Firstly you will need a reasonably long knife with a thin blade. There are some expensive filleting knives around however the cheap ones (under $10) available in most tackle shops will do the job fine, especially when your learning. Always touch up the edge of the knife with a sharpening stone before starting, as strange as it sounds a blunt knife can be more dangerous because you have to push harder to cut meaning a slip is more likely.

Start by laying the fish on its side on a flat even surface. Do not gut or scale the fish before filleting. Make the first cut straight down behind the gills, to break through the scales, slip the knife under them before cutting down to the back bone. The first cut should only be in the top half of the fish, or above the lateral line, this avoids the bones of the rib cage.

The next important tip is to rotate the knife towards the tail while it is in and thread it over the back bone of the fish to about the half way mark. At this stage poke it right through near the anal fin. Then simply slide the knife along the back bone so that you take the tail half of the fillet off, this is easiest if you go slow and twist the knife up and down over the bumps in the back bone.

Now you have to remove the fillet from the rib cage by using the tip of the knife in small delicate scraping motions. This is where a sharp knife helps, and remember not to disturb the stomach lining of the fish. Leave the fillet just attached so that when you flip it over it is easier to fillet the other side. Once you have done the second side remove both fillets ready for skinning.

When skinning the fillets work from the tail up. Start by skinning a little of the tail so you can hold the skin easily. The secret now is to hold the knife still and pull the skin back in a zig zag motion. The fillet should pass over the top of the knife with relative ease. Use the curve in the knife to help you stop breaking through the skin at the edges. The fillet should be clean and boneless, except for some fish which have a small row of bones in the top third of the fillet above the rib cage.

Another good tip I used to do with my brothers is to use a small spoon to scoop away flesh from the backbone and other tricky areas under the head plate etc.