How to Gut a Trout

Co-authored by Michael Reynolds

Last Updated: November 11, 2024

Fishing for trout? Learn how to gut a trout so you can cook and eat your catch at home. Follow the instructions in this article to make sure that you know the right way to catch and gut a trout.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Preparing a Workspace

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1
Prepare the necessary equipment and space for gutting a trout. Decide if you want to gut the fish outside or at home in your kitchen. Make sure that you have the following:
- Sharp knives
- Access to water
- Cutting board
2
Use the kitchen sink if you want to gut the trout in the kitchen.
- Clean the sink thoroughly.
- Prepare a cutting board for gutting the fish.
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3
Prepare a cleaning station if you’re going to gut the trout outside. Consider going outside if you want to keep the fish smell out of the house.
- Keep the area clean by using a hose.
- Use a bench or other flat surface as your cutting board.
4
Catch the trout.
- Make sure to get all of the necessary equipment: a rod, hooks, a fishing line, split shot weights and a net.
- Find a river with trout by looking at local and state parks. Pick a river where trout naturally appear or a river stocked with trout. Be aware that rivers with naturally reproducing trout populations sometimes have stricter tackle and bait restrictions.^{[1]
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- Get fishing bait. Check the bait restrictions wherever you plan to fish. Use one of the following: worms, crickets, grasshoppers, salon roe or corn kernels.
- Find a spot upstream to increase your chances of catching a trout. Look for an easily accessible clearing on the shoreline.
- Try to find a spot with slow moving patches of deep water or converging currents.
- Bait your hook and cast your rod. Find out how to catch a trout here: How to Catch a Brown Trout in the Winter.
- Set the hook in the trout by quickly jerking the rod tip up. Reel in slowly and keep the rod tip above your head.^{[2]
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- Scoop the fish up with your net once you’ve brought the fish to the shore.
- Keep the trout that you want to eat. Release the other fish back into the river.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Preparing the Trout

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1
Put the live trout in a clean bucket filled with water from the river. Use the net to get the fish into the bucket.
- Handle the fish as little as possible until you’re ready to gut it.
- Add additional fish to the same bucket. Make sure that the trout all have room to swim.
2
Kill the trout humanely right before you gut it. Cut off the trout’s head when you’re ready to gut the fish.
- Lay the trout flat on a cutting board or other flat surface. Hold the fish down on the cutting board with your left hand and cut with the right.^{[3]
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- Get a sharp knife that can easily slice through the fish. Start slicing right behind the gills.^{[4]
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- Cut the head off in one swift motion with a sharp knife.
- Throw the head away when you’re done.
- Lay the trout flat on a cutting board. Hold the fish with your left hand
- Don’t hurt the trout any more than you need to. Torturing animals is needlessly cruel.
3
Scale the trout. Continue to use the same cutting board.
- Hold the tail with one hand. And start scraping the scales off with the backside of a knife. Start at the tail and end at the head. ^{[5]
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- Keep scaling until most of the scales are gone. Rinse the scales off thoroughly in the sink.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Gutting the Trout

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1
Cut open the fish with a sharp knife. Try to cut in a straight line up along the underbelly.
- Lay the trout flat on a cutting board or other flat surface. Hold the fish down on the cutting board with your left hand.
- Try to cut one clean line through the bottom of the fish. Don’t cut into the guts.
2
Remove the internal organs. Reach into the body cavity to remove the intestines, heart, and other organs.^{[6]
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- Scrape out the organs with a spoon or pull the organs out with your hand. Put your spoon or hand through the cut open fish.
- Try not to let any organs break open as this can spread disease. Throw the organs away when you are done.
3
Remove the spine. Identify the spine as a blood red line that goes from head to tail on the uppermost part of the fish. ^{[7]
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- Scrape out the spine with your thumb or a spoon. Scrape from the tail to the gills.
- Take this opportunity to remove any guts that remain. Make sure to wash out all organs and blood. Scrape any organs out that you can’t wash away.
4
Get your trout ready for cooking. Freeze the trout if you’re not going to cook it right away.^{[8]
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- Make sure all of the guts are gone before you freeze or cook the trout. Rinse the fish in clean water before cooking or freezing.
- Check to make sure that waters where you fish are free of contaminants. Don’t eat the fish if you’re unsure.

Community Q&A

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Question

How quickly should I gut the trout after catching it?

Community Answer

You should gut the trout after you have killed it. Look online for a metal bat called a "priest". You can kill fish quicker this way by knocking it behind the head instead of cutting off the head.

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