I filet the fish out, scrape all remaining fat/flesh on the "inside" of the skin, then take all the scales out with needle nose pliers(pulling from head to tail) starting at the tail section and moving towards the head. Then I soak them in soapy water to help get out any remaining oils/fat, and rinse them several times to get rid of any traces of soap. To dry them, I place them on a piece of cardboard that's big enough for the skin and "smooth out" the scale pockets with my hand going from head to tail. The skin will stick to the cardboard by itself, no need to tack it down. Then I place them in front of a fan. You'll know that the skins are dry enough to take off the cardboard- because the skins will shrink slightly when they completely dry, thus pulling the cardboard into a shallow "reflex". When they are dry, start at a corner of the skin to get it to lift and they will peel right off. Sometimes a little fuzz from the cardboard will come off with the skin, but some super fine sandpaper will take that off with no problem and not damage the skin. The carp skins end up being about the thickness of the plastic used in a plastic gallon milk jug..... Hope that answers it for ya Bevan R.
