"More than one way to skin a cat" revisited

[Cohen, Gerald Leonard]

    An ads-l message of mine several years ago mentioned that "more than one way to skin a cat" referred originally to skinning a catfish, not a feline.  I quoted a Dear Abby letter from someone who sounded very knowledgeable on the subject and who said that there are long discussions by fishermen along the Mississippi about the best way to skin a catfish (frequently referred to simply as a "cat.")

    I was surprised to find this interpretation controversial on ads-l, and one respondent cautioned me that a Dear Abby letter is not a scholarly source and hence not convincing.  At least one or two respondents thought it plausible that the reference was originally to a  feline.

     I would now like to revisit the issue, and as a first step I spoke with my colleague Gary Bertrand (Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, University of Missouri-Rolla, whose varied interests particularly include fishing).  I asked him if there have in fact been discussions about the best way to skin a catfish, and he immediately answered yes.

     If in fact there *are* discussions on the various ways to skin a catfish but no discussions on the best way to skin a feline, the catfish interpretation will have gained in convincingness.  So stage #1 is to get familiar with the different ways to skin a catfish.
Below my signoff now an e-mail which Gary Bertrand sent me on the subject.

Gerald Cohen

[message from Gary Bertrand]:


Jerry
        I found a web page which describes one way to skin a catfish

http://www.instructables.com/id/E7MU3VWUT0EP287ZJG/    .

In the Comments below the "instructible", readers have described two
other ways.

1. The author uses a knife to peel the skin off the whole catfish,
after taking off some of the fins.  I've never heard of this before,
and I don't recommend it.

2.  One of the readers suggests the technique that is used for most
fish (bass, crappie, and I use it for trout).  I have used it for
small pan-sized catfish - I had a pond full of catfish before I moved
into town about 12 years ago.  You fillet the fish then lay it
skin-side-down on a board, and slide the knife between the skin and
the fillet.  The whole operation can be done very quickly with an
electric knife.

3.  Another reader says to hang it up by the gills, make a cut around
the fish just behind the head, then pull the skin down from that
point with a pair of pliers.  That's probably the best way for big
fish, like over ten pounds and up to 50 lbs.  Some people cut off the
fish's tail and let the blood drain before they skin and clean it.

        There are two variations on #3.  When you have a pond, or if you
live on the water, it's convenient to have a spiked board where you
impale the head of the fish on the spikes instead of hanging it up by
the gills.  Then you make the cut around the back of the head and
peel off the skin with pliers.  The other variation is for fish that
are small enough that you don't need to anchor the head.  You make
the cut around the head, stick your left thumb into the gills, and
pull the skin off with pliers.

        For my own interest, I'll keep looking for other ways that have been
used, but this should give you ample evidence that "There's more than
one way to skin a cat."

Best Regards,
Gary

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