Most of the time I am using a fishing knife for trout in the mountains.
3 Steps:
1. Cut open the fish with a sharp knife. Try to cut in a straight line up along the underbelly.
a. Lay the trout flat on a cutting board or other flat surface. Hold the fish down on the cutting board with your left hand.
b. 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.
a. 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.
b. 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.
a. Scrape out the spine with your thumb or a spoon. Scrape from the tail to the gills.
b. 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.