cleaning walleye

[LBrandt]

Well first try at a thread. When you are away from home do you leave lateral line in or out when cleaning your fish? NDGF rules say 2 filets = one fish. I have found that it is much harder to remove at home the next day. It just don't zipper like when the fish are fresh.:;:help

 

[TheWalleye]

I guess I've never been on a fishing trip where i had to worry about this but couldn't you just leave the skin on if you're worried or don't cut all the way down leaving a Y shaped fillet? That would be real crappy of G&F to tag someone for two fillets when its obviously one.

 

[walleyeND]

I personally don't know anyone that has gotten picked up for the 1 fillet is two fillets rule once split in half. Maybe someone on this forum can attest to it happening. Also, another thing to keep in mind is the possession limit is double the daily limit so if its a one day trip you don't need to worry about it.

 

[Sluggo]

I cleaned some last summer at a fish cleaning station and caught myself half way thru zippering them thinking that I should not be doing that because of the reason in the original post. I don't have any problem zippering them the next day though. I have found that pulling one way works better than the other. In other words, you can pull the zipped line towards the inside of the fish or the outside of the fillet. One way works better, I can never remember which until I am doing it.

 

[TheWalleye]

I personally don't know anyone that has gotten picked up for the 1 fillet is two fillets rule once split in half. Maybe someone on this forum can attest to it happening. Also, another thing to keep in mind is the possession limit is double the daily limit so if its a one day trip you don't need to worry about it.

Not necessarily true. Some of those G&F guys are tricky sneakers. Possession limit doesn't supersede you're daily limit. If you go out of town and fish for one day, 5 walleye is your limit. If you go out and fish for 3 days then 10 is your limit.

 

[SDMF]

Just don't freeze them and you'll be fine. If you have a camper/cabin and freeze them prior to transport to your permanent residence then you'll have a problem.

 

[Account Deleted]

Cut the bones out from the front end and don't go all the down through the tail. One fillet per side, 2 fillets per fish. Boom.

You can even leave a patch of skin on if you need to for identification purposes.

 

[guywhofishes]

If and when a person has zipper issues it's because the silverskin on the back side gets stronger over time IMO. If and when it happens to me I lightly score the silverskin on both sides of the lateral line then zipper as usual and it goes fine.

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or do the 'v-cut' of the pin bones where the ribs were as ghost recommends.

All perch, gills, crappies, etc. get the v-cut - galwhofishes, the fish filet quality control nazi, is in charge of that process. She can sense a bone in a filet from across the room.

 

[johnr]

I zip em at the cleaning table, never worried about it.

That's just how I roll.

 

[Duckslayer100]

All perch, gills, crappies, etc. get the v-cut - galwhofishes, the fish filet quality control nazi, is in charge of that process. She can sense a bone in a filet from across the room.

Sounds like my wife! When we first started going out, I was pretty proud to fillet up some fresh crappies for her (I'd been told all my life how great I was at filleting fish).

The next 45 minutes involved her gagging on teeny, tiny bones and then digging them out of her gullet.

It was then that I discovered no, I did not get all the bones.

Pin bones blow.

 

[Captain Ahab]

I eat the lateral line like a boss.

 

[guywhofishes]

I eat the lateral line like a boss.

I usually do too (minus the pin-boned area) but on occasion even a walleye will taste yucky in the tail section later line.

A bass or something on the other hand will force me to eject that section 100% of the time.

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Sounds like my wife! When we first started going out, I was pretty proud to fillet up some fresh crappies for her (I'd been told all my life how great I was at filleting fish).

The next 45 minutes involved her gagging on teeny, tiny bones and then digging them out of her gullet.

It was then that I discovered no, I did not get all the bones.

Pin bones blow.

I am glad she is - a pin bone jammed into the gum is always a major drag

 

[Kentucky Windage]

I take the "pin bones" as guywhofishes calls them ( I call them "Y" bones) out after soaking fillets over night and the lateral line before eating. I take the lateral line out of fish 17" and bigger. I think the "Y" bones are more defined after soaking in water overnight. The meat firms up a little better.

 

[guywhofishes]

I eat the lateral line like a boss.

I will start saving mine for you. They'd deep fry like clams or calamari. Yum?

 

[johnr]

I thought Ahab only ate the cheeks?

 

[thriller1]

Sounds like my wife! When we first started going out, I was pretty proud to fillet up some fresh crappies for her (I'd been told all my life how great I was at filleting fish).

The next 45 minutes involved her gagging on teeny, tiny bones and then digging them out of her gullet.

It was then that I discovered no, I did not get all the bones.

Pin bones blow.

I've never once scored a chick because I was good at cleaning fish. People just tell you that so you'll clean there fish; which I will do for Milwaukee's Best Light.

 

[Duckslayer100]

I thought Ahab only ate the cheeks?

Just on 50-inch Mushkies.

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I've never once scored a chick because I was good at cleaning fish. People just tell you that so you'll clean there fish; which I will do for Milwaukee's Best Light.

I've always enjoyed filleting fish, for no other reason than the satisfaction of seeing a job well done.

Nothing makes me grind my teeth like watching someone hack up a fish because they're lazy, thus leaving 50 percent of the edible meat on the carcass.

As a wee lad, I became soul fish cleaner in my household because I couldn't watch my dad (the man who taught me how to fillet) leave the slightest sliver of meat on an 8-inch gill. In those days (and even these days, come to think of it) fish meals were few and far between -- and easily my most favorite thing next to a Zebco combo and original Nintendo Entertainment System.

 

[LBrandt]

Thanks for the input guys.Think I will go with Guywhofishes way, leaves nothing to chance.

 

[701FishSlayer]

Right at the station, takes 2 seconds. No reason not to really, depending on who is all around of course wink wink. When in doubt be sneaky, you got somebody watching you, better avoid the ole yank n tear n use your knife.