A question I should have asked yesterday

[sixgunn]

Originally Posted by addicted2sp33d

Maybe this is a noob question, but why do people pull the gills on WSB and YT, but not Halibut?

Seems like gill-pulling would be effective for all fish species.

gill pulling is to bleed them out, but the reason you want to bleed them is as a fish dies, it releases chemicals back into the blood stream. bleed it, no chemicals, better meat.
Some gill rakes can hurt, I always use a pair of dikes to cut them.

[GregAndrew]

Mostly it is lactic acid that builds up during the fight that you are trying to get rid of by bleeding.