# Neat way to fillet walleye/sauger



## TClark (Apr 20, 2007)

Never seen it done this way...can't wait to try it.


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## seang22 (Mar 3, 2014)

That's awesome


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

Pretty much the way we've been doing for years, except I fillet back to the tail then flip the fillet & skin it in all one pass. Then pop the rib cage.

Here's an slightly less informative video. I can do 40 seconds/fish.
The wife is doing the ribs in that video.


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## fishdealer04 (Aug 27, 2006)

Pretty cool way. I switched to the electric fillet knife. Just like CreekCrawler said I fillet one side to the tail then cut the meat off of the skin flip it over do the other side and then cut the rib cage off. Finish them off by un-zipping them. Then cut the cheeks out and then the wing ding.


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## TRAPPERBECK (Mar 23, 2010)

Hey TClark that is cool & yea Im sure gonna try that this next spring .


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## Sluggo (Aug 30, 2004)

For the most part that is how my father always did it and how he taught me to do it. It really works well and is fast on walleye, saugeye, and perch. In my opinion, it does not work as well on small or largemouth bass or pike as their rib cages are much thicker and are much more difficult to cut through. It can be done but it dulls the knife quickly so I just fillet those types of fish the more conventional way, i.e. filleting around the ribs rather than cutting through them.


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## TClark (Apr 20, 2007)

I tried it yesterday on a saugeye and it worked well. That guys knife must be really sharp as it seems effortless for him to cut through those rib bones. I had some difficulty on that part of it. Or possible my knife is a little too flexible? Think I'll try my old boning knife next time. ;-)


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## HookBender (Apr 2, 2012)

Im curious as to how the guts don't just go everywhere?


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

He does a nice job but that is way too slow and doesn't produce any better results than an electric knife will.

If you get a chance to witness some walleye or saugeye being cleaned by someone with an electric knife that knows what they are doing you will see what I mean.


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## boss302 (Jun 24, 2005)

That's one NASTY cutting board.....


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## Dovans (Nov 15, 2011)

Watched some pros at Lake Erie clean our catch.. They didnt believe in Electric Knives. Believing they cause too much waste. We limited out on Walleye with six of us and I think the pro's had it done in under 20 minutes. Beautiful filets. Amazing watching them.


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## TClark (Apr 20, 2007)

I agree about the electric knives. I got one and hate it for cleaning fish...and yes, it was a fishing cleaning knife. I use it for turkey and ham, so the purchase price wasn't total a waste....


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

TClark said:


> I tried it yesterday on a saugeye and it worked well. That guys knife must be really sharp as it seems effortless for him to cut through those rib bones. I had some difficulty on that part of it. Or possible my knife is a little too flexible? Think I'll try my old boning knife next time. ;-)


It might not be too flexible, just not quite sharp enough. Plus those ribs bones will dull your edge, especially if you're filleting some bigger fish. I'll touch my edge up about halfway through a big mess of fish. Some flexibility in the blade is also helpful for removing the rib bones and taking the skin off. I have a Schrade Uncle Henry fillet knife that has to be 40 years old! 



TClark said:


> I agree about the electric knives. I got one and hate it for cleaning fish...and yes, it was a fishing cleaning knife. I use it for turkey and ham, so the purchase price wasn't total a waste....


Same here! And same with my BIL. Maybe we're just old fashioned and like the traditional blade. If they could design an electric knife with the pair of blades no thicker than the single blade on a traditional fillet knife I might be interested. I also had this thought. How about an electric knife with a single blade that "vibrated" at a high frequency? Hmmm.

As far as that guy's method being too slow, jeez a loo! How big of a hurry could you possibly be in?


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

You guys just haven't seen someone filet a fish with an electric knife that knows how to use it.


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## Hatchetman (Apr 13, 2004)

Lundy said:


> You guys just haven't seen someone filet a fish with an electric knife that knows how to use it.



X 10 what Lundy said....


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## TClark (Apr 20, 2007)

Just way too much waste with an electric knife.
It's not about speed for me, it's about getting as much meat off as possible ending up with really nice fillet's.

I used to be a meat cutter for Foodland and A&P years ago and know how to sharpen a knife. I just think I need a "better knife", maybe with Damascus Steel? ;-)


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## Hatchetman (Apr 13, 2004)

TClark said:


> Just way too much waste with an electric knife.
> It's not about speed for me, it's about getting as much meat off as possible ending up with really nice fillet's.
> 
> I used to be a meat cutter for Foodland and A&P years ago and know how to sharpen a knife. I just think I need a "better knife", maybe with Damascus Steel? ;-)


Rapala has their Damascus steel knife on sale for $449.00....


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

TClark said:


> Just way too much waste with an electric knife.
> It's not about speed for me, it's about getting as much meat off as possible ending up with really nice fillet's.
> 
> I used to be a meat cutter for Foodland and A&P years ago and know how to sharpen a knife. I just think I need a "better knife", maybe with Damascus Steel? ;-)


Exactly! My buddies and I use a modified version of this guy's method, but this guy throws in a couple of touches that are pretty neat. My BIL fillets fish the old fashioned "doing surgery" way, but he's real good at it. He tried an electric knife years ago, and it now sits unused in a drawer. 

My buddy and I used to have a saying after filleting a fish. We'd hold up the carcass and say, "If it were any thinner, it would only have one side!"


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## TClark (Apr 20, 2007)

"If it were any thinner, it would only have one side!"
Exactly the way I like to do it too. As little waste as possible.


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

LOL, A knife is a knife, one is manual, one is electric.

You guys are certainly not implying that a manual knife can cut closer to the backbone, the only potential for more waste, that an electric knife are you?


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