How To Get The PERFECT Walleye Fillet EVERY Time!

[@lloydlongstraps87]

I just did this 5 min ago and I bow to you sir lol I've been cleaning walleye for 30 years and this hands down is the best way!!!! 🍻

[@calebwistad]

Man, that’s a great compliment! I’m glad it was helpful!

[@troybenko743]

This totally makes sense. I've always lost meat with the ribs. I will adopt this method. Thanks!!!

[@calebwistad]

You bet! Glad it was helpful.

[@Intimidator82]

And here I've been carving the ribs out from the other side trying to angle the knife upwards while holding it down. This looks so much easier, gonna try this for sure. Thanks for sharing!

[@calebwistad]

It’s pretty slick! That’s how I used to do it too but I find this to be much easier.

[@oglock7]

This looks like the easiest way to get the ribs and the pin bones out! Great idea!

[@calebwistad]

It’s slick! Thanks!

[@complicatedbreakfast7645]

Nope, rib side put your knife at an angle, trace around the white area and just gently peel away at those rib bones, saves you meat and time. When you're filleting 20+ fish at a time I would never use this method

[@mkwillert]

@@complicatedbreakfast7645 you cut the rib section out? Don't save any of the meat?

[@johnpeters8060]

Can’t wait to give this a try. Looks like a great method.

[@calebwistad]

Works great!

[@tipsicyoutdoors5096]

This is absolutely amazing!!! Thanks man! I clean alot of fish and get the bones out with a normal amount of meat... but this maximizes!!! Thanks again!!

[@calebwistad]

Awesome to hear! Glad you liked it.

[@Girzzlyঐু]

Hey, i'm going to use this method next time i go out! Im new to cleaning fish and this looks very easy, Thank you!!

[@calebwistad]

Glad it worked for you!

[@cliffordoctrowich45]

I have filleted thousands of walleye in my life and this method for removing rib bones and pin bones is pretty slick I'll have to try it thx

[@calebwistad]

That’s quite a compliment coming from you then!

[@andrewantolin7729]

That does look like the best method I've seen so far

[@calebwistad]

It’s how I’ve been doing them lately and the more I use it the more I like it!

[@Nathan1Johnson]

Excellent Video man, big thanks 👍 Okay so each to their own right. But my dad always felt every fish deserved our respect, and was a gift of life, regardless if you believe in a creator. So after a beautiful clean like that, we saved the Spinal area to the tail, cut in half.. Pike or Walleye. And we call them Jiblets. I mean we really rinse them clean and fry with oil and Cajun.. but give it a try, lots of excess meat in there, and lots of bones, but it falls apart after cooking with a simple fork.

[@calebwistad]

Interesting!

[@Woodstock271]

Man I miss Wisconsin and Walleye. Great fillet technique and bleeding out the fish, any fish, is key to clean and non-fishy meat. Like the flipping of the fillet and skinning, leaving the carcass with zero meat left and just clean fillets. Nice knife work.

[@calebwistad]

Thank you!

[@mikejoseph-o3v]

Nothing wrong with the belly meat. It tastes good, so you just wasted that much meat.

[@gregmalovance2253]

Amazing…I just tried this on two nice 17 inch filets…worked perfectly. I always hated trying to just cut out the ribs as I usually ended up losing the whole rib section of the fish.

[@calebwistad]

I was the same way. Glad this was helpful for you!

[@TimPeterson-bh9gk]

Works pretty good, tried your cornflakes/ pancake mix, pretty darn yummy. Love your videos, keep them coming 👍

[@calebwistad]

Good deal. Thanks!

[@mkwillert]

Lots of great info! Well done. Thank you

[@calebwistad]

Thank you. 🙏

[@sbdude52]

Excellent video

[@calebwistad]

Thanks!

[@Dirka13]

Cool video. I'm headed up to northern Ontario for crown land walleye. I am going to try this method.

[@calebwistad]

I’ve been doing a lot of them this way. Seems to make a lot of sense to me!

[@keenann5648]

That’s sweet do you have any videos on how you clean up your cutting board and knife before and after you clean your fish and thanks for all the great videos man

[@calebwistad]

I don’t yet but great idea!

[@michaeldixon908]

Hey, that’s pretty cool. Going to try this method

[@calebwistad]

I think you’ll like it!

[@bradcaruso5554]

Super slick. Thxs for posting that

[@calebwistad]

You bet!

[@alexkiminki8380]

Wow that’s awesome I’m definitely trying this

[@calebwistad]

Good deal!

[@wayne-oo]

Well done !

[@calebwistad]

Thank you!

[@garyv2498]

Thanks, now I just need to catch some Walleyes.

[@calebwistad]

Good luck! 👍

[@jessepanzer4470]

Thank you for this tip. Genius!!!!!!!

[@calebwistad]

Thank you! 🙏

[@MichaelSkuse]

Thanks for the video. Great way to remove bones.

[@calebwistad]

You bet! Thanks.

[@proteusxavier9477]

Awesome method. 🤝

[@calebwistad]

Thanks!

[@peterbrannstrom]

awesome!!! thanks a bunch for this tip! will have to try this one out, but first need to catch some zander...😅 kind regards from sweden (the land of no walleyes, but zander is about the same, especially in regards to processing for food) /peter

[@calebwistad]

Nice! Yes, I’m sure Zander will fillet exactly the same.

[@ntlineman]

Wouldn’t zippering off the pin bones down towards the tail to point where the pin bones stop leave more flesh on the fillet after you slice off the rib bones? Great tips! Can’t wait to teach my grand kids on how to prepare their catch! Have you tried the iki jime ( Japanese method )?

[@calebwistad]

Hmmm, I’ll have to try that. Might work.

[@czyhorse482]

I do everything you do until 4:38. Instead of cutting the lateral line out, 'zipper' it. Make 2 cuts in the tail about 3/4" long on either side of lateral line. Holding the top part of fish slowly pull the lower c/w lateral line. The top part of filet comes off in 1 clean boneless piece. Repeat the process with the lower part of filet, slowly pull lateral line off lower filet. No blood, bones or lateral line make the best tasting walleye meal.

[@kristinel6352]

Awesome. Ill have. To try this

[@calebwistad]

Give it a shot!

[@madmatt353]

Thanks for sharing your video

[@calebwistad]

You bet!

[@jamesmaendel9733]

I believe PK lures has a similar video on KZbin and ya for me it's the best way to fillet walleye

[@calebwistad]

I’ll have to check that out!

[@AppalachiaTN]

Great video! What filet knife do you prefer to use?

[@calebwistad]

Thanks! I have been using the Bubba 7” tapered flex for several years but I’m starting to go back to the Rapalas lately.

[@brianpinckard1134]

Love the bubba!

[@stevesampier527]

Wow. Never saw anything like that. Great.

[@calebwistad]

Thanks!

[@douglasbarrows8110]

Excellent!

[@calebwistad]

Thanks!

[@catyear75]

Man - That’s Good Eating!!!!!

[@calebwistad]

Yessir!

[@jtn-minn8105]

Cool the only thing I do different is I curve harder up above the eye on the first cut, the filet looks like it has a point on it.

[@calebwistad]

Yes, you can get a little more up there on the top of the head if you really turn your knife.

[@complicatedbreakfast7645]

For nice fillets cut on both sides of the blood line and then pull, call it zippering the fish

[@calebwistad]

If you want 2 piece fillets that works pretty well.

[@someoneyouknow96]

Just had walleye tacos last night.

[@calebwistad]

Nice!

[@jasonrigsby6190]

If you zipper that fillet when ur done, the only thing ur left with is only clean white meat. I’ll give this a try but will continue to zipper after ribs are gone.

[@calebwistad]

I should give the zipper method a try with this. Good idea.

[@banjohappy]

Yes. Zipper method guaranteed gets all the pin bones every time.

[@maya-or3bz]

very good thank youy very much. can you show with a pike? thank you

[@calebwistad]

Here is the video that shows my pike method: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6m1ga2VltufbdEsi=U6ig22jZHtUO7x3I

[@richarddegrandpre]

@@calebwistad thanks

[@Nedreck11]

Walleye is the easiest fish to fillet - anyway you do it!

[@calebwistad]

Yes. They are the simplest fish to get through. I agree.

[@MARKRODGERS1]

What other species would this method work with? Perch? Bass? Crappie? Pike?

[@calebwistad]

I think it would work well on bass and larger panfish. Pike have a completely different bone structure so I’d watch my pike fillet video to see how to clean those.

[@bushpilot1074]

perfect thank you ! but dont forget the cheek and the vicking helmet ...

[@calebwistad]

I do show how to get the cheek meat in another video.

[@jfs300rum]

Do you keep the cheeks or are they tossed with the carcass?

[@calebwistad]

Depends on the size of the fish. The cheeks are pretty small on a 16” walleye but anything approaching 20” it’s worth it.

[@NicoletaWestren-jk2kg]

This is how I fillet my walleye, but I don’t do the belly cut. I learned from a native in northern Ontario.

[@calebwistad]

Nice!

[@NicoletaWestren-jk2kg]

If you don’t do the belly cut, as soon as you reach the end of the ribs, you pull gently and that silvery skin will pull so easy. You get more belly meat. I love the belly meat

[@NicoletaWestren-jk2kg]

So I go through the belly. The difference is as soon as I flip it I rinse the white part in case some gut mess but usually none

[@JoshSDshot]

This is how I was taught lol

[@calebwistad]

You are only the second one to comment that you’ve done it this way.

[@ccol009]

Even after you know how to fillet fish you still learn 1 or 2 New / Different ways to fillet a certain species of fish. But other Walleye Filleting videos also removed the cheeks and the wings of the Walleye.

[@ccol009]

I like that filleting the belly technique though. That was my 1st time seeing that. I like that. I am going to use that belly technique.

[@calebwistad]

Thanks! I do show how to do that in another video.

[@jamesloerzel4377]

Does that work for all pike?

[@calebwistad]

Not for northern pike. I have a separate video on that method.

[@erikandrehoglund55]

I do this with perch

[@calebwistad]

Nice!👍

[@davidjacoboski4657]

Thanks but you forgot the cheek muscle

[@calebwistad]

I have another video that does include the cheek meat removal. I just didn’t want to clog this one up with too much info.

[@TLRChad]

This is how my grandpa cleaned walleye...minus flipping the fillet over.

[@calebwistad]

Nice!

[@privatecitizen8909]

For trout too?

[@calebwistad]

Should work for trout too!

[@nickmiresse7755]

I don't think so. Trout have longer pin bones. If there over 16 I cut right through the pin bones, put then in the fridge a day and pull the bones out with needlenose.

[@calebwistad]

@@nickmiresse7755 they are only slightly longer because they angle a bit more toward the back instead of protruding straight out. It would still work. The pull method you mentioned does work well on trout though and then you don’t have a cut down the middle of the fillet.

[@bellssuperclean]

Interesting

[@calebwistad]

Haha, I wasn’t sure if it would work till I tried it and it actually worked amazingly well.

[@olemach]

What about the cheeks and the wings?

[@calebwistad]

I have those covered in another video.

[@mariuszsobieraj1769]

Where is the bleedi g out video? I cant find it

[@calebwistad]

Sorry, forgot to put it in the description. I’ll add it but here it is: After The Catch - 6 Steps to Better Fish! kzbin.info/www/bejne/gGeUaYSneLyrZ5Y

[@mariuszsobieraj1769]

Awesome videos! You have another subscriber

[@common-sense-is-dead]

I dont get what the belly cut is for?

[@calebwistad]

The belly cut is something I’ve found worth doing because it makes it easier to remove the fillet and allows the entrails to “fall out” of the way so you don’t cut through them.

[@JeremyBerard-mo8cn]

I have been deboning my walleyes like this for over five years, so this is nothing new!!

[@calebwistad]

You are the first one I’ve heard from that does them this way. How did you learn this method?

[@mikeboston421]

nice, but you forgot to get the cheeks

[@calebwistad]

I didn’t forget them. I have that in another video. I just wanted to keep this video streamlined to the fillet process only.

[@ez3333]

😇👍

[@calebwistad]

🙏

[@JudahMaccabee_]

Don't forget the cheeks a.k.a freshwater scallops

[@calebwistad]

I have another video that shows how to get the cheeks out too! Just wanted to keep this one straight to the point.

[@NicoletaWestren-jk2kg]

From small ones like this walleye I don’t take the cheeks out Just the big ones

[@BruskFall]

What about them cheeeeeeks

[@TheeRiverGoat]

OHHHH WOWWWWWW. Only the 10,000th filleting tutorial on YT. Did you go to Harvard or Yale?

[@calebwistad]

Probably more like the 100,000th, but so what? That doesn’t mean that it isn’t an excellent tutorial. Why don’t you go back and read all the comments to see all the people this video has actually helped rather than being a dink because it didn’t help you.

[@TheeRiverGoat]

@@calebwistad dime a dozen tutorial

[@calebwistad]

Dime a dozen troll too. lol

[@kennethduncan5215]

You forgot the cheek meat

[@calebwistad]

I show how to get that in a different video. I wanted to keep this one short and focused on the fillet technique.

[@Mooseracks]

I filet with even LESS WAIST THAN this method

[@calebwistad]

Well, I’m a size 38” waist but I wouldn’t be surprised if guys with as little as a 30” waist could fillet a fish like this.

[@danchoxrp]

@@calebwistadlmao! 😂

[@larryarndt5024]

Not quite perfect tho!! I keep going on final step and take all the Red/lateral line out! If your going to try and make the best filets ever get all the Red out,,,

[@calebwistad]

On walleyes this size I haven’t noticed any flavor coming from that tiny bit of lateral line. On many other fish like catfish or white bass I would say it does make a huge difference, but not eater-sized walleyes.

[@kingbeans9707]

In some states each piece of fish is considered a fillet, so fully zippering the fillet is cutting your possession limit in half. The shown technique is great for transporting the catch then you can take out the red when you’re home 👍🏼

[@calebwistad]

Very true!

[@banjohappy]

It's not "walla", it's "Voila". It's a french word which translated means "See there". And you wasted all that good belly meat.

[@calebwistad]

Oui.

[@randymiller5008]

The Belly meat cut wasn't necessary in this particular method 🙄

[@tipsicyoutdoors5096]

How come?

[@calebwistad]

No, you wouldn’t have to do it but I’ve found it works much better if I do. Personal preference maybe.

[@Walleyeaddict79]

No Cheeks??? Or pectoral meat??? 😢

[@calebwistad]

I show how to do that in another video. Just wanted to keep this one streamlined and simple.

[@Walleyeaddict79]

@calebwistad I just watched it actually lol great vid 👌 👏

[@lenardkellyhanson9775]

That’s how green horns do it

[@calebwistad]

If you are using the standard definition of “greenhorn” which basically means “inexperienced” then I don’t qualify. I’ve filleted thousands of fish. I’ve been fishing almost every week of my life for over 100 species and we eat fish that I fillet myself 1-2 times a week. I’ve filleted fish so many different ways I’ve lost count. Anyone who says there’s only one way to fillet a fish is either ignorant, arrogant or in your case, probably both.

[@alancritser1130]

Agree 💯 percent

[@ez3333]

😇👍

[@calebwistad]

🙏

[@ez3333]

😇👍

[@calebwistad]

🙏