By R. Karl

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Cleaning Fish
Mr. Pike
Keeper of the Keys
Loons on the Lake
An Open Letter
In a Hurry?
Algae
Knots
Lake Turnover
Mayflies
Ticks
Finest of Times
Ice Fishing
Knives

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When I was about 10 years old, my father took the family to Ontario, Canada to a place called Lac de Milles Lacs. I had no clue where I was but it was gorgeous and way back in the woods. My mom didn’t complain, but my sister was not very happy with the accommodations… No electricity, no running water except for a pump in the kitchen sink and the “facilities” were about 30 meters behind the cabin. The lake was full of leeches and bears roaming the woods kept us in the cabin at night. However, it was some of the best walleye fishing I have ever experienced. In fact, I remember one particular afternoon during which a “triple” was more of the rule than the exception. More importantly, I saw my first walleye cleaned and filleted by a family friend who was also on the trip. Ray was a great outdoorsman with a belly laugh that could make anyone appreciate his smile. And after a stringer of ‘eyes was brought in, he was as fast as lightning with a fillet knife. In fact, he was faster than anyone I have ever seen, before or since – I later nicknamed him “30-Second Ray” – and the finished fillet was as if prepared by a surgeon.

I thought: “this is easy” and asked if I could give it a try. I failed miserably on my first attempt (a 1 ½ lb. walleye was reduced to a patch of flesh about 10cm long and Ray exploded with laughter), but I swore to emulate the work of Ray. After 30 years of filleting walleyes using the same method I learned from my mentor, I actually got pretty good – albeit never as fast. One summer, a resort owner in northern Minnesota showed me a different way. I was amazed at how easy it was. The finished product yielded as much if not more fillet, and the method was even easier. Ray is now long gone, but wherever he is; I know he would be proud of me. Walleyes are some of the most sought-after fish in any lake. If you have not yet seen or tired this method, I hope that the instructions and photos that follow will help you to learn it. The best knife for the job? a Zwilling J.A. Henckels 7-in. Twin Pro S Fillet Knife.

Comments from readers who have used these instructions:

"I just wanted to say thanks a lot for the fillet pics on the website. They helped me FINALLY do a decent job of filleting a walleye." (D.F.)

"I have just read and used your technique for filleting a couple of walleyes I caught last night. I chose your technique over some others I found due to the way you removed the rib bones. I found it to be very easy to follow..." (A.M.)

Start as you might normally start: fish belly towards you and fish head on your left. (This method is for a right-handed person; rotate the fish 180° to the right if you are left-handed.) Make the first cut down and into the fish just behind the pectoral fin.
Then, turn the knife blade and, keeping pressure on the back of the blade, cut along the backbone and through the rib cage, all the way through to the tail and out. The whole side of the fish comes off and the rib cage remains attached to the fillet. Turn the fish over so that the back or dorsal side is now facing you; repeat the previous step.
You now have two fillets with the rib bones intact and waiting to be removed. From this point, I had originally learned to remove the rib cage by first placing the fillet skin-side down and cutting down and behind the ribs. I had to follow the curve of the rib cage with my knife. I did OK and eventually got very good at removing the rib cage… But trying to follow the curve of the ribs down and toward the skin was difficult and inefficient. The angle was steep and it was easy to waste good meat.
In this “new” method I place the rib-cage-side of the fillet down. It is more effective and actually easier. More importantly, placing the rib cage side down, you can actually help to flatten the rib cage, making it easier to follow the curve of the ribs. No matter which fillet you are going to de-bone, place the knife at the anterior or front end of the fillet and just above the rib cage. Use one hand to apply downward pressure to the fish – and the rib cage – to flatten out the ribs.
Cut towards the belly side of the fish and gradually work towards the posterior or tail of the fish, allowing the knife to simply follow the now-flattened rib cage. Flattening the ribs makes the cut easier and straighter and results in less waste of a good fillet; only the rib bones themselves will be removed.
The end result will be two very nice fillets that are truly boneless and ready for your favorite recipes. All that is left for you to do is remove the skin. As always, it will take a little practice to get good at this. But I think you will like the results. No bones will be left. All you need to do is skin the fillet and enjoy some fresh walleye for dinner!
And… if you don’t already save the “cheeks” from your walleyes, I encourage you to do so. These morsels are easily removed and considered to be the “filet mignon” of the walleye. The cheek “socket” is shallow and bowl-shaped and lies just behind the eye of the fish. Just cut down and back up, following the contour of the cheek socket. Then, slip the knife between the skin and the meat and separate the two.
The cheeks can be used to make several fish dishes as well as one of my favorite hors d’oevres: Walleye Cheek Dip. If you liked this article, please "like" us on Facebook to be informed when new articles are available!