How to make fried catfish less "Fishy"

I'm a northern girl....love me some trout and blue gill! 

But I currently reside in the south, where catfish is a staple. 

I don't mind catfish. What I do mind is the distinctive fishy taste it has when it isn't prepared "correctly". 

When I was younger, my grandpa was an avid fisherman of the mighty Mississippi River in Wisconsin. One of the main points he drove home was how to "correctly" cut and cook fish. 

"You see this dark stripe?" He'd say, "you gotta get that out or the fish will be nasty!" 

I grew up eating his light and mild blue gill. 

Catfish, I found out the hard way, is usually not prepared this way. 

So we stopped eating out and I started making it myself at home. 

Here is my family-of-four-approved recipe!
You will need:
Deep fryer
Filet knife
Cutting board
Two small bowls
Plate
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs of catfish fillets
1 cup flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup milk or 2 eggs
1/2 tablespoon of each of the following:
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Black pepper
Celery salt
Seasoned salt

In order to "un-fishy" the fish, we are going to take that dark, reddish-brown stripe off of the back of the filet. 

First, cut each fillet down the center. It will leave you with a bit of reddish-brown meat on both pieces. 

Take your filet knife, and at an angle, slide your knife just under the dark strip. Cut all the way down the filet.

Repeat on each piece. 

This does take a bit of patience and practice, but it isn't difficult, and well worth the effort! I promise you that!
You don't have to get all the red-brown off either...just the really thick and dark stuff. The rest will not leave that awful taste!
Preheat your deep fryer.
Now, you can either cut each piece again, giving you four pieces from each filet, or you can leave them in halves, up to you.

In one small bowl, mix together flour, cornmeal, and spices.
In the second bowl, pour the milk, or beat the eggs. 

I double batter my fish to get it nice and crispy. 

Dunk each piece, one at a time, into the milk or egg, then roll/press into the flour mix. Repeat.
Drop into fryer. 

I have gotten the best results by dropping them in the fryer as I batter. If you batter and set aside, they get stuck together and the batter kind of peels off. 

Dropping as I batter makes timing a bit tricky, but each piece only cooks for about 3-5 minutes anyway. Smaller pieces taking less time than bigger ones.
They should come out crispy and golden brown.

If you aren't sure if they are done, you can break one open. Make sure it is white, not transparent, and flaky. If it isn't, you can always drop it in the fryer for a little longer. Once it is done, drain it on a plate covered with paper towel until you are ready to eat!

I usually make rice with brown or country gravy on the side.