Whose has the better tasting walleye

lunkerslayer · Sep 12, 2017

I been working with a few surveyors from western nodak here in Gillette Wyoming which also surveyed in Devils lake grade raise of local roads and they been telling me that eyeballs from lake Sakakawea taste better then the eyeballs from devils lake. I wouldn't know becuase i have only eaten devils lake eyesballs So anyone agree or disagree that one taste better then the other. Also those who have tried different lakes which would you prefer

Retired Educator · Sep 12, 2017

It's possible because as a general rule, Sakakawea water is cleaner than DL. I for one am a firm believer that how a person takes care of what they eat is just or more important than where it came from.

Mr.Mike · Sep 12, 2017

They are just messing with you. All depends on who cleans, and cooks the fish!

Pedro · Sep 12, 2017

Generally speaking, the walleyes on sakakawea are harder to catch, less populated, overall smaller in size, and not near as well tasting thanks to oilfield pollution. My advise is to stay waaaay away. Devils lake is the go-to slam dunk place to fish in nd.

LBrandt · Sep 12, 2017

Its all in how you take care of the fish after its caught. JMO

Allen · Sep 12, 2017

Sak, having deeper water available, is generally a little cooler than DL in the heart of summer. Sak also feeds its fish things like smelt and other baitfish. DL feeds its fish a heaping helping of scuds to go with some baitfish.

The above all suggests that when given similar handling of the fish from catch to table, Sak fish rule in the taste war between the two.

In reality, the difference is quite small and the number of beers you've had probably has a bigger influence.

All that being said, the smaller lakes in the prairie pothole region that are even shallower, warmer, and nearly as saline as DL are places I no longer keep walleye from if the water temps are in the 80s. The fish just taste a little off.

CatDaddy · Sep 13, 2017

It's the species, not the water. #$%^&>

Walleye are bland, catfish is where it's at! I agree with "cleaning matters" especially with catfish....but with walleye if you "f" it up you're an idiot. My opinion and experience.......I cooked catfish for a woman that "won't eat fish" and she couldn't stop coming back for more. Thick, white, flaky meat with some oil deep fried in Shore Lunch, cut into nuggets and trimmed to all white meat before fried. Needs to be cleanedr and cared for the right way, just like any fish.

Captain Ahab · Sep 13, 2017

Your mom?

CatDaddy · Sep 13, 2017

fish taco?

Captain Ahab said:
Your mom?

wildeyes · Sep 13, 2017

what you do after you catch it, is what makes the difference. small shallow lakes in the middle of summer not so much.

shorthairsrus · Sep 13, 2017

Mo river
Sak/Devils
Devils

Sak and devils are even - just different tastes - one is no better then the other. the holy grail is from the river at certain times of year imo. The taste is so little in difference.

MuskyManiac · Sep 13, 2017

Pure white Lake of the Woods walleyes are the best.

H82bogey · Sep 13, 2017

The fish on Sak are garbage. Not very many numbers, small and extremely hard to catch. Please stay away from this lake. I would suggest you fish DL and don't bother coming west. Also, for those that do fish Sak, please consider making the trip to DL. I on the other hand will bite the bullet and deal with these hard to catch, foul tasting fish.

SupressYourself · Sep 13, 2017

They all taste like Shorelunch and barbeque sauce to me.
Now Northerns actually have some flavor to them.

guywhofishes · Sep 13, 2017

For some reason the walleyes I catch on the Red in the fall are remarkably tasty. Most others taste about the same... but every fall I'll catch a 2 lb fish and we eat it and think "wow" after eating walleye all spring/summer from lakes.

Can't explain it.

Jigaman · Sep 13, 2017

I have never tried eating the "eyeballs" of a fish. I would think they would be chewy?

Lycanthrope · Sep 13, 2017

I havent compared taste, but if you want to get your daily serving of Hg, Devils is your huckleberry!

CAH · Sep 13, 2017

I think we can all agree, that nothing tastes as good as a pickled mushkie.

RustyTackleBox · Sep 13, 2017

Pedro said:
Generally speaking, the walleyes on sakakawea are harder to catch, less populated, overall smaller in size, and not near as well tasting thanks to oilfield pollution. My advise is to stay waaaay away. Devils lake is the go-to slam dunk place to fish in nd.

what are you drinking? I fish right in the oil field pollution you speak of (and work 3 miles from the van hook boat ramp) and sak water is not more or less dirty now than it was when I was a kid and you clearly have not caught walleye in sak this year, average fish is 18-20" and a football... everyone I know that has been fishing in DL say they catch a lot of numbers but the 14" fish is about all they catch and its not as fat as a 14 from sak... IMO deeper, colder water fish always taste better, sak always has a current moving through it also *pssst it's still kind of a river*

Jigaman · Sep 13, 2017

Rusty, there may have been a bit of sarcasm in Pedro's post that you didn't pick up on....

Whose has the better tasting walleye

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