Smoked Whitefish or Trout

In the old days, smoking fish fresh was a group effort. In Minnesota, for instance, there would be many helping to catch fish, and more people on the shore helping to process the catch immediately. The fish heads and spines would be removed, leaving the tail intact, holding together the two fillets. The fish heads and spines would be immediately used to make soup to feed the workers, and the fillets would then be flipped inside out, so the skin is on the inside, and the meat would be scored