Tips for cleaning catfish

I recently have come across catching large numbers of catfish on a new lake and know there great eating but I am wondering on tips for cleaning out the mud line and best ways to prepare fresh catfish

If you want to do it right - there's a lot of trimming involved after the basic skinning and filleting. Sharp knives!

Flip the cat on it's back and grab the two anal fin. Cut towards the head along the bottom of the ribs til you get to the lower jaw. Flip it over and remove the skin. In good water the bellies are fine to eat. The rest is filleted just like a walleye. Lay the fillet flat and cut the full length at the lateral line. Take a thin cut along the mud line-lateral line-and trim out the dark flash and fat. If the cat is large enough, cut out the cheeks. They are different than walleye cheeks...there is more cutting, but worth it. When you catch a cat, cut the tail and let it bleed out in the ice filled cooler. This makes a big difference in eating quality.