as throwing the bass back in, I really like small mouth bass and keep those but large mouth bass have a soft texture to them that I don’t care for so back they go. I prefer a firm white meat when it comes to fish and the smallies have that covered and they are a hard fighting fish, so fun to catch!
Take your kids or grandkids out and show them how to do it, It’s so much fun!
This is how we did fish in our household growing up. My friends thought it was weird but I loved it. I'm from Ontario Canada but my dad is Originally from Mississippi so we ate a lot of good southern style food and loved it.
I love to read family memories! :)
Gosh. This brings back so many memories from my childhood. Daddy would take us to his favorite crappie holes and catch the limit. We'ld bring them home, clean em, and mama would fry em on up. Great show Mr Red. Cant wait to get back to my fishin hole and do what you just did. Thanks a lot!
Glad you enjoyed it
This reminds me of the time my papa taught me how to clean fish. Spent all morning fishing and then half the afternoon cleaning 20 something fish for granny to fry up. 🤤 I'd do anything to live that day again. 🙏😇😇
If you scale'em in a big bowl and hold'em under the water or in a bucket....no mess. Try it out. Super easy just dump out the water out when you're done and you're all good.
Sounds like a great idea, I have been cleaning fish since I was about 7-8, scales everywhere. Thanks for the tip, can't wait to try.
I have been doing that for years lol. Works Great!!!!
great tip, thanks
That’s genius! Thank you!
Great tip....also use a Fork instead of a spoon. Much Better
The best fish I've ever had in my life was in Indiana we caught about 90 bluegill and my uncle fried them up and battered them I'm telling you I've never had anything like it again in my life
Tetty Wast native Hoosier, here
Food memories are some of the greatest!
Hoosier here, born and raised. Pan fishing here is as great as it’s ever been. Lots of fond memories. God bless.
I grew up Crappie & Bluegill fishing with my Dad. Learned to scale and filet by 8. We would catch 50 to 60 fish right after the ice was off Lake Frerman. Mom, my Aunt & gramma would fry the up, no bones and we had a feast. My Dad never wasted any meat. We got all of it off the backbone with skin on, no scales. Hmmmmm good.
Frog legs
Awesome video. Reminds me of my younger days when my dad and popa would take me and my brother fishing. We would have about 50 bluegills on our stringer and then do just what you did. Scale them, and cut the heads off and fry them whole, in Crisco. My popa would actually chew the little bones! I have one tip, we would scale them underwater in a bucket, to prevent those scales from flying all over the place. My popa would say the tip of the tails tasted like potato chips!
Great memories! Thanks for sharing!
i freaking love this comment.
Wow! First time here. Found the video by chance when I searched how to cook pan fish. I totally enjoyed watching. You can tell he had a passion for the whole process. Such a natural. Simple straightforward direction. I’m sadden to learn he passed in 2018. He’d be happy to know he lives on in the lives of his viewers and continues to touch lives to this day. Thank you Steve. RIP
Glad you enjoyed it!
👍😊
I learned so much about cooking and enjoying Life,my favorite thing about you tube is Shotgun Red !!!! The ultimate outdoor guide! Thank You Sheila for keeping the memories coming!!!!
It reminds me when I was a kid to clean and cook the fish the way you did it. Great taste! Great video!
I really enjoyed watching this. Reminded me what it was like as a kid with my Grandaddy. Getting up at 6am and Bass fishing till about 10 am, then move to bream fishing for about 6 hours before going back to Bass fishing in the evenings. The next day he would wake my cousin and I up with a couple of spoons to help him scale and fillet (we hated that part) lol. Much simpler times. I really miss it, and it's nice to read the similar stories you all have posted.
That is awesome! Great memories!
Pure heaven! RIP my friend..
Now were talking! Bluegill heaven here I come.. the scaling instructions are perfect! I have been bass fishing since opening day and the blues are the next prey on my list now! This channel is a true gift for the outdoorsman who wants to take his skill to the next level! Cast iron! It is the best way of cooking everything that isn't grilled over some good briskets! I can't say THANK YOU enough!
Steve loved cast iron cooking!
He was the greatest at this! I miss his shows. I'm 74 and I didn't start filleting bluegills until a few years back when my wife said she preferred them that way. And I found out she was right, they are better tasting filleted. Bluegills just have a stronger taste when fried with the bones and skin. Filleted skinless, rolled in pancake flour (salt and pepper) and pan fried they're amazing. Almost as good as filleted yellow perch.
Thanks Steve. Will miss you .You're quite a guy. This is the way may Dad did it. I remember the crunchy tail.
Great memories!
You can go to shotgunred1000 and see Steve out fishing! Also the website is shotgunred.com
just watched Steve and Sheila fishing the Crappies. I did get to know Steve when he was playing with Southbound 76. Do you remember the Clark boys -Dave and Lenny?
I remember my dad had old school pop bottle caps screwed to a piece of wood handle that worked great. My memories of the fish camp down on the wapsi were one of the best memories of my past. I've scaled a ton of crappie and blue gill.
MIKE BUSCH omoo
The wapsi river? My parents had a camp there near McCausland .
This brings back so many memories of me and Grandpa cleaning and cooking our catch. Crappie was the best!
Casey Gray I’d hold you to that if you ever had a blue gill. Though I loved both.
O yeah for sure me and my granpa go every year and we catch hundreds each time we go!!
My entire mouth just filled with saliva! I’ve already ate and now I’m hungry after watching that. That would be such a time saver to do that process. I’d love to try this!
My grandfather always talked about when he was young his family would scale and eat them whole but since he was 55 when I was born and hes 81 now Ive always just filleted bluegills with him. Ive never had bone in bluegills before but after watching the best video on youtube I think this year I will cook up some whole bluegills for the old man and me. Thanks for the info and the inspiration!
I just read the other comments. I came too late to thank this man but his joy and wisdom live on through this video. R.I.P and condolences to the family.
My father always told me about scaling bluegill.
This is the first time I saw how it's done.
I've only had bass, perch, and walleye so far.
Looks good.
Thanks for watching!
Nail a bottle cap to a piece of wood about 8 inches long and about 1 inch by 1 inch use that for scaling
Thank you sir - well put together (RIP) and great recipe ... it is “old school” and more people should try it.
Thank you kindly
I watch this video once every 6 months. This is heaven baby!
Glad you like to what this cooking show! :)
I love this guy, we miss you buddy. Glad these videos are still up. This is one of my favorites and it inspired me to try the whole fried gills myself. They were fantastic. ❤❤
Glad to hear it!
Love video remember watching my grandpa cook brim this way all the time he loved eating them whole like that.
Great memories!
Excellent video. That’s how we did growing up. Had no idea it was right. Scoring the fish is new to me. Loved it!! Thanks. Mike B. MWW
Glad you enjoyed it
Heavenly was an understatement-that was a clinic on how to make a person salivate. Thanks for the pointers
You ain't kidding! I was JUST coming down here to leave a comment about salivating on my phone, ha ha. Thank goodness (or Samsung) that phones are water/slobber resistant these days, huh!
I was just showing this video to my wife who usually ends up processing the bluegill haul. Excellent tips. Missing you Steve, RIP buddy. Take care Sheila. Thanks for allowing comments.
Thanks 👍
Your welcome! :)
I can imagine spending a day on a boat with Steve talking and laughing listening to his stories. Oh yeah, we'd be fishing too.
He would have loved that also! Thanks for watching!
You’ve brought back so many good memories of my days at camp passupmpsic in Vermont and our chef Big John made those “rock bass” aka blue gills for us ... that was back in’72 thanks for the great video
That's awesome Paul! :)
THANK YOU for talking about PEANUT OIL! I love the flavor of peanut oil, but my son is allergic. Sometimes we forget to ask when its really out of the ordinary like fish fry or waffles. Then it's a fight for life in the emergency room. The extra flavor is not worth the death of a loved one. Sorry to hear he passed.
You make it look so easy. I cought 4 yesterday. Gutted scales on. Cooked on open fire while out fishing. Skin with scales peals away.
The first time i got my son to eat fish. My super dad moment.
Steve your voice reminds me of Chris Farley. Love it! Can wait to take the kids blue gill fishing like when I was a boy and try out your recipes!
Have fun!
thanks shealia for letting him scale them indoors absolute saint
It didn't take long to figure out that was a WRONG thing to go along with!! :)
This brought back great memories of my dad, as this is how he used to do it. Really enjoy your channel. Rest in peace my brother.
Fishing and food can bring alot of memories flooding back from our parents!
Basically the same way my grandfather taught me in Wisconsin. We'd go out fishing, come home and clean them up, and my grandmother would fry them to perfection. Good memories!
That is awesome!
Make some of your own memories now...he was just wanting to teach you...
@@CookingwithShotgunRed sorry to hear abiut the passing of this man... he liked to help people.. thats what it's all about
I grew up in Michigan, I live on Padre Island now, I sure miss them bluegills
Scott McKenzie I’m in traverse city just caught about 9 this morning!
I'm in Michigan and though I hate to fish, I love to eat 'em. My dad and brothers give me some of their catch and we have a lot of good ones around here. Bluegills (my personal favorite), perch, bass, walleye, crappie...um um! Michigan is a great state for fishing (and eating!)
Cracked me up with the brother thing, I was one year younger and Mikee got all the crunchies...
We never know our impact on the world after we pass. With that said, Steve was a man who brought joy and knowledge to my life, I hope you rest in peace. I started watching your videos in 2017 and was truly saddened to hear of your passing. Since that time I have watched many more of your videos and all I can say is you were a man who had class and a passion for what you loved. In watching your videos one thing is always at the front, you loved your family and had a passion for life. I wish I had the opportunity to interact with you but I am glad that you left me with much to learn from. Finally, Kudos to Sheila for keep the channel alive and providing the world with great cooking tips and recipes.
Thanks for such a nice comment! click on shotgunred1000 and watch a'lot of video's of Steve out fishing, on the road, in his garden etc...
Steve reminds me of the best generation on country music singers (late 80’s-late 90’s) and I just know I would’ve loved making him laugh if I ever had a chance. Thank you to the ladies who keep him alive through these videos.
Yes! Loved that era back then. Steve loved to laugh! He enjoyed life!
shotgunred.com
I’m going to do this in the near future. Reminds me of the way we used to do it and like you said it has much more flavor.
Thank you so much for watching and commenting. Unfortunely Steve passed away Dec 2018 shotgunred.com
Holy cow those looks so delicious. I love bluegill, grew up eating it. Your the only guy that can make bluegill look so delicious on a video that it's worth killing for!! 😍
I love this he's really a special person
When I saw you bring in the tall glass of milk, I was like, “Okay now I know this guy knows what he’s doing”
white people.. milk and fish?
Humm... am not white and love milk with my fish!
Sorry for your loss Sheila. Steve seemed like the best. Great video, made me think of my grandpa's fish frys.
Thank you Kevin! Food has a way of bringing back great memories! :) shotgunred.com
I certainly enjoy watching and listening to you explaining the best way to clean, cook, and eat the fish. Your sincerity makes it
delectable. 😀
Thanks so much! Steve passed away Dec 2018
@@CookingwithShotgunRed I am so very sorry to learn that Steve has left us. I got to find out about him too late but he will continue to live on thru the internet. God Bless him and may he rest in peace.🌹😢
Thanks for everything, a true salt of the earth. RIP buddy.
Your welcome!
My Dad was the King of Fry'emUp! They looked like a bowl of golden potato chips. Nobody counted.
Great Video! Same way my grandfather made them for me when I was a kid
Very cool!
Man, love the energy, love the detail! I was afraid to fish for almost 10 years because pops died shortly after teaching me to fish, so I mustered up the strength to get back to the dock with my two sons…. Thank you!
You’re welcome! 👍😊
Red you are bringing back so many memories. My folks had a cabin in the wood that abutted a small country club to which we belonged. It had a big beautiful man made finger lake that was stocked every year with bass, catfish, and bluegill. My folks didn't use it much but my uncle and aunt loved to fish and would take me with them when I was a kid. Jim and I would catch a dozen or so blue gill and we would clean them on a ledge that was nailed to the trunk of a tree especially for that purpose. We fileted them with the skin on and scaled them. I can still remember trying to keep the flying scales out of my face and eyes and how we were both covered in fish scales by the time we were done. We would drop the filets into a bucket of cold water and got the blood and bits of gut if any, washed off. Then my aunt Millie would do her magic with lard, flour, corn meal and salt and pepper in a cast iron pan. Then it was time to eat along with corn on the cob and a salad made of garden fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and green peppers. Yeah, we ate the tails too. Crunchy! That was almost 70 years ago and I can still taste that sweet blue gill meat and finding and spitting out the bones that we missed.
Food can stir up so many memories. The taste the smell. So glad you opened up your past of how you like to fish and cook! 🥰
Yes it sure does. I spent a lot of time with my grandmother and learned cooking from her. She had five brothers and three sisters some of whom were still alive and from them I learned to appreciate wild food like morel and hen of the wood mushrooms, wild dew berries, dandelion salad, hickory and black walnuts, wild onions. Some were born in Northern Italy, others here in the States but their cooking was a mixtere of Italian, German, and even some Jewish recipes which I learned from them and have passed on to my chidren. Plus with my time in the Air Force in Texas where we lived and all my kids were born, they have an appreciation for Tex-Mex as well.@@CookingwithShotgunRed
this is such an awesome video, I have always wanted to know how to do fish on my own, main reason I do not go fishing is I didn't know what to do with the darn things if I caught them!!! this looked delicious and not anything too hard to do.
I L❤️VE this video!!! I’ve come back to this so many times in the past two years!! THANK YOU, Steve!!!!
You are so welcome!
Growing up we always used a regular table fork to scale...sometimes if you were not poor you would use one of those fancy galvanized scaling tools 😉...I’ve still got my Rapala fillet knife I got as a BD gift in the 1960s (leather sheath sill looks good thank you Sno Seal) 🤗
I somehow found this channel and love this guy! I dont even know him but feel like I do..hi Sheila! ...gives me the gumption to cook and be part of his wonderful vids...the bluegill looks great Sir! ..subscribed!
Welcome!! Hello to you! Thanks so much for subscribing!
I think you’re the guy. A few years ago my grandpa showed me this video on his laptop and I think some of your others because he owned a pond in his property that we’d go fishing in and it had bluegills. We watched this and then cut and prepared bluegills then cooked it. One of my favorite memories. He unfortunately passed only at 55 in 2021. I just wanted to say watching this and some other videos of yours with him were my favorite memories, and cooking the fish. I always wanted to catch and come bluegills again with him. Now I have to do it myself and am watching this. Thank you.
Great memories! So glad Steve/ Shotgun Red has been a part of it.
“Who ate my tails?” haha. This man is so inspiring. Rest In Peace.
Thank you!
yes, yes - my Aunt Earline fished for Bluegill on the bridge over Dead Lakes in Wewahitchika Florida (close to Panama City) - just like you are frying em up
Jim I'm from Wewa and man have I ate my share from the Dead Lakes.
I,m a vegetarian now days so I just have the memories.
I cook all my Sierra trout this same way except I always use Olive oil
I smoke all my trout. That's the only way I eat them now I also smoke sun fish
I have been catching a mess of gills , walleye , perch and pike this year! I tried this recipe on some gills and some perch and WOW! It turned out great! Never thought I d eat the fin and I did and sure enough it tastes like bacon!
Thank you Steve!
Your so welcome! Unfortunely Steve passed away Dec 29th 2018. When he passed he had made 307 vidoe's for this channel!💗
Awesome video. My wife and I have gone fishing three times this year and used your recipe and it was perfect! She's been eating fish all her life and never bit the tails off until now. She didn't want to try it, but damn she loves it now!! We even have the same Lodge cast iron pan. Use it to fry fish on Friday evening and bacon on Sunday morning. The bacon seasoned pan adds a little something extra. Its awesome! Thanks!
Steve loved Lodge products! Making memories!!!
@@CookingwithShotgunRed I'm very sorry. I've watched a lot of his fishing videos and didn't realize until your comment that he passed away at the end of 2018. My condolances Mrs. Shiela.
I want to try filleting them, but I cant stand the thought of losing any meat! Not to mention the tails!
Thank you! I thought I knew the best way. Well now I do. Thanks again.
You are welcome!
I love your personality and your energy, sir!!! I’d like to have you for a friend and fishin/eatin buddy...lol. Love from Minnesota, land of the walleye!
Hello Jacob you can go to shotgunred1000 and see videos of Steve out fishing in everyday life. shotgunred.com
Awww man.... RIP.... My condolences just now found this channel thought it was Awsome.... And then to find that he passed.... Man great channel love his spirit and energy.... Thanks RIP.....
Thank you and also for watching! When he passed away he had made 307 recipes for this channel!
Love the eating tails story! It takes me back to all the good old stories from my stepfather out in Nebraska! Good old America’s heartland life..🙏💯👍
Awe...Glad Steve brought back some happy memories! Steve passed away Dec 2018
Cooking with Shotgun Red wow, so sad to hear that! Thanks for letting me know! Bet he was a awesome person to be around, but can trust him with deep fried bluegill tails! Not going to turn my back around Steve when there’s fried fish tail in heaven! Respectfully r.matthews